Travel Tuesday: Honolulu Cocktails, April 12-13, 2025

We're not good at being tourists -- but when we travel, we do like to check out cocktail, especially tiki bars.

During our time in Honolulu we visited 5 bars, each distinctly different. 

I. Authen-tiki: La Mariana Sailing Club

Such a strange little place -- we went there right at opening on a Saturday lunchtime and joined a small, eager crowd. 

We sat at the bar and I had a very fine Mai Tai while Wil had a classic Zombie. 

The place was pretty empty -- the 6 parties all choosing different sections of the restaurant. I suspect there is zero foot traffic -- the area around the restaurant has gotten really industrial, which was a little odd. But I'm glad the bar itself (and the tiny private marina) has survived.

The decor was really lovely -- crik tiles, bamboo, pandan mats, lava rock, wooden carvings, flotsam and jetsam. Fun fact: La Mariana was featured in multiple episodes of the original Hawaii Five-O, including a blink-and-you'll-miss-it dance scene in the show's theme. 

II. Modern Classic-tiki: Skull & Crown Trading Co.

Skull & Crown is drop dead gorgeous. Inside is a little overwhelming -- interesting oddities wherever you look. We had an opening-time reservation so we could grab a bite to eat and a cocktail (or two...) in the early evening. 

The restaurant rapidly filled in around us, but we were too busy enjoying ourselves to really notice. If we lived in Honolulu, this would be our celebration place, I think. 

We had drinks, a noodle dish that doesn't seem to be on their menu anymore, and potato nanban. Everything was delicious and the presentation was exquisite. 

I couldn't bear to leave, so we ordered a second round -- a Skull & Crown Bowl for the two of us. 

Ten out of ten, and shame on me for not remembering what cocktails we ordered!

III. Quirky-tiki: Yours Truly

Our final stop of the night was Yours Truly, a themed cocktail bar that is housed in an old post office. 

The front bar is chic, but the back room is a compact tiki oasis with a twist. 

When you arrive you are given a PO Box key. You write your order on a postcard and drop it in the "mailbox". 

When it lights up, you open your PO Box and receive your drinks. 

We had a P. Sherman and a Titah Bun -- tasty drinks in interesting mugs -- but frankly the vibe (stationery? postcards? post office? AND tiki drinks?) was better than the drinks. 

We did, however, very much enjoy the photobooth at the end!

IV. Celebra-tiki: Royal Hawaiian Mai Tai Bar

I had thought, for a very long time, about how I wanted to celebrate completing my 50 states challenge. And, really an amazing mai tai on the beach was exactly what I wanted. So after running the race and getting a little cleaned up we headed over to the pink palace and made our way out to the Mai Tai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The tiki gods were smiling on us and we were seated at a perfect little table right on the beach.

Wil told the server about the race and the project, and she fussed over us like crazy. I told her I had been thinking about a mai tai on the beach to celebrate for YEARS. 

I couldn't decide WHICH mai tai to order. I didn't think I needed a $40 Alii Mai Tai (I don't think I would have really appreciated the rums), but I was torn between a Royal Hawaiian and a Vic's 44. I mentioned my dilemma ... and my hankering for the coco-loco foam ... and was presented with a White Wash. And it was glorious. 

V. Dive-tiki: Arnold's Beach Bar

Later that day we had a decidedly different vibe at Arnold's Beach Bar. Super relaxed, free popcorn, and stiff drinks. I had a Blue Hawaii because when else am I going to drink a Blue Hawaii in Hawaii?

The other folks in the bar were very chatty and fun; mostly locals. The bartender was so nice we had another round. Of course I had a mai tai. Were they exquisitely crafted cocktails? No. Were they strong and tasty and inexpensive? Absolutely yes. 

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog.

Starry Night Stitch-a-Long, part 11

I am thrilled to report that I am now a quarter of the way done with Starry Night. 

Last time I had gotten here: 

And here's where I am now: 

Here's a wider view of the piece so far: 

And here's the first big chart piece, completed!

 

In three weeks, at our next check in, I'll have the first full column on the next chart page stitched. 

Now, I've teased a secret project for weeks now that was a special gift. My best friend's daughter was getting married, so I wanted to make her something special. Full disclosure: I used AI to design an image that looked like a Mucha illustration, and then went back and forth until I was happy with the image. Then I traced outlines, printed it on a washable sticky interfacing, and then started embroidering it. And here it is!

I love the way the big letters turned out, and I'm thrilled with the background on the banner, the vines, and the flowers. I stained the hoop frame cherry because that's my favorite wood and it looked good with the olive and golds. 

I haven't heard how the couple liked it -- they didn't open it at the wedding -- but I hope they love it as much as I do. It's the most complicated embroidery I've ever done. 

Our next check in is in three weeks. Until then, join me and check out what my fellow stitchers -- Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret, Megan, Deborah, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, Mary Margaret, Helen, and Cindy -- have been up to. 

Travel Tuesday: Diamond Head Trail hike, April 12, 2025

view of Lēʻahi from our balcony

I love hiking when I travel, and hiking to the top of Diamond Head was top of my list for our time in Honolulu.

Non-Hawaiian residents have to reserve times to hike to reduce crowding. A construction closure limited availability. So we would either do the hike the day before the half marathon or the same day as the half, but in the afternoon. I knew we'd want to be relaxing and celebrating, so I booked a 7am hike for the Saturday morning. 

Our Lyft dropped us off at the outer entrance to the Kahala Tunnel that runs through the crater wall. (Coooool.) We checked in at the entrance, made sure our water bottles were topped up, and started to walk. 

It's only .8 of a mile to the summit, but it climbs 560 feet very quickly and switches from paved to dirt to stairs, and a long tunnel. 

see that line of people at the top? yikes!

Up up up we went, at one point looking up to see the last stretch PACKED WITH PEOPLE -- like, Everest-style queuing to get to the top. I hoped they were the tail end of the previous hour...

But we just kept going up, hitting the switchbacks...

and looking back into the crater ...

and admiring the views of the ocean.

We found a nice, uncrowded spot near the top to take a selfie...

and we stumbled into the apparently prime spot where people were waiting for 15 minute to take a selfie with Honululu behind them. So we took a selfie with the crowd and moved on. 

This is the lovely view of downtown Waikiki I think they were trying to capture: 

Down is always "shorter" than the way up, but stairs are always rough!

Near the bottom we passed a little garden with a sign asking hikers to pour any leftover water on the plants -- a nice idea. 

Of course we stopped at the gift shop and I picked up these very adorable pins:

The DLNR is quick to point out that with the heat and lack of shade, .8 of a mile up is a lot harder than people expect. We saw a lot of people struggling (I think that's what caused that backup we could see -- the 6am hikers still crawling uphill). But it's a gorgeous walk with amazing views. Just get your reservations in advance! 

PS: Diamond Head History, from the Hawaii State Parks brochure: 

It is said that Hi‘iaka, sister of the fire goddess Pele, gave Lë‘ahi its name because the summit resembles the forehead (lae) of the ‘ahi fish. Another translation is “fire headland” and refers to the navigational fires that were lit at the summit to assist canoes travelling along the shoreline. The heiau (temple) built on the summit was dedicated to the god of wind as protection against strong updrafts that could put out these navigational fires. Today, the Diamond Head Light, built in 1917, provides a visual aid for navigation. In the late 1700s, Western explorers and traders visited Lë‘ahi and mistook the calcite crystals in the rocks on the slope of the crater for diamonds. Thus, the name Diamond Head.

Travel Tuesday is a project I'm working on to get old photos and memories out of notebooks and onto this blog.