February 2007 archive
Dr. Beach, Stephen Leatherman, has picked this stretch of lovely pinkish sand as America's Best. Lanikai is a gem but one with a growing list of caveats. First, among all the great Hawaii beaches, Lanikai may have suffered the…
So this hip jeans and casual clothes chain is pitching a tent in Waikiki. Why am I enthused? Well, a couple of reasons. First, I love New York. Stay with me here, please. One of my favorite things about New…
Anyone who's been to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the Big Island, understands what its like to walk on Earth so new its still smoking. Literally. Madame Pele, the volcano goddess, is everpresent and the eery quiet of this isolated…
The Honolulu Advertiser ran a sobering piece outlining the likely impacts of global warming on Waikiki and its surrounding environs. The downside? Big chunks of the resort area could be subject to serious flooding and all the potential resulting damage.…
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On a recent day out surfing at Chun's on Oahu's North Shore, I looked back at the beach and thought -- holy cow! That's actually a great little beach. You can't really see much of the beach from the road…
Continuing our shameless Web traffic grab with the Hawaiirama Obamarama Vacation Tour....So Barry (as he was called during his Punahou days) apparently was a keen bodysurfer. As a town guy, that means he probably spent a few days getting…
Lynn Rosetto Kasper Does Honolulu Again: Splendid Table in Paradise Super Chef Ming Tsai Tells Hawaii Magazine Where to Eat in Hawaii (Note: Hawaii Mag has been totally revamped under new ed. John Heckathorn. Used to be exclusively for blue-haired…
A number of friends had recommended to me Kelvin Ro's Diamond Head Market & Grill to us when it opened in 2004 so we ponied up for a couple of plate lunches -- and were disappointed. The flavors had no…
Fellow island blogger Hapahale beat me to the punch on this. I had first seen this swimwear line on Maui four months ago when I was shopping for swimsuits for my young daughter. I loved Letarte's lush lines and sultry…
A few posts back I asked readers of Hawaiirama to tell me where they liked to go hiking with their keiki. This was one of my first stabs at interactivity, supposedly a strength of blogs. Lo, I got one response…
After posting a note that Hawaiian music legend Eddie Kamae can be seen playing out regularly at the Elk's Club in Waikiki, two readers (and friends) wrote in or commented to tell me that actually there's a whole lot more…
I've been remiss in multiple ways. First, sorry for the long hiatus. I was travelling and in New York City. My fingers have thawed out and its time to resume. Second, I've been remiss in not mentioning my friend Stewart…
Word to this. You simply cannot beat chocolate for inducing an amorous quasi Pavlovian response (hopefully with the proper intention). Hawaii actually has more than its fair share of fab choc options. For starters, its the only place in the…
This is the first installment in a semi-random series of notes on where Barack Obama (or Barry as he was known out here) hangs/hung out in the island. We'll start with the most obvious -- a recent picture of Obama…
What happens if you break your leg on the Big Island on a weekend? Chances are you, get airlifted to Honolulu. Ditto for many other serious but, in most cases, not lifethreatening problems. The Outer Islands have long struggled to…
In Hawaii, Obama Mania is hitting a fevered pitch as the local favorite -- he spent a number of years on Oahu and attended high school at Punahou -- starts his sprint for the White House. At Hawaiirama, I aim…
Lanai is the private island, the one that food magnate David Murdoch owns virtually in its entirety. It's also where Microsoft founder Bill Gates went for his wedding. Lanai is home to two lavish Four Seasons resorts, the Lodge at…
Sure looks like its slowing down, at the very least. Japanese tourism is cratering, down nearly 10% last year. In the last week of January, Hawaii hotel occupancy fell below 70%. Word is out that Hawaii hotels are already slashing…
Have not done one of these in quite a while. Star-Bulletin: Atlantis Seafood & Steak in Waikiki is mediocre, good for dumb visitors Hawaii Business: Dave Choo thinks Kyoto Osho is mediocre, but good for people who eat at buffets…
Like the rest of my saving money tips for Hawaii visits, this one is fairly obvious yet astonishingly overlooked. The quickest way to max out your meal expenditures is hit a high-end restaurant for dinner. Of course, it's a lovely…
Well, I guess it had to happen. After successfully running his posh, pint-sized eatery in Moiliili for a number of years, James Beard Award Winner Chef George Mavrothalassitis finally took the big step up and announced today that he'll soon…
This in from my friend Jessica Ferracane who reps the Big Island Visitors Bureau and also writes some nice books about eating around the Big Island and Maui. "Temporary buoys mark a 100-foot section along Kealakekua Bay - including the…
