Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [71]
A short walk downhill, the John Young Museum of Art (Map; 956-8866; Krauss Hall, 2500 Dole St; admission free; 11am-2pm Mon-Fri, 1-4pm Sun) houses a 20th-century Hawaii painter’s eclectic collection of artifacts from Pacific islands, Africa and Asia, including impressive ceramics, pottery and sculpture. Although it fills only two rooms, it’s worth a quick look.
On the east side of campus, the East-West Center (Map; 944-7111; www.eastwestcenter.org; 1601 East-West Rd) aims to promote mutual understanding among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and the USA. Changing exhibitions of art and culture are displayed in the center’s gallery (Map; 944-7177; Burns Hall; admission free; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-4pm Sun). The center also hosts multicultural programs, including lectures, films, concerts and dance performances.
On-campus parking costs $3 before 4pm on weekdays; otherwise it’s free.
Upper Manoa Valley, Tantalus & Makiki Heights
Welcome to Honolulu’s green belt. The verdant Upper Manoa Valley climbs beyond the UH Manoa campus through exclusive residential neighborhoods into forest reserve land high in the Ko′olau Range above Honolulu. For popular hiking trails, including to Manoa Falls and the Nu′uanu Valley Lookout, turn to Click here.
LYON ARBORETUM
Beautifully unkempt walking trails wind through this highly regarded 200-acre arboretum (Map; 988-0456; wwwdev.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum; 3860 Manoa Rd; admission by donation; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri; ), founded in 1918 and managed by the University of Hawai′i. This is not your typically precious landscaped island tropical flower garden, but a mature and largely wooded arboretum, where related species are clustered in a seminatural state.
Among the plants in the Hawaiian ethnobotanical garden are ′ulu (breadfruit), kalo (taro) and ko (sugarcane) brought by early Polynesian settlers; kukui, once harvested to produce lantern oil; and ti, which was used for medicinal purposes during ancient times and for making moonshine after Westerners arrived. If you walk uphill for about a mile along a dirt jeep road, a narrow, tree root–entangled footpath leads to seasonal ′Aihualama Falls, a lacy cliffside cascade (no swimming).
From the Ala Moana Center, catch TheBus No 5 to Manoa Valley and get off at the last stop, then walk 0.5 miles uphill to the end of Manoa Rd. There is limited free parking available.
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MR OBAMA’S NEIGHBORHOOD
If you want to follow in the footsteps of US President Barack Obama, who grew up in Honolulu’s Makiki Heights neighborhood, here are a few of his favorite places on O′ahu:
Manoa Falls (Click here)
Rainbow Drive-In (Click here)
Kapi‘olani Beach Park (Click here)
Hanauma Bay (Click here)
Sandy Beach (Click here)
Olomana Golf Links (Click here)
To learn more about the 44th US President’s childhood in Hawaii, read The Dream Begins: How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama by Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris.
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CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM
Inside an estate house with meditative sculpture and flowering gardens, this engaging art museum (Map; TCM; 526-1322; www.tcmhi.org; 2411 Makiki Heights Dr; adult/senior & student/child under 13 $5/3/free, all free 3rd Thu of each month; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat, noon-4pm Sun, tours usually 1:30pm Tue-Sun; ) features changing exhibits of paintings, sculpture and other artwork dating from the 1940s onward by Hawaii-born, mainland and international artists.
A newer building on the lawn holds the museum’s most prized piece, an environmental installation by David Hockney based on sets for L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, Ravel’s 1925 opera. The refreshing Contemporary Café (Click here) prepares lunch and packs romantic picnic baskets that you can enjoy alfresco.
From Waikiki, take either TheBus 2 or B Country Express! toward downtown Honolulu and get off at Beretania and Alapa′i Sts; walk one block toward the ocean along Alapa′i St and transfer to TheBus 15, which stops at the museum. If you’re driving, follow Makiki St north of S Beretania