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Look, I've never been there before and frankly have no interest in going but it's still an American city. Is it not? I mean it's in the United States but we overlook it in our skyline, culture, climate, beaches, diversity, scenery comparisons. It presently has one of the healthiest job markets in the entire country and is positioned well on the Pacific Rim going into the future, I suppose.
So what cities on the mainland could we most compare to the place? Why does everyone seem to think "it's just a vacation spot, not a real city"? I mean it has 1 million people, while a far cry from a large city, megacity, and especially a hypercity but people still do live there.
So based off it's qualities what cities would it compare most favorably with? Why do we overlook it?
The only city I can think of that even remotely compares to it is Vancouver. If I had to pick a US city, maybe San Francisco? (without the rest of the bay area of course).
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Originally Posted by valentro
So based off it's qualities what cities would it compare most favorably with? Why do we overlook it?
Honolulu is probably overlooked for similar reasons that Anchorage is. The bigger cities arn't the first thing that come to mind when thinking of the 49th and 50th states. My only experience with Hawaii was the island of Maui and if given the choice to go back between Maui again or Oahu/Honolulu, I'd pick Maui. The backdrop scenery looks gorgeous in Honolulu but the infrastructure and architecture of the city itself in photos doesn't look all that impressive and an urban experience is not my idea of a Hawaiian experience.
Aside from the stretch of Waikiki hotels and Pearl Harbor how many are truely familiar with the urban fabric of Honolulu. What is the true essence of the city itself? One poster here compared Honolulu to Vancouver as a mainland North American counterpart and I suppose that may be true to a point with several blocks a residential high/midrises, strong Pacific Rim connections, and the mountain/ocean setting.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 03-04-2013 at 08:55 AM..
Always hear about Hawaii as a vacation state and never really hear about anyone living there for an extended period of time. And then of course, my stereotyped image of a native Hawaiian is someone with grass shorts and tribal tattoos. I know it wouldn't be accurate, but honestly it seems like a world away.
The elephant in the room is that is so dang far. Out of sight, out of mind; same thing happens with Denver too (to a lesser extent). Cali people talk about Vegas, Chicagoans can vouch for Minnesota, but how many folks on city-data have hung out in Honolulu for more than just a resort/beach vacation? My guess is much less than the amount that go to Toronto.
The elephant in the room is that is so dang far. Out of sight, out of mind; same thing happens with Denver too (to a lesser extent). Cali people talk about Vegas, Chicagoans can vouch for Minnesota, but how many folks on city-data have hung out in Honolulu for more than just a resort/beach vacation? My guess is much less than the amount that go to Toronto.
On the West Coast, I'd say far more people have spent time in Honolulu than Toronto(or most Midwestern or Southern cities). Maybe what you're saying is true for the rest of the country, but I've known plenty of people with roots in Hawaii now living in California or Oregon.
On the West Coast, I'd say far more people have spent time in Honolulu than Toronto(or most Midwestern or Southern cities). Maybe what you're saying is true for the rest of the country, but I've known plenty of people with roots in Hawaii now living in California or Oregon.
Interesting. I am definitely speaking from an east coast perspective. I know many folks that have spent time on the Caribbean, Canada, even Mexico but can only think of one person that has spent time in Honolulu and that was because they knew someone that was stationed in Hawaii. Honolulu is literally twice as far as Europe from here.
Look, I've never been there before and frankly have no interest in going but it's still an American city.
If you have never been there why would you vote that it's overrated in real life?
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