oon after I arrived for the ASTA World
Travel Congress here in Honolulu, I discovered that I had forgotten
to pack some items. It was early on Saturday evening and the Ala
Moana shopping center next to my hotel was open for a few more
hours.
I took the elevator to the second floor of the Ala Moana Hotel,
walked down a ramp and into the Macy's parking lot. In minutes, I
was in the mens' department and a little while later, I was back in
my room with the items in hand.
Perhaps more than any popular tourist destination, Hawaii offers
a blend of the exotic and the familiar. You can gaze for a long
while at the placid Pacific and moments later, if you choose, shop
at Macy's.
Some might find the presence of shopping malls an intrusion into
their Hawaiian holiday; I find it remarkably convenient.
Apart from its extraordinary setting, a major reason people love
it here has to do with the easy friendliness of just about everyone
you come across. The clerk in Macy's was pleasant and capable; the
hotel doorman gave me directions with genuine earnestness; a cab
driver talked agreeably about the slight improvement in tourism in
recent weeks; the waiter in the coffee shop couldn't have been
nicer or more efficient.
And the multicultural composition of the population never ceases
to fascinate. The entertainment at a breakfast sponsored by Hertz,
Marriott and Amtrak included a troupe from Samoa; the master of
ceremonies was a stand-up comic with impeccable timing. His
routine, not likely to be found in a mainland comedy club,
consisted of executing the cracking of a coconut using audience
members as his assistants. He was so charming that the agents even
forgave him when he asked if they wanted to hear "Samoa" (some
more) jokes.
It is a long, tiring ride from Newark but the moment you step
off the plane here, you know it was worth it.