Waikiki During Quarantine

[racer1]

This past week my wife and I have been going down to Waikiki to swim. The beaches are closed, but you can still swim, surf and fish. It's been surreal. It's so quiet, clean and calm. I imagine it's what is was like when Duke surfed back in the day and there were only 2 or 3 hotels. Huge schools of Marquesias sardines and Oama swimming around. No cigarette butts, no sunscreen on the water, no catamarans, no surf schools, et al.

 

[JBerry]

That's a beautiful thing! Old School-esque.

Whats the status on travelling to Hawaii now?
We've had a trip planned since Dec at the end of June.
Our tix and accomodations are still saying its ok as of now, so still planning the trip,
unless something changes...

 

[racer1]

Currently all new arrivals have to self quarantine for 14 days at their hotel (Air Bnbs are not allowed to operate). That means no leaving your room to do anything even eat. Penalty is a $5K fine and jail time, I think. The level that this is enforced is questionable. This is through the end of May, don’t know if it’ll be extended.

 

[steamroller]

thanks for this info racer1...i got time off.in july...not bought tickets yet...keep us updated ..thanks

 

[Waiehu]

This past week my wife and I have been going down to Waikiki to swim. The beaches are closed, but you can still swim, surf and fish. It's been surreal. It's so quiet, clean and calm. I imagine it's what is was like when Duke surfed back in the day and there were only 2 or 3 hotels. Huge schools of Marquesias sardines and Oama swimming around. No cigarette butts, no sunscreen on the water, no catamarans, no surf schools, et al.

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Thanks for posting these. Old friends on Oahu have been telling me how incredible Waikiki is currently. Would love to see it, but even inter island travel is limited and I have been told, subject to the quarantine. I have old photos of Waikiki, passed on to me by my Dad, and these show Waikiki in the 40's, 50's, and the early 60's (prior to the move of the OCC) and I can only imagine that this is what it looks like these days. Always good to share these pictures with my Son, to show him his Granddad in Waikiki and at the OCC in the Territorial Days.
Mahalo again for posting these.

 

[racer1]

I have old photos of Waikiki, passed on to me by my Dad

Going down there the first time last week, I finally realized why many of my older relatives spoke so fondly of Waikiki.

 

[griffinsurfboard]

Awesome Place even when busy

My first trip was in 1963

 

[JBerry]

An old friend of mine always reminisced about growing up in Waikiki (wacky wacky he called it) talking about watching the sand get removed from the Bay and trucked into to make Waikiki. Always had me dreaming!

 

[teeroi]

Saw a friend in the Kaisers parking lot. He had been working on Molokai. He told me if you have a letter for working inter island you don’t have to self quarantine. Said all his flights were just construction guys aboard.

Drove through Waikiki a few times. Some of the shops like Louis Vuitton and the Galleria have their big picture windows boarded up. That looks depressing.

 

[000]

https://cl.buscafs.com/www.metatube.com/public/uploads/videos/62819_mp4.mp4

http://imgur.com/pZhxBXr

 

[Muscles]

Cool pics.

Took my kids to run along the beach in Kailua and it is completely empty. No fighting for parking. No lost tourists. No Japanese on bikes riding out into moving traffic.

 

[kelly7873]

Cool pics.

Took my kids to run along the beach in Kailua and it is completely empty. No fighting for parking. No lost tourists. No Japanese on bikes riding out into moving traffic.

I've been taking my kids to Kailua beach 3 or 4 times a week and while parking has been better then normal the beach has been far from empty. We always end up walking some to find a spot clear from other people.

 

[MitchellC]

Going down there the first time last week, I finally realized why many of my older relatives spoke so fondly of Waikiki.

All the original spots are the best for obvious reasons. HI royalty had the pick of any location throughout the chain.

Why waikiki? If youre honest and can look past the human elements, you can see why its the perfect spot.

So too other places. Downtown LA has the best weather, best views, best environment. The spanish could have picked any location; why there?

Same with SF (mission area), Monterey, santa barbara, san diego, et al. If you close your eyes and imagine being in portolas party, where would you pick?

 

[afoaf]

So too other places. Downtown LA has the best weather, best views, best environment. The spanish could have picked any location; why there?

it was proximity to the LA river....it empirically does NOT have the best views, weather, or
environment (?) relative to other locations in the area

 

[Ifallalot]

it was proximity to the LA river....it empirically does NOT have the best views, weather, or
environment (?) relative to other locations in the area

I wish I could find the book, but the description of LA in the early days was great. Something like "dirty, hot, smoky, and filled with Mexicans of ill repute"

I think I need to do some more studying on how LA turned from a dusty village that had nothing on San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco into the center of the West Coast

Any book recommendations?

 

[afoaf]

Amazon.com

I owe you a book.

PM me your deets and I'll have it delivered to you.

you'll fkn love it...it doesn't go all the way back to the original
sonoran settlement, but it does cover the growth of the city
including the owens valley project

 

[Autoprax]

I think about William Henry Dana every time I drive through SJC on the 5.

That part of south OC would be paradise then.

 

[afoaf]

this is why I want to go to Chile/Peru

even some parts of baja norte evoke that feeling of undeveloped (alta) california

I like to imagine what this was all like before all the people...

It's a strange and insufferable uncertainty to know that monumental beauty always
supposes servitude...Perhaps it's for this that I put the beauty of a landscape above
all else - it's not paid for by any injustice and my heart is free there

-Albert Camus, Notebooks

 

[casa_mugrienta]

this is why I want to go to Chile/Peru

even some parts of baja norte evoke that feeling of undeveloped (alta) california

Remember what I told you about San Diego's future looking like some variation of Lima due to Wuhan virus?

I picked it for a reason.

Also

Valparaiso bears uncanny similarity to San Francisco both in history and culture and aesthetics and geography.

 

[Senor Sopa]

I wish I could find the book, but the description of LA in the early days was great. Something like "dirty, hot, smoky, and filled with Mexicans of ill repute"

I think I need to do some more studying on how LA turned from a dusty village that had nothing on San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco into the center of the West Coast

Any book recommendations?

If I remember correctly, it had to do with the railroad. Huge competition between San Diego and San Francisco. Finally, the people in charge, being disgusted by the whole lot, said "it's going to LA". The rest is history.