Starbucks Hawaii Tumblers
Out for a week or two are these new Starbucks ceramic tumblers featuring the state of Hawaii. Collectors, take notice.
hawaii
Note to Self: Target Hawaii Does Not Price Match Amazon
Just a reminder to myself that Target locations in Hawaii do not price match online stores. They’ll price match target.com but not other sites like Amazon.com. On the mainland, it’s a different story, but be wary of the “except Alaska and Hawaii” exemption clauses.
So if you ever need to upgrade your cable modem to take advantage of Oceanic’s newer faster speeds, you can’t just go to Target, hoping they’ll sell you the $120 Motorola SB6183 cable modem at the $90 Amazon price. Just won’t happen. Even with a 10% electronics coupon, Amazon is still cheaper.
What Will Be at the Corner of Hahani and Hamakua?
Not sure what will be at the corner of Hahani and Hamakua in Kailua, but finally some action is taking place. For a long time, the ground was dug up then sat there covered.
The area has been uncovered and cleared so we’ll see soon enough.
Did The Bus Give Me a Shaka?
Wait, what? Did The Bus just flash me a shaka and a message of mahalo? This morning as I let a bus cut in my lane of traffic, the bright, back LED screen displayed a shaka hand followed by “mahalo.” Ha, had never noticed this before and was too dumbfounded to take a pic.
Well, it seems this shaka feature has been around since 2013. I guess I never warranted a shaka before, or this morning’s bus had a newer more noticeable screen.
Maui Mike’s Fire Roasted Chicken Coming to Kailua
There was Great Harvest then Z’s Bakery. Soon enough this spot in the Enchanted Lakes Shopping Center will be home to Maui Mike’s Fire-Roasted Chicken. The transformation from bakery to chicken fire roaster looks almost done, so I’m guessing they’ll be open by December?
The Yelp reviews are excellent. Can’t wait to try me some fire-roasted chicken!
That’s Cultural Pride Right There!
Wow! You don’t see this getup everyday. I had to do a doubletake when I saw this hat pass me by. That’s cultural pride right there and at the Home Depot no less!
From Frappula to Frapopola
The standard Frappula has no caffeine so meet its dark-toned derivative, the Frapopola. That’s a local kine popolo Frappula. It’s the Frappula with jive.
I asked that the creme-based white chocolate Frappuccino be substituted with a caffeinated Frappuccino. Not as impressive looking though as seen in the shots below.
Ala Moana Updates
While the new Ala Moana wing with Bloomingdales is set to open in November, the rest of the mall is getting a facelift as well. Check out some of the changes I witnessed over the weekend.
The new lighting on the pillars, under the covered walkway, and the torch-shaped lampposts in the “islands.”
Here’s a closer look at the tiled pillar with cool lighting.
The koi and other water ponds have seating that matches the wooden motif of the “new” Ala Moana. The koi aren’t back yet.
Hold up. What’s going on in this picture?
Give up? The faithful wooden stairs are gone.
Sikdorak II to Take On Kaneohe
Now this is a business challenge with Sikorak opening its second location in Kaneohe. I’m guessing Sikdorak II mimics the all-you-can-eat-Korean-food-for-$20 as the original Sikdorak. But there is a twist with a maximum 90-minute stay.
That 90-minute restriction will make or break Sikdorak II I’m thinking. People in Kaneohe love bargains (just how many discount stores can Windward Mall hold?) and love to eat (where in Hawaii did you first see a McDonald’s double-wide drive thru?). So can that 90-minute limit offset the cost of food all gotten for $20 per person? Therein lies the business solvency problem that Sikdorak is up against. I gotta give it a try but I admit, I think Sikdorak II is in for a tough challenge.
Why Danielle Tucker Is the Best Traffic Reporter
Yup, Danielle is definitely the best traffic reporter on Oahu. Not only are her traffic reports detailed, understandable, and extremely useful, but she interacts with her audience, helping them through their commute. Case in point was Tuesday’s traffic debacle. Leaving work almost immediately I ran into a backlog of cars, and time ticked by trying to make the short drive to Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City. I mean I didn’t mind hanging out with Big T for a few minutes but try 20 minutes…
Being at an essential standstill, I figured I’d ask Ms. Tucker what’s up with the local area traffic. The Twitterverse being the Twitterverse I never expected any kind of response but then came this online conversation.
Wow. Not only did she respond, she actually acted on my question, looking into the problematic intersection. And then, it was like she was actually watching the situation asking me if I made it through the last light (which coincidentally felt longer allowing more cars to proceed). Was Danielle working some Traffic Management Center magic like a traffic guardian angel? Who knows. All I know is that Danielle Tucker is the best traffic reporter on Oahu.
Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that she can take a joke being the target of Gregg Hammer’s Two Voice Tuesday impersonations.
Island Snow Hat CDN Test
Needed an image to test out DreamHost’s DreamObjects CDN service so here’s the latest pics on my iPhone. These are cool-looking hats from the new Island Snow location in Kailua.
Green and Silver Swell Bottles at Starbucks
Here I thought the stainless steel Swell water bottles would sell out at Starbucks island-wide. Nope, you still can readily find the special orange Hawaii makeup at local Starbucks locations. Not only that, but you can now get green and silver Swells as well.
