Up To My Old Tricks

Posted on 13 June, 2014 by Tina

It’s the eve before a flight and I’m doing my usual – procrastinating as much as possible.  To be fair, I DID walk up a block after work to do a load of laundry.  There are washers and dryers in our apartment building basement.  However, the elevator hasn’t been working well for 2 or 3 weeks now.  It doesn’t even go to the basement or the 7th floor at the moment.  I only live on the second floor and can walk down to the lobby and take the stairs to the basement from there, except for one thing.  This building is older; we think it may have been a boarding house.  That being said, I often feel spirits in this building or occasionally see dim outlines of spirits.  None of them bother me, except…  whatever is in that stairwell.  That one creeps me out and I REFUSE to use those stairs at all any more.  So that forced me to go to the Laundromat.  It was painless, actually.

Since getting home from there, I’ve managed to pack nearly all of my clothes necessary and sort of throw some toiletries together; need to assemble shoes, jewelry and paperwork.  That’s it really.  Not such a big deal.  Since the shuttle is picking me up at 4:45 a.m. for a 7:15 a.m. flight, that requires me to get up around 3:30 a.m.  If I’m getting up at that time, I’d like to be asleep by 9:30 p.m. tonight.  Of course, it’s going on 8:40 p.m. and I’m blogging instead of finishing what needs to be done.  When I’m done blogging, I have a mind to fall asleep for a few hours, THEN wake up, finish packing and go back to sleep again.  Not logical at all, I know, but that’s how I roll, for some reason.

Where am I going?  I’m flying to L.A. in the morning to spend the weekend at the Playboy Jazz Festival.  I haven’t been to the Playboy Jazz Festival since I lived in L.A. many moons ago.  In fact, the last time I attended was most likely in 1989 or thereabouts.  I’m going both Saturday and Sunday.  It’s being held at the Hollywood Bowl, George Lopez is the MC and the weather should be in the mid-70’s both days.  Can’t forget my sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.  Whenever someone asks me what I’m doing this weekend, I tell them that I have a date with George Benson (he’s performing on Sunday)!

This will be my first experience with AirBnB.  I found an apartment that’s probably 3 blocks from where my old apartment was.  It’s walking distance to the Hollywood Bowl (15-20 minutes, depending on how fast one walks) and is a block or so away from “Rock N Roll Ralphs” on Sunset Blvd., which is open 24 hours.  (I can remember my ex-boyfriend and I frequently doing our grocery shopping there at 2:00 a.m.!)  Ralphs is more than likely where I’ll pick up my picnic supplies for the Hollywood Bowl – wine, plastic cups, sandwich, salad, chips, candy, water, etc.  Then again, I wish there were some Thai food nearby – maybe Toi on Sunset, if it’s still there.

As fascinated as you must be by this post, let me start my little nap, so I can wake up and finish my packing.

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Hysteria Sets In

Posted on 8 June, 2014 by Tina

Saturday morning came far too soon.  I woke up early, then went back to sleep, in hopes that my leaving that day was a dream.  My Aussie friend’s flight was at 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., so I texted her to apologize for not being able to spend any time with her the day before.  She replied that she was pretty miserable about leaving; I said the same.

When I finally got up, showered and packed all of my things, it started to sink in.  Based on my crazy and tentative plans, there’s a small chance that I may never be back to Hawaii again or to see my friends there again.  It’s hard for me to think about things like that.  Of course, once everything was packed, I started crying – not just a little bit, but a lot.  The more I kept telling myself that I was overreacting, the harder I cried.  I finally pulled myself together enough to head to Hiking Hawaii Café for an acai bowl.  As I walked through the hotel lobby, I started crying again.  Some of the staff noticed, so I put my sunglasses on.  I sat in Hiking Hawaii Café eating my acai bowl in silence, trying to calm down.  I only made it through 2/3 of the acai bowl.  It’s big, but I was able to eat it last time; think I was too upset this time.

Once I was sitting in the lobby with my luggage waiting for the shuttle, one of the hotel employees approached me.  Hans told me that he’s Filipino-Chinese-Dutch-German and that he recognized me from my previous stays.  He confessed that he’s always wanted to talk to me, but I was constantly dashing in and out of the hotel before he had a chance to really engage me in conversation.  He said that he’d like to take me out the next time I’m there (if there IS a next time, I thought to myself); that he could take me to some of the more secluded beaches that the tourists don’t know about or that we could go fishing/boating with his friends.  He was a nice guy, cute and I would have certainly gone out with him had he asked me earlier.  As it is, it may never happen now, but…

As the time for the shuttle got closer, I rolled my luggage outside.  I must have looked particularly sad because, the next thing I knew, I heard someone say “Tina, smile!”  It was my shuttle driver from Wednesday, Skylar; he ran over and gave me a big hug.  People like him are what makes it doubly hard for me to leave Hawaii.  When I got in the shuttle (riding shotgun again), he said to the rest of the shuttle “Everyone, this is Tina.  Tina, this is everyone!”  He managed to cheer me up on the way to the airport, and his passengers were more responsive to his jokes this time.  When he dropped me off, he gave me another big hug.  “Find me a job here!” I urged him.  He said that I should drive for VIP.  When I explained that I don’t drive, he suggested I be one of their dispatchers!

Inside the airport, a Chinese man approached me to ask if he could read the Chinese symbols (tattoos) on my back.  He said that the third one wasn’t done very well; too close together!  He then asked what my Chinese astrological sign was.  When I told him, he said that sign is very lucky and that those born under that sign “always have food to eat.”  As if he could read my mind, he said that one should always take risks, in order to move forward.  Finally, he mentioned that a company he knows of is hiring in Guam.  I laughed and said that Guam isn’t exactly one of the places I was hoping to move to!

Later I bought an orchid and tuberose lei so that the smell of the Islands would be with me all the way back to San Francisco.  The saleswoman placed it on me and said “Aloha!”  Apparently, when one gets a lei, they should never place it on themselves.  Whenever possible, someone else is to place it on you.  As I sat sadly outside checking my E-mail, one of the airport employees offered to help me if I didn’t know where my gate was or needed anything else.  I assured her that I was fine, just dawdling.

The flight back was too short for me; wanted it to drag out as long as possible.  Hawaiian Airlines is, however, the only U.S. airline that still offers complimentary meals on their flights.  The meal was a chicken manapua with a green salad and a pineapple shortbread cookie; liked it.  They also offered everyone a complimentary glass of either red or white wine.  The flight attendants complimented me on the (foam) flower in my hair, as well as my sandals.  They were very, very nice.

Now I’m back in San Francisco, with little desire to do anything.  I spent the rest of last weekend in bed.  I spent yesterday in bed, only leaving for a bit in the early evening to buy some beverages at Trader Joe’s.  All of today has been spent in bed as well.  The weather is supposedly nice outside, but I don’t care.  When I’m down, I’m down and it takes awhile for me to pick myself up again.

This coming weekend is the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in L.A.  About midweek I’ll have to pack (again).  L.A.  generally manages to make me feel better, though I fear that it will bring back some emotional memories for me this time.  One of my friends will be at the Jazz Festival on Sunday, so we’ll see each other then.  I might have drinks with another friend or two, yet it seems so far in the distance.  I’m just really not ready to deal with much yet.

Then again, I’ll be meeting the Hawaiian musician, Anuhea, on the following Saturday, as well as seeing CRSB at Yoshi’s the Saturday after that.  I’m trying to keep myself busy those weekends, so I don’t keep wallowing in my misery.

It’s not just about missing Hawaii and my friends there; nor is it just about my absolutely hating San Francisco and finally reaching my limit with the people and this boring small-minded place.  I’m waiting for some answers, but they’re not going to come to me any time soon.  In the meantime, excuse my subdued and morose mood.

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Eat the Street

Posted on 8 June, 2014 by Tina

On Friday morning, my first order of business was to mail MY package to myself.  I mailed out the coconut butter, poke seasoning, granola and tea, along with the clothes I’d already worn.  I was bringing my NEW clothes back in my suitcase WITH me!  The Post Office opened at 9:00 a.m. and I walked over there, arriving at 9:10 a.m.  The same guy who’d helped me the previous afternoon helped me that morning.  “Why you here so early?” he asked.  I explained that I wanted to get it over and done with, first thing.  He asked if I’d be back again that day.  It WAS a possibility.  He also told me what their hours were for Saturday, just in case!

Since my friend had said that he’d be by after lunch, I had time to sunbathe.  My last hour by the pool was so relaxing.  After showering, I was hungry, but waited ’cause I didn’t want to miss my friend.  Of course, that’s when my cousin decided to call me and say that they’d pick me up that afternoon.  When I texted my friend to see if he’d make it, he was stuck in a meeting.  That made me cry a little bit ’cause his friendship means a lot to me, I had something specific I wanted to say and I’d been so sure that we’d see each other on this final day.  My Aussie friend was shopping at Ala Moana and wanted me to join her, but I couldn’t do that, either.  It was as if I was in limbo and was disappointed, to say the least.  Eventually, I couldn’t take the hunger and dashed down the street to McDonald’s.  Can you believe the McDonald’s in Hawaii not only has rice and pineapple, but linguica, Spam and teriburgers?!  I dragged a teriburger and fries back to the room, ate and waited.

My cousin (V.), her husband (M.) and their son (K.) picked me up around 3:30 p.m.  K. is 22 and goes to college in Phoenix; it was our first time meeting.  M. wanted to go to the Eat the Street event in Kaka’ako, which I’d mentioned to them earlier via the phone.  Since it took us a moment to figure out the actual location, we got there shortly after it started.  Eat the Street is a monthly event of 40+ food trucks with live music and a drinking area.  One of their neighbors even had a food truck there featuring “deconstructed” musubis.  When they introduced me to him, rather than a handshake, he gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, Island-style.  We made the rounds twice and had a drink while deciding what to eat.  Garlic was this month’s theme.  There were many interesting choices – smoked salmon macarons, red velvet malasada cheesecake, kim chee bacon, etc.  K. had huli huli chicken.  M. ate BBQ twice – the second time being a grilled cheese pulled pork sandwich.  For a moment, I considered the crab cake po’ boy, but knew it was way too big for me to finish.  Since I was still full from McDo, the best I could manage was a tomato basil pie, which was really fresh.  V., who admitted to being very picky, only wanted lumpia from Elena’s Filipino Food.  My Aussie friend texted to ask if I had plans for sunset, but I told her that I’d probably still be with my cousins.

After Eat the Street, it was time for DRINKING!  First up was The Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana.  It was already packed, but we managed to find a table after a few minutes.  That gave me a chance to speak with K. a bit more, too.  As it got closer to 8:00 p.m. and the crowd started to pick up, we left and went to Mezz 127.  Once the band there was finished, we headed over to Gordon Biersch in Aloha Tower, who also had live music.  The band that night was Backwards Shaka, who we really enjoyed.  We even took pictures with the lead singer.  I initially thought that his name was Vance, but now I think he goes by “Fence.”  They dropped me off around midnight.  As I was getting ready for bed, V. called me on my cell.  She said that M. and K. had been worried because some strange guy had walked into the hotel right after me.  I assured them that I was fine, although said guy had gotten into the elevator with me.  “Thanks, Dad!” I teased M.

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Winding Down

Posted on 8 June, 2014 by Tina

With Thursday came the realization that my vacation was nearly over.  That’s about the time that I begin to get sad, but my friend was by in the morning (after my sunbathing, of course) to cheer me up.  Since I’d promised to send those “snacks” to my boss’ boss’ boss, he took me to the Post Office on Saratoga Road to pick up some Priority Mail Boxes and labels.  He dropped me back at the hotel with a pinky promise to see me the next afternoon after lunch to say goodbye.  I promptly packed the snacks, labeled the box and returned to the Post Office.  The Post Office on Saratoga Road is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the ones in San Francisco.  Here the postal employees are as slow as snails, robot-like, surly more often than not, lines are long and the machine to mail packages is generally broken.  It was quite the opposite on Saratoga Road; the line was short, and the postal employees were not only quick and efficient, but NICE!

Lunch was at Rainbow Drive-In, my only time to eat there on this trip.  A tourist family of 7 had just placed a huge order, with several changes.  The cashier took it all in stride, getting things out quickly and repeating everything to make sure that the orders were correct.  I nearly passed out waiting in line for them to finish, but finally got my mini loco moco and soda.

In the midst of this trip, my Aussie friend had gone to Kauai.  She was flying back to Honolulu that evening and wanted to meet for dinner, drinks or whatever.  I decided to eat at the bar at P.F. Chang’s, expecting that she’d join me as soon as she’d checked into her hotel.  I ordered kung pao chicken with steamed white rice and a Heineken.  Unfortunately for me, I seem to be a magnet for drunken old men.  Chet, a tourist from Colorado, sat down next to me.  He apparently comes to Hawaii 2 or 3 times per year.  When he wasn’t calling the female bartenders by name, he was referring to them (and me) as “darling.”  He was inebriated far beyond what is normal; having trouble walking and even having difficulty staying in his seat.  What annoyed me most was that he kept running his finger along my Polynesian cross tattoo on my inner right forearm.  Not only did it creep me out, but people touching me is my number one pet peeve.  When my food arrived, the bartender placed the serving plate between us.  Without asking, Chet grabbed a few pieces of chicken with his fingers and popped them into his mouth.  I was appalled, but decided to serve myself from the opposite end of the plate from where he’d stuck his fingers.  Awhile later, he simply picked up the serving spoon and took a few more bites.  By then, I’d lost my appetite and simply quit eating.  When his deep fried whole snapper arrived and he’d eaten 98% of it, he offered some to me, which I declined.  He then offered me a glass of wine or champagne.  They didn’t have champagne by the glass, though.  Rather than waste more time browsing the wine list, I told them to simply bring me another Heineken.  By then, he took the remains of my serving plate and poured it onto his plate.  In the meantime, I furiously texted my Aussie friend to hurry the fuck up!  When she arrived, she informed Chet that we had lots of girl talk to catch up on and dragged me down to the opposite end of the bar.  “He was all over you!” she gasped.  No shit, Sherlock!  Why the hell do you think I was texting you to hurry up?!  Before leaving, he came down to the end of the bar to introduce himself to my friend.  He invited us for champagne at Roy’s and even offered to wait.  We insisted that he start without us.  To that, he drooled on our hands in farewell and FINALLY departed!

We had one quick drink at the Mai Tai Bar in The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, at which time I quizzed the bartenders if my “boyfriend” had been by.  They laughed, said “no” and asked how the previous evening had gone.  I assured them that David was quite the player, but not for me!  Then my Aussie friend wanted to hit up Rumfire.  Though it was rather quiet on a Thursday night, we stayed until closing.  Afterwards, we walked to Addiction Nightclub in The Modern Hotel.  Beings it was Ladies’ Night, we didn’t have to pay a cover.  Although Rumfire tends to be tourists and military men, Addiction seems to be mostly locals, with better music and a younger crowd.  She danced; I drank.  Some sweet local guy apologized for leaning in front of me.  Referring to my plumeria lei, he mentioned that I smelled incredible and asked what the occasion was.  When I said that every day in Hawaii is special, he gave me a hug and a high five.  By that time, my friend had met someone and texted me that she was leaving.  I finished my drink, some guy gave me his phone number and I walked back to my hotel.

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He Got Game

Posted on 8 June, 2014 by Tina

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Wednesday morning was another early one – more shopping at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet.  VIP Shuttle was picking me up at 8:00 a.m.  All of the shuttle drivers that I’ve ever had from VIP are super sweet.  Most of the shuttle drivers from the other companies are that way, too, but the ones from VIP Shuttle seem particularly happy.  Skylar, a handsome Hawaiian-Portuguese man, was my driver on Wednesday.  Rather than putting me in the back with the other tourists, Skylar opened the front door and let me ride shotgun.  Actually, the tourists in the back that morning were all Aussies on their way to the airport; I was the only one going to the Swap Meet.  Although he was pointing out things along the way and cracking a few jokes once in awhile, there was dead silence in the back.  Once he’d dropped all of them off at the airport and it was just us, I laughed “That was a pretty quiet group this morning!”  He said that they were probably tired.  The two of us had an animated conversation, though.  He told me about the cocoa puffs from Liliha Bakery (which it was my intention to try on this trip), that Ruger Market was a great place to buy poke, as well as that his preferred poke would have extra limu, extra chili and extra kukui nut.  When I mentioned having gone to Foodland for poke, he said that I should ask his friend that works there, Arthur, to make poke for me the way that he makes it for Skylar.  Once we arrived at the Swap Meet, he took me through the regular driving entrance that locals go through.  I explained that most of the shuttles dropped their passengers off at the side by the trees, which the ticket taker explained to him as well.  Skylar hadn’t known ’cause he’d never dropped anyone off at the Swap Meet before and he’d only recently started working for VIP Shuttle.  My shopping mission for the morning was to find the matching earrings for some of the pendants that I’d bought on Saturday, as well as a couple of Aloha shirts.  It didn’t take long.  Back at the hotel, I still got in some sunbathing time by the pool.

In the afternoon, I went to the Pegge Hopper Gallery in Chinatown.  I’d gone by on Monday, but it was closed that day.  Pegge Hopper was born in Oakland, studied drawing and painting in Los Angeles, then worked in both New York and Milan.  She moved to Honolulu in 1963 and opened this gallery in 1983.  Her work is largely Polynesian-inspired, and I’ve always admired it.  The woman working in the gallery that afternoon assured me that it was fine to take photos.  Thus, I took photos of nearly every piece of art in there!  I ordered a print of her newest painting, though it will take about 3 weeks or more to have it made, signed and shipped.

Lin’s Lei Shop was my next stop for a plumeria lei and an orchid lei.  Then I walked to Long’s Drug Stores at the Fort Street Mall and picked up some Anahola Mango Ginger Granola; it’s cheaper at Long’s than it is at any of the ABC Stores!

My late lunch/early dinner was at Cheeseburger Waikiki, close to my hotel.  Since it was Happy Hour, I had a Maui Mai Tai ($5.00) and a Blue Banana Cheeseburger ($12.99).  I’m not usually one for tropical cocktails, so didn’t finish the Mai Tai, though it was sweet and a little strong.  The Blue Banana Cheeseburger came with banana peppers and blue cheese.  Although their burgers don’t usually come with fries, they gave me complimentary fries because it was National Hamburger Day or something.  Fine with me!  Good burger, huge…  didn’t finish it!  Service is really nice, but rather slow.  I had enough time to drop my things off at the hotel and wander down to the beach to catch the sunset.

The Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel saw me again on Wednesday night.  There were plenty of empty seats at the bar.  After I’d had a few drinks, an elderly gentleman scoped out the bar and immediately grabbed a seat next to me.  David, who’s originally from London, was the most alert 76-year old that I’ve ever met.  He’d first come to Hawaii in 1982, spent the next several years visiting as frequently as possible, then finally moved to Hawaii in 1989.  Since then, he’d never left the Island.  At one point, he’d mentioned having been married and that, if he’d stayed married, he would have been married 50 years by now.  His wife had moved with him to Hawaii, they separated, she lived with someone else, she married someone else (who passed away), she moved back in with him for awhile, then moved back to England.  David thought I was about 35.  I was flattered, but merely said that I was a little older than that!  He asked if I was a “cougar.”  Well, I suppose so, since all of my relationships/romantic involvements/lovers seem to be anywhere from 5 to (don’t judge me) 20 years younger!  He asked how old I thought he was.  Based on the info about his marriage, I said that he must be a minimum of 70.  That’s when he confirmed that he’s 76.  He’s a regular at several bars in Waikiki, lives near the Academy of Arts downtown and works at a printers.  In fact, he normally has to be at work at 5:00 a.m., so this was getting to be past his bedtime!  Even one of the bartenders commented on that!  I was about to head back to my hotel, so the bartender brought both of our bills.  David picked up mine by mistake, to which I pointed out that his was the other one.  He gave me my bill back, looked at his bill, then grabbed my bill again and insisted on paying it.  As we walked out together, he looked absolutely joyous!  He wanted to show me a few of his favorite bars.  One is a poolside bar at the Embassy Suites (I believe it was), above The Yard House.  That’s a place I intend to frequent in the future.  Then he wanted to stop for another drink at Roy’s, so we did.  He was recognized there and chatted up by the bartender.  When it was time for the bill, his bill was NADA!  He tipped generously, though.  He asked my plans, which were to walk back to my hotel.  Originally, he was going to take the bus back to his place, but decided to walk me to my hotel instead.  We had a pleasant walk; it was a nice night.  The only awkwardness was when he furtively tried to grab my hand and sort of brushed up against me a few times.  I played it off and simply moved away, not wanting to make a big deal out of anything.  He delivered me safely to my hotel and bid me “good night.”  End of story.  Older men are definitely not my type, but he had quite the personality and is probably quite the player when it comes to women in their 60’s and up!

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Categories: dating, Drinking, Food/Restaurants, Men, Relationships, Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Onward to the Palace

Posted on 3 June, 2014 by Tina

My friend had to cancel breakfast on Tuesday morning ’cause he was sick.  Thus, I lounged by the pool a tad longer than usual.

Still feeling cultural, I headed off to Iolani Palace.  The last time I was in the Palace was probably 1994.  They no longer offer guided tours, only audio ones.  Entrance was $14.95; less than the $19.95 for Bishop Museum.  Shoes must be covered so as not to mar the floors.  The Palace is decked out with oodles of gorgeous koa wood.  It’s purportedly the only palace on U.S. soil.  I strapped my headset on and began the tour, with my point-and-shoot, DSLR and Samsung Galaxy S4 in hand.  My DSLR eventually died because, when the shuttle driver showed up half an hour early to pick me up for my flight, I’d neglected to pack the battery charger for it!  About halfway through my little tour, the audio went a little crazy and switched to French.  I could still understand part of it until it switched again of its own accord…  to Hawaiian!  After touring royal abodes in Europe, Asia and now Hawaii, I have one question.  Were people really that much shorter back then?!  The beds seem small (i.e. short), even for someone of my petite stature!  (Whenever I used to book hotels for a guy at work, he INSISTED on a King bed.  He said that he was too tall for a Queen bed, and would always have to lay cross-wise, if he wanted his feet on the bed at all!)

Lunch was at Big City Diner.  All I had a hankering for was fried rice.  Theirs was HUGE; good, but I didn’t finish it.  I went to the Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana afterwards because Josh Tatofi was scheduled to play for the 4:00 p.m. Happy Hour.  I ordered drinks and settled in, only to find out that the band had cancelled.  So I sat there awhile longer watching basketball surrounded by local guys.

Speaking of poke (we were, weren’t we?), everyone has always told me that Foodland is a good place for it.  Since there just happens to be a Foodland in Ala Moana, I went in search of their poke offerings.  Let me assure you, they have a vast and amazing poke selection – ahi, tako, clam, mussel, salmon, shrimp and crab.  There might have been more, but the number of choices was overwhelming.  I don’t eat clams, mussels or tako; and don’t care for ahi or salmon.  That left me with crab or shrimp.  It was shrimp, all the way.  I had a 1/2 lb. of garlic shrimp poke and 1/2 lb. of kim chee shrimp poke.  They were both $5.99/lb.  Some of the poke, mainly ahi, was as much as $10.99/lb.  I also went into Long’s Drugs to make some purchases; I’d promised my boss’ boss’ boss a care package from Hawaii.  She’s half Japanese, yet had never heard of the Japanese mochi/nori popcorn that I’ve seen in Hawaii.  Her care package will consist of that popcorn, mixed mochi balls, mochi waffle mix, li hing mui kettle corn and li hing mui gummi bears!

Tuesday’s drink stop was at Brasserie du Vin in Chinatown, even in the rain.  It was much busier on a rainy Tuesday night than the midweek afternoons when I’d stopped by before.  Love their rustic French décor, but the menu seems a little contrived French-wise.  The bartender/sommelier, Kevin, came off as a little brusque at first, but warmed up.  I had a few glasses of Malbec, plus hazarded a taste of the Sangiovese, though he said that it would probably be too dry for me.  I was fine with it, though the Malbec WAS better.  As I was leaving, he wanted me to try a mix of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.  He described it as floral; tasted like honeysuckle to me!

Oh, and I had my same nightcap again – a Coke and some Maui Onion chips from ABC!

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Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on 3 June, 2014 by Tina

I didn’t stray too far from my hotel, after all, last Sunday.  The Charthouse was about a block and a half away, so I popped in there for a drink and possibly a bite to eat.  The crowd consisted of mostly older couples and Japanese tourists listening to a drunken duo play Hawaiian music.  I squeezed in at the bar for a glass of wine.  After one drink, it was so very tempting to leave.  Yet when the bartender asked if I’d like another, I thought “What the heck?”  The rest of my evening would have been spent in my room, anyway.  After switching to another wine, I glanced at the bar menu.  The Kamuela caprese salad caught my eye, so I ordered it.  The salad was fine.  I ate while watching one of the bar backs shuck oysters.  The couple next to me seemed to be drinking quite a bit, until the woman began to cry about something.  It was odd, but I tried not to stare.  You know how that is, right?  You’re nonchalantly glancing PAST them and catching them in the corner of your eye.  An older man named Mike eventually asked if the seat on my other side was taken.  It wasn’t, so he sat himself down and admired my caprese salad.  In fact, he ordered the same.  He was telling me that he’d moved to Hawaii years ago and (if I remember correctly) resides in the Ilikai.  (You know that hotel that Jack Lord could be seen standing in at the start of the old “Hawaii Five-O.”)  Don’t remember what else we talked about, but he was very pleasant.  He bought me a glass of wine.  After my 3 glasses of wine, I decided to return to the hotel, even though he offered me another glass.

Monday morning found me at the pool, as usual.  I would regret not heading down to Ala Moana Beach Park to pick up a lantern for the Japanese Floating Lantern Ceremony that would be taking place at sunset, but I was feeling too lazy.  After my sunbathing, something cultural sounded appealing.  I decided to take the bus out to Bishop Museum; my last visit there must have been in 1999.  On that visit, however, I do remember three things – a German tourist with his small son inhaling the scent of my tuberose lei while they sat next to me on the bus, being spooked in some deserted part of the museum and a very nice older Hawaiian gentleman giving me a ride back to Waikiki when he got off work at the museum.  A couple from New Zealand happened to be walking from the bus stop to the museum next to me.  This was their first visit to Hawaii; they’d been to Kona and Honolulu.  The woman commented that she found the people especially “lovely.”  On one day, their shuttle driver had pulled over to pick up a pumpkin pie given to him by a friend.  The woman from New Zealand had never seen or tasted a pumpkin pie before.  Although she had only wanted to glance at it, the shuttle driver offered it to her!

The featured exhibit was of guitars, both ancient and modern from all over the world.  I walked quickly through it, because parts of it were interactive and the kids were driving me crazy!  The majority of my time was spent in the main building, Hawaiian Hall.  They used to showcase ethnic groups/islands of Polynesia and Micronesia, which had been endlessly interesting to me, as I’d never even heard of many of them.  That’s been changed up.  One of the floors was dedicated to the Hawaiian gods/religion, another to every day Hawaiian life and (forgive me) don’t exactly recall what the third floor was dedicated to.  I enjoyed looking at the feather leis and capes, as well as the necklaces of human hair.  There was also the kahili room; kahilis are the traditional feather standards of royalty.

After leaving, I jumped off the bus in Chinatown to make a quick stop at Cindy’s Leis.  She had either yellow plumeria leis or purple orchid leis for $6/apiece.  I opted for the plumeria because of the scent!  Since I hadn’t yet eaten (and there was no longer a café at Bishop Museum), I decided to see what Downbeat Diner had on offer.  The place was rather quiet in the afternoon, with one guy working behind the bar, as well as taking food orders and delivering them to the booths.  He was a young, super nice guy.  Of course, the loco moco caught my eye, but I couldn’t do it again, could I?  Well, I could, but…  The chili and rice sounded good, and it was only $4.50.  When he took my order and I said “all” I wanted was the chili and rice, plus a Heineken, he asked “That’s all?!  You don’t want lots of cheese and onions with it?”  Oh yeah!  Such yummy comfort food.  After that bite, there was still time to kill before the lantern ceremony.  I made a pit stop at the Mai Tai Bar in Ala Moana just in time for Happy Hour.  During that time, it sprinkled off and on.  There had been rumors that the ceremony might be cancelled for the first time ever if it rained.  However, I walked across the street to the beach about 5:45 p.m. and into a crowd of thousands.  There was a huge screen set up so that everyone could see what was happening on the stage.  People were “talking story” about their loved ones who’d passed.  The Makaha Sons sang “I’ll Remember You,” a song that always makes me think of my Tutu.  She’d had a Don Ho cassette with that song on it, which I used to play endlessly.  That was followed by taiko drumming, the blessing by a Hawaiian priest and words by the Japanese priestess (who apparently flies to Hawaii from Japan every year specifically for the ceremony).  Men in canoes set out the first lanterns on the ocean.  When instructed, everyone else lit theirs and waded out into the ocean to set them afloat.  Only a limited number are handed out the morning of the ceremony.  Participants then write notes to their loved ones on the lantern and wait for sunset to put them out to sea.  Even with thousands of people in attendance, it was a beautiful ceremony.  Some people were quite emotional.  Since I’m short and there were hundreds of people in front of me, I had to wade way out into the ocean to get some pictures of just the floating lanterns.  I had shorts on, anyway, but I was carrying a beach bag with my DSLR in it.  I didn’t want to risk anything happening to my DSLR, so used my point-and-shoot to take pictures.  They still turned out really nice.  Of course, I was soaked afterwards and my shorts decided to nearly fall down while I walked back to the hotel.  It was a bit of a challenge to walk, hold my bag with one hand and keep a grip on my wet, sagging shorts with the other!

After cleaning up a bit and changing, my evening ended at the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian.  One side of the bar was completely full of drunken Aussies drinking beer, talking loudly and singing.  The other side of the bar was deserted.  Guess which side I sat on?  An American guy, Darryl, who’d been sitting on the “Aussie” side of the bar came and sat next to me.  He said that the noise was getting to him, so he switched to the quieter side.  Yet another man who’d moved to Hawaii years ago.  He said that $2000 MIGHT get you a very, very small one bedroom apartment in Waikiki.  “But when you wake up every morning and see that fabulous view, you know it’s all worth it!” I joked.  “Oh, I was over the view LONG ago!” he laughed.  We also noticed that, when the Aussies sang more, one of the bartenders turned up the Hawaiian music.  That made us laugh more! Darryl suggested that I hit up either Shorebird or the Hard Rock Café for Happy Hour one evening.  The Shorebird is where my friend and I spent a late afternoon/early evening many moons ago, when we first met.  I’ve never been back there since.  As for the Hard Rock, I usually avoid them at all costs.  I ambled back to my hotel with a stop at one of the many, many ABC Stores for my night cap – a Coke and a bag of Maui Onion Hawaiian Style Chips!

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Slow Sunday

Posted on 25 May, 2014 by Tina

It wasn’t exactly hot by the pool this morning.  It wasn’t cold, either; just pleasant.  I did, however, seem to be a tone darker after coming in.

My plan was to head down to check out the Art on the Fence at the Honolulu Zoo.  Local artists show their art there every Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  What a disappointment!  There may have been 6 or 7 artists and/or photographers.  Although art is subjective, in my opinion, a couple of the artists were absolutely terrible.  The others were alright.  One of the photographers was good.  However, when the cheapest paintings (that weren’t mini ones) were $95 and most others were in the $250 range, I found them to be overpriced for what they were.  If these artists showed their stuff in art galleries, I might pay that much.  Yet I wasn’t willing to pay over $200 for art that didn’t really stand out to me.  My artist friends could paint circles around them any day!  Maybe there was a better selection yesterday, but who knows?

Lunch was prime rib poke at Tiki’s.  It was considered an appetizer, was served on a bed of nalo greens with what I believe they said was pipikaula dressing (good stuff!) with a side of white rice.  They’d originally suggested I get my poke with linguini.  What?!  I don’t really know what constitutes poke; for some reason, thought it meant fish or meat that was marinated and cooked in citric acids, but whatever.  So prime rib poke was a stretch to begin with.  Then to serve it with linguini made it a little too touristy; had to at least have rice with it.  After all that complaining, I liked it, particularly that dressing, which was a little salty.  Service was slow, but super friendly.

I started to head down towards Kaka’ako to see if the Ukulele Picnic was going on.  I remembered that they said they’d cancel it if it rained.  Although it hadn’t rained much yet that morning, it was starting to rain again.  Therefore, it might be a lost cause.  I hopped off at Ward Warehouse instead.  The last time I remember being in that part of Ward was with my ex-husband in 2002.  I stopped at The Pet Corner.  Once more, they had mutts which they were selling for $500-$1400!  I wouldn’t pay that for a mutt!  What happened to purebred dogs?!  Everyone thinks they’re some kind of doggie designer now.  Other shops of interest were the Loco outlet (swimsuits), Town and Country Surf, some Tahitian store (lovely, rather expensive clothing) and Na Mea Hawaii, which has tons of books on Hawaii.  It also sold feather leis, Hawaiian weapons, ipu bags, Hawaiian teddy bears, clothing, uli uli covers, jewelry and such.  There was a large table set in the middle of the store, where a mother sat reading Hawaiian children’s stories aloud to her daughter.  That was the most impressive part.  I went upstairs to Kincaid’s Steak and Chop House.  It just happened to be Happy Hour, so I indulged in a glass of cabernet sauvignon and an appetizer size serving of rigatoni Bolognese while overlooking the Marina…  in the rain.

Tired of this rain now, though it isn’t cold at all.  What trouble can I get into this evening?  Chinatown perhaps?

BTW, I’ve realized that I haven’t been taking photos.  Hopefully, that will all change tomorrow.  I’m thinking of going to either Bishop Museum and/or Iolani Palace, two places that I haven’t been to in more than 15 years – long before my DSLR.

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Almost Too Relaxed to Blog

Posted on 25 May, 2014 by Tina

Upon my arrival in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling out of sorts.  With certain things on my mind, it was debatable whether I would be able to even enjoy this vacation.  Seeing my friend when he picked me up at the airport certainly helped.  The nice weather helped, too.  After checking into my room and putting my things away, I ventured down to the main part of Waikiki.  Originally, I wasn’t hungry, but then I talked myself into having lunch at Duke’s.  I love their salad bar, but my favorite food of theirs that afternoon was the kalua pork with cabbage.  And, oh yes, the Heineken helped, too!  That good mood was slowly starting to seep in.  A drink at my favorite bar, the Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian, couldn’t hurt, either.  So off I went.  What a coincidence – my Aussie friend (we’d met on my last trip here & rebooked these exact same dates), B., showed up there, too, and it wasn’t even planned!  We drank and chatted, but she was having serious jet lag.  The two of us went back to our abodes, though she’d suggested we meet at 7:30 p.m. at P.F. Chang’s for dinner.  Back in my room, I did nothing.  Around 6:40 p.m. I headed to the beach to catch my first sunset of this vacation, scheduled for 7:05 p.m.  Gorgeous, as usual.  By 7:20 p.m., I hadn’t heard anything from B. and assumed that her jet lag would keep her sleeping for a few more hours.  Thus, I decided to grab a loco moco burger at Mahaloha Burger in the food court at The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center for dinner.  They’ve gotten good reviews, along with Maui Tacos, which is also located there.  My loco moco burger only came in 2 sizes – 1/3 lb. and 1/2 lb.  I went for the 1/3 lb. without fries since it was doubtful that I could finish it.  The burger was big, moist, juicy, tasty and had plenty of gravy.  But no, I couldn’t finish it.  I will return for another attempt, though!  The best part is that their 1/3 lb. burgers are only $6.95, which is unheard of in Waikiki!  During that time, B. texted me to say that she was on her way to P.F. Chang’s.  I met her there at the bar; she ate while I drank.  There were several guys at the bar; some striking up small conversations with us.  After dinner she mentioned stopping by Nashville Waikiki.  Although my ex-roommate used to bartend there, I have to be honest and say that I don’t care for that place.  It’s unique ’cause it’s underground, but it’s mostly military men and country music.  B. kind of has a thing for military men, which I don’t share.  We walked in, took a quick look around, were approached by some guy inviting us to join them on a pub crawl (no, thank you!) and walked out.  We ended up back at her favorite spot, RumFire in the Sheraton Waikiki.  It’s a nice upscale club with decent to good music, an ok Happy Hour and rather “older” bartenders.  When we got to the bar there, we ran into E., who had been sitting near us at the bar at P.F. Chang’s!  He was very nice and gave up his seat so that both of us could sit (there was only one empty seat next to him).  He was hyped up to dance, so B. and he went out and cut the rug several times.  He also bought us several drinks.  At some point, he insisted that I dance with him and, once again, I was just drunk enough to do it.  E. isn’t a very good dancer, though; he’s enthusiastic, but has no rhythm!  As long I kept drinking, I didn’t notice as much!  Back at the bar, we ran into yet another guy that had been at the bar at P.F. Chang’s, T.  The 4 of us hung out, drinking and sharing conversation.  When RumFire closed down, we moved our little party to The Yard House.  By then, MY jet lag was starting to kick in.  Even so, we managed to close down The Yard House.  We then went outside and ran through some sprinklers, for no reason whatsoever.  T. was staying at Halekulani, B. was at the Outrigger that Duke’s is in, E. was at the Ala Moana Hotel, with myself at Aqua Palms.  We walked T. to his hotel.  B. said that E. and I should share a cab, since we were going in the same direction.  However, since I knew that E. had a thing for B., I suggested that he walk her to her hotel.  I was fine walking back to my hotel; have done it many, many times.  In fact, a few blocks into it, some nice Poly guy started a conversation with me and walked me partway to my hotel.  That wasn’t half bad for my first day back in Paradise!

There was no sun by the pool on Thursday morning.  Around 10:30 a.m., I packed up my beach bag and high tailed it to the beach.  I laid there tanning, until the tide rushed in and got my feet wet while I was asleep!  After showering up at the hotel, I decided to go to Ward Centre.  My lunch hopefuls were either Phuket Thai, Kua’aina Sandwich or Kaka’ako Kitchen.  It appeared that Phuket Thai had closed, so I decided to Kua’aina Sandwich.  Although they’re famous for their burgers, I hadn’t been impressed with the one I’d had in Haleiwa several years ago.  Just to be different, I had the mahi, Ortega chili and cheese sandwich.  It didn’t come with anything other than a carrot stick.  It was fine; didn’t blow me away.  It had been many years since I’d walked through the mall there, so I took a run-though.  Most of the stores were boring.  I admit to liking island style dresses from Jam’s World, but declined to try anything on since their sale prices were $65+.  Another store had infused balsamic vinegars, extra virgin olive oils and Hawaiian style seasonings.  The dark chocolate balsamic and the blood orange EVOO impressed me, but I didn’t feel like carrying bottles around.  They’ll see me again before the end of my trip, though.  I walked down to the mega mall that is Ala Moana Center.  I bought the most adorable Hawaiian-style phone case, plus some clothes.  I can buy clothes in SF, but they certainly don’t have the selection of summer wear that Hawaii has.  I FINALLY made it to the OTHER Mai Tai Bar on the 4th floor of the mall.  They have a great Happy Hour from 4-7 with live music.  Some guy named Randy Allen opened with “I Belong to You” by Lenny Kravitz, which almost made me a little sad again.  He sang a little more upbeat songs after that, though.  After 3 drinks and some Firecracker Shrimp (which were too sweet for me), I went back to the hotel.  B. had texted that T. and she were having dinner at Roy’s.  Roy’s is a chain, albeit an expensive one, that’s all over the U.S.  Since I can eat there any time, beings there’s one in San Francisco, I decided to pass and told her to text me when they were through.  She texted me a few hours later, but I’d fallen asleep by that time!

My friend picked me up on Friday morning for breakfast at The Highway Inn.  They open at 8:30 a.m. and we were the first people there ’cause the doors were still locked when we tried to walk in!  I had loco moco, of course!  It was very good and very big, also with lots of gravy.  He had a spicy sousa (?) omelette with kim chee rice, plus toast with banana butter.  The meat in his omelette was sweet and spicy; good.  The kim chee rice, on the other hand, was a pass for me.  He didn’t like it, either.  I should have tried the toast with banana bread, but didn’t.  Then he drove me around Kaka’ako and Waikiki, while we chatted about funny things.  We were looking for Salt in Kaka’ako when we realized that it’s somewhere in Kaimuki!  That’s one of the new up and coming restaurants here that everyone is talking about.  When he dropped me off, I hit the pool for my sunbathing time.  The card reader to the pool isn’t working half the time, so I actually have to enter the fitness room and go out the sliding doors to get to the pool!  No problem, as long as I get some sun!  Then it was back to Ala Moana for more shopping and another couple of hours at their Mai Tai Bar for drinks and some Chinoise Chicken, which was better than the Firecracker Shrimp.  Rather than hang in Waikiki with all of the tourists that night, I ventured to a local bar near the Convention Center.  Home Bar and Grill was packed by 9:00 p.m. – all locals, no tourists (other than me).  When I walked in, the ginormous bouncer, smiled, said “hello” and asked “You good?”  Yeah, no worries.  I bellied up to the bar and stood there drinking until a seat opened up.  The bartenders were really nice and friendly, too.  They didn’t even take the tips off of the bar until the patrons left.  When I left, the bartenders AND the bouncer thanked me and wished me a good night.

Yesterday morning was my Aloha Stadium Swap Meet morning.  I was there at 9:00 a.m, finished by 11:20 a.m., but didn’t make it back to the hotel until 1:00 p.m. ’cause there was some accident on the freeway that was holding traffic up.  I bought a Hawaiian quilt purse to replace the one that the bozo at Macys stole back in March.  I also bought an umbrella, some bacon chips (yeah, you heard me right), some quilting squares for a friend and some jewelry.  I’m obsessed with starfish right now.  I’d bought a silver starfish pendant a year ago, then misplaced/lost it somewhere.  I replaced it alright – bought THREE starfish pendants.  Hopefully, I won’t lose all 3 of them at the same time!  There was just enough time for me to lay at the pool for an hour before the wind picked up.  After my shower, I headed back down to the Mai Tai Bar at The Royal Hawaiian.  It was raining, but the outdoor bar was full!  I found the last seat, certain guys welcomed me back (ones who hadn’t seen me on Wednesday) and I chatted with the couple next to me.  They’ve been dating 5 months, one lives in Boston (or somewhere) and the other lives in Tampa, and they met while judging men’s gymnastics!  They’ve already traveled to Taipei together, with Alaska and Jamaica coming up later this year.  Interesting little love story, though.  I had a ticket to the Spawnbreezie concert at The Crown Bar last night.  I swore that it said the show STARTED at 9:00 p.m.  So I showed up around 8:25 p.m. to pick up my ticket at Will Call.  A huge fundraiser was just ending.  Doors didn’t even open until after 9:00 p.m., but the bar staff let me sit there while they cleaned around me, as well as kept checking on me to make sure I was alright.  It got crowded, DJs were playing, then I.A. and some other rapper (he wasn’t impressive) started at 11:00 p.m.  Spawnbreezie wasn’t even on until midnight.  Love that man and his music, though; great concert.  What’s more interesting is that I recognized a man standing very close to me.  It was Mike, my distant cousin who’s the lead singer for Rebel Souljahz!!!  We’ve never met before, but I recognized him from photos.  When I asked if he was Mike, he said “yes,” I introduced myself as his cousin from San Francisco, he hugged me and said “Aloha” and said that he was there with his girlfriend and some friends.  We didn’t have much other conversation, too crowded with too many people.  However, I may see him on Tuesday, as it’s his father’s 77th birthday; my OTHER cousin said that she’d like to find a way for me to attend that birthday party, even though it’s on the other side of the Island.  After the concert, it was raining again.  I stood outside for awhile with my trusty umbrella, but eventually caught a cab back around 1:30 a.m.

Now that we’re all caught up, it’s pool time this Sunday morning!

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Eight Days Until Hawaii

Posted on 13 May, 2014 by Tina

A week from tomorrow, I’ll be on my way to Paradise again.  My Australian friend, B. (we met on my last trip there), booked her flight for the exact same days as mine.  Obviously, we’re gonna’ be hanging out.  My cousin and her husband said that we’ll most likely hit up the Mai Tai Bar at Ala Moana for Happy Hour one afternoon.  Another woman that I’d met on a trip a few years ago has agreed to go in search of Otto Bakery with me.  Otto Bakery (or maybe that is Otto Cakes) used to be located in Chinatown, back when I’d never heard of them.  They’re somewhere in Kaimuki now.  Their specialty is cheesecake.  We’re not talking about the regular kind topped with cherries or strawberries.  They’re reputed to have poi, cookie butter, orange chocolate chip, pineapple, Chinese almond cookie, lilikoi, chocolate haupia, pumpkin, lehua honey and acai cheesecakes, among others.  Put me down for a slice of lehua honey and another of orange chocolate chip!  This same friend has also promised to bring me some of the famed cocoa puffs from Liliha Bakery.  I’d kind of like to go there in person and eat, though.  We’ll work it out, I’m sure.  My other friend has discovered a new place for lunch called Highway Inn.  I know it’s possible to get my loco moco and my chicken long rice on there.  They also have a most interesting selection of poke.  I’m still attempting to acquire a taste for poke.  So far, I only know that I’m not fond of ahi or tako poke.  Highway Inn has sesame marlin, Hawaiian style crab, kim chee Alaskan king crab tail meat, kim chee crab, kim chee shrimp, Taegu cuttlefish, fish cake, lomi, kim chee mussel and sesame mussel pokes, in addition to those with ahi and tako.  Their poke “sauces”  are alae salt, spicy tobiko, ginger miso, roasted red pepper, creamy wasabi, Hawaiian chili pepper, Thai basil and wasabi oil.  Quite a selection!

Beings my vacation will encompass Memorial Day weekend, there are a few special events going on as well.  There’s an ukulele picnic on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.  I was disappointed to learn that Singto Numchok, a Thai musician, performed there before, but won’t be there this year.  I’m currently hooked on his “Shy” song!  On Memorial Day itself, there’s a lantern lighting ceremony in Ala Moana Beach Park, very close to my hotel.  My intentions are to participate in that.  I’d like to light a lantern for my Tutu.  As of last night, I found out that Spawnbreezie will be putting on a concert at The Crown Bar & Grill.  I’ve never had the opportunity to see him perform yet, so am fairly excited about this.

Am I excited enough about Hawaii to begin packing a little early?  Of course not!  I’ll throw my 3 bathing suits, 5 pairs of shorts, 10 tops, 2 skirts, 4 dresses, 1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs of slippers, 1 pair of canvas shoes and 1 pair of heels into a suitcase around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday night.

In truth, my mood has been down for the past month.  I’m sure that sunshine, the ocean, loco moco, champagne and my friends will have me back to normal in no time.

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