October 8-11, 1982: A Weekend in Dallas
	July 20-25, 1982: A Visit to North Carolina
	Return to the Index for 1982

During the last week in August, I had a class to do at the Digital Equipment Corporation office in Phoenix, and I had no class the next week. I decided to take advantage of an airline special that let you add on a trip to Hawaii if you bought a full coach ticket to one of a number of Far West cities- and Phoenix was one of them.

So when the class was over on September 3rd, I stayed over another night and then on Saturday morning flew on to Hawaii for a week. I thought it was odd that Phoenix would be on the list of cities offering this special, since the airline first flew me to Los Angeles where I changed planes to fly out to the Islands. I arrived there in late afternoon, and took an airport shuttle downtown to Waikiki and the Sheraton Waikiki.

I have been staying at the Sheraton Waikiki on all my Hawaii trips save for my first stop here on the way back from Korea in 1970; on that trip I stayed in a military barracks at Fort DeRussy, a now decomissioned military post. When Tony Hirsch and I came to Hawaii for our first work with Cullinane Corp., and when I returned there a couple of times later on, I always stayed at the Sheraton. We stayed in the tower once, but we usually stayed in a low-rise building at the front left of the main tower called "The Garden Annex" because it was a lot less expensive for our clients. They have closed the Garden Annex, now, to expand the front of the hotel, so now when I come out here I stay in the tower. The Sheraton is a great hotel with a huge, open-air lobby through which the winds blow in all four directions.

Honolulu and Waikiki

I'd like to orient you to Honolulu so I can show you the relationship of some of the places that I frequent when I come here.

At right is an aerial view that covers the area from downtown all the way to Diamond Head.

Near downtown is the Honolulu Marina; it lies at Ali Wai Harbor, and the Ali Wai Canal begins there, and runs down between Waikiki and Ala Moana park. Nearby, is the Hilton Hawaiian Resort and the iconic Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel with its signature mosaic facing the ocean. Waikiki Beach begins about here, and runs all the way southeast past Kapiolani Park, so when I want to walk the length of the beach, this is where I start.

I have marked the location of both the Sheraton Waikiki and one of Honolulu's oldest (and classiest) hotels, the Royal Hawaiian. I remember when I was a kid home sick and I watched afternoon game shows, whenever a contestant won a Hawaii trip it was always the Royal Hawaiian where they stayed.

Ala Moana is a large park on the other side of the Ali Wai Canal from Waikiki; most people use "Ala Moana" to refer not only to the park, but also the canal and the area of the city beyond up the hills. Kapiolani Park is another large park just across Kapiolani Boulevard from Waikiki Beach.

The last marked location on the view above is the southern tip of Oahu- marked by the extinct volcano Diamond Head. Diamond Head is another of those iconic Hawaiian landmarks, and is recognizable to most people. From the beach, it looks like a mountain headland, but from the air, you can clearly see the crater inside. There are hikes you can make up the north side of the mountain and then down into the crater itself; I didn't do that on this trip, but I plan to in the future.

The way my room was oriented, I did not have a view of Diamond Head from my balcony, but the way the floors at the Sheraton are laid out, there is a balcony at the end of one hall that did offer a great view of the extinct volcano; that's where I took the picture at right. The beauty of this extinct volcano never ceases to have an effect on me.

I find that being in Honolulu is one of the most relaxing things that I do. Having been here numerous times before, I don't find it necessary to get out and do lots of touristy things. I can spend my days reading, laying down by the pool, walking along the beach, investigating the constant activity in Waikiki, and doing my evening jogging (a four-mile circuit around Ala Moana and Kapiolani Park). Now that I am "out", I have also found a bar or two that are interesting to frequent.

So the pictures I took this time were almost all pictures that I took from either my own balcony at the Sheraton or from the various balconies at the ends of the hallways.

This is a view of downtown Honolulu from the balcony of my room at the Sheraton.

Here is another view of downtown Honolulu and the mountains beyond from my room at the Sheraton.

The weather on this trip was standard- sunny and quite warm, with some showers during the day or late evening. The next four pictures were taken from the balcony at the ocean end of the hall on my floor:

(Picture at left) The view at left looks west along the beach, past the marina, and onward towards Pearl Harbor. You can see how bright and sunny it is today; this was typical of the weather during the day.     (Picture at right) This is Waikiki Beach. If my photo album is complete back to 1970 when you read this, go back and look at my pictures of Waikiki taken then; notice how much construction there has been. One landmark is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which has been there since the Forties. It is the low pink building in the foreground. The Sheraton itself was under construction the first time I came to Hawaii in 1971. Many newer hotels have been built in the last ten years. Waikiki seems busier and busier each time I visit.

The Sheraton has multiple beachside pools, and I got pictures of both of them.

At left is the main swimming pool at the Sheraton, looking directly down from my room. If you look at the aerial view of the hotel above, you will see that the three-winged building is situated so that the maximum number of rooms have ocean views; I did not, but you can see this swimming pool as the leftmost of the three in that aerial view.

At right is the beachside pool and bar area of the Sheraton. In the aerial view, you can see this pool as the middle of the three; it is sheltered by two of the hotel's three wings. You can pick out the covered bar and you can see one of the catamaran rides has come ashore to pick up guests for an outing. I am going to have to try that one of these days.

Right across from the Sheraton on Kalakaua Street was the Hawaiian Market and a host of shops and other attractions. I ended up walking around the area almost every night, just to see what I could see. For me, this wasn't a "tourist" trip so much as a "get away from it all" trip. Most of the places I ate dinner were near the Hawaiian Market- including one buffet restaurant that I have always been fond of.

My last picture was taken on my next-to-last day here. I went to the Illikai, a hotel west of the Sheraton that also had open balconies on its floors, and I went to the top floor to get a look out west towards Pearl Harbor. That tree-covered area that you can see is part of what is left of Ft. DeRussy. If my album has been completed, you may remember that I stayed there on my return from Korea.

Well, the land on which the Fort stood had become more and more valuable, and I guess the government couldn't justify keeping it as a Fort once both Korea and Vietnam had wound down, so over the last ten years agreements have been reached for its development. The building I stayed in is still there, but there is one new hotel that has been built using part of the beachfront, and other parts of the installation have now been turned into a public park. I understand that the rest of the beachfront is going to be opened up for development. It is the most prime of prime real estate, and I hope the government gets a good price for it. I can only imagine how much it might be worth.

This week was a relaxing one; I have been very busy lately, and it was nice to get away. What with the pools, my walks around Waikiki, my daily jog and the good meals, I had a lot to do, and by the end of the week I was not looking forward to heading home to Chicago. But next week's class in St. Louis starts on Monday.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	October 8-11, 1982: A Weekend in Dallas
	July 20-25, 1982: A Visit to North Carolina
	Return to the Index for 1982