New Football Coach for University of Hawaii

If you need a list minute Christmas gift for the football fan in your house - how about this awesome T-Shirt? Former UCLA offensive coordinator and local Hawaiian boy, Norm Chow, has been named as Hawaii's new head football coach. Get this shirt to show your support!

Price: $25 at Butigroove
Photo courtesy of The Cat Dish Blog

A Christmas Tradition in Honolulu - Honolulu City Lights

Every year the Honolulu City Lights display for Christmas is worth checking out in downtown Honolulu. This year’s City Lights theme is “Holoholo Holiday,” which means“just for fun.” In addition to the beautiful Christmas tree, the 21-foot shaka-flashing Santa is next to lei-draped Mrs. Claus, her toes cooling in a fountain pool fronting Honolulu Hale (Oahu’s city hall). Nearby, menehune-style elves and a much larger-than-life snowman and his family are in place and ready for the holiday season.

The lights will be on display through the month of December.  If you are staying in Waikiki, the easiest way to get there is via The Bus. Board any of the buses listed below from Kuhio Avenue, heading away from Diamond Head, and ride to Beretania and Punchbowl streets. Disembark at the first Bus stop immediately after Punchbowl. Walk down Punchbowl Street to King Street and cross Punchbowl Street to Honolulu Hale.

- 2 School Street-Middle Street
- 13 Liliha-Puunui Avenue
- Route B - CityExpress! School Middle
- 42 Ewa Beach

You can also pick up some cute holiday decorations to take home with you too!

 
 
 
 
 
For more information please visit the Honolulu City Lights website and enjoy the show!

Pop Up Hotel!

Now this is cool. We've all heard of pop up retail stores (although if you live in the suburbs like me it's unlikely that you have experienced one). But this story takes the pop-up store to a whole new level.  Design Hotels, which handles reservations globally for independently owned hotels, recently announced an innovation in the lodging industry: a pop-up hotel.

The hotel is in Tulum, Mexico and features 99 cabanas, most with private bathrooms, a spa with treatments based on Mayan healing practices and restaurants run by KaterHolzig, a hot Berlin club, and 42°RAW, a Copenhagen restaurant whose food is cooked at 42 degrees Celsius or below.

Would you stay at a pop up hotel?  What about a pop-up hotel in Hawaii?  I'd be willing to give it a try!

* Photo courtesy of Design Hotels

Send Your Lava and Sand Back to Hawaii ASAP!

The first time I visited Hawaii, I wanted to take a piece of it home with me.  Actually I wanted to take a lot of it home, in the form of lava rocks, sand, coral etc. Little did I know, it is a common belief that if you take ANYTHING from the land or ocean in Hawaii, it can result in a lifetime of bad luck. Fortunately I found out before it was too late and returned my keepsakes to where they came from before I went home.

On my way to New York this week, I was reminded about this after reading an article in the Alaska Airlines Magazine.  Thankfully, there is now a company that can help you take care of business.  If you have any lava rocks that you need to return, you can send them via mail to Rainbow Moon in Volcano, HI.  Here's the address:

Rainbow Moon
Attn: Lava Rock Return
P.O. Box 699
Volcano HI 96785

Rainbow encourages you to get a tracking number at USPS so you can be sure your rocks make it to their final destination.  No one likes bad luck, so head to the post office asap and send back your Hawaiian lava rocks immediately!

Should I Start Blogging Again

Despite my schedule becoming more and more congested, I suddenly feel the need to kick this blog back into high gear.  Even in the last 12 months a lot of things have changed in Hawaii and I'd love to be able to share that with my readers as I've been to O'ahu five times in the last 12 months.  What do you think?  Is it a yes?  Opinions welcome!

Quick Waikiki Trip

I'm in Waikiki this weekend for a quick trip, primarily to get some sun and to reflect on my life as I know it.  One thing I do know is that Hawaii will always have a special place in my heart.  I've seen the area frequently change over the years, both good and bad.  Depending on where you stay in Waikiki I believe it can truly define the overall vacation experience.  I'm staying at a hotel that is not in my usual digs, and my experience is very different as a result.  I'll be doing some more blog posts on my trip over the next few weeks. It's nice to be back in paradise, if only for a few days.

Apartment Inspiration

The last few months have provided a lot of change for me, in particular my living situation.  After downsizing from a large house to a small apartment it got me thinking about the furniture I had, as well as the furniture I may still need now that I am living in a different space.  Thankfully, my friends at CSN Stores must have read my mind because one thing I've been doing some research on is corner TV stands . If you are not familiar with CSN Stores, not only do they have a great selection of corner TV stands, but they have everything you need to make your house or your apartment really feel like your home.  Take a look at their website for more ideas.

Be on the lookout for a giveaway on my blog courtesy of CSN stores in the near future.  Happy 2011!