Why I Ran in the 49th Cherry Blossom Festival
Catherine E. Toth is far from a conventional beauty-queen contestant. So how’d she find herself on stage with a tiara on her head?
My Honolulu
Photo Gallery: Hawai‘i During the Pandemic in 2020
We asked our team and our readers to show us what Honolulu looked like in 2020. Here are their photos and we welcome you to send us yours.
Life Interrupted: 15 People. 15 Stories of Sudden Change, Courage and Community During COVID-19
We asked Honolulu residents—teachers, police officers, home care workers, nurses and more—what life was like for them when the pandemic first arrived on O‘ahu.
Soufiane Bouharkat, Owner of Le Crepe Café, on the Difference Between Racism in France and America
And how he responds to comments such as “I’m sorry France is invaded by Africans.”
Gida Snyder of Slow Island Co. on Being Black in the Food Industry
The caterer and maker of syrups using Hawai‘i-grown ingredients on why she’s talking race and politics in her business.
What It’s Like Operating a Honolulu Care Home During a Pandemic
Here’s how Caring Mānoa keeps up social distancing while making sure residents maintain quality of life.
Qiana Di Bari, Owner of Sale Pepe in Lahaina, On Racism in the Food Business and Why She Feels At Home On Maui
Qiana Di Bari used to manage the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest before opening her own restaurant in New York, then moving to Maui in 2013.
What It’s Like Driving for a Ride-Hailing Company During a Pandemic
The switch from Uber to Uber Eats has helped make up for a lack of customers.
Lamont Brown, Chef and Owner of Maya’s Tapas and Wine, on Being Black and Mexican in the Food Industry in Hawai‘i
He also tells us about how he created the Spanish-Mexican menu at his Hale‘iwa restaurant, which celebrates its two-year anniversary this month.
What It’s Like Being a Police Captain and Father During the Pandemic
Mike Lambert runs Honolulu Police Department programs for the homeless population, which, during the early stages of Honolulu’s lockdown, meant setting up new self-quarantine sites. He also stopped living with his kids.
What It’s Like Being a Restaurant Server Who Lost Her Job During the Pandemic
Mariana Lárez Matheus was laid off in mid-March, right before restaurants were ordered to close dine-in services.
Honolulu Quarantine Diary: It’s the Weekend. What in the Heck Will We Do?
We took our Super Bowl party equipment and used it for a COVID-19 movie party.
Editor’s Page: The Start of Our Quarantine Diaries
What I didn’t expect when my family started staying home.
My Honolulu: My Year of Writing About 15 Ethnic Festivals in Hawai‘i
Shot put, grass skirts, Korean pancakes and andagi.
My Honolulu: Trying (and Failing at) Traditional Hawaiian Sledding
Letting things slide isn’t always a good way to go.
MY HONOLULU: Demanding, Blunt and Still My Favorite Teacher
A shout-out to Richard Kiyonaga in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.
Inside HONOLULU: Confessions of a Kailua Resident
The challenges of capturing a story about your own hometown.
MY HONOLULU: Before Tinder There Were Bars and Clubs to Meet Up, Drink Up and Hook Up
Ocean’s. Liquid’s. Shipley’s. If you know, you know. If you don’t, you probably weren’t gettin’ jiggy with it.
My Honolulu: The Legit Crack Seed Stores From Small Kid Time
Right when I walk into a crack seed store, it hits me—the sweet-sour-salty aroma of li hing mui. My mouth waters, and instantly, I feel like a kid in a candy shop again.
My Honolulu: Memories of Sandy Beach’s Manapua Man Van
Breakfast at Sandy’s—after getting whomped by shorebreak for a couple of hours—wasn’t for the faint of heart, or stomach.
My Honolulu: What the Mai Tai Means to Me and 8 Places You Can Mai Tai One On
It’s the best way to properly toast Kona’s 10th Annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival while staying home here in Honolulu.
Hawai‘i Parent to Parent: Lessons in Life
What I learned from one remarkable nun and “Zorba the Greek.”
Photo Essay: A Great Day Out in Hawai‘i
Photographer Sergio Goes took his camera around O‘ahu and found people and places that remind us all why we love living in Hawai‘i.
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We aren’t picky, we’re just…discerning.
Hawai‘i is full of amazing places. Most of them you’re free to visit, but there are a few where you’re just not allowed. Here’s a peek into Hawai‘i’s coolest off-limits corners.
We take a look inside your high school yearbooks to find what’s changed about the local high school experience over the years, and what’s stayed exactly the same.
Hole-in-the-wall general stores dishing up their own eats— even if it’s just one ‘ono item—are a beloved part of Island life. Here are a few of Hawai‘i’s best.
Need something to read—or hand to someone who does? Here’s HONOLULU’s first-ever list of the most iconic, trenchant and irresistible Island books, as voted by a panel of literary community luminaries.