Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [97]
ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL
With its Moorish-style turrets and archways, this 1927 art deco hotel (923-7311; www.royal-hawaiian.com; 2259 Kalakaua Ave; free tours usually 2pm Mon, Wed & Fri) is a landmark. During the days of luxury ocean liners, the hotel became an extension of the cruise ships run by the Matson Navigation Company. Dubbed the ‘Pink Palace,’ its guest list once read like a who’s-who of A-list celebrities, from royalty to Rockefellers, plus pop-culture stars like Charlie Chaplin and Babe Ruth. Today, historic tours explore the architecture and lore of this grand dame. Ask the concierge for a self-guided walking tour brochure before visiting the hotel’s flowering gardens.
HAWAI′I ARMY MUSEUM
Of interest mainly to specialists, this museum (955-9552; www.hiarmymuseumsoc.org; Kalia Rd; admission by donation; 10am-4:15pm Tue-Sun; ) traces the military history of consolidation of power under King Kamehameha in the late 18th century through life under martial law during WWII and the US army’s ongoing role on O′ahu. Located at Fort DeRussy Military Reservation, the museum occupies Battery Randolph, erected in 1911. The battery once held two formidable guns with an impressive 14-mile range, designed to recoil into the concrete walls for reloading after firing, which shook the whole neighborhood. A Cobra helicopter and various military tanks and machinery are also on display. There’s free parking with validation.
NATATORIUM
At the Diamond Head end of Kapi′olani Beach Park (Click here), this broken-down, padlocked building (http://natorium.org) houses a 100m-long saltwater swimming pool constructed as a memorial for WWI veterans. Two Olympic gold medalists – Johnny Weissmuller and Duke Kahanamoku – trained in the tide-fed pool. There were once hopes of hosting the Olympics on O′ahu, with this pool as the focal point. Although the Natatorium is now on the National Register of Historic Places, restoration projects have been repeatedly stalled by political bureaucracy.
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COURSES
Mana Hawai′i (923-2220; www.waikikibeachwalk.com; 226 Lewers St) Hawaiiana shop (Click here) offers free weekly classes in Hawaiian language, hula dancing, ukulele playing and lauhala leaf weaving and occasional workshops in traditional Hawaiian spiritual practices.
Royal Hawaiian Center (922-2299; www.royalhawaiiancenter.com; 2201 Kalakaua Ave) Shopping mall offers free Hawaiian cultural classes and demonstrations in arts and crafts, including quilts, leis, kapa (pounded-bark cloth), hula, ukulele and lomilomi massage; check the website or call for schedules.
Waikiki Community Center (923-1802; www.waikikicommunitycenter.org; 310 Pa′oakalani Ave; lesson $3-15) Try your hand at mah-jongg, the ukulele, hula or other island arts and crafts. Instructors at this homespun community center are brimming with aloha. Most classes are held on weekdays; call or go online for schedules.
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Waikiki loves to party. Every Friday night at 7:30pm from October to March (from 8pm April to September), the Hilton Hawaiian Village shoots off a big ol’ fireworks display, visible from the beach. For festivals and events elsewhere around Honolulu, Click here.
Ala Wai Challenge (923-1802; www.waikikicommunitycenter.com) Outrigger canoe races, local food, games and live entertainment in January.
Honolulu Festival (926-2424; www.honolulufestival.com) Cultural performances at Waikiki Beach Walk and a festive parade along Kalakaua Ave in mid-March.
Waikiki Spam Jam (www.spamjamhawaii.com) Late April sees a street festival devoted to Hawaii’s favorite tinned meat product: Spam.
Pan-Pacific Festival (926-8177; www.pan-pacific-festival.com) Hula dancing, taiko drumming, an arts-and-crafts fair and a huge ho′olaule′a (block party) in early June.
Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival (226-2697; www.slackkeyfestival.com) Traditional Hawaiian guitar and ukulele music at Kapi‘olani Park in mid-August.
Aloha