ANC-HNL Mileage Run – Having Fun in Honolulu

This post is dedicated to a bunch of fun stuff to do and see throughout Honolulu.  Note that we got to all these places, plus Hawaii Kai and Pearl Harbor by The Bus.  Yes, that is the official name of the city bus system.  For $2.50 you can also get a transfer good for two hours and we typically can get at least two trips out of each ticket.

First off is Chinatown.  Once a terribly seedy area to be avoided, this area next to downtown has been steadily improving over the years and now has quite a few good restaurants.  My wife (who is Asian) is very happy to wander the shops during the daytime and find bargains.  We took a couple of new pairs of loafers to a shoe shop to have the protective taps put on the bottom and the nice Korean couple did it while we waited for only $3 a pair!  So much for Hawaii being expensive.  Lots of deals to be had in this neighborhood.  Here is an interesting shot.  Leonard Freeman created Hawaii-FiveO and the inspiration for one of the characters was the Chin Ho Kelly Building he saw in Honolulu.  Here is the inspiration for the main villain Wo Fat.

Here is a shot of a hilarious painting someone did on a building along Dillingham St.  Hope you can make out that she is thinking “Oh God!  Why can’t my boyfriend surf?!”

Care for some wood carving?  Check out this guy along Kuhio St. outside the Makitti Restaurant.  He carves Tikis while you wait and is very talented.

Here is a tip for great cheap food in Waikiki.   Eat at the Foodland along Kuhio (across from the old International Market)  This “two scoops” steak dinner is delicious and only $10.99!

Finally, we checked out the food trucks.  This one is the Blue Ocean and parked outside the big Laundromat on Kuhio, not far from the Hilton.  I had the seared tuna and my wife’s was mahi mahi and shrimp.  Cost was $13 and $15 respectively.  Pretty good, but not Giovanni’s!