Hawaii

Yup, the hibiscus flowers are this beautiful.

Another reason for my lack of posts last week is because I spent most of the week in Hawaii. I stuck to Oahu (which maintains my excuse to visit the other islands someday), climbed Diamondhead with Daphyn, went to the Dole Plantation (fresh pineapple juice tastes sooo much better), hit the beaches, visited the USS Missouri and USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor, and ate some pretty good food.

Waikiki Beach at night.

I visited Chef Mavro, one of Fodor 2006’s “Top Ten Restaurants in the World,” but found Roy’s to be a bit more enjoyable (I guess I just don’t care for the exclusivity of chef’s menus). Also of note was Side Street Inn; the place looks like a dive sports bar, but their Hawaiian cuisine made for some incredible lunches.

The view from atop Diamondhead. Go early and avoid the heat–and the other tourists.

Out in LA

Well, I haven’t posted lately because I’ve been out of town. Watching stuff like mariachi bands at wedding receptions and such in LA last weekend

I was in Pasadena on Saturday and realized just how badly NYC has trained me when it comes to street manners. Daphyn and I watched at a street corner in Old Town as everyone waited for the walk signal (I later learned that they actually give out tickets for crossing the street at the wrong time in Pasadena. Scary!). It was a nice visit, but it was subtleties like this (and the really tall street curbs) that made me come to the conclusion that I’m definitely living on the right coast.

Ashley, if you’re out there, thanks for the tour of Inglewood—it’s good to finally see what Dr. Dre was rapping about. Darrick, thanks for the tour of everything else. I’ll be back soon.