Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 7
4/24/2010
Diamond Head and Downtown
Up and at 'em early on a gorgeous, sunny morning with temps in the low 70's. After breakfast, the four of us met up and took on the Diamond Head crater climb. This is a nice climb but because it was a weekend morning, the path was jammed with people. Shar & Steve had never suffered quite so many steps as we worked our way to the top; 70+ steps followed shortly by another set of 99 steps! And then you had the metal spiral staircase just below the summit. Not fun unless you like to sweat! Yet the views awaiting you at the summit are well worth the effort.
After finishing this hike, we drove downtown to visit Dog the Bounty Hunter's office. The store just around the corner from Dog's office is still there and still selling basically the same overpriced items--mostly clothing. There was little of interest here for us other than the novelty of seeing Dog's office from Queen Emma Street, so we soon left and drove back to Waikiki.
Dog the Bounty Hunter's office in downtown Honolulu
After doing some laundry at a new laundromat on Kuhio Avenue which is much closer than the place we had used in 2004, we took a quick nap before Shar and Steve met us at our hotel and we headed out to take in the events at Spam Jam, an annual event held on Kalakaua Avenue. Patty and I had Spam chili dogs, which were excellent. Steve is hurting a little from all the running around we're doing, so we ended up kicking back at the Kanakapila Bar & Grill at the Outrigger Reef, a decent little mellow place to enjoy a beverage while listening to Hawaiian music. How can anybody not relax in such a setting? It was wonderful.
Patty and I walked the beach most of the way back to the Park Shore, stopping off at Starbucks and finding out they no longer have tables outside at night. Disappointed as this used to be one of our favorite places to people-watch after sunset. The workers at Starbucks understand, but they've had problems with bums and drunks (some from Lulu's Bar upstairs) hanging out, so they found it necessary to take steps to minimize this undesirable element.
Royal Hawaiian Hotel just before sunset
Lots of people were out and about tonight due to the Jack Johnson concert over at the Waikiki Shell. The concert ended after 10 p.m, and the Montserrat/Kalakaua Avenue area was thick with folks walking back towards Waikiki.
So, it was yet another busy day with only one full day left on Oahu. Time is flying by here! We would have preferred more down-time and more relaxing in the sun but we'll have that once we get to Maui. I'm getting burnt out on all the people in this city and certainly tired of driving! Traffic seems much worse than in the past, but that may be just my perception. I find myself a touch grouchy and in need of a meeting
I'd like to come back here--maybe--but without a car. On the other hand, why return to Oahu? The older I get, the less I appreciate the seeming mob scene here. It's been a royal pain in the ass at times. This isn't the real Hawai`i. Sure, neither is Lahaina but it's certainly a lot quieter and slower paced on Maui than it is here.
Focused on the positive; we still have fifteen days left in Hawai`i!
Previous: 4/23/2010--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 6
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