Going to hawaii for a week in December.
Must dos?
Must avoids?
Going with two 17 yo girls (our daughters, you pervs), one middle-aged man (besides me) and possibly my wife if she doesnt flake out over flying like she did for our Italy/Spain/Portugal trip
Which island?
Looks like base of operations will be Oahu / Honolulu. Could take puddle jumpers but the wife may balk at too many of those
Standard touristy things that are worth feeling like a tourist:
Places to go that arenāt Waikiki:
Chinatown (gets a little seedy at night, so maybe go during the day or early dinner time)
North Shore. Smaller towns, more local vibes. The surf should be very big on that side of Oahu in December. Unless youāre close to pro level, you wonāt want to ride the big stuff yourself, but itās fun to watch other people try. And just the drive out there is gorgeous. Do when you have plenty of unscheduled time so that you can stop if you see something that you want to stop and explore along the way.
Food:
Asian influences run through a lot of the food, so youāll find lots of Japanese, Filipino, etc.
Hawaiian stuff: poke, malasadas (especially from Leonards), Manapua, Spam Musubi, L&L drive in, Zippys (get the chili or saimin), shave ice, any local seafood.
Hanauma bay is great beginning snorkeling, kona brewery is delish, dole plantation (and the pineapple soft serve) are worth the drive.
The wife brought my drunk ass to a nice restaurant with a good view from our table overlooking the main square for my birthday
CDMX, right? Could it be altitude-related? That can also feel like a hangover (or worsen an existing hangover, I assume)
For sure. Iāve spent a bunch of time lately in Wyoming and Colorado at high altitude but Iām quite sure part of my pounding headache was altitude this AM.
Once, I went straight from MN to Breckenridge, drank with friends that live there until close, and then went to the top of Peak 6 thinking Iād be ok lmao. Found a powder stash and the first wipeout and getting out of the powder had me seeing stars. I was in the best shape of my life too at that time. My friend from Tahoe was smoking cigs the whole time and had no issues lmao.
ETA: There used to be an Irish bar that had $1 Car bombs on Thursdays there. The ceiling was littered with bras from all the people that got drunk at 9600 feet their first times.
Iāve got a planned trip to visit family in LA that will include a side trip to Mammoth. Any ideas for a group that will include children 9 and under and an immobile senior citizen who canāt walk very far?
I guess altitude doesnāt cause increased intoxication but altitude sickness adds to the effect. #themoreyouknow
if you can, go snorkeling. and take a surfing lesson before itās too late. also, eat a lot of tuna, avocado, and other fruit. golfing in hawaii is pretty cool as well.
Yes to golfing, I didnāt love Oahu but I played a few rounds of golf while I was there and it was amazing, scenery straight out of Jurassic Park. If youāre a golfer I defintely recommend playing a round or two. Royal Hawaiian golf club and Koolau (think this is considered one if the hardest courses in the country) were my favorites.
I stayed in Kailua by the marine base, ventured around the north shore and the east side of the island didnāt do much on the west side
Gotta be willing to go with the flow if youāre travelling to Eastern Europe. Not a whole lot has gone as planned for me. Just found out that the buses to Plovdiv have all been cancelled due to covid.
Gonna find out what the Bulgarian train system is like instead. A 6+ hour trip split over two trains rather than a 3 hour direct bus ride.
Going to be in Portland and northern Oregon for a few days. What do I need to see?
sunshine
If you do want to take a surfing lesson, thereās no better place in the world to do so than Waikiki Beach. The gentlest, most beginner-friendly break in the world.
Check out the grotto for a nice afternoon walking around really cool gardens. Pay the few bucks to take the elevator to the second level:
Just got done wandering the Pearl District this afternoon. Place apparently used to be a dump not that long ago but is now littered with good restaurants. My experience with my new backyard is minimal, but I can send some winery recommendations if you want to head out of town a bit for that.
