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If you are ever on Oahu, you must visit the USS Arizona Memorial. A somber experience for sure, but well worth the amount of time spent standing in line to truely understand a very important event...
If you are ever on Oahu, you must visit the USS Arizona Memorial. A somber experience for sure, but well worth the amount of time spent standing in line to truely understand a very important event in American history.
Visit the Memorial early, like in line by 7am. This is the best way to go because the line isn't too long then. You will wait for about a half hour until the doors open and tickets (free) are issued. Save these, they are collectable and look great in a scrapbook. I have a bunch because we go whenever we have visitors. If you go this early, you will be on one of the first tours. That way you have the rest of your day to do other things on island.
The Memorial has a gift shop and also a museum. It is important to walk through both to get a good grasp on this tragic event. You will see a movie before a boat takes you out to view the Memorial itself.
Keep in mind, that you are visiting the graves of fallen sailors. If you wish to take a lei, make sure you check with the person working so that they can help you to remove the string from it to let the flowers go.
The only really bad thing about visiting the Memorial is that the traffic can get bad leading into it because tourists will stop at the corner that doesn't have a stop to take pictures. This backs the traffic up onto Kamehameha Highway.
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Big City Diner has friendly service and great food. We went for breakfast and it was a great experience. I imagine it would be fun to go there at night, since they do serve alcohol and have an...
Big City Diner has friendly service and great food. We went for breakfast and it was a great experience. I imagine it would be fun to go there at night, since they do serve alcohol and have an outdoor area. The only downfall to Big City Diner is that they are actually quite small inside, which might mean that you would have to wait for a table if you came during peak hours.
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I rent through Budget everywhere I travel. First, you can pick your car. They have great coupon codes in the Entertainment Book. You can use a coupon code to get a cheaper rate on an economy car...
I rent through Budget everywhere I travel. First, you can pick your car. They have great coupon codes in the Entertainment Book. You can use a coupon code to get a cheaper rate on an economy car and ask for an upgrade at the counter and they usually can get you a much better car for way cheaper than the online service. I love their customer service, I had a car hit in Maui and no issues with Budget over it. They are easy to deal with. Budget rents Fords. I once had a smelly car and they told me to bring it back for a new one. They then upgraded me to something nicer. It was just really good service.
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If you are a local and you shop at ABC, I wonder what is wrong with you. They are rip-offs. The prices there are higher on everything than anywhere else, totally marked up to rip off tourists who...
If you are a local and you shop at ABC, I wonder what is wrong with you. They are rip-offs. The prices there are higher on everything than anywhere else, totally marked up to rip off tourists who will then go back to the mainland and say how expensive Hawaii is. If you are a tourist and you have a rental car, you would do yourself good to avoid these and shop at the same normal stores that are also on the mainland like Walmart and KMart. These stores have tourist sections too. Better yet, get your souveniers at the Swap Meet and really save yourself some money.
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Jackies Kitchen at Ala Moana Center is a different kind of restuarant featuring mostly common dishes here in Hawaii. The only real problem we had when dining here was that we came at lunch and...
Jackies Kitchen at Ala Moana Center is a different kind of restuarant featuring mostly common dishes here in Hawaii. The only real problem we had when dining here was that we came at lunch and expected service to be quick. Instead we waited 15-20 minutes when the dining room was half empty, never a good feeling. On top of that, it took almost an hour and 45 minutes for us to finish from when we were seated to when we cashed out and we eat quickly. The crab dip appetizer is really good, although the wontons are greasy. If you like a crabby dip, this is a good bet. I got the shrimp chow fun, lunch portion. It was really good. Not what I expected at all, but good nontheless. My husbands dish had so much ginger, he didn't eat it. It was really gross, but the waitress didn't even notice. To me that isn't exactly good service when you don't notice that someone didn't eat their meal and doesn't want to take it home. So my recommendation would be to check this place out, but go at night and order drinks and make sure you have reservations because there is no place to sit and wait and the pagers don't work everywhere in the mall so it's not like you can shop while you wait.
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Coney is open 24 hours, which is great for those late night meals. The Hani Deluxe is one thing I get often, the coney dogs and cheese frees are just right. They pretty much have good everything,...
Coney is open 24 hours, which is great for those late night meals. The Hani Deluxe is one thing I get often, the coney dogs and cheese frees are just right. They pretty much have good everything, if you are looking for typical Coney Island food. Their prices are just right and the service is fast, although not always friendly. If you don't want to be around the bar crowd, avoid Coney at 1-3am, when the bars get out and all the drunks go in for a bite to eat.
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I love Papa Romanos because their pizza is something a little bit different. They do sauce on the top like many others, but their sauce stands out. They also do pasta and salads and their bread is...
I love Papa Romanos because their pizza is something a little bit different. They do sauce on the top like many others, but their sauce stands out. They also do pasta and salads and their bread is incredible! They have really good lunch specials. I usually get the Greek salad, breadsticks and soda. The service is always fast and during the lunchtime always friendly. They really get to know their repeat customers. Parking is not bad on this end of the Eastbrook Commons, so long as you avoid the times when the high school is getting out, because people park there often to pick up their kids.
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I used Vivianos for my wedding after having many people recommend them to me. They were slightly expensive, but the quality was perfect. I brought them pictures of what I wanted and everything...
I used Vivianos for my wedding after having many people recommend them to me. They were slightly expensive, but the quality was perfect. I brought them pictures of what I wanted and everything turned out just like I wanted it to. They deliveried everything to the church perfectly on time and everyone I worked with was friendly and professional. I have also received their flowers as gifts and have always received high quality cut flowers and beautiful arrangements. Their level of professionalism is very high. I recommend checking this florist out.
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While I listed this post under gifts, I suppose I could also list it under museums. Most of the art is well out of my price range, but it certainly interesting to look at and wish for. There are...
While I listed this post under gifts, I suppose I could also list it under museums. Most of the art is well out of my price range, but it certainly interesting to look at and wish for. There are several rooms you can walk through. You get a nice feel for the local community who creates this art and also for the history of the volcano. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford a piece, you can rest assured that this is a one of a kind. Some of this art is just amazing and so beautiful. There are some books that you can purchase here and small items as well. This is located right when you first enter the park and it is worth a stop, even if all you do is window shop and dream.
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Volcano House is a nice place to catch breakfast as you are getting ready to explore the volcano. This is an all you can eat buffet located inside Volcano National Park. There is also a giftshop...
Volcano House is a nice place to catch breakfast as you are getting ready to explore the volcano. This is an all you can eat buffet located inside Volcano National Park. There is also a giftshop and snackshop here so you can stock up on water before setting off on a hike.
You can't beat the view here, as you sit in front of a wall of windows overlooking the big crater of the volcano. The food is just so so, but there is a good variety and since restuarants are a little scarce up here, this is a good bet. You can also enjoy lunch and dinner here, but from my experience breakfast is the best bet. They can accomidate large groups, so that is another thing to consider. You will see many class field trips come through. I like to go here everytime I visit and sit in front of the window and contemplate my trip and what my plans are for this exploration.
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