I want to tell you that we didn’t walk another 10 miles today, but we did. That’s what happens when you’re having fun!

First, I want to apologize for any typos in my first blog. I am rusty – it’s been a while since I’ve had joyful journeys to write about. And I also am apologizing for any typos in this one and all future posts.

We both tried to sleep in but also woke up right at 5 a.m. ready to start our day. Since the sun hadn’t risen yet we decided we should continue to sleep instead. When us and the sun finally woke up we were treated to a beautiful rainbow!

We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast in our room eating the snacks we’d picked up yesterday at the mega mall (Ala Moana Center). We learned is the largest open air shopping center in the entire world, and my feet can attest to this.

After breakfast we enjoyed a leisurely walk around Waikiki. We walked through Fort DeRussy Beach Park where we saw a pair of red-crested cardinals and I failed to get a photo (sorry mom). Then we walked by the Hawaii Army Museum Society and checked out the tanks. From there we wandered down to the Fort DeRussy beach and I finally dipped my toes in the water. Jacob caught an action shot!

From there we started making our way to the bus to catch it to Pearl Harbor. But first, a quick side note.

Why are there so many wild chickens in Hawaii!? I had to find out and I assured Jacob that my readers also need to know the answer. This is what Lumo (AI) had to say: “Hawaii’s chicken crowds trace back to early Polynesian settlers and later European arrivals, whose birds escaped and went feral. The islands’ warm climate, plentiful food, and almost no natural predators let the chickens breed year‑round. Because locals generally tolerate—or even feed—them and there are few control programs, the birds have become a familiar, free‑roaming part of Hawaii’s landscape.”

Hmm… very interesting! We’ve also seen many zebra doves, cattle egret, pigeons and the common myna. And while we are on the topic of animals. Why did no one mention that Honolulu is full of stray cats? We counted 18 on our evening walk today. And yes, Jacob tried to pet every one of them. I suggested we move to Hawaii and make it our life’s mission to save all the cats.

There is this trend on social media where the caption says “I came to (city name) for the views…” and then it is a photo-montage of attractive men all over the city. I thought I’d do a spin on that and post a photo-montage of all the cat photos I took today but then that felt like too much effort so instead enjoy this picture of a cat with a nice view.

Anyway… back on track.

Our trek out to Pearl Harbor National Memorial was pretty exciting. Jacob used a transit app and having little knowledge of the area and minimal planning before we headed here we weren’t really sure where we were going. We took a bus, then got on the train and hopped off the train by the now condemned Aloha Stadium.

We ended up in a very interesting area with public housing and a few interesting characters. With one person wandering into traffic shirtless and shoeless. I also noticed this stretch of sidewalk was not nearly as nicely maintained as the touristy parts of town. At this point, Jacob said “I hope I didn’t get us lost.” So we took a moment to look at the maps and realize we needed to just walk a block or so to get to the Pearl Harbor park entrance.

We didn’t reserve any spots on tour boats or purchase any museum tickets but we still had a good time, as much as you can at a park dedicated to an attack on American soil. Pearl Harbor National Memorial has plenty to see for free, with two small museums and many memorials. It was incredible to be in this place that was so pivotal in American and world history. By this point I was hungry (surprise!) So we wandered over to the snack shack in the park. I grabbed a pastry and a jerky stick. Jacob contemplated a bag of bugles, but couldn’t bring himself to spend $5 on it. He picked out a bag of cheez-its ($1) and a soda. This small snack would tie us over until we got back into town for some proper food.

After exploring everything we wanted to see at Pearl Harbor we ventured back out to the bus stop to take it to the Iolani Palace. We also did not purchase tickets for the audio tour here, mostly because we forgot but for those venturing this way who have more planning time, this looks worth the cost. We walked around the palace gardens and then walked across the street to the state capitol building. Here is a little history about the Iolani Palace (thank you Lumo).

Iolani Palace, completed in 1882, was the official residence of Hawaii’s monarchs and remains the only royal palace in the United States—a powerful symbol of the kingdom’s sovereignty and cultural heritage. Today it operates as a museum that preserves the story of the Hawaiian monarchy and its role in the islands’ history.

After the palace we got back on the bus to return to our hotel for some chill time. We purchased a three-day bus pass that is good for the bus and the light rail. We are supporting the local economy and also are getting to see more of the sights around Honolulu.

Quick pause for a Lisa travel tip. Perhaps not groundbreaking, but I had once read, watched or tiktok-ed a tip about de-wrinkling clothes while on vacation. The suggestion was to hang your wrinkly clothes in the bathroom so the shower steam would naturally de-wrinkle them. I tried it out this trip and it worked like a dream! My gift to you, or maybe this is just another segment for …”What I wish I knew before I was in my 30s.”

Ok! After Pearl Harbor I was once again on a quest for food. We’d passed the Waikiki Brewing Company multiple times on our way back to our hotel and I happened to discover that they had a daily happy hour from 2-5 p.m. daily. The menu was described as “family friendly” which Jacob tells me means there is food there he will eat. I had two requests for this vacation in Hawaii, 1. I want to see turtles, 2. I want to drink a Mai Tai. Well readers, we can check off one item from the list today. I got my Mai Tai! Yum! I also got an order of fish tacos with pineapple salsa and fried rice with a sweet chili sauce, it was so good. Jacob got pepperoni pizza, boring.

Once back to our hotel we figured we’d take advantage of the free laundry and run a load while we are here, and use this time to relax on the fourth floor balcony. While we’ve had a mix of sun and clouds today, with a few very minor showers, this evening is cooling down and a bit breezy.

After laundry we ventured out again, stopped in the giant shopping center for snacks and saw all the cats on our way back to the hotel.

The winds should push the clouds out and give us a more clear day tomorrow. We have reservations to hike Diamond Head tomorrow morning. Then we may do a waterfall hike. We are ending our day tomorrow watching the fireworks from the beach.

Until then!