rainbows!

Gee, with a post title like that, I feel like I should have dancing gifs of My Little Pony.

No real commentary to offer, just a couple of shots of one of the rainbows we saw while in Honolulu last weekend. I struggle to think when last I saw a rainbow. Being the good gay I am, I was tickled to see it (and the others later in the weekend).

Something pretty to brighten your day, in other words.

Honolulu beyond Waikiki

I suspect most people don't give much thought to the existence of Honolulu beyond Waikiki (and, perhaps, the big mall or the university). In doing so, they miss out on a kind of funky downtown, the cultural institutions around the Capitol, the stores, Chinatown, and more.

The first morning we were together in Honolulu, we ventured into the downtown. Quiet on a Saturday morning, the city was a mass of "interesting" high rises, scattered vintage buildings among them. It's hard to get a grasp on the architectural vernacular in the city. Older buildings echo Spanish mission styles, newer ones have a touch of urban brutal about them. Still, there are gems in there, and even the more modern ones at least provoke some discussion of whether they are good or so horrible as to be fascinating.





















I rather like them, I think.

The next day, after walking over to the Made in Hawaii Festival, we continued on past the Capitol to get lunch in Chinatown. It wasn't this latter that really interested us (though lunch certainly was good). The Capitol, frankly, astounds me. I truly love it. So different from the gold (or copper? - I haven't seen enough state capitals) domes of elsewhere. And goodness does the building bludgeon the viewer with symbolism. The sky, the sea, the volcanoes, the palms, the islands. Check out those columns, lean back and look up to the skies above.






I always like strolling through the area.

Lastly, we skirted through the tourist-trap (think Fisherman's Wharf) area surrounding the Aloha Tower and ascended to the viewing decks.





Honolulu was spread about us, and it's here that you can see not only the real city (and a glimpse of the tourism that drives it), but also the working port and busy airport. No, it's not as pretty as Waikiki (and believe me, I do like that stretch of beach, stores, hotels, and dining), but it is very real and fascinating all the same.

dinner at Mariposa

Conrad has worked a lot over in Hawaii in the past couple of years, and has cultivated a short list of restaurants he very much enjoys. I've tried most of them and liked them, too. I do encourage him to try other places, but if it isn't broken, etc.

So it was on my first night on the recent jaunt to Honolulu we made our way to Mariposa at Neiman Marcus.

I'd been there for lunch once before and quite liked it. I was keen to see what dinner would be like.

A promising start. Mai tai in hand (sweet and fruity but welcome) and balcony seating. The menu had some very intriguing options, too, and because I'd spent 9 hours on a plane, hardly dining well there, I prevailed on Conrad to have an appetizer as well as an entree. Bad me.

The appetizers were quite good. I wouldn't normally opt for a hot soup in a hot climate, but white bean and coconut sounded too good to pass up. Delicious choice. Conrad, meanwhile, went for a gorgeous salad of jewel-like tomatoes.
Also a good choice.

We each had the same entree, and this is where things deflated a little. Diver scallops with pancetta, beet greens, and a squid ink risotto. In the end, it was fine, but kind of unexceptional. I liked it, but I wouldn't sing its praises and I wouldn't bother ordering it again. I'm damning it with faint praise, I apologize. It was nice but little more.

If we can choose cheese, we will, and so we did. This is where things further deflated. I was trying not to sip my sole glass of wine too quickly because I wanted to have some left for the cheese. Goodness, though, that course took a long time to come. Conrad and I were patient, in an easy mood. I also noted to him that since it was from the lunch/afternoon menu, they may have wanted to bring the cheese up to serving temperature. Still, it was a long wait, to the point where though we hadn't commented to anyone on it, the waiter and the hostess each came by to apologize.

When the cheese came, I was disheartened to see the plating. Oh, the cheese was fine - we were pleased to see a Maui cheese as an option and ordered it, a goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves. But really, look at the photo. A mass of sliced almonds, not the easiest thing to pick up and eat, honeydew (?!), some raisins. The pineapple was sweet, I'll give them that. The cheese, however, was lost on the plate instead of starring on it. And with that, a dinner that had started out with such delicious appetizers was, sadly, diminished.

multiple mai tais

So, since I can't go back in the water yet (doctor's orders, let the foot finish healing, I'll jump the gun and get back in on Monday), I may as well get back to blogging while Conrad is at practice.

It was a quiet couple of weeks without him home. My meals were lazy, often. It wasn't until last weekend (wow, a full week ago) that I had bloggable goods, and then I had no laptop with. Time to catch up.

If I may poke fun at myself a moment or two, then indulge me as I perpetuate a growing impression amongst you all that I am a lush or something. I was in Hawaii for a few days, after all, so I got happily reacquainted with the lovely lovely mai tai. Mmmmm...

In fact, a lot of places there make very sweet fruity versions, and those don't quite sit as well with me. One is more than enough of those. A sweet exception was the last one, at the poolside bar at the Marriott in Waikiki. A better, not-too-sweet mai tai was at our beloved Halekulani (and I call it that having only dined and drank there, not stayed - ah, to dream!). Nonetheless, no matter the sweet or fruity levels, I was simply delighted to be there and sipping. So, no complaints, just photos of my with liquor.

Mariposa (the restaurant at Neiman Marcus).


Beachside bar at the Turtle Bay Resort.

Mai Tai Bar at the Ala Moana Shopping Center.


La Mer, Halekulani.

Marriott poolside bar.

As a bonus, the shots do give you some idea of the variety of Hawaiian shirts I wear ever so winningly!