rgrwilco

the snowboarding in hawaii actually looks better than the east coast!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSdtblUrtrY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KpZW0fgSTY

Kauila

Do it, if only for a few years. Too good an opportunity to pass up, especially if you can swing it job-wise, housing-wise, not in debt, etc.

I grew up in HI, been living in the Bay Area CA for 20+ years. Husband grew up in CA but is part-Hawaiian. Still have family in Honolulu; we go back every summer with the kids to visit.

PROS
1. Surfing is awesome, and cheap compared to snowboarding. As long as you get along with the locals, you can surf any time you want.

2. Island lifestyle is different but great to experience at least for a time in your life. Hey Leo, I have a set of "dress slippers" I take with me when I'm in the islands!


CONS
1. Trips to Tahoe, UT, and CO are expensive from HI. Unless you can go for several weeks at a time, or in week-long trips several times a season, I can't see how anyone would get their snowboarding fix going only one week out of the year. Seriously, my husband and I have the same "should we move back to HI" conversation every year, and every time, it gets nixed because I love the snow too much. The only downside is that I hardly ever get to surf.

2. Even if you can ride the snow on the volcanoes in HI (I didn't know it was allowed), it is frowned upon by the native Hawaiians, who see the volcanoes as sacred places.

3. Food is expensive because just about everything is shipped from the mainland. Some people grow very good produce in HI but they sell it to the high-end restaurants, so everyone else has to pay $$$ to buy locally-grown produce from farmers markets, or shipped-in produce from the local supermarket.

4. Visiting HI is different from living in HI. It is paradise to some, but not to everyone. There's a serious meth epidemic in some parts of the island. A lot of social connections in HI are based on family or where you went to school, so as a mainland haole coming to HI it can be socially isolating. Although the surf community itself is probably a pretty tight-knit group.

Leo

But that is still a very low number. What was their reason though? I've met like 10 Hawaiins, but they all missed the place.

3 Hawaiins in your whole life though... that's quite low.

@rgr: That place they are riding on is a volcano. I think it's in Big Island. I heard it's very dangerous and the snow/ice is super sketchy.

__________________
www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

jdang307

Plenty. My good friend is from there. His sister still lives there. His other sister lives here. They like to go back, but do they miss it enough to want to move back? Nope. Been here since High School. Of course this is San Diego, which isn't Hawaii but ain't to shabby either.

Vegas is all the heat, none of the beauty so that's obviously why.



Honolulu is not a city. I love Hawaii as much as the next guy. We dream of going back as much as possible. I've looked into condo prices on Hawaii Kai so I can have a boat and hit the water.

But live there? Only on a part time basis. I like that I can fly to Hawaii for $300 several times a year. It keeps its magic for me. of course If I lived in Vegas I'd rather be in Hawaii as well San Diego isn't too shabby for now.

View from our hotel our last trip. It's so beautiful and quiet up that high, we literally sat there and stared out for 15 minutes without saying one word. I could definitely live there part time. But never full.



My old boss was a DA on Maui. Thought it was a dream job. Not a big city guy, not a downtown guy. Stay at home, family guy. Still got island fever. He says a few months in, you realize, that if you want to go to a real city it's 5 hours by plane. It is what it is. Some people get it, some people don't. You don't know until you're there.

Leo

Sorry, I disagree... Honolulu is a city, hence I refrained from going there too much. It's densely populated with tall buildings and most of the businesses (corporate) in Oahu reside there.

Is it a mainland type city? No, but it is a city nonetheless.

And I do see your point about Hawaiins in Cali. That makes sense. It's not that drastic of a change because they still have their beaches and surf there.

And stop harping on Vegas lol. Now you want to talk about a place that you should only keep as a vacay destination? Let's talk Vegas.

I actually like Diego. I go there a lot to visit bro-in-law. Daygo is our other target next to Hawaii.

I was in Hawaii for a month and loved every minute of it. I can't imagine getting island fever. But again, my wife and I hate the city life. I'm absolutely sick of city life having lived in Vegas all those years. I like having the beach to relax and picnic on whenever I want. I like walking into a Costco to buy Kalbi that actually tastes great! I like having Kona coffee and macadamia nut chocolates. I loooove having ripe starfruit.

I was born in Guam though so I guess island life is in my blood. By the way, I don't count it if the Hawaiins you know were in the mainland since high school.

@Kauli: I totally agree about produce cost. It's weirdly expensive. You'd think fruit would be dirt cheap in HI because it's grown there! I was in shock that Papaya was $1.49 per lb. I mean, it was really good Papaya, but damn that's expensive. We pay less than a dollar for the whole papaya here in MI. And that papaya I am talking about is from China Town where they are much cheaper than supermarkets. I didn't think other grocery was expensive though. It was normal to me. I do my shopping at Costco though so that could be the reason. Also, local restaurants were very affordable. Places like Shiro, Zippy's, etc... $10 was more than enough for a hearty meal that tasted much better than expensive meals here on the mainland. Kalua Pig man.... KALUA PIG! Loco Mocos.... Shaved ice.... damnit I'm hungry now.

And what places are you staying around Jadang when you visit there? Honestly, I would never stay in a high rise hotel in Hawaii. That's not the type of person I am. I went to Waikiki once and did not want to go back. Sooooo many tourists and high end shops there. Blah!

Also, are you a foodie? Sounds insignificant, but good food plays a huge factor for me and my wife.

I don't know, to each their own. Linville sounds like an outdoorsie type person who would probably love hiking Hawaii. He's not a city guy so he has that going for him as well. Your old boss obviously likes the city even though he is a home-body. I have never had an itch to go back to a city. I very rarely go to Detroit and never go there because I actually want to. If Linville is this same way, that "missing the city" argument is a moot point. So far, he sounds like he's only concerned about road trips.

As for drugs, I don't know any place on the mainland that doesn't have a drug epidemic. That's another moot point.

The Haole isolation point is very valid though. There are even very local parts of Hawaii that openly show hatreds towards Haoles. In those terms, they are speaking towards White Americans. I saw some signs saying, "Get off our island Haoles!"

__________________
www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

jdang307

Born and raised in hawaii came here 11th grade never went back. I mean, 17 years in hawaii, pretty hawaiian bro! I love Vegas btw. Go there all the time, spend days/weeks. But could never live there. Owned two properties out there, but strictly for rental.

Been several times to Oahu have stayed all over the island. Condo in Ko Olina, with my buddy in his apartment in Chinatown, house on the northshore right by turtle bay. and that highrise you see. My wife travels a ton for work, so she has hotel points up the yin yang. That highrise you see was "FREE" i.e. pay $250 to fly to Hawaii and stay for free. Trust me, I'm a Lonely Planet guy like yourself. I like to find the roads less traveled. We spent all of one day in Waikiki (the first day, it was her first time ever to Hawaii). After that first day we're in a car, and we're all over the rest of the island. Spent a lot of time over in Waimanalo, cruising the whole island, north shore. Didn't make it out leeward side, but don't really care for Waianae and the crazy stories out there. But that's why the highrise. FREE. I spent a week in Hawaii for a ridiculously low amount of cash outlay. And I dont' care that view was beautiful.

My second time out there I went with some dudes that brought Cali pot over there (pre 9/11 so you could basically smuggle a midget in your pockets and they wouldn't even know). Locals were fighting hand over fist for that shit. One dude tried to sell us an 8th for $80 we showed him our stuff they asked if they could buy it. Apparently it's hard as hell to grow over there due to the small island (people talk) so back then, all of their shit came from California. But on that trip we went pretty fucking deep into the local scene. I've asian so I blended right in, apparently. never got a dirty look at all. Talked to me in pidgin until my Cali accent came out.

And to answer your question, yes a huge foodie bro. Whenever I go to somewhere new I scour the chowhound forums to get a sense of what the locals recommend. I travel a lot due to my wife (if southwest flies there, I go meet her for a weekend). My last trip to Oahu I did mad research, had places mapped out all over the island. Sweet Home Waimanalo if you haven't been, you better go the next time (it's right on the road that goes around the island so you've probably seen it). Great Hawaiian BBQ and the best kahlua pork that I have tasted. Ono Hawaiian Foods in Kapahulu for great indiginous Hawaiian food. Ono Seafoods also in Kapahulu for Tuna Poke that I can't even begin to describe. Fried Pork chops,kimchi fried rice, and the best salad I've ever had (it really was that good) at Side Street on Da Inn or Side Street on da Strip. Leonards for malasada's (not a huge fan to be honest). Boots and Kimo's for breakfast. Shaved ice of course. Shrimp on the north shore.

I never got to try any of the "hawaiian" places that serve loco moco, spam musubi etc. Just didn't have the time and it wasn't high on my list that trip. The next time I go I'll look for those places. Oh, and if food network goes somehwere, I stay away. Tony Bourdain, I'll take a look.

I LOVE hawaii. My dream, own a house in Hawaii Kai,or even under Diamond Head. I said dream cuz those houses are fucking expensive. But I wouldn't live there 100%. San Diego is and always will be my home. Hawaii wouldn't be a terrible 2nd home. Flight deals can always be had. So I will never long for hawaii. If I miss it, I'll just go, from SD or LAX.

Leo

You just made me real hungry haha. I tried the Malasadas from a vendor out of a truck. I believe it was Leonard's. Not too sure. I just know that one of those programs visited it. I think Andrew Zimmern did (love that guy).

To each his/her own. I moved out of Guam when I was 7 so I don't remember much from there. I just know that I always have this itch to live on an island again. Visiting Hawaii as an adult just confirmed that. I do have a sister and bro-in-law there though. It would be an easy transition for me.

And you're not kidding about the housing costs... RIDONKULOUS. Wife and I walked into a million dollar house and I was like, "That's it?". And I agree about being Asian and fitting in haha.

__________________
www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

jdang307

Yup. "Howzit bruh" and I'm like, what did you say? Yeah no problem fitting in as long as you're not in some tourist garb toting a camera around and need a tan.

Kauila

@jdang, then I guess the next question would be--what school you went?

Totally agree with the Asian blending in thing. My husband's California-born Chinese/Hawaiian but looks/dresses/talks like a local when we're in the islands. The locals on Moloka'i were talking to him like he was a local boy. I'm the local but come across as a totally haolified Asian; I'm the one they thought was the mainlander. I sometimes get mistaken for a Japanese tourist when I'm in Honolulu, but most of the time I'm dressed too poorly to fully qualify.

Kauila

@linvillegorge, I guess the whole point of this is, there are a lot of subcultures within the islands and lots of ethnic mixing. In general, Honolulu is heavily Asian, the leeward side of O'ahu is heavily Hawaiian/local, haoles like Kailua, and mainlanders coming to settle in the islands tend to like the outer islands where there's more land, like the Big Island, Maui and Kaua'i.