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.

Hawaii, day three

Hawaii, day the third.  I woke up and abandoned Marie to head out for a walk. 

Oh, so dramatic.  She was awake early, but she was disinclined to walk, so I set out on my own, past the convention center

and over to go along at least part of the Ala Wai Canal

before ducking more into Waikiki. 

Look, a rooster!

It promised to be another good and easy day.  Marie and I ended up at Liliha Bakery in Macy's for a breakfast, which - you guessed it - involved Spam. 

I joke about having Spam every day whilst in Hawaii, but this was the last of it I had.  Sadly.

From there, it was over to the Outrigger Canoe Club. 

Some beach time,

a close-ish encounter with an endangered monk seal

(signage helped to cordon off an area around it), mai tais

and poke

(each were a good price, neither was all that great), then back to the beach for a while

before finally getting in the water.  I know I was snoring at one point in those beach chairs, and I swear I read at least a few pages of my book.  Just easy and relaxing time for us both.

For dinner that night I booked us at Stage Restaurant in the design center. 

I'd been there once with Conrad, and my dim memories of it were fond.  Not so much now, perhaps.  Oh, not bad, but it wasn't the dinner I wanted, we wanted.  Just getting into the building was a weird adventure of walking up a drive into the building parking, and that in itself wasn't easy to find.  The restaurant was strangely quiet.  This was dinnertime on a Friday, and the whole time we were there, there was only one other table (a large one, celebrating a birthday or something) in the dining room and maybe four in the wine bar.  I always get nervous about places that have no customers, wondering what everyone else knows that I don't.

In any case, Marie and I

had a prime table, front a center in the windows overlooking the intersection. 

We sat in a, hmmm, bench?  Couch?  Not sure, but side by side.  The table was raised up to us, but because of where we sat in relation, I felt I was always hunching forward to get to my food and drink.  The service started out strongly, but at a certain point, we didn't see the original server any longer.  The martini was fine,

the wine flight was fine,

the amuse was good (though the bread was too large). 

I liked the dessert, which featured elderflower. 

I think the Caesar salad variation that Marie and I shared was the best dish, and that's not faint praise. 

It really was good.  My pork belly was fine. 

Marie's fish was overcooked, but she said nothing and soldiered through.  It was a goodly amount of food and drink, and I appreciated the bit of a walk back to the hotel.  But it wasn't a great meal, just some parts that we liked.  Odd.

To bed not long after that.  Another day of relaxation and such beckoned....