Featured City of the Week #1

This week's city, is Honolulu, Hawai'i. The city of Honolulu is located on the island of O'ahu. I lived on this island for three years, and I loved it. I spent the most of my high school years there and made a lot of friends. While not in school, I visited a lot of places. There are some places that I regret not being able to see (no money=much problem) so I will include those places on here as well.
1. Diamond Head. An ancient volcanic crater. Although most visitors hike to the top (which I've heard has a great view), I never actually got to go. I've driven around the bottom (since its near the beach and houses), past it, and I've even seen if from afar. But I never actually got to go there. This place is still on my must-see list.
2. Hanauma Bay. A crescent-shaped beach where visitors can snorkel and view marine life. It once had live coral but after all the visitors, and people putting their feet down when they're not supposed to, the coral have died. But don't despair. There are plenty of marine life still living in these waters and they are still as beautiful as ever.
3. Historic Honolulu: Hawaii Maritime Center, Mission Houses Museum, Kawaiaha'o Church, and Iolani Palace. Want to learn about Hawaiian history? Don't rely on the books. Go experience it yourself. The Maritime Center even has a restored ship you can walk on (and around). The Mission Houses Museum is like a walk through the past. These mission houses are actually 3 restored houses from history. Learn about the missionaries who came to Hawaii. The church is right next to the mission houses and it is the first christian church on the island. And finally, Iolani Palace. The first and only royal palace on the island. The palace housed Hawaii's last Queen up until the day Hawaii was overthrown by the U.S. Marines. The palace is now a museum and most of the rooms are open to the public. Since I had to take Hawaiian history to graduate (I would have wanted to take it anyway), I got to go on a fieldtrip to these 4 places, all in one day. It was great, and I learned a lot of history, and got to re-live it too.
4. Waikiki Beach. The most tourist-y place in all of O'ahu. I love it for the strip (lots of shopping!) but hate it for the beach. The beach has too many tourists, and is wayy overcrowded. Waikiki has a great nightlife (but be cautious-don't act like a tourist-you might get robbed) and its a great place to just walk the strip (kind of like Vegas, but with a beach).
5. Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is actually a naval base, but there are historical attractions that the public can get to. The Arizona Memorial shows you where the USS Arizona sunk, bringing us into WWII. The sunken ship is actually only a few feet below the water's surface, and can be seen from the memorial. Have you ever watched the movie, Pearl Harbor? Do remember the scene where the ship was sinking and all the men were trapped inside? That's the USS Arizona.

There are many more places to see in this city, but these are my favorites. Also, there are many more things to do on the rest of the island, but that's a whole other story. To wrap it all up, here are some pictures.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the Iolani Palace and the Mission Houses because they didn't allow any photography. I managed to snap up a bunch of postcards, but I don't have a scanner at the moment.