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Going2Oahu Hawaii Travel Blog
Waikiki's Ala Moana Center
The world famous Ala Moana Center in Waikiki Hawaii was at one time the largest shopping center in the 50 United States. Although it relinquished that title to some of the mainland mega-malls, the Ala Moana Center still enjoys the reputation of being the largest open-air shopping center in the entire world.
The Ala Moana Center, which houses nearly 300 shops and restaurants is visited by more than 75 million people each year. It houses an amazing international food court as well as an amphitheater called Centerstage that is used for Hula entertainers, the prestigious Royal Hawaiian Band, various school events, and even a local TV show called Hawaii Stars.
Hawaii Stars is a singing competition similar to American Idol.
Aloha ~
Ali
Buy Hawaii! Eating Authentic Hawaiian Grown Pineapples
Hawaii is the largest producer of US consumed fresh pineapple... woot! woot!
Even with the exodus of Del Monte from Hawaii back in 2008, we are still the big kahuna when it comes to US pineapple production and consumption. The only other state in the US that is actively growing pineapples is Florida and their production rate is negligible. Hawaiian pineapples are particularly delicious because they're harvested when they're fully ripe, shipped immediately upon harvesting, and usually on store shelves within 36 hours of their harvest. If you're eating pineapple on the mainland, you are probably eating a Hawaiian product.
Here's the weird thing though. Most people believe that the pineapple is actually native to the Hawaiian Islands, but truth be told pineapples first originated in South America and were transplanted in any and all places tropical by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Even weirder, China is the current "king" of pineapple production for the entire world. Have you ever before today associated pineapples and China? Things that make you go hmmm...
Aloha ~
Ali
Hawaii is the Only US State That Grows Coffee?
Native Hawaiians call coffee "kope" (pronounced co-Pay), and our Kona coffee is considered by many to be the best kope in the world. Kona coffee is the brand name for Hawaiian coffee which is raised in the Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa. The coffee that is harvested here has developed a prestigious reputation which has caused it to become some of the most sought-after (and expensive) coffee in the world.
Only coffee that is harvested in Kona Districts can legally be called Kona Coffee. It's a very unique Kona district weather pattern that creates such favorable coffee growing conditions - sunny in the morning, cloud cover and rain in the afternoon, mild weather in the evenings.
If you live on the mainland and you want to experience real Kona Coffee, you can now sign up for recurring delivery from Coffees of Hawaii. Mention going2oahu when you sign up for their select Hana Hou Club and your first three deliveries ship free.
Aloha ~
Ali
The Perils of Growing Old
It's no fun getting old!
Most if you know I'm an undergrad at Hawaii University and I love it here. I'm upset though because I'm required to read a lot for my college classes and have recently started feeling lots of strain when I read for more than twenty minutes. The strain is pretty bad, and what's worse is the strain ends up becoming a crippling headache if I don't take frequent breaks. Through trial and error I have found that closing either eye almost instantly alleviates the strain - problem is that closing an eye is usually not a viable option.
I've thought about seeing an optometrist, but I usually abandon that thought right away because I don't have vision insurance and I'd hate to spend money just to be told my vision is fine. I haven't seen an eye doctor in about 7 years however so I guess I should just schedule an appointment and go.
Okay.. back to studying
2010 Hawaii Salsa Festival is This Weekend
As I'm gazing out upon the beautiful waves, generous sunshine, and tropical weather, I can't help but wonder why everybody in the world doesn't come to Oahu for the Hawaii Salsa Festival.
This year's lineup of dancers and instructors is just incredible. Local celebrities like Junior and Emily and Enrqiue will be here for sure, but there will also be mainland stars like Edie the Salsa Freak, Liz Lira and many others! The Thursday night kick off party takes place at the Queen Kapiolani Hotel Ballroom from 8 pm to 2 am where there will be dancing to the best DJ's on the islands.
If you enjoy salsa dancing, this is the event to be at - and it's THIS WEEKEND!!
Fathers Day Gift Suggestion: Raising a Father
Last year, my sister and I took our dad to the Pineapple Room (Alan Wong's Restaurant) for Father's Day. They do this special buffet for dads every year with all kinds of "manly" dishes like prime rib, short ribs, mahimahi, steak and eggs, etc. They really do it up for dads there and make a big deal out of the event.
It was so much fun with just the three of us and we laughed, talked, and ate for over 2 hours! With this year's date approaching soon, I wonder what we'll do to top it? I love my dad! There, I said it
I really do though. My daddy has always been there for me - been there for cheerleading, marching band, basketball, college.... I am so glad that I have the type of dad that spends time with me and supports me unconditionally. He even got me started in blogging when I was only 16 because he wanted me to be able to support myself through college without having to work in retail or fast food. My dad is so smart and so good!
There's a book called Raising a Father that tells the story of a dad that was not at all like my dad - a dad that got all wrapped up in his career and neglected his role as a father figure in the house. It's made up of short stories about missed opportunities between father and daughter that lots of my friends seem to experience. The book brings out some simple suggestions about relationships that all fathers and daughters can learn from to make their bonds stronger and more fulfilling.
If you're looking for a neat Father's Day gift, then here's my suggestion...
Buy the book for yourself and read it. Then, write a heartfelt note to your dad on the inner sleeve and give it to your dad for Father's Day. If your daddy was like mine, then thank him and tell him you love him for it. If your daddy is like the dad in the book, then tell him you love him and miss him. What do you think?
It was so much fun with just the three of us and we laughed, talked, and ate for over 2 hours! With this year's date approaching soon, I wonder what we'll do to top it? I love my dad! There, I said it
I really do though. My daddy has always been there for me - been there for cheerleading, marching band, basketball, college.... I am so glad that I have the type of dad that spends time with me and supports me unconditionally. He even got me started in blogging when I was only 16 because he wanted me to be able to support myself through college without having to work in retail or fast food. My dad is so smart and so good!
There's a book called Raising a Father that tells the story of a dad that was not at all like my dad - a dad that got all wrapped up in his career and neglected his role as a father figure in the house. It's made up of short stories about missed opportunities between father and daughter that lots of my friends seem to experience. The book brings out some simple suggestions about relationships that all fathers and daughters can learn from to make their bonds stronger and more fulfilling.
If you're looking for a neat Father's Day gift, then here's my suggestion...
Buy the book for yourself and read it. Then, write a heartfelt note to your dad on the inner sleeve and give it to your dad for Father's Day. If your daddy was like mine, then thank him and tell him you love him for it. If your daddy is like the dad in the book, then tell him you love him and miss him. What do you think?
Humpback Whale Watching Season on Oahu
Humpback whales begin their migration south from Alaska to Hawaii every year in December. The approximate distance they travel during their annual migration is 4,000 miles round-trip, making this journey one of the longest migration distances of any animal species. The whales usually stay through April so this is a prime opportunity to witness these amazing mammals in nature.
They come here every year to give birth to their calves and to mate.
Awwwww......
Aloha ~
Ali
Native Hawaiian Barrack Obama Extends 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.
LAX to HNL ($375)
SFO to HNL ($400)
LAS to HNL ($475)
SLC to HNL ($575)
JFK to HNL ($625)
So the cost of airfare is not too bad, but the other costs of the trip (lodging, rental car, island hopping, entertainment) can get out of hand very quickly. If you're coming to Hawaii as a tourist, plan on spending some major bucks here - paradise does not come cheap!
Lots of tourists find creative ways to finance their trip to paradise like doing family fund raisers, having multi-family garage sales, even combining tax refunds. I even know of one family that's using their 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits to pay for the stay. That's a real estate tax benefit that our native islander, Barrack Obama, put in place last year which gives an $8,000 credit to new homeowners. According to my understanding of the Coldwell Banker website the credit will only apply to real estate deals up until April 30th of this year so you better hurry.
You could have one heck of a great family adventure in our Hawaiian paradise with that type of money!
78 Degrees at the University Of Hawaii
Right now, it's early in the morning in Honolulu and the temperature is 71 degrees. Our forecast for later today says it will be sunny with a high near 78 and winds from the east between 10 and 14 mph. Really! And you can check it yourself by calling the O`ahu Forecast Hotline at 808-973-5286!
Here's a question for my student readers...
What do you think is the best thing about being a student at UHawaii at Manoa? Is it the weather; the prime Pacific Island location; the incredible educational opportunities and cutting edge technology? Is it our amazing athletic teams; surfing; tanning? The only downside to studying at the University of Hawaii, as I see it, is making it out in four years because there are too many awesome distractions!
I love you Malena, but I had to rub it in
Aloha BFF ~
Funny Vacation Rental Commercial
Aloha from Sunny Honolulu!
Call me weird, but I really enjoy watching television commercials.
In fact, I am more interested in the commercials during the Super Bowlthan I am in the football game so I'm sure you can imagine howdelighted I was when I was selected to review this vacation rental commercial by the folks at Vacation Rental.org.
Not exactly up to Super Bowl quality, but for a travel blogger like me I can say that the “Unitard” literally me laugh out loud. I think it's very funny and it really does get the point across about staying in a vacation rental rather than a hotel when traveling.
What do you think?
Call me weird, but I really enjoy watching television commercials.
In fact, I am more interested in the commercials during the Super Bowlthan I am in the football game so I'm sure you can imagine howdelighted I was when I was selected to review this vacation rental commercial by the folks at Vacation Rental.org.
Not exactly up to Super Bowl quality, but for a travel blogger like me I can say that the “Unitard” literally me laugh out loud. I think it's very funny and it really does get the point across about staying in a vacation rental rather than a hotel when traveling.
What do you think?
How Long Does it Take to Fly to Hawaii?
Your mileage may vary, but here are some approximate flight times from various cities n the mainland US:
Los Angeles — Honolulu (5.75 hrs)
San Francisco — Honolulu (5.5 hrs)
Seattle — Honolulu (5.75 hrs)
Las Vegas — Honolulu (7 hrs)
Phoenix — Honolulu (8.25 hrs)
Salt Lake City — Honolulu ( 8 hrs)
Chicago — Honolulu (9 hrs)
New York — Honolulu (12.5 hrs)
All of these flight times are approximate because certain carriers may take longer due to flight paths and routing.
Waikiki and Ala Moana Beaches on Oahu
Waikiki Beach is basically a two mile stretch of pacific coastline that is fronted by pristine hotels and tourist related facilities. It's without a doubt the most famous beach in the world and it was ranked the best beach in America for 2009! It's also the home of our very beautiful Kapiolani Park.
Ala Moana Beach is another very popular beach in Honolulu. Located right across the street from our Ala Moana Shopping Center, this beach is a terrific location for tourists and islanders to swim and sunbathe. It's also where local people like to go for a jog after work. Facilities at Ala Moana Beach include tennis court, softball fields, and lifeguard towers.
If you're planning a trip to Honolulu in the near future, you really should check out Conway Confidential's Secret Spots & Hidden Gems website. The site has lots of insider tidbits about our island restaurants and tourist attractions. They also have a nice selection of travel games and videos.
Hawaii Airfare Secrets
Hawaii Airfare Secrets
After working for 16 years in the airline industry, Tony Morrison was unexpectedly fired and left hunting for a job. Pondering on his predicament, he decided that his "insider" experience could be super valuable to the traveling public. With revenge on his mind, he penned a book 
called My Airfare Secrets: Fired Travel Agent Reveals How To Get Dirt Cheap Airline Tickets! Catchy title for sure, and this has to be the best research on finding cheap airfare that I have ever seen.
The ebook is full of valuable tips, tricks, and secrets divided into four sections starting with "Basic Tricks" and ending with "Top Secret Tricks." This is first rate information that most people are unaware of. Some of the tips given in the first part of the book are better known, but the stuff in the last three sections is solid gold - stuff I did not know and the airline tickets savings can be a VERY pleasant surprise.
Here's a quick overview of some of the things you will learn. Your timing when buying airfares can make a big difference when it comes to finding discount airline tickets. There are deals to be had everyday if you know when they occur, what questions to ask, and where to find them.Finally, there are some specific legal tricks for searching deals and saving money.
Since traveling by air is so expensive, I thought I'd share my find on the blog so that others might benefit. You can find and purchase the ebook directly from the author on the Tony Morrison website. Even if you only fly once a year, you will save more then enough money to cover your investment in Tony's ebook if you follow his advice.
Aloha ~
Ali
called My Airfare Secrets: Fired Travel Agent Reveals How To Get Dirt Cheap Airline Tickets! Catchy title for sure, and this has to be the best research on finding cheap airfare that I have ever seen. The ebook is full of valuable tips, tricks, and secrets divided into four sections starting with "Basic Tricks" and ending with "Top Secret Tricks." This is first rate information that most people are unaware of. Some of the tips given in the first part of the book are better known, but the stuff in the last three sections is solid gold - stuff I did not know and the airline tickets savings can be a VERY pleasant surprise.
Here's a quick overview of some of the things you will learn. Your timing when buying airfares can make a big difference when it comes to finding discount airline tickets. There are deals to be had everyday if you know when they occur, what questions to ask, and where to find them.Finally, there are some specific legal tricks for searching deals and saving money.
Since traveling by air is so expensive, I thought I'd share my find on the blog so that others might benefit. You can find and purchase the ebook directly from the author on the Tony Morrison website. Even if you only fly once a year, you will save more then enough money to cover your investment in Tony's ebook if you follow his advice.
Aloha ~
Ali
Tips On How To Make Money With Your Blog
This is a sponsored guest post written by Justin Germino on behalf of Dragon Blogger Technology. Post powered by Sponzai.
I wrote a fully detailed article listing over 20 websites that pay you to blog online and which ones worked best for my and my own blogs. This article is to help bloggers who are trying to monetize their blogs and be able to make some extra money while doing what they already love to do.
Some of the sites that work best for me include SocialSpark, PayPerPost Version 4, BlogsVertise but I have recently been making almost $50 per month from my twitter account with SponsoredTweets and Ad.Ly both of which pay you to advertise with your twitter profile but you have full control over what you want to promote (no auto DM's and no spamming).
Google AdSense works best over the Chitika, Kontera and other context links and ad programs on my own blogs.
I can tell you that I have never had any success with Smorty, Blogger Wave, LoudLaunch or LinkFromBlog.
This is a snippet and sample of my full detailed article on the top companies to earn money blogging, if you enjoyed the article come over and read the full article and share any services you may have used that I don't have listed in my article.
-Dragon Blogger
What Time is it in Hawaii??
What time is it in Hawaii??
All of the Hawaiian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time.
The states of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii, along with the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST but instead stay on "standard time" all year long.
The time is...
Aloha ~
Ali
Related Posts:
term life insurance quotes
Grammy Nominees for Best Hawaiian Music Includes Tia Carrere
Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond
If You Can Only Learn Two Hawaiian Words, Learn Aloha & Mahalo
All of the Hawaiian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time.
The states of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii, along with the territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe DST but instead stay on "standard time" all year long.
The time is...
Aloha ~
Ali
Related Posts:
term life insurance quotes
Grammy Nominees for Best Hawaiian Music Includes Tia Carrere
Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond
If You Can Only Learn Two Hawaiian Words, Learn Aloha & Mahalo
