Ala Moana Center - Honolulu, Hawaii

Is this your vision of tropical paradise?

Well, it may not be, but in 1966 when this photo was taken, this shopping mall was a very big deal.  Remember that Joni Mitchell song, Big Yellow Taxi, with lyrics that included: "they paved paradise, put up a parking lot?" The song was inspired by a 1970 trip to Hawaii, when Mitchell woke up in the morning and looked out of her hotel window to see a huge parking lot, quite possibly this very one.

Today, with lots of other options for shopping, Ala Moana Center is still a very important shopping destination. When I lived in Hawaii many years ago (but not as early as 1966!), this is where I went to buy groceries. I also had my ears pierced at a jewelry store in the mall. Strange as it may seem, this is also where I bought my first Christmas tree as an adult. For a long time, this mall was scruffy and not a very pleasant place to be. Now it's actually quite elegant - as malls go. It still has a big ugly parking lot.

But, there is something else in the works here right now - an elevated rapid-transit system that will connect a planned new University of Hawaii campus, residential areas, the Honolulu airport, and end at Ala Moana Center.  The first part of the system is scheduled to open in 2012, but it won't connect to Ala Moana center until 2019. There are also some planned extensions, including one to the University of Hawaii Manoa campus and to Waikiki. Currently, if you don't take a taxi, shuttle, or rental car from the airport to Waikiki, your only other choice is the bus, which doesn't theoretically allow luggage.
Here's a link to find out more about Honolulu Rail Transit.

Oh, by the way, Streetcar Sunday will return next week. And here's the back of the card.

Hawaii - Pali Lookout

A hundred years ago people were going to Pali Lookout near Honolulu, Hawaii to enjoy the view. Today, people still go there and the view is not so different.



But back then you could park your 1917 Cadillac right on the road AND leave the doors open. I wouldn't suggest doing that now. Now you can pay for parking in the lot. The road over the Nu'uanu Pali was first developed in 1845, and later improved to become a highway. That old Pali Highway is now a trail, and has been replaced by a new Pali Highway with tunnels.

In addition to its status as a scenic lookout, the Pali is also the site of one of the bloodiest Hawaiian battles, when King Kamehameha and his army forced the Oahu army off the cliffs. When the first Pali Highway was under construction, hundreds of skulls from this conflict were unearthed.

The view from the Pali lookout has always been green and lush. Back in the 1920s, the view was of farmland:

Now the view includes some houses, but no farmland. 

P.S. I have sent Hawaii postcards to all those who requested them (except for Dorin, who had a difficult special request.)  You can still request a card if you send me your mailing address here by tomorrow.

1920 - Waikiki, Hawaii

It's the second day of our cruise to Hawaii, and today we're going to spend some more time on Waikiki Beach. You can see Diamond Head, the extinct volcano, in the background and the outrigger canoes in the foreground.

The water is warm and the sand is white. Although there are lots of high-rise hotels and condo buildings in Waikiki now,  back then much of the land surrounding Waikiki Beach was still a marshy area devoted to fish and duck ponds and taro patches.

However, the Honolulu Aquarium was already open in 1904, so we'll head over there and look at some of the fish and deep-sea animals they have on display.

It's now called the Waikiki Aquarium, but it still has high-quality displays. It's right along the beach near the Honolulu Zoo, both great places to stop, especially if you are traveling with kids.

Here is some early footage of  surfers at Waikiki Beach. it's interesting, but not high-action: