Getting Around:

● Speed limit: Speed limit is either 50/55 on the freeway, minimum required speed is
40/45. Seriously, the cops do watch so be careful with speeding.
● Waikiki/Town area – The Bus covers this area pretty well but if you plan to venture out a
lot to the rest of the island it’s best to have a car.
● Cabs are not plentiful, have the number of a cab company if you think you will need one
outside of Waikiki/Ward/Ala Moana

Touristy Things to do:

● USS Arizona Memorial (FREE) – Commemorates the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by
the Japanese, pulling the US into WWII. Timed tickets are given out when you arrive for a
boat trip to the memorial (on the water). Get there early (around opening) or you may
have to wait several hours before you can go to the memorial. There are exhibits to
occupy you while you wait, but you can probably go through them in less than 2 hours.
(www.nps.gov/usar/)
● Diamond Head – Pretty easy hike, but the stairs could be difficult for those with bad
knees. Diamond Head is one of Hawaii’s most well-known landmarks and the view from
the summit of this dormant volcano is pretty nice.
(http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/diamond_head.html)
● Hanauma Bay: If you want to swim with the fish, this is the place for you. Bring your own
snorkel gear or rent onsite. You can also purchase food to feed the fish if you’d like (they
no longer allow you to feed the fish food that you bring yourself). They do limit the
number of visitors per day so it is best not to time your visit to arrive in the afternoon.
Also, wear plenty of sunscreen while at Hanauma Bay – I’m always more sunburned here
than when I go to other beaches
(www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/facility/hanaumabay/welcome.htm)
● Germaine’s Luau: Many people say that going to a luau is part of the Hawaii experience. I
haven’t been to any of these productions, but this one seems to be the most popular.
(http://www.germainesluau.com/)
● Iolani Palace: The former home of the Hawaiian monarchy (http://www.iolanipalace.org/)

On the Beach:
● Sunset on the Beach: There’s a giant movie screen on Waikiki Beach where we show
movies for free on Friday/Saturday nights (primarily during the summer). Prior to the
start of the movie, a local band will play a set and the movie will start when it gets dark.
The movies played here are usually about 6 months old, but it’s still a fun experience.
There are food vendors that set up on the beach or you can bring your own food. Do
bring a decent sweatshirt and jeans as it can get pretty breezy and cold on the beach at
night. You should be able to find out what’s playing at your hotel or it is often in the
newspaper as well. (www.sunsetonthebeach.net/)
● Most easily accessible beaches: Waikiki Beach (you’ll probably be staying near here) and
Ala Moana Beach/Magic Island Beach (easily accessible from Waikiki by bus). Waikiki is
the most popular with tourists because of its proximity to the major hotels. Ala Moana is
also popular but generally a little less crowded than Waikiki Beach since you have to do
 more than walk outside your hotel to get there. Magic Island is adjacent to Ala Moana
Beach and is a manmade lagoon. Because of the retaining walls, there aren’t any waves
here unless you get close to the walls, but if you’re looking for a slightly quieter place to
sunbathe and picnic that’s easy to get to, this is probably your best bet.
● Prettiest beaches: Consensus is that the Windward side has the prettiest beaches on
Oahu. I’m not sure it will be easy to get here without a car, but if you can get out to
Kailua, Kaneohe or Lanikai, they are all pretty nice beaches.
● Surfing lessons: Waikiki Beach is probably the easiest place to get lessons and the waves
there are not super big so it’s good for beginners. You can also rent equipment on the
beach which is nice (not the case for less touristy beaches).
● Waimanalo Beach (called ‘Nalos by the locals): This beach is a bit tough to get to if you
don’t have a car, but this is where I often go to boogie board. You’ll find the crowd here is
primarily locals and it should be less crowded than Waikiki Beach.

To Eat:
● Ryan’s Grill: You’ll find this local favorite upstairs at Ward Center. You’ll get yummy food
at reasonable prices. Their happy hour is really good, with appetizers half-price, but the
entrees are also very tasty. I recommend getting the lychee martini here no matter what
time of day you come. (www.wardcenters.com/dining/Merchants/RyansGrill.html)
● Kakaako Kitchen: Downstairs at Ward Center, you should be able to easily see this from
the street. A healthier take on plate lunches (for example, you can opt for brown rice
instead of white rice).
(http://www.wardcenters.com/Dining/Merchants/KakaakoKitchen.html)
● Rainbow Drive In: This is one of the most popular plate lunch places on the island. Plate
lunch is a popular island meal that includes white rice, macaroni/potato salad and some
kind of meat (fish, beef, chicken, pork). It’s located on Kalakaua Ave. near Waikiki Beach.
The portion sizes are decently generous so that I don’t always finish my meal.
(http://honolulu.citysearch.com/profile/3226844/honolulu_hi/rainbow_drive_in.html)
● Waiola’s Shave Ice: This is my favorite shave ice place on Oahu. Shave ice is a snack that is
packed thinly shaved ice with flavored syrup. You can also get it with ice cream and/or
azuki beans if you’d like. I like Waiola’s because their ice seems to be shaved a little finer
than most places. (http://www.dakine.net/hawaii/guide/oahu/oahu-shaveice.shtml)
● Matsumoto’s Shave Ice: This is the most famous shave ice place on the island, but it’s a
bit out of the way. Personally, I like Waiola’s better, which is also easier to get to.
(www.matsumotoshaveice.com/)
● Zippy’s: This is a huge chain of restaurants all over the island, there is probably one within
10-15 minutes of wherever you are. Their chili is an island favorite and the adjoining
Napoleon’s Bakery has yummy sweets. I particularly like the paradise cake (passion fruit,
guava and lime flavoring) and chocolate dobash cake (a light chocolate cake). Two
locations also have sushi bars and give fairly generous slices of fish on the sushi (I
recommend getting the chirashi bowl). The Kahala location is probably easier to get to
(across of Kahala Mall) but the Pearl City location is known for being the more generous
of the two with the fish. Some locations are 24 hours and perfect for a late-night snack.
(www.zippys.com)
 ● Duke’s: Awesome cocktails and pretty yummy food too! Fun little place in Waikiki to eat
or just hang out. (http://www.dukeswaikiki.com/)
● Alan Wong’s: Alan Wong is one of the most well known chefs on the island and this is an
awesome restaurant, but a little on the pricey side. (www.alanwongs.com/)
● Sam Choy’s: Sam Choy is also a well-known local chef whose motto is something like
“Never trust a skinny chef”. To that end, he offers generous portions and really tasty food
influenced by the local culture. Sam Choy’s Breakfast Lunch and Crab is similar to Sam
Choy’s but at a lower price point, so I usually eat there instead of the original Sam Choy’s.
(www.samchoy.com/)
● Roy’s: This is a worldwide chain (we have one in Philly), but I think either location here
would be better than any of the others because the quality of the fish in Hawaii is so
good! (www.roysrestaurant.com/)

To Drink (I’m not super into the bar scene so I’m not a great person to ask about this):
● Maitai Bar: This popular bar is at Ala Moana up on the 3rd or 4th level by all the big chain
restaurants (Macaroni Grill, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.). It’s pretty crowded on
weekends so we don’t usually go here. (www.maitaibar.com/hawaii.html)

To Shop:
● Ala Moana Shopping Center: This is the easiest mall to get to from Waikiki and there’s a
lot of shopping that can be done here. This mall caters to the Japanese tourist crowd so
there are lots of high-end designer shops here but there are stores that are more mid-
range as well. If you are spending the day at Ala Moana Beach Park or Magic Island (they
are adjacent beaches across the street of the mall), you may want to stop here and pick
up something to eat (from either the food court or one of the many restaurants). You can
also get a lot of souvenir type stuff at Long’s Drugs in the mall (the other Long’s locations
don’t really carry a lot of souvenir-type stuff). (www.alamoanacenter.com/)
● Ward Centers: Out of all the malls, this is the primary young adult hangout. There’s a very
nice 16-screen movie theater here and some familiar big chains like Bucca di Beppo, Dave
and Busters and the Old Spaghetti Factory. I’d recommend eating at Ryan’s Grill or
Kakaako Kitchen or grabbing a drink at Brew Moon (see To Eat section) instead of
patronizing the big chains. Access should be pretty easy by bus, otherwise it’s a 10-15
minute walk from Ala Moana. (http://wardcenters.com/)
● Kahala Mall: This is more of a small neighborhood mall, not a lot to see here but there is a
movie theater. The B&N is a popular hangout with kids from my high school. If you do
come here, get some ice cream at Bubbie’s. (www.kahalamallcenter.com/)
● Pearlridge Mall: This is close to where I grew up and this mall rivals Ala Moana in size. Not
a great mall to pick up souvenirs, more just an everyday kind of place.
(www.pearlridgeonline.com/)
● ABC Stores: You’ll see these every ½ block in Waikiki (no joke). It’s like the Hawaii version
of a mini-mart, but really touristy. If you need something for the beach or want to pick up
a Hawaii souvenir, this is a good place to start your shopping. (www.abcstores.com/)
● International Marketplace: Located in the heart of Waikiki, you can find anything from
silly touristy t-shirts to nice jewelry. It does err a little on the touristy side, but you can
 sometimes find good stuff here. (www.internationalmarketplacewaikiki.com/)
● Aloha Stadium Swap Meet: Put on your walking shoes for this one as the swap meet sets
up in the stadium parking lot. There are a lot of vendors who sell similar items (i.e.
towels, shirts, etc.) so you can compare prices with a few vendors before making a
purchase if you’d like. You can find everything here from the super-touristy (Hawaii t-
shirts and hula girl dolls) to really yummy (island snacks and coffee) to handmade crafts.
(www.alohastadiumswapmeet.net/)