Return to Oahu! (Days 5 & 6)

Beachfront Yoga, Foodie Bike Tour, Packing, ABC Bag

Tuesday, April 13

I did a short walk along Ala Wai Canal before Zumba in the room. Then I had time to eat some fruit before heading out to my 9am beachfront yoga class near the Aquarium. Despite the noisy helicopters at the beginning of the class, the hour of yoga was lovely, although I remembered why I'm not always a fan of outdoor yoga (noise, bugs, damp grass). I chatted with Mom on my way back to the hotel with a stop at the Reserve Starbucks for egg white egg bites and coffee to round out my breakfast. Weird experience there with a couple who entered in front of me with the guy not wearing a mask so the staff had to ask them to leave. What was he thinking?!

Mr. E got his breakfast at Ali'i Coffee again, and we had a bit of time in the room to journal and plan for Memorial Day travel before going to the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound to meet up with Kelly, our guide for a foodie bike tour with Bike Tour Hawai'i. He shared a wealth of information about multiple subjects, including lots of history and culture of Waikiki and Honolulu as we rode through the area and stopped at a few scenic points along the way.

Our tour lasted nearly six hours! The first food stop was on the road to Diamond Head, where Mr. E and Kelly had fish tacos from a favorite local taco spot and I had avocado toast with roasted beets, feta, basil and a side of arugula salad from Ars Cafe next door. We were able to procure a table on the sidewalk at Ars Cafe so could eat rather leisurely as we chatted with Kelly. Then we went just a block farther to Diamond Head Market & Grill to pick up a blueberry scone to share and some shrimp for me just in case the next stop didn't have anything non-meat based. We biked in and around the Kapahulu neighborhood and landed at our next stop, Da Ono Hawaiian Food, for pork laulau (Mr. E), squid luau (me), and purple sweet potato (shared). Next up was fresh made-to-order tuna poke with shoyu, sesame seeds, and nori at Ono Seafood, followed by pineapple-filled malasadas at Leonard's Bakery (one to eat, one to take back to the hotel -- or mainland! -- for later). We finished up by sharing a strawberry and pineapple shave ice at the kiosk in the Royal Hawaiian shops because the line at Waiolo Shave Ice, our original destination, was just way too long. 

The return route took us along the north side of Ala Wai canal and also by the international grocery store area where we had attempted to see a Lunar New Year celebration two years ago during sabbatical. We cut through a local school to a bike trail and admired the colorful murals on several of the buildings.

Being able to follow a local guide through these areas was such a treat as we wouldn't necessarily know how to navigate all of these routes and paths on our own. At the end of the tour, we walked back to the hotel to get cleaned up, pack and organize for the morning, and finish up our snacks and drinks before tomorrow's departure. Mr. E procured a new travel journal and bag at an ABC Store as part of our leave-taking activities.

The bike tour was very, very generous with the amount of food and portion size, even when we began sharing items during the second half. We would definitely book another tour with this company and will highly recommend them to friends and family who visit the area. Kelly also took lots of photos that he air-dropped to Mr. E's iPhone and then sent a link to a video he created for us the next day. Great experience and customer service!

HNL > SFO > SMF

Wednesday, April 14 (last day)

Early morning Zumba for me and then all of our final packing to get ready for our 7am Charley Taxi pick-up and drive to the airport for our 9am flight. The airport was so empty! Both of people and of businesses! Luckily, one of the open spots was a bookstore so that I could procure another book for the latter part of the trip back home.

We lucked out again with no one in the middle seat between us on the big 777 that took us to SFO, though the rest of the plane looked quite full. We had just enough time to enjoy some snacks (cheese and bean burritos, carrots, string cheese) and wine (for me) in the United Club before our quick small jet ride to SMF. Our checked bags arrived faster than usual, so we were home by 8pm to unpack, start some laundry, make a trip to Market 515, and get lots of scolding and snuggles from Calypso.

When do we go back??!!

Return to Oahu! (Days 3 & 4)

Art, Lunch, Biki, Mr. E's Diamond Head Run 

Sunday, April 11

Another morning walk & talk with Mom but not as early or as long. I took a different route and wandered through part of Fort de Russy. Then Zumba and yoga again in the room before a combo breakfast of food from Ali'i Coffee and beverages from the nearby Reserve Starbucks.

We decided to chance the rain forecast and walk to the Honolulu Museum of Art (HOMA), retracing our steps from the day before back towards Ala Moana Center and then winding through some of the new development around Ward Village and Ward Center. Unfortunately, we walked into the clouds and precipitation so got a bit rained on as we passed by the new [large] Whole Foods, but we didn't get too wet before reaching HOMA for our 12pm ticket entry time. The park across from HOMA is completely fenced off, and Mr. E asked the security guard about the barriers. Apparently, a decision was made to deny access to the park in response to some sort of unwanted homeless activity in the space. It does seem as though more folks are out on the streets now, which is quite likely at least partly due to COVID.

After about 75 minutes browsing the galleries, including our favorite of contemporary Hawai'ian art and artists, we made a stop in the gift shop before going to the cafe in the courtyard for our 1:30pm reservation. Grilled shrimp salad for both of us with a side of rosemary focaccia bread to share. I also ordered a grapefruit wine spritzer for a bit of extra refreshment. Yum!

We found a Biki station two blocks away for the trip back to the hotel. Then some time to relax and read before Mr. E headed out for his Diamond Head circumlocution run, which has become a tradition for us each time we visit this area. I had plenty of food options for dinner from our previous purchases, but Mr. E went to procure a veggie flatbread from Spitfire at Duke's Marketplace to supplement his leftovers. We watched Icognito for our evening entertainment.

J's Diamond Head Run, JEMS Diamond Head Climb, Sky at Waikik, Hula Grill

Monday, April 12

I got up early for my run around Diamond Head and then cooled down with yoga in the room and a dip in the hotel pool. We had decided to try a new spot for breakfast so walked two blocks to the Dean & Deluca in the Ritz Carlton Residences for salmon bagel sandwiches. I was hoping to try a taro bagel, but supplies were low so I ended up with the last plain bagel instead while Mr. opted for the multi-grain. Very tasty sandwiches, including the unexpected lilikoi dressing and [very] light toasting. I was satisfied with the americano, but Mr. E needed his Starbucks fix. We went to the Long's Drugs (aka CVS on the mainland) so I could try to find another book. No luck, but I did get a few more souvenirs and some chewy fish. Then a stop at the Reserve Starbucks for Mr. E.

We didn't have plans for most of the day so considered making spa visits or trying out a new spot to hike, but we decided instead to return to Diamond Head to make the climb to the top as it's been a few years since our last trek. Bus 2 took us there in under 15 minutes -- good to remember for next time! We paid the $5/person hiker fee (increase from $2 during our previous visits) at the kiosk and then started the climb. Lots of sun but not too many people, and the view from the top was spectacular as always.

 

To cool off a bit at the end, we shared a pineapple smoothie in a pineapple from the local vendor set up near the parking lot. So tasty!!!

Our return trip was walking back through Kapiolani Park with a stop at the beach to cool off near the breakfront. We had worn our swim stuff and brought pool towels from the hotel in anticipation of this pause.

Our reservation at rooftop Sky Waikiki was at 4:15pm. We had wanted to revisit Top of Waikiki, the revolving restaurant atop the same building, but unfortunately that spot closed in June 2020 due to COVID. Darn. The terrace at Sky was in full sun with no shade structures anywhere in sight. That strong exposure plus the overly loud music made for a short stay and confirmation that this spot really isn't a good fit for us. At least my three Happy Hour priced oysters were tasty!

We headed across the street to try for dinner at Duke's, but the wait was too long for a walk-in. So we went upstairs to Hula Grill instead, where we had less than 30 minutes to wait for a seat in the bar area, which still provided access to the full menu but not the same oceanfront views as the restaurant seating area.Very friendly service and yummy calimari steak (panko pan fried), steamed long beans, and baja fish tacos in addition to our beverages. Since we began our evening early, it wasn't even 7pm when we got back to the hotel. We settled in with drinks in the room and watched American Ultra.

After I went to bed, Mr. E made sure to use our daily $20 Bonvoy benefit to procure some snacks at the little market in the lobby. Most of those items will likely come home with us at this point!

Return to Oahu! (Day 2)

Scuba, Shopping

Saturday, April 10

I woke up early due to the time zone difference and got up around 6am to go out for a walk along Waikiki Beach and to time the distance to my future yoga site near the Aquarium. On the way back, I chatted with Mom since morning is the best time to call her given the 6-hour time discrepancy. Then Zumba and yoga in the room with the streaming YouTube on the TV. We got breakfast at Ali'i Coffee in the hotel lobby. The food was quite tasty (breakfast sandwich for Mr. E, salmon bagel for me), but I had to monitor a bit to make sure my special order was correct (no onions, no cream cheese). The Americanos were only OK, although Mr. E had quite enjoyed the one he ordered yesterday after we checked in.

After breakfast, we tried to book a Charley Taxi for the ride to Kewalo Basin Harbor, where we were supposed to check in at 10:45am for our scuba trip with Hawai'i Eco Divers. No availability with Chalrey until 11:30am!!! Mr. E called the front desk for assistance, and the friendly staff was able to procure us a taxi with a different company. Phew! We arrived early and soon realized that we probably could have walked after all as we waited... and waited... and waited. Our guide arrived just before 11am, but the boat was nowhere in sight! We finally got going just after 12pm, as we joined a few other groups on board the catamaran that took us out to our first dive spot.

We were the only divers paired with Max, so we got lots of personal attention and had two lovely dives. He briefly reviewed all of the basic info and then it was into the water to maximize our dive time. Three honu, several sharks, and a monk seal during the first dive over the reef, and multiple eels plus lots of shimmery fish for the second dive along the submerged pipeline. I'm so glad I had my extra layers of rash guard and "farmer Jane" shortie wetsuit under the full wetsuit supplied by the scuba company -- the water was a bit chilly!

The boat arrived back at the harbor around 3pm, so we started our trek back to the hotel. I had done some research for book stores since I was running low on reading material and had found a Barnes & Noble at the Ala Moana Center, which was on our way for the return trip. We stopped there for lunch at the food court (poke bowl for me, Korean bento for Mr. E), and then we split up for our errands at B&N and Tori Richardson. Success for both of us! Two books and a handful of cool greeting cards for me and two new shirts for Mr. E.

When we got back to the hotel, we unloaded all of our purchases, including provisions from the Foodland at Ala Moana Center, and then showered off all of the salt water residue from our scuba excursion. I took care of email and some work communications to free up Monday morning while Mr. E headed off to the food court at the Royal Hawaiian shops to procure some pho and Panda Express for his dinner. I sampled from the Foodland groceries for my meal as we watched a Jack Reacher movie to wrap up the evening.

Return to Oahu! (Day 1)

SMF > SFO > HNL + Cat Cafe

Friday, April 9

Early morning Zumba for me before we left at 5:15am for our 6:47am flight to Honolulu via San Francisco. We took advantage of Mr. E's United Club membership to get some snacks and wait in the comfy chairs during our layover after we completed the pre-clearance process and got our special United paper bracelets as part of the Hawai'i Safe Travels program (other steps included ordering DIY at-home saliva COVID-19 test kits, taking the test with a Zoom monitor three days before the flight, creating a Hawai'i Safe Travels account, uploading our negative test results, and completing a general health questionnaire 24 hours before travel day). 

Our flight wasn't full, so we ended up with the middle seat empty between us, which was quite lovely. Once we arrived, our blue bracelets helped us avoid any other processing at the Honolulu airport, and our checked bags came quickly so we then contacted our pre-arranged Charley Taxi for pick-up and transportation to our hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach. The first room wasn't a true suite since there was no solid door in between the living room and bedroom, so Mr. E called the front desk to inquire about other options, and we were put into a much larger suite with fully separated rooms and a large lanai on the 3rd floor, overlooking [busy] Kuhio Street and a bustling bus stop. The space was awesome, but the proximity to the street and buses wasn't so great, so we only used the lanai to hang towels and wet clothes and to get the breeze but not to sit out on enjoy the scenery. Luckily, the buses didn't run all night, and keeping the doors closed with a/c on for sleeping was just fine.

After we unpacked and settled in, I called Hawai'i Bike Tour to see if my dietary restrictions could be accommodated for the Waikiki Foodie Tour and received positive results, so we booked that activity for Tuesday afternoon. Then we headed out along Kuhio Street to Kapahulu Ave, with a brief stop at Duke's Marketplace for some lunch (loco moco for Mr. E -- see photo below), to check out the Hawai'i Cat Cafe. We spent 30 minutes there with the adoptable cats from the Humane Society, enjoying the feline company and the conversation with the staff about animal rescue conditions on the island. I procured branded tanks for me and E as a souvenir!

On the way back to the hotel, we did more stocking up of food and beverages since our room had both a mini fridge and a microwave. Quite a few shops were still closed, and some were completely boarded up, clearly demonstrating the negative impact of the significant decrease in tourism on the economy and the life here. Mr. E took note of the musubi options for a later time.

We refreshed with a dip in the lovely pool, which we had all to ourselves for a bit. Then shower and change and back out for a few more errands, including a stop at the nearby Ross to look for real glasses, since the hotel only provided flimsy plastic cups in the room. I found a four-pack of stemless glasses for $5.99 and saved the box so that we can bring them home with us!

Dinner in the room with the goodies we'd picked up earlier, then yoga and bed for me as Mr. E stayed up to watch his show(s) on Amazon Prime.

[Belated] Birthday Weekend in Wine Country

Santa Rosa + Healdsburg + Sonoma

Friday, March 19

Mr. E and I headed up to the Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country in Santa Rosa after work on Friday, making a stop at the nearby Whole Foods on the way to pick up some goodies for my in-room birthday dinner. We had reserved a two-room suite, which had a [non-working?!] fireplace and lovely view out over the pool. After I opened my cards and gifts and lined them up along the ledge under the TV, we settled in for the evening to relax.

Saturday, March 20

I went for a run along the path that borders the greenway and creek out in back of the hotel and then rounded out my workout with a short Zumba routine and my daily yoga practice while Mr. E slept in. We visited the Omelette Express a couple of blocks away for a yummy (indoor dining!) brunch. As we walked back to the hotel, we caught sight of E & C unloading their car in the parking lot of the Marriott Courtyard across the street. We all met up in the courtyard of our hotel a bit later for our taxi ride to Rodney Strong Vineyards, where we had a 12pm tasting appointment.

The weather was lovely but a bit cool due to the strong breeze, and we all made sure to put on some sunscreen so we could enjoy the clear skies as we sipped our wine on the outdoor terrace. Our host was quite talkative... When he learned that both E and I have March birthdays, he comped our tastings, which was a lovely surprise! Once we came to the end of that experience, it was just about perfect timing to stroll over to J Vineyards for our 2pm appointment for the Small Plate Tasting on the Terrace. Mr. E and I had been fortunate enough to experience this last year in late summer with A during the window of time that wineries were open, and we were equally pleased with our repeat visit. We also picked up our J Wine Club shipment to bring home with us.

We were able to get an Uber back to the hotels and then went our separate ways for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Mr. E and I went browsing in a couple of shops in Railroad Square, and I was pleasantly surprised to find several great items at two of the vintage/thrift shops. I realized how long it had been since I'd been shopping in a store instead of just online!!!

E & C came over to our suite for pre-dinner snacks and cocktails, and then we walked the few blocks to Stark's Steak & Seafood for our 7pm dinner reservation. With a couple rounds of drinks, some group appetizers, entrees, and a shared birthday dessert, we didn't finish up our lovely meal until after 10pm! I was definitely ready for bed by the time we got back to the hotel.

Sunday, March 21

After Zumba and yoga in the room, I checked out the pool in the hopes of swimming a few laps, but again my key didn't work in the gate. Mr. E and I drove to the Starbucks near Whole Foods for our [long delay] breakfast items, which we ate in the room before packing everything up and loading the car for our drive to Hamel Family Wines. We met up there with E & C for our 1pm tasting, which included the house-made crackers and ricotta cheese along with some yummy trail mix. The food offering of the day was a flatbread pizza, which had some toppings I couldn't eat, but I did pick off some of the arugula and nibble on a piece of crust. E & C bought a bottle of the Hamel rose as a birthday present for me, which was in addition to the feminist book and awesome animals puzzle from the Crocker that they'd already gifted me. So thoughtful!

Our drive home to Sac was relatively traffic-free, so we were back in time to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with Caly.

Such a fun birthday wine country weekend!