Deb and Ran decided to visit Hawaii. At first, they thought about heading out in October, around Ran's 60th Birthday, but things didn't work out. They looked for another time when their schedules would allow and found the third week in November appeared free. They couldn't stay too long as Thanksgiving was around the corner and they had to get back to the mainland to head down to L.A.. Despite the time constraint, the timing was phenomenal. Storms had passed through earlier in the month, and while a little windy at first, the temperature was perfect and the humidity was subdued. It was truly a wonderful get-away with no agendas or places to be. They were able to come and go as they pleased, and they even did some touristy things like visit Pearl Harbor, shop at the International Marketplace, and eat to their hearts' content. Of course, no trip to Hawaii would be complete unless they visited family and friends. They had dinner at cousins Jason's and Jen's with as much of the Higa side as they could. They also met up with Ran's old friends Denise and Sharon and their families. What also made this trip complete was their ability to use Grandpa's and Grandma's Waikiki condo and car. Centrally located, the condo at Villa on Eaton Square provided a perfect starting place for all their activities. Things definitely changed in the time since they last visited (2014). They were sad to see Ward Warehouse was gone, and while Aloha Tower was still there, they were shocked to find it was a university and not a shopping center anymore. There were other changes, but in the end, they wished this trip could have lasted at least another week. Perhaps, next time they'll stay longer.

Day 1

After landing in Honolulu, Deb and Ran met Grandpa and Grandma at the airport to get the keys to the condo and car. Since they happened to be leaving Hawaii just a few hours after Deb and Ran arrived, they drove to the airport with their luggage, parked the car, checked in, and walked to their gate (a few gates away from where Deb and Ran arrived). They made the hand-off, and then Deb and Ran retrieved their luggage, found the car, drove to the condo, dropped everything off, and then proceeded directly to Rainbow Drive-Inn! Ran, of course, had a BBQ Mixed Plate while Deb was only interested in getting her first slush float. Immediately after lunch, they ventured out to Hawaii Kai where they went to Costco and Ross. Deb wanted to get started on looking for omiyage to bring home. This was her first attempt to find and compare potential gifts for family and friends. On the way back to the condo they stopped in at the Kahala Mall to take a quick look at Long's and the nearby Wholesale Unlimited. Later, for dinner they wanted Hawaiian food so they found a place off Waialae on 11th Ave. called Oahu Grill. Their Laulau was excellent as was the Kalua Pig!

Day 2

On their first full day in Hawaii, Deb and Ran had breakfast around the corner from the condo at a little place called Sunny's Local Grind. The restaurant is tiny, maybe only 6 tables inside with a few more outside, but the food is really good. Deb had avocado toast while Ran enjoyed eggs with bacon. Simple meals but prepared perfectly. Later, for lunch they stopped for ramen at a place called Kotetsu Chaya on King St.. Deb had their Tonkotsu Ramen and Ran sampled their famous Fried Gyoza Bento. It's a good lunch place if you're in the area. For dinner, they met with Aunty Teru, Sachi, and Scotty. Sachi stopped off at Side Street after work and brought home a massive meal. It was typical Side Street fare, but it was exactly what they craved. This trip would not have been complete without it.

Day 3

This was their only Saturday on the island, so it was reserved for the Swap Meet at Aloha Stadium in the morning and dinner with the Higa side of the family in the evening. Before heading out to the Swap Meet they ate breakfast at another breakfast place, Aloha Kitchen, around the corner from the condo (but instead of turning left they turned right). This was another outstanding breakfast (Ono Meal Set) cooked to perfection. They arrived at the Swap Meet around mid-morning and did the typical walk around the stadium. In the end, they only bought basketball shorts for the boys and a few island themed stickers, but it was a nice day for a stroll to get some fresh island air. After they were done shopping they headed to Aiea Bowl to eat at The Alley. When they got there they knew the food was going to be good due to the line for lunch. Luckily, the wait wasn't long. After lunch they went back to the condo to rest before heading out to Kapolei for dinner with Jason, Jen, and the Higa side.

Day 4

Sunday was pretty much a free day to do anything. They started out with breakfast out on Kapahulu at a place called Sweet E's Cafe (across from Leonard's). Food, like everywhwere else they'd been, was perfect. The service was outstanding as well. Turns out many of the workers there also work at Roy's in the evenings. After breakfast they met Sachi and Scotty again but this time to go shopping at Daiso. It's probably one of their smaller locations but they were surprised how busy it was. After that, they had a late lunch at Tonkatsu Tamafuji in the same building where Sam Choy's used to be out on Kapahulu. Dinner reservations for this place is months out, but they do take walk-ins for lunch provided you're willing to wait. After lunch, since they were with Sachi and Scotty, they had to stop for shave ice at Waiola's. After which everyone was tired, not from walking or shopping but eating, so they said their good-byes to Sachi and Scotty and returned to the condo to rest. In the late afternoon they decided to walk from the condo to Kalakaua and check out the (not so) newly renovated International Marketplace. As one might imagine Kalakaua is busy all the time and there's a lot to see, but it caters to the tourists primarily. They did stop to take some pictures in front of holiday decorations that had recently gone up, but otherwise it was nice just to see what was new and what was still the same. The International Marketplace was a nice venue to shop and wander around. It was here where they decided to grab something light and easy to eat as they were still pretty full from lunch. They ended up inside Mitsuwa at the Taiga Ramen restaurant for some simple Shoyu Ramen and Miso Ramen.

Day 5

By Monday they were beginning to feel the effects of eating everything in sight. Still, they had breakfast at Cafe Kaila on Kapiolani near Kaimuki. Again, breakfast was excellent and cooked to perfection. Also, like the day before, this was a day to do whatever they wanted. After breakfast they headed to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. It was an opportunity to hit up some t-shirt shops and visit Long's to see if Deb could find her highly sought-after small salad tongs (they had tons and they were on sale!). They were amazed how much the shopping center had changed. There were mulitple levels they didn't remember from before, and there were so many new shops. But, unfortunately, with all the changes some retailers were gone, most notably Shirokiya. Regardless, they were able to cruise through most of the mall and find some deals. By lunch time they weren't very hungry, so they stopped in at the former Shirokiya site which is now a food court. They got spam musubi at the Musubi Cafe Iyasume, and that tied them over until they met Aunty Teru and Sachi for dinner at Asuka for shabu shabu on Waialae. Right after dinner they headed next door to Cowcow's where they tried flavored purple rice yogurt drinks.

Day 6

On Tuesday they didn't want to eat breakfast anymore. Instead, they jumped in the car and headed to Mililani to check out Walmart and whatever other retail stores were out there. They bought some stuff at Walmart to bring home for omiyage, and they also found another Long's. After that, they headed back into town for lunch. Deb looked online and found a place called Kahai Street Kitchen off King St. with pretty good reviews. The food was really quite good, but they had to sit outside because the indoor seating was closed that day. Later that evening they met with Sharon, Roy, Denise, Craig, and Carole (Sharons' sister) for dinner at Sharon's house. Deb was completely blown away when they arrived at the house. Roy had decorated the entire place with every conceivable Christmas decoration you could think of. It appeared as if every room had its own tree with themed decorations. To top it off, dinner was amazing. Denise made this delicious roast pork, Roy grilled both steak and fish, and Carole baked a scrumptuous cake for dessert. Everything was perfect!

Day 7

When Wednesday came they decided to skip breakfast again. Since they made reservations a few days prior to visit the Arizona Memorial they headed out toward Pearlridge Center. Deb hadn't been to the memorial since her grandfather took her and her cousins when they were little kids. Ran thinks the last time he visited was over 30 years ago with Dave Loo and Dave Chi. They toured around the shopping center for a while and then had lunch across the street at Monarch Poke. The food here was so good. This is one of the places they'll go back to if they're in the neighborhood again. As soon as they were done they headed down the road to the memorial. The visitor center had changed quite a bit since they were both there last. The information areas were quite a bit larger and spread out. There was a movie relating the history of the attack and how the Arizona became the final resting place for so many of her crew. The actual memorial was peaceful and the visitors very respectful. When they were finished Deb found the nearest shave ice place, so they went to Ululani's. The shave ice here was big!

Day 8

On their final full day in Hawaii, they skipped breakfast once again. They spent the morning shopping and buying the final omiyage to bring back home. For lunch, they went to Denise's house in Niu Valley. There they saw Craig, Sharon, Carole, and their friend Joan. Roy had a big dinner for co-workers the night before, so there was plenty of left-overs that Denise reheated. Man, Roy sure knows how to throw a party. The food was so ono. They spent a good portion of the afternoon there playing mah jong and talking story. After they said their good-byes, they drove down the road to Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha in Aina Haina. Deb said this was her new favorite shave ice place. They make their own all natural syrups, and Deb fell in love with the strawberry. From there they headed back into town to clean up before dinner. Sachi and Scotty picked them up and they went to Golden Pork for Ramen on King St.. This was really good ramen, but their dessert, Golden Pork Ice Cream Bun, was fire!