Mr. Awesome had an interview in Waikiki this morning so Miss K and I decided to tag along. Bright and early we loaded into the car and made the twenty minute drive to the most popular beach on Oahu. On a side note, it is incredibly easy to be a morning person in Hawaii because the island and all the little birds and creatures on it have their own natural rhythm, there really is no use fighting it. Plus, Miss K's "natural" rhythm still has her waking up between 4 and 5 a.m.
But back to Waikiki. This place is Hawaii on steroids and is definitely not the place for the easily overstimulated. Throngs of tourist line the streets and long stretch of beach and small local shops vie for space between luxury powerhouses like Coach and Louis Vuitton. Even at seven in the morning this place is buzzing. You will find a lot of people who loathe this place and avoid it like the plague but I'll tell you why I am not one of them.
Here's what Waikiki has going on...it is a literal one stop shop, in the sense that you have the beach, restaurants, bathrooms, and an ABC store (for anything you could need) on literally every block and for a Washingtonian with a bit of a Starbucks habit there are more than a handful in just a few short blocks. And while the North Shore may be the place to be for watching the best surfing, Waikiki is definitely the place to be for people watching. As a professional eavesdropper the number languages alone is baffling, far exceeding the number overheard in the International Terminal at SFO. Every color, every body type, every age is present and accounted for in Waikiki...and they are friendly!!
Miss K has first hand experience being that an older Korean woman (I'm guessing at least 80) just happened upon us walking and decided to come along. She swooped up Miss K's hand, gave me a nod and a smile and the three of us continued on for at least a block before going our separate ways.
There's so much more to say about Waikiki so I'll be sure to revisit but for now suffice to say that it's pretty sweet that Mr. Awesome can be all dressed up headed to an interview while Miss K and I can be ready to hit the beach and all three of us can go about our business on the same block.
Awww, first of all I love that first photo!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I think I could say I really liked waikiki too. You put it well: "a one stop shop", true. My only problem was I really wanted to see more of the nature-y Hawaii and beaches, but didn't have a car, so that made it a little bit challenging heehee. Looks like you guys are having a great time! Enjoyyy!!!
ps i can't figure out if your hair is short (which is what it looks like in that photo) or if it's tied in a pony tail ...but I really like it!
Glad to see you got that last telepathic stab... i will lay off them as long as you promise to keep posting. I must say, reading your blog is almost as good as being there, but not quite. Miss you! Give miss k a big hug and kiss from us... we miss you guys! Oh and I love your pictures... you are definitely finding your niche as a photographer. I guess it helps having hawaii as your background.
ReplyDeleteSonja...I actually chopped my hair off!! I think it ended up being about 14in, definitely takes some getting used too:) However, now I can hold the baby in one arm and do my hair with the other.
ReplyDeleteWaikiki is really fun from time to time. My hubby grew up in Wahiawa (last town you go thru before hitting North Shore). Be sure to check out Rainbows Drive In in Kapahulu (basically Honolulu) & not too far from Waikiki! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome thanks for the tip about Rainbows Drive, we'll definitely have to check it out:)
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