We can (hic) honestly say that (hic) we have tried (hic) one of each (hic)!
Mary ordered breakfast in our room. We dined inside and had coffee on the veranda, watching the busy ships go back and forth. We won’t be leaving the boat until 9:30 am at the earliest. Then, we plan to browse the tropical delights at the Ala Moana shopping center.
Coming into Honolulu at 5:00 am.
The clouds were skimming the mountains and moving reasonably fast. It was a balmy 80 degrees outside with a slight breeze, perfect for visiting.
It is a pretty harbor.
The channel was fun to watch, with the little tugboats pushing and pulling ships back and forth.
Hard to believe WWII started here!
We are tied up to the dock, and it is time to prepare for our daily adventure.
We are docked!
We exited the ship at 9:15 am, hailed a cab, and headed to the mall to purchase socks, a coordinated outfit, and visit the Apple store. The Aloha Tower is quite a landmark.
The Aloha Tower was next to our ship!
Did You Know? Completed in 1926 and standing at 184 feet tall, Aloha Tower was the tallest building on the island for four decades, offering spectacular views of the harbor with its top floor housing an observatory and lookout station for harbor pilots. Its lighthouse served as a navigation landmark that could be seen from 15 miles at sea, while its clock was one of the largest in the United States. The tower stood as a welcoming beacon for visitors when travel to Oahu was done entirely by sea, the “ALOHA” etched on its walls greeting thousands of ship passengers entering Honolulu Harbor.
Our first stop was a clothing store where we got matching Hawaiian outfits. We selected a brilliant blue that will stop a clock when we walk by.
I saw a man with one arm shopping at a second-hand store. I told him, “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”
The shopping center was three stories and had everything, including a post office.
Mary: May I try on that dress in the window, please? Clerk: No, ma’am. You’ll have to use the fitting room like everyone else.
Mary is fun shopping with; she even likes to visit the Apple store. I used their WiFi to upload 250 pictures, which was much faster than the ship’s system.
We could not get Mary’s watch fixed due to the timing.
While I was shopping, I saw an ad in a window. It said, “Television for $1, volume stuck on full.” There’s no way I can turn that down.
The shopping center is “open air” and is perfect for this climate. We walked around for an hour, visiting various shops.
Dang!
We hailed a cab and took a run down Wikiki’s main drag. We hit the Elks Ldge 616 on the edge of Waikiki at 11:30 am. We were welcomed with open arms.
It was a wild ride.
Mary smiled and waved at the little red car; she missed hers.
“Hang on; we are almost there!”
The lodge is right at the end of Waikiki and directly on the water (i.e., no beach). In 1898 Judge Jerome B. Fisher, Grand Exalted Ruler of the BPOE, made an extraordinary voyage to Hawaii to attend the opening of Honolulu Elks Lodge No. 616 when he and Mainland members landed in Honolulu in April 1901. Immediately, BPOE members took action to help structure Honolulu as a city and a prominent location for the Elks nation.
A rather dramatic entrance.
We got a table at the edge of the restaurant, right on the water. We watched the waves come in and smash against the wall below us.
The ocean paled compared to her beauty.
We got a nice picture of the Great Hawaiian Buzzard that is known the haunt the finer restaurants around town.
Beware, he has fangs!
I had to have a cheeseburger in paradise. Several guests asked me to stop singing the song.
Cheeseburger In Paradise.
The ocean was magnificent today, with boats and surfers racing back and forth, providing a show!
We should have brought binoculars.
We heard the crash and all of a sudden we were wet! Great fun!
It was warm water; too bad I didn’t have my shower brush and soap!
The waves hit in irregular intervals; we failed to predict them.
We got wet several times!
Our tunnies are full; time to move down the beach to The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, also known as “The Pink Lady.”
Hey good looking
The taxi will be here soon.
We were waiting for the cab.
Finally, we stopped at the famous Pink Lady for a walk on Waikiki and a tropical drinkie-poo. Built on 15 acres of beautiful beach frontage, the luxurious hotel, with its distinctive Moorish-style architecture painted pink, was promoted worldwide as a premier visitor destination. Elaborate opening ceremonies and festivities included dinner and dancing, concerts, and pageants.
Its color is due to the Portuguese architect
Mart finally got her umbrella drink.
A drink at this hotel is a requirement.
We met the guy sitting next to us from Villa Park, about 1.5 miles from us.
Neighbors!
We met others during the visit.
We like to meet people, and we do it well.
Back on board, we waived at the Aloha Tower as we departed on our adventure.
We are departing Honolulu at 11:00 pm.
An inter-island freighter was getting ready to depart.
The little guys watched us go by.
We hit the sack by midnight as we have to get up early for our next town in Kauai.
