We landed and exited via the landing area instead of inside of the terminal. Interesting! We found the rental car place and they gave us a Ford Explorer, a big one that could seat 6-7 people! We found our hotel, the Hilton Waikiki, checked in, found our room, and then went in search of a late night snack, aka supper. The hotel has a 24/7 restaurant that featured soup and grilled cheese! Strange but it hit the spot since it was 9 Hawaii time but 3 AM our “normal” time! We also had some mango bread since it is apparently mango season. It was tasty too!
We collapsed and slept solidly until it was time to get ready to go to the World War II Historic sites. Truth be told, we did get up at 4 to get some Fogerty tickets at Bethel Woods but that is another story all on its own. Stay tuned in mid-August!
Breakfast was included so we snagged some. The Pearl Harbor sites were about a 20 minute drive. There are a LOT of people here. TONS! We are assuming they are all tourists. We wondered if there is a slow season. Honolulu is a big and busy city, with road construction, lots of name-brand restaurants, skyscrapers, and retail establishments!
We could only buy tickets to see the Arizona memorial 24 hours ahead, so I was doing that yesterday while Andrew was driving to the Golden Gate Bridge! The memorials are very strict and no bags of any size are allowed! No drinks except for water. We were directed to a very nice gentleman who printed out our “Passports” so we could see everything, and then asked if I would like a “plan”. Of course, I replied, so he shared what would make the most sense of our visit and in what order. Thank you, Mr. Stewart! He also called me Ms. V, which I told him that my students do that too. :)
We started off visiting the Battleship Missouri Memorial, which was a real battleship that housed 5000 soldiers! Amazing. They had their own library too, as well as classrooms, and everything else a “town” would need. This battleship was also where the Japanese officially surrendered.
Our 2nd stop was the Pacific Aviation Museum and it was very interesting as well. My grandfather was a tail gunner so it was interesting to see some of those planes up close. They told a story of a father and son who had rented a plane for an early morning flight and got caught in the attack on that fateful day. They did make it even though their plane was riddled with Japanese bullet holes! The Hangar 79 still has the bullet holes in their windows. The officers in charge wanted them to stay and not be repaired so we’d always remember.
We then caught the shuttle back so we could see the USS Arizona Memorial. It was very sobering (actually everything was). The attack on December 7 caught everyone off guard so there was so much loss, of life, of ships, planes, livelihoods, and freedoms. The Arizona burned for 2 1/2 days and many of the soldiers on board literally went down with the ship. The memorial is built over it, but not touching it. The memorial itself is undergoing repairs so we could not go into it, but we put on a Navy boat and circled around it. It was shared that many soldiers that did survive actually had their ashes brought here so they can rejoin their mates in their final resting place. The memorial is scheduled to be finished with its repairs by this upcoming December 7th.
We finished up our day by touring the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. We could even go down below; it takes a special person to be able to live in such small and cramped quarters! Everything had its place and purpose and everyone knew what they needed to do to get it done.
So much changed in only a few hours. Even students would take gas masks with them to school, just in case.
The morning was very emotional. We headed back to the hotel and changed into our swim gear and walked the few blocks to Waikiki Beach; it is world renowned!! It was also busy! We did wade in and wander around and enjoy the cool water, beautiful views and all the people of all ages, surfing, playing, burying one another in the sand, chasing littles into and out of the water, and more. We then opted to walk the beach just to see what we could see. It really is a pretty area.
We headed back to our hotel and had a snack compliments of the “Executive Lounge” and then found the pool. It was a great way to cool down at the end of the day.
We trekked out again to find a quick supper and settled on the Maui Brewing Company restaurant. The beer was exceptional; they even make their own ginger beer, which is my favorite. Forget the high fructose stuff—this is the real deal! We shared a small pizza with a great thin crust and fresh tasting toppings. Their menu said they buy local and it shows in their flavor!
Last night as we arrived we witnessed some spectacular fireworks. We were hoping it was a nightly event but we didn’t see any this evening! We did see many homeless as we walked back, many, many. Earlier in the day we saw a tent “city” but didn’t know if it was truly a place for homeless to settle or a kind of demonstration of some kind. This evening showed people just hunkered down on park benches, on the beach, anywhere and everywhere. The area is so well lit and has many higher end retail stores, such as Macy’s, Louis Vuitton, and more, so we were sort of surprised..
Tomorrow we are planning on hiking to the summit of the Diamond Head Crater! We hope to go early so it isn’t so hot.
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