The lead story on the local news last night was kind of exciting. CBS has picked up the re-make of the old crime series Hawaii Five 0! The new series will be in the CBS line up this coming fall! For Oahu this means 130 million dollars could be spent on the island during filming and from tourism based on the series. They announced who the two stars will be and only one was familiar to me because he was one of the regulars on the series Lost, which is ending this television season.
So in addition to the numerous movies that are in various stages of production in Hawaii we can now add Hawaii Five 0 to the list. You might be asking who are some of the “stars” who have been or will be filming in Hawaii. Jennifer Anniston, Adam Sandler and Nicole Kidman have been filming a movie in Maui. Johnny Depp and the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean will be on my island this summer for the fourth installment of the pirate movies. George Clooney was here in April filming a movie and Steven Spielberg is said to be coming to the island to film. I may need to schedule some time off so I can stalk some of these film crews!
Back to reality! Did I tell you there were no “bugs” in Hawaii? Man was I wrong! Have you heard of the 757? I’m not talking about the airplane; I’m talking about the cockroach! Thank heavens I haven’t seen one, yet; but I’ve been told about them! I have however, killed my first cockroach in my apartment. And without screaming!!! Yes, Hawaii has bugs and most notably the cockroach. But there are no snakes in Hawaii!
There are more than 40 species of ants in Hawaii and centipedes, usually between 5 to 6 inches in length, can be found here as well. There are several types of mosquitoes in Hawaii but the higher up in a building you live the fewer flying insects you meet! My least favorite insect is also on the island; spiders! But not the brown recluse!!! Luckily several frog and toad species can be found on the islands along with geckos. I’ve seen little geckos playing on the ground and in trees while walking and sitting in the drive through at McDonald’s. The geckos, frogs and toads seem to do a good job of eating the insects and it is considered bad luck to kill a gecko.
And while I’m trying to end rumors about Hawaii I’d also like to caution you and warn you to start reading the fine print! You know the fine print at the bottom of your television screen during commercials. Okay, you need to get your DVR in working condition and record some commercials then watch them back in slow motion. When the fine print appears, freeze the screen and read; you might find it interesting; especially if you plan to visit Hawaii or Alaska.
Take for example the Subway commercials promoting the $5 footlong sub sandwiches. Great offer as long as you don’t live in Hawaii or Alaska. The fine print clearly states “not available in Alaska or Hawaii.” Oh, and those yummy Pizza Hut commercials that blast out all the special prices on different sizes and types of pizzas. Yeah, not in Hawaii! Nor the Dollar menu at Arby’s and I could go on and on. I guess it’s the “price” you pay for living in paradise!
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything on my blog and I apologize to my faithful followers for leaving you hanging and ignoring you. As they say, life happens. I had a great visit with my husband and look forward to sharing some of our adventures in upcoming posts. So keep your internet connection up to date as I just might be posting fast and furious the next week or two! So until next time, love and hugs to "my faithful followers!"
Showing posts with label Oahu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oahu. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Take My Word for It
There is so much to tell you about the island of Oahu and Honolulu but I don’t know where to start so you’ll just have to trust me on these random thoughts as I have no pictures to share this time!
Space is at a premium but what is the population of Honolulu? Great question with several answers. For the incorporated city of Honolulu the population is around 371,657. For the city and county you are looking at closer to 909,863. Then there’s Oahu and Waikiki. I’ll let you Google those. Let’s just leave it with this fact: Oahu is the most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii.
Space cost money! If you want to live in the heart of everything you want to live in Waikiki, but it will cost you. Don’t expect to see green grass everywhere and don’t expect to hear lots of horns honking. Waikiki is full of high rise buildings and landlords who want to charge a premium for their unit. And people are willing to pay it! In Hawaii you don’t honk your horn. You are supposed to be relaxed and enjoying the island and go with the flow.
The streets or infrastructure had no thought put into it. I’m serious! One street can change names 4 times and there may only be two signs telling you the street name! Some street corners lack a street sign period! Put this together with tons of one way streets and the inability to make U turns and it could take you awhile getting someplace!
Can I buy a consonant? Yes, you read that right. The Hawaii alphabet is made up of 5 vowels and 7 consonants and consonants can’t touch each other! Don’t believe me? Try these common street names that I’ve come to know and love:
Kapiolani Boulevard
Kalakaua Avenue
Kamehameha Highway
And they don’t all start with a K (although they are my favorite):
Ala Wai Boulevard
Beretania Street
Halekauwila Street
Ala Moana Street
Ewa Street (the w is pronounced as a V)
Then there are the one’s that make me feel at home:
King Street
Paula Drive
Fletcher Avenue
Main Street
Some of the roads here rival I-70 through Missouri. Rough! Although it may not seem as rough since the speed limit doesn’t go above 60 mph and that stretch is only about 2 miles in length! Most of the speed limit signs on the high ways I have been on max out at 50 mph! But they are in desperate need of repair!
It rains just about every day; or it has in the past 3 weeks! Luckily if it rains in Waikiki it only lasts a few minutes and it’s a very light, light rain. It rained most of Easter but that was inland and closer to the mountains. It got heavy a few times but for the most part it’s a light mist and I haven’t heard thunder or seen lightning.
The entire island of Oahu is not a tropical paradise. It might be a paradise but not tropical. One weekend I took a drive towards the North Shore but only went about 20 miles and hit terrain that reminded me of a desert. It was very dry, mostly dirt with not much greenery. There is a rain forest on the island but it still isn’t as green or as humid as San Juan.
Sam’s is upstairs and Wal-Mart is downstairs. I’m not kidding! The two stores share one complex and Sam’s is upstairs. The parking garage is four levels and luckily there are elevators. I’d say the selection at Sam’s is about 75% of the one in West Wichita but the Wal-Mart I would guess to be about 50% of what I am use to. I definitely can’t do all my shopping in one place now. And I’m still not use to seeing wine and hard liquor sold in regular grocery stores.
The water tastes good but don’t drink the salt water! I actually don’t mind the taste of the water out of the faucet here. It tastes very fresh and clean and doesn’t taste of chlorine. I still refrigerate my water because I like it cold but I’m saving money on bottled water and water filters!
You can’t drive up to a store, park, run in, pick up a few items and leave. Shopping here involves either walking to the store or driving around looking for a parking spot. I spent way too much time trying to find a parking spot during a recent trip to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. This place is huge! 4 stories of shops and restaurants and parking to match. I only spent 3 hours there and this only involved 3 stores and lunch! I miss the shopping strips back home! What I’d give for an Eastgate Shopping Center right now!
One last thought…there is no Kohl’s, Olive Garden, Slumberland, Quik Trip, Timberline Steakhouse or Mr. Goodcents in Oahu. And I miss Cherry &-Up!
Space is at a premium but what is the population of Honolulu? Great question with several answers. For the incorporated city of Honolulu the population is around 371,657. For the city and county you are looking at closer to 909,863. Then there’s Oahu and Waikiki. I’ll let you Google those. Let’s just leave it with this fact: Oahu is the most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii.
Space cost money! If you want to live in the heart of everything you want to live in Waikiki, but it will cost you. Don’t expect to see green grass everywhere and don’t expect to hear lots of horns honking. Waikiki is full of high rise buildings and landlords who want to charge a premium for their unit. And people are willing to pay it! In Hawaii you don’t honk your horn. You are supposed to be relaxed and enjoying the island and go with the flow.
The streets or infrastructure had no thought put into it. I’m serious! One street can change names 4 times and there may only be two signs telling you the street name! Some street corners lack a street sign period! Put this together with tons of one way streets and the inability to make U turns and it could take you awhile getting someplace!
Can I buy a consonant? Yes, you read that right. The Hawaii alphabet is made up of 5 vowels and 7 consonants and consonants can’t touch each other! Don’t believe me? Try these common street names that I’ve come to know and love:
Kapiolani Boulevard
Kalakaua Avenue
Kamehameha Highway
And they don’t all start with a K (although they are my favorite):
Ala Wai Boulevard
Beretania Street
Halekauwila Street
Ala Moana Street
Ewa Street (the w is pronounced as a V)
Then there are the one’s that make me feel at home:
King Street
Paula Drive
Fletcher Avenue
Main Street
Some of the roads here rival I-70 through Missouri. Rough! Although it may not seem as rough since the speed limit doesn’t go above 60 mph and that stretch is only about 2 miles in length! Most of the speed limit signs on the high ways I have been on max out at 50 mph! But they are in desperate need of repair!
It rains just about every day; or it has in the past 3 weeks! Luckily if it rains in Waikiki it only lasts a few minutes and it’s a very light, light rain. It rained most of Easter but that was inland and closer to the mountains. It got heavy a few times but for the most part it’s a light mist and I haven’t heard thunder or seen lightning.
The entire island of Oahu is not a tropical paradise. It might be a paradise but not tropical. One weekend I took a drive towards the North Shore but only went about 20 miles and hit terrain that reminded me of a desert. It was very dry, mostly dirt with not much greenery. There is a rain forest on the island but it still isn’t as green or as humid as San Juan.
Sam’s is upstairs and Wal-Mart is downstairs. I’m not kidding! The two stores share one complex and Sam’s is upstairs. The parking garage is four levels and luckily there are elevators. I’d say the selection at Sam’s is about 75% of the one in West Wichita but the Wal-Mart I would guess to be about 50% of what I am use to. I definitely can’t do all my shopping in one place now. And I’m still not use to seeing wine and hard liquor sold in regular grocery stores.
The water tastes good but don’t drink the salt water! I actually don’t mind the taste of the water out of the faucet here. It tastes very fresh and clean and doesn’t taste of chlorine. I still refrigerate my water because I like it cold but I’m saving money on bottled water and water filters!
You can’t drive up to a store, park, run in, pick up a few items and leave. Shopping here involves either walking to the store or driving around looking for a parking spot. I spent way too much time trying to find a parking spot during a recent trip to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. This place is huge! 4 stories of shops and restaurants and parking to match. I only spent 3 hours there and this only involved 3 stores and lunch! I miss the shopping strips back home! What I’d give for an Eastgate Shopping Center right now!
One last thought…there is no Kohl’s, Olive Garden, Slumberland, Quik Trip, Timberline Steakhouse or Mr. Goodcents in Oahu. And I miss Cherry &-Up!
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