New Lunch Haunt

So our "go-to" place for lunch lately has been Doraku on Kapiolani- such relaxing atmosphere, great food- and for reasonable prices as well! 

Lots to choose from from their menu, but the Wagyu Rib-eye Steak has GOT to be the top of the list!

 

We usually get there about 12 and the crowd is pretty light- perfect for just kicking back and enjoying the food and place! 

Grand Opening for the new Don Quijote!

 After shutting its doors at the end of January, patrons of the Don Qujote Store in Waipahu were told of a new location to be opened in the Kapolei area, and just this month its doors finally opened! Ditching the “Don Quijote” moniker for the far more fun and playful “Don Don Donki” name, this was like Don Quijote on steroids- not only a lot more BIG than the other locations, but boasting more departments, vendors and restaurants to peruse while there!

We’ve already visited the place twice and have yet to try some of the other interesting venodors like the Wagyu Steak booth and the soon-to-open Karaage shop! Hmmm, they're really gonna have to expand that food court area, methinks!

The "Don Don Donki" takes over the building last occupied by KMART years ago, which existed for awhile before dwindling out, but judging my how many people visited Donki, the new surrounding shops opening up, and the busy, busy parking lot, it looks like they may be able to successfully rejuvenate the area at last!!

Heavy Rains in Mililani...

 The islands got hit pretty hard a few weeks back and I just happened to be in Mililani that day, hoping for a walk! Needless to say, THAT got cancelled and I opted for a sit-down lunch in Zippy's instead!

Every time someone ran by the doors at Zippy's, they automatically opened, sending in a torrent of rain!

So yeah, walk got cancelled, but got some wonderfully moody photos.

A Trip to St. Louis Stream

St. Louis Stream runs through Palolo Valley and is so named as it rounds the St. Louis High School's grounds. Spent many a day in my childhood catching crayfish, scooping up guppies and just generally splashing around with friends.

Below: the lot we used to access the stream. 

Been years since I waded around in its waters and lots of the surroundings have changed. Areas which one were just dirt slopes and grass have now been reinforced and walled up with cement, in the ever ongoing battle with erosion. But areas of it still look the same, which warms the heart!

This old drainage ditch outlet is mostly crumbled to bits, but I remember when it was still fully intact and we'd all lay on the slab, drying off in the sun after a swim. Such great days!

Back in they day, the stream was teeming with critters- Medaka, Tilapia, Guppies, Swordtails, Convicts, Catfish, Dojo, Crayfish, Toads and Tadpoles. But when I went to take these pics, though I did still see Medaka, the stream was mostly overrun by the super-invasive Plecostomus fish. Sad to see!

Still, it was  nice to drop by and reminisce a bit.

Kaimuki Intermediate School

On my Diamond Head walks I always pass by my old school Kaimuki Intermediate which not only has changed its name to “Kaimuki Middle School” but judging by the words adorning the library, alumni no longer call themselves “Pioneers”  but call themselves ‘Voyagers” nowadays….

Lots of other changes since I was a lad, with new structures, new sun-shielding coverings and big new gymnasium!  But the place still looks grassy and sunny and, attached to Leahi Field, makes for a pleasant walk!

Guess I’m not the only one who realized how picturesque the school was, as I saw it in a photobook for Japanese actress /gravure model Yuno Ohara when she came to Hawaii!

Skimming through the pictures, I had to stop when I saw her walking along the very same sidewalk that I walk all the time, laugh and say, “HEY, I’d know that Middle School anywhere!!"

The "IGA" Corner

The corner of 9th and Waialae, where through my childhood housed the IGA Superette, by the time someone snapped this pic in the 80's it had already been replaced by "Family" Superette, and my favorite haunt Walrich Drugs replaced by the Salvation Army Thrift Shop.

At some point in the 2000's they began (whoever "they" are) reinventing Kaimuki as a cool, hip place to hang out, and this very popular cafe "Brew'd" is a clear example of it- all the shops and restaurants vibe so "modern', such a contrast to the older pic which seems even more ancient than it really is!

Nice to see businesses thriving!

Yakiniku For Lunch

 Met up with some friends at Yakiniku Sizzle off Queen's street for some lunch! 

This is the area where Tsukenjo's used to be, a place we ate at all the time when all of us worked down the street at LIGHT INC...nice to know there's still a place we can frequent for a quality midday meal!

 While the old classic traditional Halloween yard decorations of carved pumpkin Jack-o-Lanterns have been largely replaced by those huge billowy electronic inflatable lighted displays, it still warms my heart to see so many households in the neighborhood joining in to celebrate the autumn holiday!

Yeah, these electronic ones are a sign of progress, but it's one that I somehow can fully get behind! I expect even more homes to join in as Halloween gets here!