If Honolulu surprised me with its beauty, the same could be said for Waikiki—tenfold. It blows my mind that just a peaceful spit of sand is located right in the middle of such a bustling city. Our hotel was located just a block off the beach, which was pretty convenient as we could run over [...]
Getting “Lost” on Oahu
May 19, 2011 By 23 Comments
I had so much going on before I left for Hawaii—three feature stories that exceeded 3,000 words (one for Redbook, two for Southwest Airlines‘ Spirit magazine), plus a number of smaller assignments—that I didn’t do a lot of research for our trip before we left. But that’s the beauty of social media and smartphones, isn’t [...]
Dive Mishaps in Honolulu
May 17, 2011 By 23 Comments
Waikiki Beach hardly seems like the place one comes for a little rest and relaxation, but after the craziness that was the previous nine days driving all over the Big Island and the North Shore of Oahu, we were stoked to check in and chill out. We stayed at the new Hotel Renew, which is [...]
Photo Friday: Valley of the Temples, Oahu
May 12, 2011 By 25 Comments
After our flight over the North Shore, we headed back to Turtle Bay to check out and make our way back to Honolulu for the remainder of our trip. When we first landed, we had driven to Haleiwa straight up H2 from the airport up H2, and I wanted to go back a different way. [...]
Gliding High Over Oahu
May 12, 2011 By 27 Comments
If Hawaii is beautiful from ground level, its aerial view is something ethereal. When you read about what to do on Oahu’s North Shore in magazines, the stories rarely leave out a recommendation to see the island via chopper. We didn’t go up in any helicopter, oh no. We one-upped that helicopter and opted for [...]
A Horse is a Horse
May 10, 2011 By 32 Comments
On one of the first extensive trips SVV and I took together—through and around the bite-sized country of Denmark in 2006—we had an unfortunate experience with horseback riding. I should start by telling you that I’ve done a fair amount of riding in more recent years. Growing up, my time on a horse was pretty [...]
Channeling Our Inner Celebrities at Turtle Bay
May 8, 2011 By 28 Comments
Originally we were set to leave the Big Island and fly to Honolulu with go! Mokulele, a mistake I’ll be sure and never make again. We had purchased our inter-island flights for $79 (each way) two months prior, having heard that was the cheapest option. Six days prior to our departure, go! canceled our flight, [...]
Photo Friday: Windward Coast, Oahu
May 6, 2011 By 41 Comments
After we hiked Diamond Head, we got back in our car and continued to drive east from Honolulu on H1. We had no plan really; we figured we’d just go as far as possible until it was time to turn around and head to the airport for our overnight flight back to California. It’s a [...]
Shrimp Trucks and Snow Cones
May 5, 2011 By 23 Comments
There’s a weird phenomenon on the North Shore of Oahu: shrimp trucks. Now, I live in San Francisco and am very familiar with the whole street food cart craze—we practically invented it, and if you’re in the Bay Area and have yet to attend an Off the Grid event, you’re certified nutso—but even the novelty [...]
Paying Homage to Pele
May 3, 2011 By 11 Comments
I’ve been to the Big Island twice now and have yet to visit Volcanoes National Park. The first time was due to the discovery of my avocado allergy—I spent a couple days in bed while SVV and the rest of the crew went there without me (mean)—and this time, there simply wasn’t a free afternoon [...]
