The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
A road trip would not be complete without a visit to the Hawaii State Capitol Building so we headed over not knowing what to expect. It definitely did not even remotely resemble any statehouse we'd seen on the mainland, and it didn't connect in any way to the last royal Hawaiian residence at the Iolani Palace. Sadly, this state capitol was our absolute least favorite of them all. My heart broke a little as we stared … [Read more...]
The Iolani Palace was the was the last home of the Hawaiian monarchy and while it is quite beautiful it has a sad and painful history. This is where Hawaii’s last remaining monarch, Queen Liliokalani was held captive under house arrest while her kingdom was seized and eventually annexed by the United States. As wealthy American businessmen gained more power and wealth in the islands (think pineapple and … [Read more...]
The reason I chose Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for dinner for the gang, was a) it had family friendly cuisine and b) it had a cool surfing museum on site. We took a pleasant walk over from our hotel to the main shopping drag on Kalakaua Ave. where the restaurant is located in the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber resort. This was such a touristy place, right in the heart of the Honolulu mix but it had a lot of … [Read more...]
The memorial at Pearl Harbor is something I believe in my heart that every American should see. It is a somber memorial and we all felt it was a most moving tribute to the greatest generation, the brave men and women who fought an heroic battle against a surprise attack on December 7th, 1941, the pivotal moment in which the United States was thrust into World War II. Make sure you call ahead and get your … [Read more...]
Any visit to the island of Oahu would not be complete without a stop at the very famous Waikiki beach. The beach itself is very pretty surrounded by luxury hotels and restaurants and is the place to be. It's jam packed with sunbathers, swimmers, surfers and boogie boarders and it is a scene. After staying on the other major islands and taking in their glorious unspoiled beauty, we decided to stay at the Hilton … [Read more...]
As I planned our trip to Alaska, one of our main goals was to learn more about the native peoples-their history, their culture and their relationship with the land, surviving brutal winters in sub freezing temperatures. As we arrived in Anchorage we couldn't wait to explore the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a wonderful experiential museum that is a great introduction to all the native villages. Living in Alaska is … [Read more...]
As I've said many times before, locals are usually the winning bet for finding out where to get the best food. Arriving at the Embassy Suites Anchorage in the evening, my crew was famished . We asked the front desk clerk where we could grab a bite since it was already late (9:30 pm). She told us we just had to try The Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria around the corner-gourmet pizzas, salads, and other yummy treats … [Read more...]
So how crazy is this? When I was about 10 years old (I am dating myself here by telling you that was in 1975) my parents splurged big time and took my brothers and I on a trip to Hawaii. One of our more memorable stops was The Polynesian Cultural Center which will forever remain memorialized in my dad's vintage super 8 footage which my mom recently had converted to a dvd. If you can believe it, the entire … [Read more...]
Heading out of Honolulu on our way to the North Shore we stopped at the Dole Pineapple Plantation to learn about one of Hawaii's signature crops. A word of warning, this "plantation" is a massive tourist trap. There are some free activities like a pineapple cutting demonstration but some of the other activities will cost you, like the enormous pineapple maze and the train ride and garden tour. We opted not to do … [Read more...]
If you are lucky enough or adventurous enough or both to head up to Barrow and you're looking for a good meal, you've just got to check out Niggivikput at the Top of The World Hotel. After our plane ride from Fairbanks we were famished and had just enough time to grab some lunch before our tour of Barrow with Tundra Tours. Lucky for us the hotel where the tour leaves from had a wonderful restaurant named … [Read more...]
