1st Annual Oahu Homebrewing Festival November 4, 2017…read more The first year of the Oahu Homebrewing Festival was a great success. First and foremost, this was a homebrewing competition; a way for homebrewers on Oahu and around the state to get feedback and win awards on their brews. Around 90 entries were submitted for beer, mead, and ciders. On November 3, a group of a dozen judges took it to task to scrutinize and rank the entries. A best of show round was performed Saturday morning before the festival. The festival itself ran from 11am to 3pm with three brewing demonstrations, tables of information, free food and beer of course! Square Barrels donated delectable burgers; BeerLab donated a few crowlers of beer. The extra entry beers were also opened for sampling. Awards were given out at 2pm. Hosted by Homebrew in Paradise in Kalihi, it was a large event space with plenty of room. The smell of roasting malts and hops filled the air the entire day. I think everyone went home full of great food and beer.

"Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes…read more.. Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an exploration into unknown areas." - Arshile Gorky After recent visits to the Hawai'i State Art Museum and Honolulu Museum of Art, we were inspired to visit this art museum. This Contemporary Museum at the First Hawaiian Center is an extension of the Honolulu Museum of Art. It features the work by artists of Hawai'i who use a variety of media and displays can be found in the bank's lobby and second floor mezzanine. Exhibits and artistic works are routinely rotated. The museum isn't very large and usually has enough space to feature 3 artists at a time. I can't express how the different artwork affected my senses and emotions as everyone will have their own impression(s). You may or may not feel or see what I have seen or what the artist was trying to express. However, when you come to the First Hawaiian Center, you'll also be impressed with the architecture. The former CEO and Chairman of First Hawaiian Bank, Walter A. Dods, Jr, is responsible for completing and opening Hawai'i's tallest building. Distinctive architectural features bring in as much natural sunlight as possible, views from its mountain-side use vertically-proportioned windows and ocean-facing views can be seen through horizontally framed windows that capture the sea and horizon. The building's shape resembles a knife as it "slashes through" its banking competition, Bank of Hawai'i. If you happen to be in Downtown Honolulu's Financial District, check out this museum. Explore and discover the unknown.

The Contemporary Museum is located inside the main branch of First Hawaiian Bank. It occupies…read moresections of the first and second floors. A person would need to take the stairs to get to the second floor. I'm unsure if the art gallery wing on the second floor can be accessed by the elevators...if they do then a person would have to pass the FHB workers in order to get to the gallery First Hawaiian Bank and Honolulu Museum of Art just had their 20th anniversary of partnership in 2016. Paintings and art sculptures on the two levels are part of the First Hawaiian Bank's art collections. Individuals are able to browse both levels for free. All art in the museum were done by individuals growing up in Hawaii or from transplanted former residents of the island. I recommend everyone to stop by the Contemporary Museum in the Downtown Honolulu location of First Hawaiian Bank. 10/100

An interesting tour of the history of the Hawaii judicial system. Houses the Hawaii Supreme Court…read moreand a law library. The tour guide has soo much information and it took about 3 hours to really see and read everything. It will feel like you have stepped back into time. Bring as little with u as possible because u need to go through a metal detector. It is just easier when u just carry a small bag like I did into a high security building. Bring quarters for the parking meters. Take a stall with shade so your car won't be too hot when u return to your car.

This was a surprise for the wife and boy was she. The area was very clean and there was an…read moreinformation plaque on the ground explaining about the statue. The building was nice.

Hidden gem! The second floor is an incredible showcase of a collection from across the world, and…read moredon't miss the full jade Buddha on the first floor. I did significant damage purchasing pearl and angel skin coral jewelry from Flora and they are now some of my favorite pieces in my rotation (and I'm normally a Cartier girl!). Really interesting that they do school field trips here to have students familiarize themselves with all different types of rocks, minerals, and other similar material. Highly recommend for folks stopping by in Waikiki, not a tourist trap for sure!!!!

What a great cause from this small family run business. No admission price. Kids from schools are…read morebrought to see up close gems, stones, corals from all over the world to see and touch first hand. Large intricate sculpted figures on display. There is a wide variety of quality jewelry for purchase. Better priced than many other establishments I've went to. Such as 3 for $20 or 2 for $30 for bracelets, earnings and necklaces. Much better quality too. Very nice people. Parking can be tricky. If you luck out on street parking I suggest Target/international market place perhaps?

I am sitting here in my office in Burr Ridge, IL reminiscing about the wonderful fun time we had on…read moreour vacation a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact I just got off the Waikiki webcam - again. The time both Rodney & Pat took putting together one of the best vacations of Pam's and my life; it was truly a vacation to remember. We visited three of the islands and saw a lot in the two weeks we were there. But this only peeked our interest to come back again and probably again. Their hospitality surely is what the ALOHA SPIRIT is all about. Maui Gold Hawaiian Pineapples are the BEST!

An absolute must when you're in Waikiki/Honolulu. Free hula show showcasing all the stories of…read moreHawaii. Plenty of seating- not a bad seat in the house. No obstructed views. The show is about 20 minutes long. At the time of his yelp review, the show runs daily at 3pm. Aloha!

Psssssssssssst!…read more 'Eh, for you folks who are not from da 808, Bruddah Fran is gonna share a little secret for you malihinis - (visitor or newcomer). If you ever get a chance to visit our largest open air mall on Oahu - The Ala Moana Shopping Center, just an FYI..........there is a FREE Hula Show. Bing! Bing! Bing! Das right my friends, I said it.............FREE HULA SHOW!!! If you head on over to the Ala Moana Shopping Center, not too far from the main food court there is the Ala Moana Centerstage, and on Centerstage is where all the magic happens. Everyday at 5:00 PM there is a FREE Hula Show, and on Sundays at 1:00 PM there is a;so a Keiki - or Kids Hula Show. Although Ala Moana Shopping Center features the free hula shows at centerstage, there are other entertainment venues, such as the Royal Hawaiian Band that performs concerts there, as well as high school bands, and other local entertainers. Just check the out the schedule, and Bruddah Fran will provide da link for you folks, and you can MAHALO me later. Lol! - https://www.alamoanacenter.com/en/events/performances/

As described on their website, "In 2008, Dole Plantation's giant Pineapple Garden Maze was declared…read morethe world's largest maze. The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and one-half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants. Walk through the flora of the islands as you seek out eight secret stations that each lead you closer to the mystery at the heart of this larger-than-life labyrinth, one of only a handful of permanent botanical mazes in America. The fastest finishers win a prize and enter into the history of Dole Plantation, with their names recorded on a sign at the maze's entrance." The Dole Pineapple Garden Maze is located on the right hand side of the iconic plantation style home flying the "Dole" flag on the roof. At the front there is a worker in a booth. There's some awesome AC running in the booth ;D it was nice to feel the blast of cool air while purchasing my ticket. The worker was friendly and made the process pain free. If you're kama'aina show your Hawaii State ID brah. You can also purchase tickets to the different attractions at Dole Plantation here separately or in package deals. On the other side of the worker, within the booth is a time clock that stamps your maze card for the start and finish times. Don't forget to stamp your card! Also grab a golf pencil. Along the fence in the beginning, there was a sign about the phone app "Dole Plantation" to track your progress. Unfortunately, my phone wasn't compatible (Samsung Galaxy S10). It was made for an older version of Android. There are 8 "secret" stations in the maze, one representing each island of Hawaii. There were some facts about each island printed on the boards. I wished the shapes meant something about the island, but they seemed kinds random. Some shapes like the sun and sea urchin look kinda similar so make sure you fill in the right square. As they are bot labeled. Pro tip: Look for a tilted red square shaped board through the greenery, that's the station LOL ;) In some of the pictures from other Yelpers, the boards look very worn down with the images faded and peeling. When I went recently about a week ago, the boards were all very new and fresh. They may have replaced the older worn looking boards. At each station there are stencils with different shapes that you trace onto your card. At the first station, I did this wrong XD I put my card above the stencil and shaded the pencil over it. Sort of the same motion one would do when trying to discover the mystery written message that's imprinted in a notepad. This made an ugly shaded undefined mess on my card. And the pressure from shading created a debossed look. At the second station, I figured out that I could slide the card under the stencil and fill in the shape with my pencil. This made a nicer look on my card. I recommend this method. Note, with how hot the sun is, the plastic boards at the stations also get very hot. And the stencil is made out of metal so even more hot. Be careful not to burn yourself* I did the maze on a Friday, from 12:22pm to 12:57pm. It took me about 35 minutes to complete the whole maze :D There wasn't a lot of people in the maze during the time I went. This was good as some of the paths are very narrow. I definitely recommend closed toe shoes for this maze. I didn't prepare for adventuring that day and wore slippers. While maze-ing around, a wild thorn on the ground went right into my foot x___x it was pretty sharp. I'd also recommend having water with you to drink, as it gets pretty hot walking around. And there's no real estimate on when you'll complete the maze. There were lots of areas with man-made holes/ short cuts created in between the bushes/ shrubs/ plants. I was cutting through a few of these. As trying to follow the exact paths on the map seemed a bit too unpredictable for me. I had to backtrack quite a few times. A lot of the greenery were overgrown with branches sticking into pathways, so I suggest wearing clothes you would be okay with getting caught in branches. Have an a-maze-ing time ;D

Definitely an impressive garden maze…read more Recommend going earlier or later in day as given the location in Oahu can get pretty hot. Major tourist area with large crowds. Recommend quick maze exploration and then grab a Dole whip and skip the train to head out and explore more of the island.

Its a bookstore / art and music aficionados. Its very laid back and chill or randomly open like a…read morelibrary but certain books have competitive prices, sometimes good, sometimes not so good! Lol They're moving soon and hope their new place is bigger and better ! Aloha

Shopping while supporting a good cause in Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. The Annual Friends Of The Library Book Sale was an exciting event for me back in the day. I remember going to McKinley High School cafeteria - with no air conditioning - and hunting through tables and tables of books! Some books were in boxes on the floor and others were in boxes on the benches which were attached to the tables. There were long lines of people waiting to get in. I'd park far away and walk across the dusty field to search for all kinds of books! I still believe that books are our friends! They provide loads of information and companionship! I would read for hours at a time... Nowadays, there are Kindles, eBooks, audible books, and downloadable books. I still prefer the good old fashioned hardcover or paperback book! There's something about turning real pages; using bookmarkers between pages; writing in the margins; and underlining important phrases and ideas! When I saw the email from my Credit Union about the Friends Of The Library Book Sale, I marked it on my calendar. I couldn't make it on the first day (6-17-23), but I was there on the second day! I could have gone on the preview day (June 16) Because I am a member of the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, but I wasn't organized enough to schedule myself for it. Parking for free at the South Shore Market is a big bonus because it's covered parking! The entrance to the Book Sale is on Auahi Street, across from the Crazy Shirts Outlet. Enter the air conditioned, spacious room where the volunteers are friendly and helpful! Books are organized by subject matter (Ex: cooking, history, fiction, etc.). CDs, DVDs, artwork, and crafts are available, too. Check out the vintage collectable items! I found a copy of my dad's yearbook for $20. I was so happy to see his Senior Class picture - on Father's Day - and see what kind of clubs he had joined! If you are a member of the Friends Of The Library or a member of the Hawai'i State Federal Credit Union, just show your card and get 10% off your purchase! It's such a great deal! The last day of this year's sale is on June 25, 2023 - between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.... And everything is 50 cents!!! If you can't go on June 25th, go on June 24th where everything is half off! #supportlocal