While we flew out of Honolulu on Sunday, we did have the whole day, and mom didn't have anywhere she had to be. On her list was to visit Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, and the Dole Plantation (which we didn't have time to make it to because of traffic, boo!)
But, after we packed up we headed over to Waikiki.
I was not a fan of Hawaii's sand. It's really soft, but you REALLY sink into it when you walk.
On one side of the street, the beach, on the otherside lots of stores.
While there are lots of touristy shops and places to eat, there's also a lot of expensive stores too. It reminded me a little of Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
And there were birds!
That red one really liked mom's glasses.
We picked up some things, and then headed back a long the beach.
I did like the banyan trees. They are really cool looking.
People leave their lei's at all kinds of statues along the way, but we had other plans for ours.
We dropped our stuff out at the car (fun side note, I have driven an Alaska car AND a Hawaii car!), and decided we were getting pretty hungry
I spotted some umbrellas across the way, and it looked like there was a place to eat so we walked over.
It was pretty fancy for a beachside grille. I had the kuala pork sandwich with sweet potato fries.
And we had bread pudding for dessert. It was SO good.
Not a bad view for our last meal in Hawaii (that wasn't airport food at least).
After lunch we headed over to Pearl Harbor. Everything I read about it said it gets busy fast, but when I checked the only tickets left were for 2:30, so we were stuck going later in the day. Actually, I didn't find Sunday particularly busy there. We even got 2:15 tickets instead, since that was the walk-up time they were giving out when we got there (I had read walk-up tickets are usually gone before noon, too!)
The ticket is for the ride out to the U.S.S Arizona, so we had a bit to wait but there are lots of other sites to see, including the anchor to the Arizona.
This memorial is dedicated to the lost submarines.
There are lots of torpedos, and various things to climb on and look through, all at no cost. (Pearl Harbor, and the U.S.S Arizona are a free National Park).
Along with the Arizona, you can go out on the Bowfin (the Submarine), or the Missouri at a charge. We didn't really have the time to do the Missouri, and so we opted for the Bowfin. Plus, my dad was on a submarine when he was in the Navy, so it was pretty fitting.
See those numbers up there? We had those handy dandy headphones like Peyton and I had gotten at the Hermitage, where you type in the number and it tells you all about that area. Some cool pictures here, I'll just let you check them out though, I don't remember all the technical terms and stuff. It was cool though, on the recording some of the guys who were on the Bowfin talked about their time on the submarine.
We also did a quick look-see around the Bowfin museum.
When it was our ticketed time, we headed over to the theater. First, you see a video about what happened on December 7, 1941. Then you board a boat out to the memorial.
Which is really impressive.
In case you're wondering exactly how the memorial sits over the actual sunken Arizona, here's the map.
The waters are not too deep, and you can still see a lot of the ship.
And there is the wall with all the 1,177 service men who died on the Arizona. (Eight men who served on the Arizona are still alive today, the youngest is 93- and the oldest is 97- his identical twin was killed aboard the ship)
Mom left her lei here.
That oil slick is from the oil that is still leaking today, at a rate of about 2 quarts per day.
Those who survived the attack, can choose to have their ashes placed within the ship. Other's who served on the ship at different times, can have their ashes scattered above it.
They do a good job of getting people over and back without over crowding the memorial. It's a sight to see for sure.
We did a little shopping in the gift shop (Peyton specifically asked for a pen from Pearl Harbor to add to his collection).
A stamp from the National Park, too.
It was pretty empty by the time we left, maybe it's better to go earlier or later in the day.
We had hoped to make it out to the Dole Plantation before they closed, but traffic had other plans for us. Instead we went to the Liliha Bakery.
Among the favorites here: The coco puff. So yummy.
We stopped to get gas to fill up the rental car at the Costco gas station, and decided to run into Costco, and ended up with too many last minute items-- including a Pineapple from the Dole Plantation.
Then it was off to the airport for the night time flight (I really like the open-air airport they have going on!)
We weren't particularly hungry, but not knowing when we would eat next mom and I split some lasagna, bread and salad for dinner.
We weren't on the same flight, even though I went from Honolulu to Seattle, Seattle to Detroit, Detroit to Tampa. I flew out at 9 pm Hawaii time (which was 3 am here), and landed in Tampa the next day at 4:40. I can't sleep on planes, so it was 35 hours of being awake. (Then I slept for 12!) It was kind of funny to have dinner in Honolulu, breakfast in Seattle, lunch in Detroit, and then we stopped by PDQ on the way home for dinner in Tampa. (They're having $5 3-piece Mondays in March).
I got home and dished out presents. Peyton got a pen and bookmark from Pearl Harbor and some hot sauce, Hayden got a hula girl that he had asked for and a book about Obama (I did see his high school, but apparently didn't take a picture), and Calib got a shirt from Pearl Harbor and the University of Hawaii. It seems like a lot, but I got them one thing, and mom got them the other. I also brought back some treats for all us, cookies from the Big Island candy shop, some Macadamia Nuts and the Pineapple. I got Asa a coffee mug, some kona cookies, and his coffee. Mom got him a Hawaiian shirt (even though I swore he wouldn't wear it!), and some chocolate covered coffee beans. He got the most presents, because he held down the fort the whole time I was gone (isn't he awesome!), plus the days before that when I was sick. It was so hard to be in a time zone that different from home, I hardly got to talk to him, so I'm happy to be home.
I got some magnets among other things: a beach towel, a cup, and a sarong.
It was a super fun three days, but for the travel time out there and back I'd highly recommend staying out there for a bit longer. The plan is for all of us to go (like when we went to Alaska) in 2017. So I will be back. It was similar to Alaska in that I LOVED visiting, but I could never live there. I think the island setting would make me feel couped up after awhile, and since I'm not a fan of flying, having to fly other places would bother me after awhile. But, it was super cool to visit, and I'm excited for the boys to get to see it all, and to visit other islands.
Oh, and... It's worth noting age wise, I was the first Sattler to get to all 50 states. I'm the winner!
Next Up: I've got lots of planning to do (next week is going to be VERY busy with a special event almost every day!), and a make-up date day (I owe Asa from being sick last week!)
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