ala moana

September 2 2013

Aroma Caffe No Longer at Ala Moana

Gee Why Addiction, Life ala moana, coffee, food, hawaii

On a recent trip to Ala Moana, I made my rounds then headed to Aroma Caffe for a caffeine pick-me-up. With a location in the center court area, this cafe is typically empty which makes for short waits. Let’s be honest, the Starbucks end caps in Macy’s and Sears are just way too crowded and your drink takes forever. I never got into the Honolulu Coffee Company even with their convenient locations. So Aroma Caffe was perfect – good location, short waits, decent prices, and I personally liked my espresso drinks.

But on this day, the location was vacant with no trace of the colorful Italian themed kiosk. Maybe they relocated in the mall due to all the construction? I couldn’t find their relocation using Foursquare or Yelp so instead I headed to my backup coffee spot, the eBar at Nordstrom’s.

Looking online, Aroma’s site still lists Ala Moana, but Ala Moana’s web site does not show them as a vendor. On Facebook, there are pictures of a new storefront with no location given, but on Yelp, a recent review places Aroma at the Ilikai Hotel. Aw bummers, looks like I lost my coffee oasis in Ala Moana. 🙁 Thanks for the memories, Aroma Caffe.

June 12 2013

Ala Moana Unveilings

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, hawaii, shopping

In the upcoming weeks, there’ll be some “unveilings” done at Ala Moana. Of course, there’s the grand opening of the new Microsoft Store on Thursday, June 13, 2013. Following the store’s launch is their exclusive concert featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis + Neon Trees (at Kakaako however).

The following week on June 19, this mysterious Lexus will be uncovered. It’s a reddish maroon IS model that’s completely covered over, including the wheels. Kinda gimmicky but if the car looked as is, then it’s kinda fascinating.

Even with these unveilings, do not forget the titans.

June 11 2013

Where Titans Once Stood

Gee Why Life, Pulp ala moana, hawaii, kahala mall, shopping

It’s somewhat saddening to see these locations vacated and boarded up. Both stores were long time tenants at their respective shopping malls, Sears at Ala Moana and Cinnabon at Kahala Mall. Now, both are mere shells of these ancient titans.

sears-ala-moana — Formerly Sears at Ala Moana

cinnabon-kahala-mall — Formerly Cinnabon at Kahala Mall

May 22 2013

Won a Tote Bag at Kipling Grand Opening

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, hawaii, kipling, shopping

Trendy bag maker, Kipling, has come to Hawaii with its grand opening at Ala Moana. For a limited time, you can win various prizes by participating in in-store games and giveaways. Guess who won something?

Purely by luck, we beat the odds and won this Kipling tote.

Stop by the new store and test your luck. Thanks Kipling!

May 2 2013

Seen at Foot Locker House of Hoops

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, foot locker, kicks, lebron, Nike, shoes, sneakers

Two pairs of kicks caught my eye this weekend while perusing the Ala Moana Foot Locker. This House of Hoops locale still had the LeBron X Low Easter colorway in size 10 (at least two pairs).

The recent Nike Zoom HyperFlight Premium inspired by the universe was there as well.

Oh, those HyperFlight, gotta love and hate this minimalist shoe.

March 12 2013

New at Footlocker

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, foot locker, kicks, shoes, sneakers

The past weekend must have been a kicks-buying kind of weekend with the crowds at Footlocker Ala Moana. Sure, sure, this is the only Footlocker House of Hoops in Hawaii, but the crowds were throughout the entire store, not just in the elite hoops area.

Maybe the crowds came for the new Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+. These shoes are woven but feel sturdy yet very light weight.

But what the kicks fiends must have been there for had to be the Martian-like Reebok ATV 19+. I thought pictures of these all terrain shoes looked wack but in real life, they are really, really weird.

March 9 2013

Today I Learned…

Gee Why Life, Pulp ala moana, hawaii, macys

that the temperature in the private event room of Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room in Macy’s Ala Moana is not adjustable. Supposedly, it is controlled by a facility in New Jersey. Yes, that’s what was explained to our party when asking if we cool off the room a little. Yes, that New Jersey – not in Ala Moana, not in Honolulu, not in Hawaii, not in the Pacific Ocean, not on the West Coast, but the New Jersey that is five time zones away.

Or is this just made up? I’m thinking the policy of the temperature setting is set forth by New Jersey, but actually controlling the temperature? Sounds like a cover story to me…

February 18 2013

Ala Moana Last Week

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, hawaii

So this week at Ala Moana Center, there were lion dances and a flash freeze mob, but what about last week? Last week was more mellow although it started on a rare note as I parked next to a Maserati. At Champs Sports, I spied the Nike Air Max 95 EM Honolulu version. But I couldn’t find Center Court. Where’d it go?

I did find the future home of the Microsoft Store. It’s next to Bath and Body Works, diagonal from the Apple Store, and faces Fashion Secrets.

I also found the new and temporary Centertainment stage by Nordstrom’s. It’s small.

Week by week, this mall giant changes ever so much. For a little bit more pictures, check out the gallery below.

February 18 2013

Freeze Frame Flash Mob at Ala Moana

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On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Ala Moana Center celebrated Chinese New Year by unleashing dancing lions to traverse the mall. As the many drumbeats of the performances echoed throughout, the once home of Center Court held a silent show. A freeze frame flash mob quietly assembled frozen in poses for a few minutes.

It took a little while for shoppers to understand this was a show, not just people standing in the way of bustling shoppers. This performance did catch the Ala Moana security guards off guard. Do they remove these silent models? Is this a sanctioned show? I’m guessing this flash mob is this event organized on Facebook.

A few more frozen pics.

I was tempted to tap one of them on the shoulder to ask for directions or something. 😉

February 17 2013

Celebrating Chinese New Year at Ala Moana Center

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, cny, hawaii

To celebrate Chinese New Year and to welcome the Year of the Snake, Ala Moana Center held a celebration at the Centertainment stage. Over 10 lions performed after kung fu demonstrations and the introduction of the 2013 Narcissus court.

Then the lions took to the shops, visiting various stores looking for red envelopes.

After about two hours, the lions made their conclusion at Macy’s.

Lions on the Macy's escalator — Lions on the Macy’s escalator

Strike a pose!

For a lot more pictures, watch the below photo gallery.

December 16 2012

At Ala Moana Again

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, hawaii, shopping

One more week closer to Christmas means one more shopping session at Ala Moana. This time, we went early to capitalize on Macy’s sale and early opening. The crowds are tolerable at 8am (that’s one hour after Macy’s opened), but the parking cones in the structure were blocking the stalls nearest Macy’s for some reason.

Anyways, what did I see this past weekend? Even the high traffic (and slow throughput) Starbucks in Macy’s had a few free-coffee-in-January tumblers still available. I wonder if these will be discounted at some point?

Macy’s sells Kitchen Aid mixers in a variety of colors. From the looks of things, the pink version is “hot.” I can’t imagine anyone trying to shoplift these heavy mixers.

ala-moana-kitchen-aid-pink2 — Pink Kitchen Aid Mixers

Chilewich placemats. Never saw them before, but I liked the designs, but no, I didn’t buy any.

ala-moana-chilewich-placemat — Chilewich Placemats

Wandered downstairs to ride the not-often-seen flat escalator. Where else in Hawaii can you ride one of these?

Since I was nearby Champ’s Sports, I figured I’d stop by to see any new releases. Champs was about to open at 9:30, and there was a small line waiting to get in. I learned that this new Kevin Durant KD5 colorway dropped.

ala-moana-kd5 — KDV Bright Crimson, Volt, Wolf Grey

But the KD5 wasn’t the real prize. This was.

ala-moana-aj11-bred-tix — AJ 11 BRED raffle

The Air Jordan 11 “BRED” are releasing next week and with all the chaos that’s recently accompanied Nike releases, there are new policies in place. Instead of lining up for the release, Champs and Foot Locker implemented a raffle system where random shoppers are picked to purchase the new release. Since I was there, it was kismet that I got myself a ticket. 🙂

Shopping at Nordstroms is so much fun. I don’t actually think I’ve bought anything from this upscale retailer, but you definitely get a different point of view shopping here. Here’s a great example.

ala-moana-under-100 — Gifts (We Love) Under $100

Okay, okay, it really says “Gifts We Love Under $100,” but I read it as “Gifts Under $100.” Under a $100?! Only at Nordies!

What’s probably not under $100 at Nordstroms are these sequined (bedazzled) UGGs.

And definitely not under $100 is this special edition Viktor & Rolf Bugaboo Chameleon stroller. Yes, its handles are leather bound for the driver.

ala-moana-bugaboo-vikor2 — Viktor & Rolf Bugaboo Chameleon Stroller

What was supremely surprising walking Ala Moana Center? The number of out of order escalators. Still. I encountered a few in the past few weeks, and they were still broken. Not just one or two, but four were busted.

Will there be one more visit Â to Ala Moana before Christmas? I doubt it since I think we’re done shopping. But you just never know…

Here are even more pictures from our shopping spree.

December 13 2012

Seen at Ala Moana

Gee Why Life, Passion ala moana, hawaii, shopping

With Christmas approaching quickly, we’ve been spending more time at Ala Moana. Surprisingly, things are changing just as fast at the mall as I’ve noticed new things each time. Â Here are some shots.