Honolulu scenes

Though we stayed in on Waikiki, a stone's throw from the beach, we were able to see other parts of the city. And not just the Ala Moana shopping center either!

Honolulu is interesting. That's faintly euphemistic. It climbs up several hillsides. Its business core of tall buildings is removed from its tourism core of tall hotels on Waikiki, giving the impression of two city centers from a distance. The architecture in many cases is dated and hasn't translated to modern times well. Traffic is a nightmare - a horrible, tragic incident on the day I arrived snarled up the freeway and the exits into the city, and the resultant time sitting in a cab from the airport took me the better part of an hour (I didn't time it) and cost $50.

But there is lush foliage all over and birds around. The sea and the sunsets over it are well worth some of the less-favourable aspects of the city. And in any case, it IS a big city chockful of tourists. For all its flaws, Honolulu is a rather likeable place.

So then, some scenes from around the city, starting with a morning on Waikiki.


These next several are from the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus - we strolled around and peeked in at the 50m pool. It's a rather concrete campus, as if the planners thought the flora would make up for deficiencies in architecture. Still, we enjoyed poking around. And goodness knows I've seen other campuses with as much concrete! Oh, the bird? A type of cardinal. Not a native species, and kind of a shock to see in Hawaii of all places. The photos of me? I just think I look kind of trim in it. I AM vain, remember?









The Capitol is also unlike any other I've seen. From a distance, it's an odd box shape. However, look more closely. The rounded part you can make out in the first shot is one of the two houses, and the shape is meant to reflect a volcano (or so Conrad said). Unseen from a distance are the reflecting pools surrounding much of the building and adding the notion of an island state to the architecture. Meanwhile, once in the inner courtyard one can see how the "hallways" in the upper levels are open air. The two houses are glassed in, and peeking in from the courtyard, I noted some stunning woodwork inside. Also, look at the columns - palm trees! It's all done a little literally, and it doesn't look great from the end of the block, but it was interesting to wander about.




The older structure here is the Iolani Palace. We didn't pay to get in - maybe another time - but walked around it, admiring it, and heading on from there to the main branch of the Hawaii State Public Library system.