My friend literally couldn't get away from Honolulu fast enough! (condos, crimes)

[laysayfair]

Has your friend ever lived in outside of Portland?

[manoagirl]

Originally Posted by HankDfrmSD

In Waikiki, across from the Ilikai, near Hobron Lane.

Hotel near Ala Moana Harbor | Aqua Hotels & Resorts - Location | Hawaii Convention Center Hotel

I've been in that area at night proably fifty times. Never a problem.

Hank

I agree with Hank that area should of not been a problem for her. The was she was complaining I thought she was staying near Honolulu Zoo.

[hotzcatz]

There are a couple of "dicey" streets in that area and there is almost always sirens in Waikiki. I'm not sure about the gunshots, though, other than perhaps a car backfiring or some other non-gunshot noise she mistook for a gunshot. Gunshots in that area would be an anomaly and get an almost immediate police response. They are generally careful of the tourists in Waikiki. The Ala Wai Canal near where her hotel was is actually a drainage canal and if it had been after a rain, it could have been rather gross. There are also some older buildings in that area and it is right on the edge of some really dense housing areas once she gets out of Waikiki. It would also be much denser housing than she would be used to.

We visited Portland last year and it was a lovely city. She may not have made such a bad decision to return there since she will probably do better in Portland than in Honolulu as far as getting a good job, saving money, buying a house, etc. Honolulu is a tough nut to crack as far as economics, quality of life and such goes. There are a lot of compromises made to live in "Paradise" which she probably realized rather abruptly once she arrived.

I can understand her desire for sunlight and warmth, though. Portland was a lovely place but it had a lot of non-sunny days. Perhaps a sun lamp and a nice wood stove would improve her life in Portland. If Portland were sunny there would be way too many people moving there.

There is also a lot more trendy spots in Portland than Honolulu. Since she seems a bit sensitive to non-white people, it would take a long time for her to be comfortable in Honolulu and she probably did the right thing (on her own personal level) in going immediately back to Portland. Especially since she got her job back. And, in order for her immediate return to be a valid decision, Honolulu has to be a dire and despicable place - at least in her estimation. And it probably is - for her.

It also shows why folks have a hard time getting jobs when they first move here. This is a somewhat typical reaction from many folks who move to Hawaii, although generally it takes them a lot longer to figure out that they aren't suited for Hawaii or Hawaii isn't suited for them. Usually they last six months to a year and THEN they decide to leave. By that time the employer has spent a lot of time getting them trained and all and then they have to go through the whole thing all over again. Most employers in Hawaii have only a few employees so training them takes up a much larger amount of time than employers on the mainland who hire hundreds of workers and have training programs which can train dozens of them at a time.

[kaimuki]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Just what part of LA did you say she was staying in???? Sorry, but I smell a little Kukae, as in BS, on this one.....

Aloha

I have to agree! I lived in the Harbor View building at Ala Wai & Ala Moana Blvd., a few doors down from one of the Aqua hotels. Though there are a lot of sirens at all hours, crime is VERY low and the streets are quite clean. As for the other Aqua Hotels, NONE of them are located in bad or trashy areas. Gunshots in Waikiki, this is extremely rare. For $2,800, it should be very easy to find a top-end apartment from Hawaii Kai all the way to Salt Lake.

[The French Maid]

She lived in San Diego, CA for many years after high school.... but she did grow up in a small town in Oregon.

I have given her some crap about not traveling to other places. However, in the last year she has gone to Europe twice (albeit on her company bill) and she does have opinions of places there. She hates Amsterdam (I love it) and was ok with Paris but there were some issues there for her. She loved London.

But this was her real first big move so that probably played a part it in. It was clearly a "whoops, this won't work situation" and she had to make a decision fast in order to get her belongings/car back. It's going to be a nightmare for her to get her life back together here. Lessoned learned.

Thanks everyone for your responses!

[aha33456]

Having lived and worked on Oahu for a number of years, and living just a few blocks from the Equus, I can understand your friends concern. That area is trashy - on the edge of Waikiki with lots of condemned buildngs, drugs and other problems.

Most of the locals I know from Hawaii haven't been anywhere beyond their home island so many on this board defend their home strenuosly - but without much knowledge of the real world and how it works outside of their little island 'paradise'.

[SkyBob]

Are you forming your opinions of many on this board based on most of the locals you know? That's a little unfair, don't you think?

[aha33456]

Originally Posted by SkyBob

Are you forming your opinions of many on this board based on most of the locals you know? That's a little unfair, don't you think?

No, not unfair. I am merely suggesting that many of the users here are local Hawaiians. Local Hawaiians tend to defend their home absolutely and unequivically.

I met ALOT of local Hawaiians in my years there. I only knew a few who had ever been to the mainland. Of those few, only ONE had been somewhere other than Las Vegas.

I am suggesting it is unrealistic to accept criticism for not liking Hawaii from people who, in all likelihood, have never lived outside of Hawaii.

Local Hawaiians accept good neighborhoods next to bad neighborhoods and think it's normal. Locals think sirens all night is normal. Locals think condemned buildings and trash is normal.

Portland is a beautiful city. So is San Diego. Some people see through Hawaii's palm trees and beaches and see Honolulu for what it really is. It is a medium sized American city with its fair share of problems. Living in Honolulu is not like living in a post card.

People who criticize this person for her choice should understand that there are places to live which many consider to be better than Hawaii. Unfortunately, many locals aren't aware of that fact.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by aha33456

Most of the locals I know from Hawaii haven't been anywhere beyond their home island so many on this board defend their home strenuosly - but without much knowledge of the real world and how it works outside of their little island 'paradise'.

I was born in New York, went to school in New Hampshire, college in Connecticut, and have lived in Rhode Island, Maryland, Guam, California and Hawaii.

I now live, by choice, half the year in San Diego, and half on Oahu.

I think aha is mistaken - and a bit "skewed" in his thinking.

Hank

[aha33456]

Originally Posted by HankDfrmSD

I was born in New York, went to school in New Hampshire, college in Connecticut, and have lived in Rhode Island, Maryland, Guam, California and Hawaii.

I now live, by choice, half the year in San Diego, and half on Oahu.

Sorry friend, you are not a local.

I stand by my statement. The real locals that were born, live, work and will die in Hawaii rarely leave for much more than a quick vacation here or there. This makes them the ones who are skewed in comparison to the rest of the world's population.

Living in Hawaii only 1/2 the year implies that you have financial means above and beyond the average person. Living in Hawaii 6 months out of the year allows you to experience the post card version of Hawaii - not the grittier underbelly.

I lived in Hawaii full time for eight years. I have also lived on the west coast, the east coast and in the midwest. A high percentage of non-military people who move to Hawaii leave in less than a year. This is because the buy into the palm trees and beaches thinking that it must really be paradise - then find out it's not. The OP realized it in a few days and left. For this she has been fairly well lambasted here by 'locals'.

During my time in Hawaii I owned several businesses and employed over 200 local Hawaiians. Average people, most of whom were part native Hawaiian, who had high school educations. These are the real locals and I am here to tell you that it is very rare that they ever leave Hawaii except for the occasional weekend in Vegas.