The Hawaii Traveler

Honolulu was recently one of MSNBC’s 34 Cities Where It’s Better to Rent. The “better to rent” designation was the conclusion of a study using the generalization that truly affordable homes cost no more than 15 times their annual market rent.
Home prices in Honolulu, although falling, have farther to go, according to the study, and therefore are going to leave owners with negative equity were they to sell in four years.
In a related story at MSNBC, you can also explore real estate on the mainland, and Sixty Six Cities where Buying Makes Sense .

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Coralie Matayoshi with Hawaii Red Cross reminded everyone this week–and every week–that across the U.S. nearly 20,000 people are injured in home fires every year.  And when disaster strikes, the Red Cross chapter helps Hawaii victims pick up the pieces.
As part of national Fire Prevention Week, the Red Cross is distributing a tip a day on how you to prevent accidents and stay safe.
Today’s tip: Be careful with candles.
Candle Safety

Never leave a lit candle unattended.
Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
Keep lit candles away from anything that can burn.
Blow out candles after use and before going to bed.
If …read more

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My four-year-old has a grasp of the concept of “good” words and “bad,” and the other day she was trying to quantify the number of words she’s not allowed to use. “How many bad words are there?” she asked me yesterday. I told her that, according to the late there are seven. She seemed satisfied.
How do you curse in Hawaiian? With Swearasaurus, of course. Warning: Use in public at your own risk.

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4th Annual Seafood Festival
Turtle Bay Resort, Kahuku, Hawaii
Friday, October 10th
“Taste of the North Shore Shrimp Trucks”
6:30pm
Tickets: $35 per person
Saturday, October 11th
“Sam Choy Poke Contest”
10:30am – 1pm
Tickets: $ 25 per person
“Seafood Under the Stars”
6:30 pm
Tickets: $75
Taste of the North Shore Shrimp Trucks, Friday, October 10th
All along the world famous North Shore of O’ahu stands Shrimp Trucks. This is the one and only event where you can actually “taste” from each truck for one admittance price, $35.
Turtle Bay Resort has commitments from Macky’s, Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp & Seafood, Hono’s, Famous Kahuku Shrimp, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Romy’s Kahuku Prawn & Shrimp Hut, Big …read more

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Here’s one from the Hawaii celebrities file:
Wayne Dyer, who’s been called “the father of motivation,”  is a longtime Maui resident with a loyal following that finds him walking the beaches and touting the medicinal virtues of Bikram’s yoga.  One of my favorite parts of his “Inspiration” talk broadcast on PBS is his explanation of what it’s like to live in Hawai’i.
“I live on Maui,” he says, “and people often want to know what it’s like to live in Hawai’i.” The rest of the story goes like this: He asks the person what it’s like to live where she lives.  People …read more

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On September 14, 2008, author David Foster Wallace was found dead in his home in California at the age of 46.  While the literary world reels from the author’s suicide, the rest of the world is learning about one of his best and longest works, Infinite Jest.
Wallace’s magnum opus is over a thousand pages long, but is some of the best literature has to offer.  It has nothing to do with Hawai’i really, but if you happen to find yourself at the library, or on the beach for, oh, say twenty years, Infinite Jest is a long-lasting tome that will …read more

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Are you part of the island art scene? If not, would you like to be? The following are some opportunities and calls for artistic works.
PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF HAWAI’I seeks submissions for its Third Annual Juried Members Show, 5-7 p.m., Nov. 7, Wailoa Art Center, Hilo, Big Island; submission deadline, Oct. 1; www.PleinAirPaintersOfHawaii.com or 808-875-7357.
WINDWARD ARTISTS GUILD seeks submissions for its 49th Annual Member Exhibition All Media Exhibition, Oct. 5-31, Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens Gallery, Kane’ohe; prospectus and membership application, 235-5545 or www.hawaiiwag.org.
MACY’S DOWNTOWN seeks artwork to display in The Gazebo restaurant; for details: Francisco.Mireles@macys.com.
Café Che Pasta seeks hanging art in …read more

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If you’re a new media professional who’s been dying for an excuse to take a trip to Hawai’i–and perhaps write it off–there’s still Podcamp Hawai’i. 
Taking place on October 24th, Podcamp Hawai’i is the aloha version of what’s happening in other cities, including Barcelona, Brazil, and Boston.  The two-day event takes place at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.

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This just in, from Vog Watch ‘08:  the Kiluea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has been emitting more than twice the sulphur gasses it traditionally has.  Up until now, winds have swept those vog-causing gasses to  the north, toward Kona and beyond.  Authorities say today, however, that the winds are shifting to a more southwesterly Kona direction, thus affecting Hilo, South Kohala, Puna, and other communities northeast of the volcano summit.
Image by Jody Reale

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From our friend Liz over at b5media’s Traveling the Green Way, we thought you’d like to know about some of the Hawai’i specific items that have been featured there:

The Wyland Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii made Forbes Traveler’s Top Green Hotels list.
Advantage Rent A Car customers get virtual tour guide service via a deal with Tourism Radio in Hawai’i.

In other news, Outside Magazine named Milolii Beach, Hawai’i as one of its 50 places to get away from it all. 
Mega Global, a Beijing-based charter company is planning to begin six weekly nonstop flights to Honolulu from China, the first direct air service …read more

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