Snackin' and taking a break
Marty and Heather were kind enough to give us free vouchers for airline tickets on Hawaiian Airlines (she works there) that we could use to fly to the Big Island on Memorial Weekend. The problem was we would have had to fly stand-by and since it was Memorial weekend we were afraid we'd spend most of it within the confines of the Honolulu airport. That uncertainty plus the fact that the vog had been a problem for part of the week made us decide to stick closer to home.
It was Saturday morning when Tom had one of his great "aha" moments -- why don't we stay at the Hilton Waikiki Village instead? The Hilton resorts had been advertising kama'aina rates and we thought we'd take advantage of that before we say good-bye to our little island in the middle of nowhere.
Tom and Noah strike a pose
We scored a great room with an ocean view and saved $100 a night! The best part for us was the central air conditioning! I will never take central air for granted again, for as long as I live.
We spent Saturday afternoon at the pool by our tower then we walked into the heart of Waikiki, right on the street where we stayed on our honeymoon 10 years ago...sigh. We ate at the Yard House and I had the best meal I've had since we moved here. I wish I could fix yummy sauces like the one that smothered my filet and mashed potatoes. It was heavenly!
Sunday morning we had a great breakfast and spent the rest of the day at the pools and on the beach. It was so nice to relax and not worry (at least try to) about our upcoming move. The tradewinds had come back and the smog had cleared. We had beautiful weather and a good start on our tans.
After we checked out of our hotel, it was a little too early for lunch so we headed up to the Punchbowl Cemetery, officially called National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Locally it is called Punchbowl because it sits in a crater. The Hawaiian name for it is Pu'u-o-waina, which means hill of human sacrifices.
Cordery family on Memorial Day '08
Tom and the Utah flag.
Marty and Heather were kind enough to give us free vouchers for airline tickets on Hawaiian Airlines (she works there) that we could use to fly to the Big Island on Memorial Weekend. The problem was we would have had to fly stand-by and since it was Memorial weekend we were afraid we'd spend most of it within the confines of the Honolulu airport. That uncertainty plus the fact that the vog had been a problem for part of the week made us decide to stick closer to home.
It was Saturday morning when Tom had one of his great "aha" moments -- why don't we stay at the Hilton Waikiki Village instead? The Hilton resorts had been advertising kama'aina rates and we thought we'd take advantage of that before we say good-bye to our little island in the middle of nowhere.
Tom and Noah strike a pose
The mauka (inland) view from our lanai
We spent Saturday afternoon at the pool by our tower then we walked into the heart of Waikiki, right on the street where we stayed on our honeymoon 10 years ago...sigh. We ate at the Yard House and I had the best meal I've had since we moved here. I wish I could fix yummy sauces like the one that smothered my filet and mashed potatoes. It was heavenly!
Sunday morning we had a great breakfast and spent the rest of the day at the pools and on the beach. It was so nice to relax and not worry (at least try to) about our upcoming move. The tradewinds had come back and the smog had cleared. We had beautiful weather and a good start on our tans.
After we checked out of our hotel, it was a little too early for lunch so we headed up to the Punchbowl Cemetery, officially called National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Locally it is called Punchbowl because it sits in a crater. The Hawaiian name for it is Pu'u-o-waina, which means hill of human sacrifices.
Central shot at Punchbowl looking down.
The little "dots" are U.S. flags
marking each plot.
The little "dots" are U.S. flags
marking each plot.
Punchbowl is a cemetery for those military men and women who died in the Pacific and has been used as such since 1949. You won't see large tombstones or crosses. Each plot is marked with a simple slab and for Memorial Day, a small U.S. flag.
The drive up to Punchbowl is incredible. The road is on the edge of the crater and to your left is a panoramic view of Honolulu, with Diamond Head in the distance. The multitude of skyscrapers look like they are closer than they really are. I tried to take pictures of this view, but they just don't do justice.
View of Waikiki from rim of Punchbowl
There must have been a formal ceremony here in the morning because workers were stacking chairs and taking down banners. Big flower bouquets representing different military associations were in a big group and we had a nice lady offer to take our picture in front of them.
The drive up to Punchbowl is incredible. The road is on the edge of the crater and to your left is a panoramic view of Honolulu, with Diamond Head in the distance. The multitude of skyscrapers look like they are closer than they really are. I tried to take pictures of this view, but they just don't do justice.
View of Waikiki from rim of Punchbowl
View of Honolulu from rim
There must have been a formal ceremony here in the morning because workers were stacking chairs and taking down banners. Big flower bouquets representing different military associations were in a big group and we had a nice lady offer to take our picture in front of them.
Cordery family on Memorial Day '08
Eventually it was lunch time and our vacation was nearing its end. Even though we were still on Oahu, it really did feel like we got away. I'm glad we got to play in Waikiki one more time before heading out. We had a lot of fun.
Noah holds the Idaho flag.
Noah holds the Idaho flag.
Tom and the Utah flag.
