Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 4
4/21/2010
Pearl Harbor
Today's featured activity was our first-ever trip to Pearl Harbor and it was much anticipated. The drive out to Pearl wasn't exactly as smooth as I would have liked, however, due to a little "Driver Foolishness" on my part. In the process of trying to get onto the H-1 freeway off Pi`ikoi Street, we ended up back off the freeway on some unknown street (I later realized we were on Vineland Blvd.). Trying to follow the difficult to read signage, I had to wait for traffic to pass by before making the move into the right-most lane. While stopped, a Honolulu cop came up behind us, got out of his vehicle and was motioning (since he was behind the car and I was looking out the passenger window, I didn't see him) and apparently yelling (which I obviously didn't hear) to go straight ahead. So, when I made the lane change (sort of) and took off towards the on-ramp, this irritated him more than a little. He certainly was irritated by the time he caught up to us on the H-1 and pulled us over. The ticket I received ($95, and the State Of Hawaii should be grateful for my ******* donation) was sketchy at best. He called it an improper right turn. I call it a "ticket the tourist, because they can't stick around to fight the infraction" shakedown. Bogus.
Of course, I puckered up and set a personal record for use of the word "sorry" by the time he was gone. What the hell else was I about to do? Argue? Right, like he was going to reconsider and let me go with a warning? As I said, bogus.
With that delay behind us, we continued on to Pearl Harbor, which is surprisingly easy to find if you know which exit to take. The weather wasn't ideal, with sprinkles of rain off and on. Quick tip; if you're going to Pearl Harbor, get there no later than 7:30 unless you want to wait at least two hours for your boat ride over to Ford Island and the Arizona Memorial. We got there just after 8:00 and couldn't get a tour until 10:20. Luckily, there was much to see and visit at the Visitors Center, so time went by rather quickly.
Being on the Arizona Memorial is a deeply moving and somber experience, when you realize you're literally standing over the gravesite of 1,177 souls. It's difficult to describe what it's really like unless you've been there. Put it this way; the fairly chatty group of individuals which took the boat over to Ford Island was quiet on the way back. It can't help but affect you to some extent.
USS Bowfin
Names on the wall at the Arizona Memorial of those who perished in the attack
Leaving the USS Arizona Memorial behind
Buca di Beppo
Whenever we're in a city which has a Buca di Beppo, we always make it a point to try to visit that restaurant. Their combination of tasty Italian food, huge portions and reputable service make this a Can't Miss restaurant.
Once again, Buca lived up to its reputation. I had the chicken parmigiana; not as good as it used to be when it came with prosciutto but still pretty impressive. Patty had the Supremo Italiano pizza, and it simply rocked! The service, as always here, was excellent. Prices were very reasonable for what we selected.
View from our lanai
Walking along the Ala Wai Canal
Previous: 4/20/2010--Our Trip to Hawai'i (2010)--Day 3
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