Hawaii, day seven

You will be not be surprised, I am sure, to find that day seven of the Hawaii trip started in much the same fashion as day six.  That is to say, a walk.  And a longer one than the day before - we weren't due to meet in the lobby until a half hour later than the previous day.  The morning walk included part of the park but part of Waikiki first. 

And yes, a few photos from the stroll. 

A good start to the morning!

Oh, and I wore a new shirt with a cool manta ray pattern on it.  Love it! 

The work at the college went easily that day.  The morning was busy, but by shortly after lunch, we had finished what we needed to do and were waiting for the mid-afternoon report-out.  That event happened quickly, and before too long, we had made our return to Honolulu.

I've done five of these teams now, and this one was the one that went the smoothest and easiest and quickest.  But that also made it the one where the team members bonded the least.  We had dinner together the night before, and we had two breakfasts and two lunches at the college, but as soon as we got back to the hotel on that last day in Hawaii, the team chair was out the door of the van, thanking us each sincerely, and then heading off to his room, not to be seen again.  The assistant chair (or whatever the title may have been) beat a similar path but lingering several minutes longer.  That left the four of us to head to Pint and Jigger for drinks.

I like that bar.  I don't like the sports bar aspect to it, but I like the bar.  Good drinks!  I asked for one called Mr. Fancy Pants,

and the server was very careful to make sure that I might like it.  Like, super cautious.  And I get it.  Cynar is weird, not everyone likes mezcal.  But it was, in essence, a mezcal negroni, and I do like those, and so I liked my cocktail. 

As we went for round two, one of my colleagues decided she liked it as well.  I'm sure the bar was a little gratified that we all did!

Drinks done, we went our separate ways.  I could have invited one of them to dinner with me, but no, I decided to have a last evening to myself.  I hemmed and hawed (I get weirdly anti-social in situations like this and sometimes would prefer to have delivery food or something and just watch television I've seen before) and eventually got myself over to the Halekulani for a light bite at House Without a Key.  And it was nice.  It rained lightly on us.  My cocktail - a mai tai

- was good but not as good as what I'd had three nights earlier at Orchids.  The food was fine - some loaded fries and a mildly bland tuna tataki.  I enjoyed the singing and hula - the current Miss Hawaii was the dancer (but she sang a bit as well). 

It was all very pleasant.  But I felt guilty that I was there without Conrad and Van.  Oh, we would have loved being there together.  Sigh.

I spent the rest of my evening packing.  I was at the airport

early the next day, which meant time in the United Club there,

one of the nicer ones in my experience.  And, lo!  The one seat available for upgrade on my flight was assigned to me.  1A for the ride home to California. 

Good work done, good time spent, good food and wine enjoyed - I'd call the trip a success.

I can't wait to go back to Hawaii....

Hawaii, day four

Another day in Honolulu, and - oh so sadly (insert eyeroll here) - another glorious morning to go for a walk.  So, let's start this out with a lovely little photodump from the morning stroll before I move on to telling you about how the rest of the day went.  Friends, I present to you scenes from Ala Moana Park and Kewalo Basin Park, rainbows and more!

Marie did not join me for the walk that morning, opting to walk later on instead.  And she had a proper walk planned:  from our hotel to the Outrigger Canoe Club.  It's over three miles,

I warned her, and it wouldn't be in the somewhat cooler early morning.  Nope, that was what she wanted.  Sunscreen on, a cap on my head, we set out on an expedition, my second of the day.  My step count was awesome, I tell you.

Anyway, we set out late in the morning, heading over into Waikiki, detouring a slight bit - through the Pink Palace, the Royal Hawaiian, for example. 

Down along Waikiki, though, pausing for a couple of photos

and glancing in a store or two, making it to the club with Marie a little worn down and perhaps a tad cranky.  She soldiered through it all, though.  She was also very glad for us to grab seats on the patio just out of reach of the surf washing over, order drinks

and lunch,

enjoy a second drink, then instead of going in the water (which was a little more turbulent than the day before), hopping in an Uber back to the hotel where we enjoyed the easier access to the hotel pool and patio.  After so much walking, it was a gentle, relaxing afternoon for us.

Dinner time took us back into Waikiki, to go to Orchids at The Halekulani.  It's a restaurant that Conrad and I have loved so much, we named a table at our wedding reception for it (we named all the tables for restaurants rather than numbering them).  I wanted Marie to try what I think are the best mai tais in Hawaii. 

She wasn't disappointed, I can tell you that.  We had lovely seats by the lawn, and we sipped in no great haste. 

Dinner was also good:  a kampachi sashimi for me,

the beef cheeks,

then we shared a white chocolate mousse with pineapple cake. 

The cheeks were especially good, so tender, and they went well with a bottle of a nice California Pinot noir that we splurged on.  Dinner ended with a couple of little treats,

and we caught an Uber back to the hotel.  A fine day with a lot of steps and some very good food and drink in our bellies.  I was sorry it would come to an end the next day, and that by the end of that Sunday, I would have to send Marie on her way home.

mai tais: ratings

I have learned from Conrad (or, to borrow from Whitney, I learned from the best). I think I have. I have come to know what a good mai tai is.

United Airlines, this was fine for in flight. Faint praise, damnation, all I can muster.

Four Seasons at Manele Bay poolside bar, this was bland and sweet and, well, just not good. We'd try a different drink next time.

Halekulani Hotel in Honolulu, bless you. This is my gold standard, and I was content to worship at your temple these past few days.

I think my liver would now appreciate a few days of water only...