Late Christmas Dinner at 5 Star - Alan Wong's - in Honolulu

Guest Blogger – Lulu

I'm taking over this post since I really enjoy experiencing new restaurants and talking about them.  Usually the Florida Cracker and I eat at moderate restaurants (ironically the Cracker's favorite restaurant is Cracker Barrel).  However last night we were treated by our son Keith and his wife Elizabeth to a five-star dining experience at Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu as our Christmas gift.  We joked last week when they presented us with a homemade certificate that the restaurant would just accept that piece of paper.  But they had it all arranged – even making the reservation for us from DC – so all we had to do was show up and eat.

Whole Tomato Salad

And eat we did.  We started by experiencing some local juices – Harry had a drink that tasted sort of like a liquid Dole Whip (a favorite) and I had a watermelon fountain soda.  Our waiter, PJ, was a cherubic Hawaiian young man who enjoyed educating us on the menu items and talked a mile a minute.  He rattled off signature dishes sounding like competitors on the Food Network.  Thank goodness for iPhones so we could google ingredients like "eryngii" (a type of mushroom), "shiso essences" (an oil from a flower), and "avocado salsa stack" (it is what is sounds like).  My appetizer was something called a whole tomato salad and Harry's was a mini taco that was the result of a daily cooking competition of kitchen staff – according to PJ.

Harry's Dinner

 

Our entress were superb – mine short ribs and shrimp and Harry's a strip steak. The official menu names were more involved but that is basically what they were.  I did some investigating before we got there and had to have the desert called the coconut which was a chocolate shell filled with a coconut-type ice cream/pudding.

It turns out that Alan Wong's is quite the place for A-listers and PJ did not hestitate to tell us that Elton John and Neil Patrick Harris were there the night before and that the it is a favorite of the Obamas who visit every time they are in Hawaii.

Our dining experience took about two hours and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We walked the two miles back to our hotel to burn off some calories. Thanks Keith and Elizabeth!

Mountain View From Dining Room

Taco Surprise

Lulu's Dinner

Our Certificate and Dessert

Aloha Tower Marketplace Boarded Up

This popular shopping center at Honolulu Harbor greeting guest for decades. It is a beautiful venue. It is experiencing a takeover. Western Pacific University is dumping $35 million into - going to re-open the shops and also have student housing there. Imagine spending your college experience here. 

More Monday Shots Around Waikiki

This little Mini truck was inside a clothing store right down the street by the Apple store. I would love it for running around Tallahassee.

We woke up at sunrise Monday. We were excited to get to our new hotel. I watched the sun rise over Diamond Head - and caught the teachers - parents - and kids going back to school after the holidays. Many times in the past I thought a teaching job at the Jefferson Elementary School would be perfect. Perfect weather. Kids that still respect education. 

At about 11 AM we walked down the street about 5 blocks to the Moana Surfrider. I will tell you later about the little "ceremony" Lulu had at the front desk. Then we took the old brass elevator to the 4th floor. We walked down the wide hall to our Room 460. You can see the beach from our room - but on an angle. 

Next we walked to the Hilton convention hotel and Lulu registered for her conference. After that we walked the sand 7/10th of a mile back to our hotel. We stopped at the military hotel for shave ice. Then we spent the afternoon on the beach and by the pool. Air was 80 and water was 80.

After some room time - we walked across the street for supper. We still get tired from jet lag and were back in the room at 8 PM. 

We slept all night with the air conditioner off and the window open without screens. 

It is 8 AM right now - and Lulu just left - all dressed up for the conference. She had on a skirt I got her for Christmas.

At 8 AM we watched the kids and teachers return to school after the holidays at Jefferson Elementary.

At 10 AM we checked out and headed 6 blocks west to the Moana Surfrider.

Congratulations To All The Gay Couples That Marry Today In Florida

After a long fight with a Republican legislature - Republican governor - and Republican state attorney - the gay people in Florida have the right to marry. With the divorce rate hovering around 50% - make sure you sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

When Lulu and I married 43 years ago - she brought into the marriage a comb and a tennis dress. Boy would I ever clean her out now if we broke up. :-)

To the newly-married gays - I wish you the happiness that marriage has given us. Some people are surprised to find out we really are married :-)

The irony is that Governor Scott is being sworn in on one set of steps of the Tallahassee Capitol and gay couples are being married on the other set of steps. The Governor wasted millions of our taxpayer dollars fighting gay marriage rights.

I do not know why lawyers put up such a big fight over gay marriage - they are the ones that just doubled their divorce business.

I am sorry I am not in Florida right now to see the weddings and parties --- and honeymoons  :-)

For the next 4 nights I will sleep 100 yards from Apple Store

www.harry.everhart.com

I Love Monday Mornings - We Just Checked Into The Moana Surfrider Hotel on Waikiki

Moana Surfrider - Waikiki

It is 11 AM on Monday morning in Waikiki - Honolulu - Hawaii. We just checked into this place. For the past 25 years - Lulu has coveted staying at this historic old hotel. For 25 years - she has crashed their pool and beach - but now she is a guest in the Banyan Wing. 

This is the oldest hotel on the beach - when visitors used to come here from the mainland in the 30s - their amphibious China Clipper aircrafts would drift right up to the dock and people would walk directly into the hotel. 

Doris Duke - of the tobacco family -  was a scandal when she dated Olympian Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku here.

For the next 4 nights we will stay here - Lulu is presenting at a convention - I am loafing. We walked about 4 blocks down the street from our last hotel. 

Our room is right above the R in resort on this picture.

That is Diamond Head in the background - our hotel on the left.

Our room is on the 4th floor right directly below the roof - second one from the water.

This is where we took surfing lessons 2 years ago.

We will have breakfast below this Banyan tree.

That is Waikiki's main street - the airport is about 8 miles to the right. Florida is about 5000 miles to the left.

Do Not Feed The Squirrels

I have a friend on Seminole Drive who is very smart. Unfortunately - she is also a soft touch. During the shooting yesterday a man came to her door. The guy said he was hungry. My friend gave him money and a banana. What an incredibly stupid thing to do! Human nature makes us want to be helpful especially when we are fortunate to be blessed with all the things life provides. But pure and simple - whenever someone comes to your door that you do not know - they want something. They want your money - they want to case your house - they may want to do you harm physically - emotionally - sexually - all because they are jealous. But usually they want money for drugs. They get into your house - see you are a soft touch - see that you are old - and are taking inventory of all your nice things. My friend must have lost her memory - because several times her home has been broken into - they recently bought an alarm because of a broken window. She seems to think that she knows best. I envision some day going to visit her - and she will be tied up - after someone has ransacked her house. I really love her - and hope she is alive then - so I can say I told you so.  :-)

Sunday - We Rented Car and Circled the Island

This is how you spell the Hawaii state fish.

Sunday right after breakfast - we got online - and rented a car. We found a car that could be picked up locally and dropped off nearby late at night. Hertz had an office a couple blocks away and we could drop the car off at 9 PM.

We hopped in and away we went - we could circle the island clockwise. First stop was the Aloha Bowl Flea Market. It wraps around the stadium and they have greta deals on Hawaii shirts - 7 for $20. 

Then we went to the North Shore town of Haleiwa for lunch. Along the North Shore the waves were high but red flags were out for surfers. 

Finally we visited President Obama in Kailua. Then we took the tunnel thru the mountain back to Waikiki.

The Apple Store has a line every morning just like NYC.

Roy's - a favorite of son Keith - now is housed in the hotel of our first Hawaii visit in 1989.

This Nissan Leaf has a special plate here in Hawaii. We noticed a lot of Leafs here with gas prices still near $4.00 and short distances.

In 1962 - they designed the Aloha Bowl. It is the only stadium I know that the stands can be moved from a football shape to a baseball shape - they float on air. We saw Notre Dame play Hawaii there in 1989.

Dole Plantation has become a big tourist attraction. There is no admission - we go there for the Dole Whip - it is pineapple soft serve ice cream. You can only get it here and Disneyworld.

This machine was custom made right here to pick pineapples. you have seen it in many movies.

Dole Gardens have lots of reds - yellows - and greens. Also lots of Asians. Most of the tourists here are either Asian or old white people - like us.

Oh Papaya tree - you are so straight and tall.

Chunks of pineapple in your tea is delightful.

This place was crowded - I do not know how this guy got a picture of only us.

In Haleiwa is Kua Aina Sandwich Shop. We love it there - there is one in London now - we ate there last month. Hollow is the capital of the North Shore. Big waves and rich people. 

We got this parking spot right in front of the crowded Kua Aina Sandwich Shop.

One of Lulu's favorite libraries is Kailua Elementary. On her Vision Tour in 2010 - we visited one of the greater library festivals we ever saw. Darren Tanaka is still the librarian. School starts today so the sign was not changed yet. On our first visit they had Lulu's name on there.

We are at the Kua Aina Sandwich Shop in Haleiwa on the Hawaiian North Shore - Just 3 Weeks Ago We Were at the Same Shop in London

www.harry.everhart.com

Dole Pineapple Plantation

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Lulu Buying T-Shirts 7 for $20 at Aloha Bowl Flea Market

www.harry.everhart.com

New Years in Richmond With Family

Between London and Hawaii is Christmas and New Years in Florida. But one of the grandkids got the flu and that goofed up all of Lulu's plans. But it did not prevent the Everhart 8 from getting together. 

Lulu got on the horn and called Delta Airlines. For a fee - they re-routed our flight to Hawaii - so we went form Tallahassee to Atlanta to Richmond to Atlanta to Honolulu. We all got together  - and spent 3 days together. Some of us flew in - others took the train down from Washington DC. 

When given lemons - make lemonade. When the flu hit the family - Lulu made the best of it. I picked some lemons the size of grapefruits - and put them on the plane along with all of the Christmas gifts. We made lemonade to drink instead of the kool aid as we watched the Seminoles in the Rose Bowl together. 

On January 2nd - we all piled into the planes - trains - and automobiles - and got on with 2015. 

Sunday Morning - Waikiki/Honolulu/Oahu/Hawaii Is An Earth and Space Science Teachers Paradise

This was 6 AM - 11 AM back home. My friend George Dawson just texted to say they are having a power failure there. Here street lights are flickering - but not from power failure. The ocean air rising up the mountains causes twinkling - just like the stars twinkle. 

A kid can learn more about earth and space science in a week out here than they could learn in a year in my classroom. I taught earth and space science - it included a quarter in each of these - astronomy - geology - meteorology - and oceanography. Hawaii has them all covered.

First off - we are staying in Waikiki which is a section of the capital city Honolulu - on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. To make things more confusing - one of the 8 major island is also named Hawaii - although they call it The Big Island over here.


Lulu loves the beach more than almost anything at all. She has told me that she would be happy living in a shiny old trailer as long as it is on the sand overlooking the water. When she was a kid - they called her Surf - this is the girl I fell in love with at the Bungalow Pool. She was 5 when we married 43 years ago.

Astronomy - if you want to study about outer space - the biggest telescopes in the world are on the Big Island. The crisp clear dark ocean air provides a clear view of the heavens. I compare it to how much better I can see now that the doctor removed my old dark cloudy lens from my eye and replaced it with a new clear multifocal plastic lens. Because the skies are so clear here - the natives have used the stars for centuries to navigate where there is no land. Obviously - living so far from the mainland - learning about time zones is essential for communications.

Geology - The Hawaiian Islands are a line of islands made over millions of years by one hole in the earth's crust. As that hole moved due to crustal plate movement - new islands pop up like cookies squeezed from a tube. Presently - the only island that has active volcanoes is The Big Island on the eastern end. All the other island volcanoes including Diamond Head right outside my window - have been dead for millions of years.

Meteorology - Hawaii has a purely tropical climate. Yesterday at the beach is was 77 degrees and the water was 79 - in January. When the ocean breezes rise up the mountain side - they get cooled off and drop tons of rain. There are spots on this island that get over 400 inches of rain a year. Compare that to Tamaqua PA and it 40 inches of rain a year - and the 70 inches of rain Tallahassee got last year. Then there are places on this island in the west where they only get 20 inches of rain compared to places like Las Vegas and her 15 inches. On top of some of the mountains that are 14,000 feet high - there is snow right now. You can snow ski and water ski within a few miles of each other.

Oceanography - There are so many water creatures here - the state fish has so many colors and over 20 letters in its name. A large portion of their diet is from the sea. With the giant waves on the North Shore - this is the surfing capital of the world. Even the ambulance out here tows a 20 foot boat on a trailer for rescues. It is really different seeing an ambulance flying up the street with lights and sirens going - pulling a boat. It reminds me of the campers in Florida.

Every time we come out here - the University of Hawaii makes Lulu an offer to stay here as a full-time professor and teach library science. Although she loves the students here - I remind her of how much fun she has visiting the grandkids and following the Seminole sports teams. You have not experienced homesickness until you have witnessed the grief of her grandkids not coming on their Christmas visit due to the flu. She can drive 20 hours straight in a car - but I do not think she could swim 3000 miles.

Saturday afternoon was spent on the beach. The hourly TV weather update starts out by describing the waves at each of the beaches around the island. When the surf is up - the school attendance drops.

Hawaii is famous for rainbows. When the sun shines and it rains at the same time - the raindrops form prisms and you have rainbows. The University of Hawaii is back in the Manoa Valley - their teams were called the Rainbow Warriors.

We settled on Queens Beach where the boogie boarders like to go.

Water was 79 degrees - I was surprised Lulu did not hop right in.

Some folks do not like Waikiki because it is too glitzy. It reminds me of the Jersey Shore except - it is warmer - the water is warmer - the people are nicer - and everything is so much cleaner and it has palm trees. Hawaii is wonderful because you can have all this - or drive a few minutes and be on a deserted beach with big waves and lots of palm trees. Another thing - Hawaii is warm all year as is the water. I am not sure if it has a busy season.

This beach is just a block from our present Hyatt Hotel. There are some homeless - but the cover charge of a $1000 plane ticket keeps much of them away. 

 The mountain in the far background is just west of Pearl Harbor.

Boogie boarders were busy Saturday. Waves were 3 to 4 feet on the South Shore.

It Is Only 1PM - Our First Day in Hawaii - And We Are Already Bushed

When you get off the plane - they put a lei necklace around your neck.

When I was teaching earth science - one of my favorite topics was time zones and jet lag. It takes your body a few days to get adjusted to the local time zone. It is always 5 hours earlier in Hawaii than it is back in Florida or Pennsylvania. 

This morning I got up at 3 AM - I was wide awake but when I went out on the porch - not a creature was stirring - not even a mouse. The wind was still - and the street lights twinkled as they went up the mountain. 

Some people do not like the busy-ness of Waikiki - the condos - the restaurants - the glitz - the culture. We have been to almost every Hawaiian Island and we love Oahu best. It is like going to a foreign country - that take USA money - your iPhone works - you have wifi - and you can watch familiar TV shows. You can choose between eating at chains or trying the local wares. The people are the most gracious - and Lulu says they are the most industrious students she has had. If you want to

Lulu Welcomes You To 8 Days in Waikiki

This is Waikiki at sunset right before what looked like a storm coming. Either I slept thru it - or it never happened. 

Where will she take me next? In the last 6 weeks we have been to Disneyworld with the kids - London - Morocco - Gibraltar - Oxford - then Richmond for the holidays with the kids - now Waikiki/Honolulu/Oahu/Hawaii for 8 days.

Yesterday started out with a 5 AM wakeup in Richmond and a quick car ride to the airport. Then after a short ride to Atlanta - it was an Airbus 330 for 10 hours to Hawaii. Luckily we had a nice wide exit row seat so we had 6 feet of empty space in front of us. I call it "the poor man's first class." We touched down on schedule at 4 PM local time. We landed due west on the Reef Runway which means we did a low flyby of Diamond Head and Waikiki.

Landing from the east - here is  slow flyby of Diamond Head

Since we only had carry-on bags - we went right to the curb and hailed an Uber Cab on my iPhone. He was there immediately with a Toyota van and whisked us off to our first hotel at Hyatt Place. We will spend the first 3 nights here for a conference - then walk down the beach a few blocks to our ultimate destination - The Moana Surfrider Hotel. For years we have crashed this famous hotel - Lulu finally found a government rate there that won't break the bank. 

After a little supper - we walked the beach until dark. It looked like a major storm coming - the waves and the wind were coming on shore. 

Waikiki from our plane is so exciting. You can see the church right in the middle. Our usual condo is right behind it 

I am up at 5 AM - the town is still dark and asleep. Everything is calm - no evidence of a storm - no wind - just a pretty view of the mountains - Diamond Head - and the street lights  - from our 12th floor lanai. 

Lulu has to presentation at a convention a couple of days and then the rest of the time she is mine. 

This is the marina in downtown Honolulu. This is where Gilligan left on his 3 hour cruise --- a 3 hour cruise.

The last 4 nights we will stay at Lulu's ultimate destination - The Moana Surfrider. I do not know how she managed it - but she got it at the government rate.

On the way to Hawaii

The Everhart 8 watched the seminole rose bowl game together in richmond. Now we are on our plane to Hawaii. Lulu got us the exit row with lots of leg room. She will presenting at a conference there while I loaf. 

www.harry.everhart.com

Poor Mans First Class