A look at what makes Honolulu’s public spaces, local businesses, and communities great.
Flowers and lights framing spaces
It’s a food court that reflects Japanese influence in Honolulu. I think the cherry blossoms and lanterns that hang from a wooden frame above you bring a sense of peace.
This flowery frame makes Shirokiya actually feel like a cohesive walkway, and also makes you want to sit at the tables underneath.
It’s located in Ala Moana Center too, a shopping complex that has all types of shops.
A performance area beneath an enveloping tree
The walk down Waikiki Beach to get to the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound is great in and of itself, but this spot is special. It’s a small area underneath a banyan tree where people sit and watch performances, like hula shows.
As I sat here, the buildings of the city on one side made the atmosphere vibrant, and the beach on the other side made the scene relaxed, yet it was this tree that made everything slightly magical.
Neighborhoods as galleries
Kaka’ako, a neighborhood of Honolulu, was the location of Hawaii’s 2019 edition of POW! WOW!, an international street art festival.
When I visited, there were incredible murals that could be found on almost every other block. You could wander and stumble across them on your own, or you could pick up a map and seek out the more notable pieces.
The quality of the street art and materials given to help you appreciate them made this area of Honolulu feel like a giant art gallery.
Buildings constructed around their roots
Today, the International Market Place is a modern shopping center right off one of the main roads in Waikiki. From what I’ve learned, it used to be marketplace full of souvenir stands and kitschy kiosks.
The mall to me felt like it was built around some of the historic trees of the old marketplace, as banyan trees were at the center of various open spaces. It was as if this International Market Place was simply the current form of a meeting ground for trade.
Views giving context to the city
Diamond Head is an amazing hike in both the journey and the destination. It’s exciting as you ascend. You gradually go up, and along the way you pass through a dark tunnel and climb up a steep set of stairs.
Then you make it to the top, and you see the city of Honolulu, hugging the hills that it’s built on. You also see the huge crater that you’re in, and the ocean so close by, and realize the beauty of it all.
I think the layout of the hike is quite nice, because you start in the middle of the crater at the visitor center, then make it through a series of small challenges to get to the top. It was great to see young kids as well as seniors enjoying the climb.
Integration of creative shops
It’s pretty common to see the storefronts of local artists and designers off to the side, away from the areas where people frequent.
It surprised me that the shops of South Shore Market were together with mainstream restaurants and retails stores. There was a Dave and Buster’s, a movie theater, a Nordstrom Rack, and much more.
I liked that this might give people going out to dinner or shopping for groceries an opportunity to easily see goods made by local artists.
