Kakaako

This 600-acre section of Honolulu between Ala Moana Center and downtown is in the middle of a decade-long redevelopment plan that began in 2012; it remains a neighborhood in transition. Now home to everything from ramshackle mechanic shops to the University of Hawaii’s medical school, Kakaako’s old warehouses and mom-and-pop storefronts are being replaced by gleaming luxury condos, shops, and restaurants. The neighborhood is bustling with construction crews and swaying cranes. Many new condo buildings have already been finished, and others grow taller by the day or are about to break ground. It's also home to new big-box stores including T.J. Maxx, as well as smaller local boutiques. Every month seems to bring new happenings such as the Honolulu Night Market, a pop-up shopping event.