honolulu GTG
 

ok, ok. after tons of hints, last one being on BOB'S "i'm back from europe" thread, heres what i have come up with.

first of all, i was hoping our visiting fodorites would pick a date, as they are the ones having to adjust their busy work schedules to coincide it with optimum airfares. however, it seems that a starting date would be helpful.

so, here it is, aug. 26. its the last sat. in aug. i think by that time, most of the college kids have come and gone back to school, and hopefully the fares may be more attractive, or at least, there might be more seats available.

if i recall correctly, lucy suggested seoul garden, a korean yakiniku place. its next to femme nu(a gentlemens club), not too far from waikiki. i have been there(not the gentlemens club) but to the restaurant. its a nice place with a private room in the back large enough to accomodate our group.

i think ht knows mama-san(:-) so hopefully, when he is not too busy, he and i can make a call on mama to see if she can waive the corkage fee. they also have good vegetarian dishes. the tofu hotpot is very good.

hopefully, other hi-fods will chime in with suggetions, and other options.

sooo, carol, guen, kathie, and other visiting fodorites, what say you? i've seen other new hi posters here, so we would love to meet you all, and also the others, like melissa, and her friend(sorry i forgot your name), and isis and dh(sorry forgot name too), and also divediva, who has been very quite here.

for gpanda, i would be at the boston gtg if not for other travel commitments. boston is one of my favorite places, love fanueil hall, durgen park, the north end. would have loved to catch a pats or ravens game, but maybe next time. who knows, we may catch up in one of the mini gtg in bangkok being planned by his royal eminence.

ok, i lied, i went to the club on a boy's night out.lol.

Looks like a free weekend for me. I'm going to start checking out flights! Put me down as a very probably "yes" at this point. Thanks for getting this scheduled.
Carol

kuranoskue, I am glad to see you are right back in there swingin' w/the best of them.

My husband has had it w/my travel schedule with all the IAD/LAX travel for business this year and then the Japan trip. He wants me to stay home all summer. So what am I doing? Going to Cabo w/girlfriends next weekend. But seriously, after that I am staying home for a few months. (I am starting to sweat and get dizzy as I type those words. I haven't gone a few months without travel in a long long time.)

So I won't be in Hawaii, but you and hawaiitraveler and everyone else have a pina colada (or whatever little umbrella drinks you order there) for me.

I've emailed isis to give her the date. Hope she will post here that she and DH will make it to the GTG.
Carol

(is Illinois the FARTHEST so far???)

i have e mailed our best man in hono to tell him about the GTG....we have company that week so will not be able to attend this one...so sorry...

meet you in bangkok however in both november and december...

ken i saw you at that club last weekend and the weekend before....who are you kidding...haha

bob

ken:

Linda and I will be there. I've never been to SG but have heard alot about it so it's up to you about the corkage. I do know Yooni the owner of FN, but that doesn't helps us any :). Hope all can attend.
Aloha!

hi carol, glad to see the very probable yes. and so far, it looks like il is the farthest. btw, not to change the subject, i went to soi 18 last i was in bangkok looking for ming. did she go elsewhere?

emd, still not feeling 100 percent, but decided to quit moping around, and get on with my life as best as i can. still can't run around the block yet.

i kinda figured you might be travelled out with all the west coast biz trips, japan, and the other remaining trips for the year. there will always be next time.

i am enjoying your trip report to japan. i can just picture you after getting the tankobu(bump) on the head at the temple, and laughing about it. i think i would have done the same thing.

ht, why did i get the feeling that you know yuni? i think if we go see her together, we would overhelm her with our charm, and she might even throw in a few comp dishes. lol.

bob, yes, pls let skip know about the gtg. would be happy to meet him. too bad you can't come this time. hopefully next time.

Russ and I shall be there too.
Thanks Ken. And the korean yakiniku restaurant is a good idea!
Carol, thanks for the heads up.

Looking forward to seeing all the gang at the last HNL gtg.

Just checking to see if okay to invite a very well traveled couple who do not post on this message board to this upcoming gtg.

Looking forward to seeing the Mainland fodorites at this GTG.

Carol, hope you and maybe Brad can make it to this GTG! Guenmai and Kathie, too.

isis, glad to hear you and russ are coming. bring your friends along, all are welcome.

Thanks so much for setting a date, Kuranosuke. I'd love to come and visit with all the Hawaii Fodorites again! Given my schedule, though, it's not clear whether I can arrange it or not. I'll keep you posted. Even if I can't be there in person, I will be there in spirit!

I leave for Singapore/Bangkok the day before the planned GTG. I thought someone said that it would be in September or October this year. I know the Boston one is in October...I'll be there, but I thought the Honolulu one would be after summer has passed. Happy Travels!

guen, would an earlier aug date be good for you? how about carol? kathie?

Kuranosuke... a later date would be better for me personally. Remember, last year I suggested September and Kathie was interested in September,too because by then hopefully the prices will have dropped and the tourists gone home. I'll be back from BK around September 5th, I think, so late September would be good for me. It was quite expensive to get there in August last year. Happy Travels!

kuranosuke, my schedule is so up in the air right now, I can't say what would be best. Set a date that is good for others, and I'll make it if I can.

I have not purchased any ticket yet, just watching for good deals, so if the date gets changed to sometime in September I could probably still make it. It would depend upon the date, as my schedule gets busy around the end of the month. From about the 20th onward, I'd be unable to be there. And then the Boston GTG is early Oct, and I don't want to miss that one either!!

Carol

hi carol, i was hoping to hear from you. ok, glad to hear you have flexibility for some dates in sep. perhaps it might be best if you and guen can suggest a date(s) in sep. and we will work around those dates.

I guess my first pick would be the 16th of Sept. That would allow me about 5 days on the island before I'd have to get back home. But please see what others have to say...
Carol

I just read through this whole thread once again and realized there was a question about Ming. I'm not really sure where she is right now. She was to open a new room on soi 18. Then that changed to soi 11. As far as I know, she still has not opened her room anywhere. There were some problems she had to iron out first.

Re: date... maybe we should stick with Aug 26???? What say you??? Sorry guenmai... would love to see you there, but maybe it is the best date to consider???

Carol

well, after sleeping on it last night, i came to the same conclusion as carol. lets just keep it at 8/26. we already have eight committed to attend.

sorry guen, :-( just didn't remember about sep being a better month for you, but now we know.

as far as the location, its at seoul garden on kapiolani.

kuranosuke
Thanks for picking a date and setting it in stone. Now I can go shopping for airfares, etc.

See you in HNL in August, unless some unforeseen event keeps me away.

Carol

See you in 2007..... Kathie...Why don't you plan a GTG in Seattle? I've always wanted to come to Seattle? Happy Travels!

Guenmai
Sorry you can't make it. But I will catch up with you in Boston in Oct.

We'll think of you in HNL.

Carol

Guenmai, when my schedule calms down, let me think about when would be a good time. There are a number of people who post here who are from Seattle, and it would be great if you could fly up here.

Sounds great to me, Kathie...I'll get my rain boots ready!! Oh, that's right, I remember you saying that it really doesn't rain in Seattle as much as people think. But,I'll get them ready just in case. Happy Travels!

If it's any time during the Seattle Rain Festival (October - May), do bring your boots!

kathie, if its not too much trouble, try to schedule it when the mariners, or seahawks, or huskies are in town.

guen, sep 2007 sounds good to me. we will miss you.

OK, Kuranosuke...I'll just have to wait another year. I was really looking forward to Hawaii this year, but since it took me 35 years to get back to Hawaii when I finally got there last year, well, I guess I can survive waiting two years before returning again. Who knows, if I find a cheap flight at some point during the year, I may just zip over there. I could then post to see if anyone's in town and wants to do lunch or dinner...not a GTG...just a quick meal. I wouldn't mind coming during low season for a restful get away. And now that I've just moved about 15 minutes away from the small Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport, I can do more get-aways. No more spending an hour in traffic to LAX. I used to live about 25-30 minutes from the Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena airport. Happy Travels!

Kathie...You won't believe this, but I have a LOT of umbrellas. I have an umbrella obsession. Smiles. Most of them have never felt rain water.I use them as sun umbrellas. It was 100-degrees yesterday. I even bought a new umbrella at Shanghai Tang when we were in Hawaii at last year's GTG. I went over to the Ala Moana Shopping Center several times. So, it would be SO much fun to finally use the umbrellas for a RAIN purpose. How cold does it get in Seattle in Oct/Nov? I'm not too keen on cold, but I could take out my one heavy coat...an Eddie Bauer 1988, full-length, down coat that I bought to take to Denmark when I went to visit a sick friend back in 1988. It's ankle length and I can barely move in the awkward thing.You won't miss ME coming! Smiles. Happy Travels!

Fares on United LAX-HNL for that weekend were way too high to book during the last few days of the double miles promotion that ended yesterday. Coach awards aren't available. If the fare doesn't come down (from $1136) significantly I won't be able to make it this year. BUT I did book a FC award in case I changed my mind.

mrw, it would be great if you could make it. i have been checking the ua site, and yes, the fares are up there.

its cheaper to fly from ord.

well, if you can't make it this year, perhaps plan on sep. 2007.

aloha fellow travelers....

when a date has been determined, i would love to attend this year.

again, august is still busy...i work for
expedia.com and just ck'd end of august airfares and they are still considered
high season...

let me know what you all decide..(aug 26
is my b-day so that would be great for me)

a hui ho

I had the same price problems last August. I could have flown to Bangkok for less than what United was charging last August. I got a package through, I think it was Travelocity, but that wasn't cheap either. Happy Travels!

Flts from ORD to HNL are under $900. It gets expensive when I then add the HHV for one week... YIKES! I don't plan on flying all the way to HNL and then stay only a few days (unless I take Bob's suggestion and include HNL in a BKK trip). Nothing booked yet. I notice that prices fluctuate by day. Gotta catch it on a "cheap" day... LOL
Carol

hhv is a premier property, so it doesn't surprise me that it is pricey. perhaps look at off beach properties and see the diff in prices. btw, the hhv is about 5 min. from seoul garden. let me know if i can help on this end.

Kuranosuke
I've stayed at HHV twice (so far) and really love it there. It has so much to offer, right on the grounds, so I don't have to venture very far if I don't want to. Plus, the tour buses all make a stop there (or very nearby).

I've also stayed at the Outrigger Reef on the beach, and it is a nice place also. Years and years ago (mid 60's) I stayed at a place a couple of blocks in from the beach, just across the street from the Int'l marketplace area. I'm sure the name has changed several times since then. I have no idea what it is now called, but it was also a decent place 40 years ago... lol

Do you have any suggestions for me for off-beach but close to shopping and the tour bus stops? I'd sure listen.

Carol

I just got a whiff of this GTG from Carol's post on the US Board. Kuranosuke, do you want me to post an announcement there for any other fodorites who might want to come? and it's OK if I attend this event, right?

I've never been to SG but I did go to Femme Nu on a dare once. I woke up sick with a cold the next morning--who knows what kinds of viruses are flying around that place!!

If anyone is in town on September 15, 16, 17.....here are some things happening since it's Aloha Festival time:
Sept 15 - Downtown Ho'olaulea (block party)
Sept 16 - Annual floral parade in Waikiki
Sept 17 - Ukulele contest at Aloha Tower Marketplace featuring local artists & amateurs, and a Japanese superstar

I'll also have the Hawaii Woodshow going on, on the second floor. Check out exhibits by local artists using only wood that has been planted & grown in Hawaii. You might even be able to buy one of their pieces!

~shameless plug from Melissa~

hi mellisa; of course you are most welcome to attend. i was hoping you would see this and be able to make it. also, pls do post this on the other board, all are welcome. just need a head count.

carol, i took a lazy sunday drive to waikiki today and went on kuhio ave.(parallel to kalakaua ave.) to look for a few good off beach hotels. i have never stayed in anyone of these, so i don't know what the inside looks like, but they are in a good location, and look good from the outside.

ohana malia: i think guen stayed here last year.

ohana west, and the ohana east. the west and east are in a central location. i don't know if the tour bus goes to these hotels, but they are about a 5 min. walk to the hyatt, and i know they are alot of tour buses there. the east and west are also close to the kings court market place and the international marketplace.

the hotels are also on the city bus line, so catching the bus to town and the ala moana center should be no problem. also, they are quite a few trolleys around that will take you around waikiki, to the shopping center, to downtown hono, chinatown, and other locations.

here is the website for the ohana properties:

http://ohanahotels.com/

current attendees:

peter and linda
isis and russ + their two friends
ken and jackie

does anyone have a suggestion for a starting time?