Pearl Harbour
One of the biggest tourist attractions in Hawaii after beaches and luaus is a more sombre affair and the site of a battle that led to one of the most devastating retaliations in world history.
Not being anything close to history buffs (I haven’t even watched the whole movie in one sitting) we didn’t really know what to expect but like most historic places in America, it has been converted to cater for the masses similar to an amusement park, the main difference being you aren’t allowed to take in anything that can carry things. Any kind of bag (shopping/grocery included), backpack or case (including lenses cases) has to be checked in to the cloak room at a hefty $3 per item (small building off to the right of the main entry gates). Bottles or cans of liquid are also out, so where possible, best to just leave it in the car/hotel.
Once inside, its quickly noticeable that it is far from a joyous place, I don’t mean the mass of screaming kids running around, I mean bottom line, it’s a memorial, a place where people go to honour family members and comrades. Seeing a solider in uniform huddled around his sobbing family and an old veteran facing the ocean with his head bowed quashed my excitement of “checking out cool war stuff” and made me remember where I was. I don’t know how the photojornos from the likes of Nikon Walkley Press Photo awards can do it – detach themselves from an environment of sadness or suffering. Drunken revellers are easy to ignore but I definitely cant bring myself to vulture over such moments or try to share such a moment that wasn’t mine to share, so out of respect, I holstered the camera around these parts of the grounds.
The solemn disposition of this nature aside, the lead attractions – the USS Missouri, the Bowfin submarine and a ferry out to the USS Arizona memorial above the sunken wreck of the battleship of the same name were as expected, very busy, so we decided to forgo the “rides” and just take a semi-peaceful walk around the grounds to view some of the memorials and relics instead.
Travel tip: Tickets for the attractions can be pre booked directly through the National Parks Services
There is a large gift shop with a wide variety of merchandise, from historic photos, medals and models to tacky patriotic fan fare.
Travel tip: Even if you do the “rides”, you only really need to budget a couple hours here. If you’ve got extra time to kill, you can make the trip over to Ford Island via shuttle bus for the Aviation museum and Missouri battleship memorial. Time it on the right day and you’ll be able to bare witness to one of the many air shows hosted there.
The center opens early at 7pm daily which is handy in planning multiple stops for the day, one of which could be a spot of shopping…
Shopping – Aiea
The pearl (*cough* sorry…) for shopping in this area is the Pearlridge center, second only to Ala Moana in size but its fully undercover and has a monorail (yes that’s right my Hindu friend!) that connects its two halves, sure beats walking!
Divided into “uptown” and “downtown” sections our choice amongst the stores were Hot Topic, Champs, Footlocker, Footaction, In Soles, In4mation, Journeys and the Sanrio café, but the store we spent the most time in was Razor Concepts/Razor Sports. A combination of sporting memorabilia and clothing on one side and a wide selection of toy, hobby, games and collectibles on the other. Prices were average to good and sale items were plentiful. Large display cases with “not for sale” items also adorned the stores with vintage collectibles and prestige memorabilia such as an autographed pair of Shaquille O’Neal’s monster size 22 Reeboks!
A couple other spots in the area are Toys n Joys (actual domain has been closed and taken over by another company) – this is the smaller of their stores stocking more paintball guns and Airsoft replicas than anything else and The Hobby Company – tucked away amongst rows of industrial and commercial buildings and businesses this place has a good size selection of scale model kits and other hobby related items.
Aiea is also home to the largest 2 flea market/swap meets on the island, which we will be getting to later.
Shopping – Waipahu
If you’re coming from Honolulu it’s a bit of a hike but its only a short drive from Pearl City. The highlight and pretty much the only sight amongst all the residential housing is the Waikele Premium outlets.
We’ve come across Premium outlets a few times in our travels and they rarely disappoint…mainly because there’s a Nike outlet store 😉 but sadly there wasn’t one here. From research there possibly used to be one but not anymore. That left Adidas, Vans and “Factory brand shoes” to pick up the failed attempt at a bargain for us, you however may have better luck with the other stores on hand.
The plus side is they’re open till 9pm every night except for Sunday so heading there after dark will give you a more relaxed experience as the place is pretty quiet then.
Over the road at the Waikele Centre there’s a Kmart, Old Navy and Sports Authority and a bunch of places for a bite to eat. Amongst the regular fast food places there’s our first day friends, Chili’s Bar and Grill and a Korean BBQ but it was Genki Sushi with its angry little logo that drew us like moths to a flame. Slotting us in just before closing time gives them an extra thumbs up!
Next up, we get thrifty and hit up the swapmeets.
If you have any questions about our adventures, feel free to hit us up on facebook.
Hawaii 2012 part #1 – Arrival
Hawaii 2012 part #2 – Waikiki
Hawaii 2012 part #3 – Honolulu shopping – Part A
Hawaii 2012 part #4 – The Big Island – Volcano tour
Hawaii 2012 part #5 – Shopping Honolulu – part B
Hawaii 2012 part #6 – Tattoo Honolulu / Boardshorts: A Perfect Fit art exhibits
Hawaii 2012 part #7 – Pearl City area
Hawaii 2012 part #8 – Swap meets and Made in Hawaii festival
Hawaii 2012 part #9 – Cook offs and Car shows
Hawaii 2012 part #10 – North shore
Hawaii 2012 part #11 – Windward shore and Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #12 – Chief’s Luau at Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #13 – South shore – Diamondhead crater, Hanauma bay
Ward Warehouse map
The Ward Warehouse/Center
Well just as I was about to write this blog I realised I don’t actually have any photos of these next couple shopping stops! A picture is worth a thousands words but not wanting to bore you with a novel of compensation, I’ll cut to the chase and keep this one nice and short.
A (big) block away from the Ala Moana Shopping Center along Ala Moana Blvd is The Ward Warehouse/Center. It boasts quite a selection of stores across a large area (more so, a conglomeration of a few smaller shopping centers) with single level open air and covered sections but the whole time I couldn’t help but to think this -was- the place to be before the Ala Moana Shopping Center came along. It just has that poorer cousin/ghost town feel. None the less, if you got the time its worthy of a look through.
Image courtesy of Happy Haleiwa
Image courtesy of Happy Haleiwa
Big brand names like Quicksilver, T&C Surf (yep, still alive and kicking over there!), Sports Authority, Famous Footwear and Office Depot are there along with a cinema complex. Happy Haleiwa are there for a selection of kawaii related clothing and gift items. Other collectibles, toys, hobby bits and comics are catered for by Other Realms.
If you managed to get addicted to the Honolulu Cookie Company cookies, breathe a sigh of relief, they have a store here too for that sweet shortbread fix.
Kalihi
A short drive north on the North Nimitz Hwy is Best Buy, prepare to keel over if you’re looking at a price on an Ethernet cable! Heart attacks aside, the place that sparked our interest here is Armchair Adventurer, sad but fitting name for hobbyists and game players everywhere. Rather unassuming on the outside with its mirrored glass, the store door opens (barely) to pancake rock stack like formations or figures and model kits. Shelves are crammed in a rough order but it seems new stock just ends up piled in front of it. Most of the model kits were military related but there were still a good selection of cars and fictional vehicles/space craft. There’s a corner of plush toys and designer collectibles but the real focus seemed to be on War Hammer and Dungeons and Dragons style games with a whole (clear)area and table set aside for it. (There’s a note on the website saying they are doing a big tidy up and moving some of the towering law suits and expanding into previously unused space)
Speaking of board/card games, if this is your cup of tea, it wouldn’t hurt for you to drop into nearby Toy Lynx in the Dole Cannery Shopping center. Get there at the right time and you’ll be immersed in one of their regular meet ups. They also have a small selection of Kidrobot and similar collectibles.
Lastly, across the road from the Armchair Adventurer is UIC outlet, one of the few places in Hawaii that stocks a decent selection of Dickies gear. It definitely has a thrift store feel, I’m certain I’ve been in the exact same store but it has “Lifeline” on the sign at the front but thanks to their range its worth a look if you’re after pants or a jacket (or scrubs). The prices aren’t too bad, cheaper in the states of course though. There’s also a small range of New Era knock offs and gawdish plastic “bling” if that tickles your fancy…
We also managed to leg it up to the Premium Outlets at Waikele this same day so keep an eye out for that in the Pearl City shopping review.
Next up, we head to the Honolulu Museum of Arts for the “Tattoo Honolulu” and The History of Board Shorts art exhibits.
Hawaii 2012 part #1 – Arrival
Hawaii 2012 part #2 – Waikiki
Hawaii 2012 part #3 – Honolulu shopping – Part A
Hawaii 2012 part #4 – The Big Island – Volcano tour
Hawaii 2012 part #5 – Shopping Honolulu – part B
Hawaii 2012 part #6 – Tattoo Honolulu / Boardshorts: A Perfect Fit art exhibits
Hawaii 2012 part #7 – Pearl City area
Hawaii 2012 part #8 – Swap meets and Made in Hawaii festival
Hawaii 2012 part #9 – Cook offs and Car shows
Hawaii 2012 part #10 – North shore
Hawaii 2012 part #11 – Windward shore and Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #12 – Chief’s Luau at Sealife Park
Hawaii 2012 part #13 – South shore – Diamondhead crater, Hanauma bay
