Honolulu- Feb 2010

[montrealman]

Sure Hawaii has the beaches and the gorgeous weather, but its also got an interesting little urban gem in Honolulu. Really interesting blend of American and Asian sensibilities, and being located in one of the most beautiful places on earth certainly helps. While most lazed about on the beach, I got out my camera and went for a walk or two. Enjoy!

[dktshb]

Gorgeous, wonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing.

[bobdreamz]

very nice pics!

[Segun]

It reminds me of NEWWWW YOOOOORKK CITTTTYYYYYY!!!

[ColDayMan]

Waaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Nineties Flava]

Wow... I'll be honest and say this was not what I was expecting. That's a very urbanized downtown by any standards... great pics and thanks for correcting my misconceptions.

[OhioGuy]

Oh how I miss Hawaii. I was there in February 2010 as well. It was a work trip, but fortunately I had some time to get out & enjoy being in paradise rather than cold Ohio. I especially liked the first & third photos!

[stepper77]

The first shot is amazing and the rest are just as good. My bf just got back from Honolulu and I wish I could have gone. I spent a total of four hours on Oahu transporting to/from the airport from my cruise ship and it is was the only island I didn't get to explore. Beautiful!

[Expat]

Thanks...I could use some Hawaii right now.

[Leo the Dog]

My first and only time to Hawaii was 11 years ago. Love the pictures!

[destroycreate]

Is Honolulu a dense, walkable city with cool neighborhoods or is it mostly sprawl?

[Urbanguy]

^The city is very dense & I'd say most walkable from Chinatown (Western edge of CBD) to Waikiki. There is sprawl like any other city. However, development is mainly restricted to a relatively thin strip of land (east to west) due to the Ko'olau mountain range & Pacific Ocean. As for the neighborhoods in the city -- they are quite different from what you'd find on the U.S. mainland. Id' say that if you're looking for something comparable to what you'd find on the U.S. Mainland, Canada, etc you will probably be dissapointed. Most of the historic buildings were destroyed years ago & those that remain are primarily located in & around Chinatown, the Capital District with a few sprinkled around other parts of the city. As for the suburbs, well, that's where you'll find a lot of similarities with other U.S. metros excluding Billboards (they were banned in the 40s or so)!

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Urbanguy

Id' say that if you're looking for something comparable to what you'd find on the U.S. Mainland, Canada, etc you will probably be dissapointed.

Thanks for your pics!

From a planning standpoint, I'd say Honolulu feels more like a tropical/Latin American city, a Brazilian city, or some Asian cities. Its urban form really is unique in the U.S. It manages to be both incredibly dense, urban, and interesting, and also somewhat pedestrian unfriendly. But in any case, its an underrated urban gem in the U.S. for sure (and in a way, I'm happy to keep it that way!). Oh, and Honolulu is also home to what will be the best new rail transit system under construction anywhere in the U.S. Not like so many new light rail systems tucked away in highway rights-of-way, or other convenient but out-of-the-way freight corridors. No, it'll be entirely grade-separated, and will actually go to where the people are (a novel concept, I know).

[whatsthepoint13]

Wow, these are spectacular. My parents have a home in Kapolei (western suburb of Honolulu) and I used to live there. The cold weather here makes me miss it! I think we were there at the same time possibly. Mahalo!