Waikiki, Hawaii - 1950s

You may think I'm just relaxing and having a good time here in Honolulu, but if you could only imagine how hard I had to work to sculpt my hair into this perfect cone. Life is not as easy here as you might imagine.

This is the Moana Hotel again, the first hotel in Waikiki. We looked at a very early photo of the hotel earlier in the week. It's very beautiful, and it hasn't changed much over the years. That may change soon. Back in the 1970s, people were alarmed at all of the high-rise hotels going up in Waikiki and concerned about encroachment on the beach itself, so height and shoreline setback requirements were adopted for the Waikiki Beach District. Currently there is a nine-story tower attached to the Moana Hotel; it hadn't been built yet when this postcard was issued. It's really not bad looking and doesn't overwhelm the historic hotel, which apart from its historic significance is surely the most beautiful building in Waikiki.

However, Kyo-Ya corporation is poised to tear down the 9-story tower and replace it with a 26-story tower, which would also encroach 60 feet into the 100-foot shoreline setback. Although the proposed building does not comply with the regulations, Honolulu City Council voted 9-0 to give them the initial go ahead. It's not over yet, but it doesn't look good. If they grant the variance, I can't imagine how they could turn down future requests. Here's a recent article from the NY Times. Be sure to scroll back up and take a look at the picture of the hotel and imagine how a 26-story tower ould look right next to it.

Here's the back of the postcard, offering free reservations by Reservatron. In the age of internet reservations, that may not sound like a big deal, but Sheraton was the first hotel chain in the world to start offering hotel reservations by telex.