Hawaii Slow To Cash In On Obama

The city of Chicago is working feverishly to pull in tourist dollars after Illinois’ junior senator, Barack Obama, was elected president of the United States.

Experience Presidential Chicago, urges the Web site of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. Tours and guides are popping up all over the Windy City.

But wait. Didn’t Obama grow up in Hawaii? What’s up there?

Read the rest of this entry »

Disney Takes Aim At Hawaii

Disney is planning to build a large resort on the west side of Oahu, according to USA Today.

It won’t be a theme park. Disney calls it a luxury family resort.

I believe Disney excels at creating fantasy places. The faux Europe of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World and all the little countries of Epcot come to mind.

I like them. Even the Hawaiian-themed Polynesian resort at Disney World is kind of fun.

But I have my doubts about what Disney can add to Hawaii, which is a paradise unto itself.

Living On Hawaii Time

The husband was passing by the registration desk of our hotel on Tuesday afternoon when a woman who was checking in asked when the presidential debate would start. “It just ended,” another guest told her.

This was our third visit to Hawaii, but it was the first time we got a little sense of what it’s like to live three to six hours behind the rest of the country.

Read the rest of this entry »

On Lava And Moonlight In Hawaii

Serendipity is the traveler’s friend, which is to say you just never know.

The husband and I spent a disappointing hour the other night on the deck of a cruise ship, waiting to see lava flow into the ocean from the Big Island of Hawaii. We saw absolutely nothing.

Either the lava wasn’t flowing or it was too foggy or something.

The next night we wandered onto the promenade after dinner and saw a glowing orange crescent moon hanging just above the horizon. In more than a couple of decades on this planet, I’ve never seen the moon look like that.

It cast a ribbon of moonlight onto the water and, as we watched, it sank into the ocean in a glowing puddle of light. It was absolutely sublime.

Why Visit Hawaii?

I don’t know how many times I’ve had exactly this conversation about Hawaii with another American.

Me: “Have you ever been to Hawaii?”

Other American: “No.”

Me: “It’s paradise.”

Other American: “It’s too far.”

It’s not too far. It could be twice as far and it wouldn’t be too far. It could be in space and it wouldn’t be too far. It’s worth the trip.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hawaii Tourism Director In Trouble Over Emails

The director of the Hawaii Tourism Authority forwarded racist and sexist jokes from his office computer, the Honolulu Advertiser reports.

One joke referred to Barack Obama as a “coon” and Hillary Clinton as a “beaver.” A video contained derogatory terms for Hispanics.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gas At $2.27 A Gallon? Get Outta Here!

I just ran across this photo, which I took in February 2004 to show the folks back home the incredibly amazing high gas prices on Kauai.

Ha. Look at those crazy prices! 

I knew I was going to bring back many fond memories of Hawaii, which is one of my favorite places on the planet. But I wouldn’t have believed that I was going to get all nostalgic for the gas prices.

Aloha Airlines Shuts Down Passenger Service

Aloha Airlines is shutting down passenger service today, and some passengers are going to be left holding their bags. The decision came less than two weeks after Aloha entered bankruptcy for the second time in three years.

Read the rest of this entry »

Aloha To Aloha Airlines?

Airfares matter more to Hawaiians than to most other Americans, so the precarious state of Aloha Airlines is a very big deal in the islands.

Read the rest of this entry »

Airfare Deals To Honolulu

If I were looking for somewhere to spend my tax refund, I’d be looking at Hawaii. There’s a little fare war going on right now that’s knocked round-trip fares to Honolulu down around $460 or so out of Bradley.

Similar deals are available from Newark and Boston. Slightly higher fares can be had from several other East Coast airports.

These fares, which includes taxes and fees, are available on several major airlines for travel between March 31 and June 5. They’re available, at least theoretically, seven days a week, but I suspect that there aren’t a lot of seats  on each flight for sale at that price.

And I suspect the sale won’t last. With jet fuel prices where they are, the airlines really can’t afford it.