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.... 

Hawaii, day two

Our first full day in Hawaii started off with a morning walk for the two of us. 

It was one of only two days when Marie came for a morning walk, though she did a long walk another day.  I'll be blunt:  we are both large people and out of shape, Marie arguably more so than I am.  The walk was more than her usual, and she might have stepped down wrong at some point, so by the end her back was bothering her and more.  I felt badly about that, and I'm sorry it prevented her from coming on other morning walks - I should have been glad of her company.  Ah well.

So we were up just before sunrise, as the skies were lightening,

and out the door to head to the nearby Ala Moana Park.  Not a long walk there, but we caught some views of boats,

beaches,

birds,

beasts (mongooses - cute but invasive),

and (sorry this isn't entirely alliterative) Waikiki. 

We crossed over to the mall, wandered it a little while we debated what sounded good for breakfast, and eventually parked ourselves at an Eggs 'n' Things.  It was fine enough.  I continued my quest for Spam, choosing that with eggs and rice

and a glass of POG

for a very filling breakfast.

I wish I could tell you about grand adventures throughout the day, but the truth is, after getting showered and changed, we spent a goodly while in the mile, poking in stores, buying some things, later grabbing a small lunch (and thank you to the woman at the one business in the food court who offered me the senior discount, telling me that with my white beard I look like Kenny Rogers!) there, eventually choosing a book in Barnes and Noble to bring to the pool deck that afternoon.

Nice pool, but I wish there was more shade available on the deck. 

It wasn't too busy at the hotel pool, though, and I know I dozed off a little at one point.  Yes, we did go in the water.  Once done with the pool, we headed to the room changed, and came down to the pool level to try the little bar there.  Lilikoi (passionfruit) drinks for us - a margarita for Marie, a spritzer for me. 

The bar was, sorry to say, underwhelming, but now we know!

Dinner that evening was at a place Van had found back in 2023 for him and me and Conrad.  Fête is downtown/Chinatown rather than Waikiki, and I think Marie appreciated that we saw a different part of the city.  I was glad to go back and enjoy it again.  The hostess greeted us and asked if Marie and I were on a date, thereby beginning a pattern of the two of us explicitly inserting into conversation with service staff in restaurants, bars, and stores that we were brother and sister.  I guess not many siblings like us travel together, or something.  Anyway, we had a table in a little side part of the restaurant, by the window and across from where the kitchen was doing its magic. 

Great views!  We started with much better cocktails than at the hotel bar:  the Grab 'Em by the Pineapple for me

and the Spicy Kitty for Marie. 

We shared an appetizer special, breadfruit with Indian spices and crispy shreds of okra atop,

then it was the Korean steak for me and the coconut prawns for Marie. 

The coconut cake was a special as well, and we went for it. 

She and I capped the evening with an amaro each, and I was delighted that Marie is into them. 

Something else we now share.  It was all very good, and we headed back to the hotel with full bellies, turning in fairly shortly after getting back.

Hawaii, day one

I'm back from Hawaii and settled in at home.  Next week will actually be a full week of work at work (well, maybe Friday will be remote).  Bizarre!  There is plenty to catch up on, and I thought I would take Hawaii day by day since there are many photos, and a decent amount of narrative.  Ready?  Let's go!

Hawaii, day one, is really the tale of getting there.  And the tale is not an arduous one, I promise.  Heck, I didn't even have to get up early for my flight!  I got the airport late morning and parked in the lounge to do a little bit of work there. 

The flight was scheduled for about 1:00 in the afternoon, and I was in business class on the way there

(cute little amenities kit!). 

I got on the plane, had lunch in the air,

dozed a bunch, watched some things on my iPad (The Gentlemen on Netflix, a few episodes, funny stuff), and read a little as well (Underland by Robert McFarlane).  The flight took us over the Channel Islands on the continent side of things,

and then after a long while, the Big Island came into view. 

I was happy to have the window seat!  We flew past Honolulu and approached the airport from the west, coming in over the suburban communities there.

The trip was scheduled for a work matter that I'll get to in a later post.  I took advantage of that to enjoy a few days in Honolulu and invite Marie to join me.  She wouldn't arrive until much later that evening, though, so I had a handful of hours to myself.  I booked us a suite at the same hotel where I was told to stay for the work, and the suite proved to be a nice one.  It was roomy - I gave Marie the bedroom

and took the pull-out sofa for myself

- and the view of Manoa and the convention center and the canal and even a glimpse of the water was welcome. 

Yes, you did have to crane your neck a little for that water view,

but not badly so, especially out on the balcony.

I got myself unpacked, and then it was to the mall.  Oh yes.  We were staying at the Ala Moana Hotel, and that meant we were right at the one end of the Ala Moana Shopping Center.  Now, I'm NOT a mall person, generally speaking, but Ala Moana is really something else.  Super high-end designer stores, inexpensive souvenir shops.  Multiple department stores.  Groceries.  It's a big complex, and just going end to end helps the step count.  Marie and I would visit it several times, but on that first day last Wednesday, I had one thing in mind:  musubi.

I think it's funny that so many people disparage Spam.  Yes, it's processed, full of fat, sodium, and sugar.  But it also uses up animal parts, and I appreciate that.  Besides, since when do we not like fat, sodium, or sugar?  The people who make a fuss to me when I post about Spam are the true food snobs, a label that has been leveled at me many more times than I find amusing.  But no, there I am, eating as much Spam as possible on the trip, starting with that delicious treat.  I picked it up at Foodland along with some snacks, water, and wine for the room, and I didn't really eat much more than that for my dinner that night.

Sunset,

and then, as it does in Honolulu, the sky grew dark quickly. 

I hung out, waiting for Marie.  Not long after she arrived, it was time to crash - at this time of year, Honolulu is 3 hours behind us in SoCal, so it was past 1AM for me in reality.  Marie and I had a few days together to enjoy, and we wouldn't miss out by getting a night of sleep.