Honolulu, HI

Last Sunday my wife and I went to Kelly O’Neil’s pub on Lewers Street (across the street from Moose McGillicuddy’s) in Waikiki to watch a local Irish band. Kelly O’Neil’s features live Irish music every Sunday, from about 4pm to 7pm (no cover charge). We arrived shortly after 4:00 and took seats at a small table off to the side, facing the band.

I lived in Las Vegas the past two years and there is one thing I’ve realized that is better than the gambling there – and that is their amazing concert line-up. Bands brush through Vegas nightly like wildfire and while I’ve seen big names such as The Police, Celine Dion and Sir Elton John, nothing compares to the good times I’ve spent sitting on the lawn at the Waikiki Shell, celebrating life and good music with thousands of other people who feel the same way.

For first-time visitors to Hawaii, the luau is almost considered a rite of passage. My wife and I have been to several luaus since we have been living on Oahu. Each has its own unique blend of food, entertainment and setting. There are many different luaus on the island of Oahu, but I will writer here about three of the more popular ones. My wife and I recently attended each of these luaus with friends and family.

Whales! We were about three miles offshore from Waikiki Beach—the pink Royal Hawaiian Hotel was visible as a small dot in the distance. Outside on deck, people were pointing toward shore. A Humpback mother and her calf cavorted not far from our boat. Then the mother slapped her huge tail (called a fluke) against the water, before diving beneath the surface. Cameras were clicking like crazy. Suddenly the mother Humpback erupted from the water—a full breach—leaping into the air! People screamed, and I was lucky enough to point my camcorder just in time to catch it.

The sun started creeping lower and lower into the Honolulu skyline. There were throngs of people crowded in front of the galleries, walking to each one in a row. I was excited to experience First Friday at downtown Honolulu’s Gallery walk for the first time since moving back to my home from Las Vegas. Even before getting out of the parking garage, I could hear the sound of the crowds and live music coming from above. I knew I was in for a great evening.

Then, promptly at 8:00: boom! The first fireworks lit up the night sky with blazing reds and whites. There were some really impressive explosives—firecrackers, rockets, pinwheels and what have you—which can be heard throughout Waikiki. A few boats also lead fireworks cruises and could be seen bobbing not far from shore to witness the spectacle.

On May 10, 2008, my wife and I went to the 16th annual Filipino Festival in Waikiki. There was also a parade which ran along Kalakaua Avenue, but we only attended the festival part of it, which was in Kapiolani Park, across the street from Queen’s Beach. We arrived at the park at around 11 AM and the festival was already in full swing. The park was filled with people celebrating Filipino culture: a musical group performed on a stage with dancers, vendors of all sorts sold food and drinks, arts and crafts, while families and people of all ages walked around experiencing it all.

We spent one of Waikiki’s famous sunny afternoons at Honolulu Zoo. My boss had given me two passes to the zoo. His friend donated to the zoo on his behalf as a Christmas present. He didn’t care to go to the zoo and I like the zoo. I went with my boyfriend who’s lived on the island for two years but hasn’t seen the zoo. Since the day was still hot we decided to refresh ourselves with ice cream from one of the many ice cream shops along Kalakaua Avenue. We were passing it by on the way to the zoo.

We decided to start the day with breakfast at his friend’s restaurant and walk down to the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach Hotel to watch my canoe club race in the OHCRA or Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association McFarlene 4th of July regatta at Waikiki Beach.

We decided to go out on the blue-and-white painted one which reads, “Outrigger Catamaran” on its side. In case you were wondering, a catamaran is the type of sailboat that has pontoons with canvas stretched over them. The one we went on has an actual hard deck, too, and is a pretty large boat that can carry thirty passengers or so.