What is Hilo like?

[Lomistick]

I left Hilo 4 years ago after graduating from UHH.

There is one movie theater in Hilo... it is decent. They have a walmart and a small mall (with the movie theater).

There are not many sandy beaches at all. The closest ones are kind of rocky, but there is one good surf spot about a 13-15 minute drive from Hilo.

It RAINS... It RAINS a lot lol. If you do not like rain, do not live in Hilo lol.

I love rain personally. Most of the rain falls at night after 4 pm to 9 am the next day. During the day time there is much less rain, but because it rains so much, it probably will not feel that way to you. If I woke up in the middle of the night, often it was pouring rain, and the sound would lull me right back to sleep.

Hilo is pretty safe as far as I could tell. The douchebags come out at night so I would not recommend walking the streets at 2 am. There are some sketchy folk out at that hour. It is not like Japan where attractive woman can walk home at 2 am in short skirts, but it is not like Washington D.C. either. I never had any problems, but a friend of mine had her TV jacked and her house robbed while she was at work. Another big thing is moped theft. If you drive a scooter and you do not lock it up with a couple locks, you are asking for it.

The people in Hilo are really friendly in my opinion. My neighbors would leave fresh fruit outside my door that I could eat when I woke up for breakfast. It was a pleasant surprise every time.

There is absolutely no night life. There is like, one bar, and like... well, basically nothing else... You will be limited to house parties.

When it is not raining, it is GORGEOUS.

I highly recommend Hilo to anyone that likes to relax.

[mdand3boys]

Lots of mis-info here.
Prince Kuhio Theaters (in the mall) has 9 screens, is stadium seating and is top of the line.
Rain in Hilo varies by season. November to February is generally considered to be the rainy season.
It doesn't rain every day, nor does it rain every night.
Hilo, like all of the Big Island, is a very sleepy area. After dark, things go quiet rather quickly.
At lunch time, many places either close or semi-shut down.

There are easily 15+ bars/taverns throughout Hilo.

However, people are very friendly and helpful. Be respectful and you will easily get respect back to you.

[hotzcatz]

As well as a festive new mural where the door into KTA used to be.

[MickeyE]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Lots of mis-info here.
Prince Kuhio Theaters (in the mall) has 9 screens, is stadium seating and is top of the line.
Rain in Hilo varies by season. November to February is generally considered to be the rainy season.
It doesn't rain every day, nor does it rain every night.
Hilo, like all of the Big Island, is a very sleepy area. After dark, things go quiet rather quickly.
At lunch time, many places either close or semi-shut down.

There are easily 15+ bars/taverns throughout Hilo.

However, people are very friendly and helpful. Be respectful and you will easily get respect back to you.

How about the Hilo Palace Theater at Palace Main Page ? I found out about it because I like theater organs and the Hilo Palace has one.

If all y'all young whippersnappers have not experienced the sounds of a theater organ, y'all better find one in your area and give it a listen. Great stuff - especially if they are showing a silent film and accompanying it with the organ.

Mickey

[Lomistick]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Lots of mis-info here.
Prince Kuhio Theaters (in the mall) has 9 screens, is stadium seating and is top of the line.
Rain in Hilo varies by season. November to February is generally considered to be the rainy season.
It doesn't rain every day, nor does it rain every night.
Hilo, like all of the Big Island, is a very sleepy area. After dark, things go quiet rather quickly.
At lunch time, many places either close or semi-shut down.

There are easily 15+ bars/taverns throughout Hilo.

However, people are very friendly and helpful. Be respectful and you will easily get respect back to you.

I can't help but feel that was directed towards me. I think perhaps you read my words incorrectly. My post was highly accurate and not mis-information.

Prince Kuhio Theater being "decent" means "good".

I did not say that it rained every day. I said that when it rains, it rains the most at night and tends to rain less during the day comparatively. I measured the rainfall in Hilo over the course of 3 months for a science report so I am well aware of the rainfall patterns there. I was just giving the OP a heads up on what kind of weather to expect.

You are correct, there were times in Hilo where I didn't see any rain for 2 weeks, and other times it RAINED EVERY DAY FOR 10 DAYS STRAIGHT. lol

It would be untrue to say that it doesn't rain all the time in Hilo. It rains a heck of a lot. There is roughly 150-180 inches of rainfall in Hilo every year, which is roughly 5 times more than most places on the mainland.

As for the bars and taverns, I don't doubt there being 13, but I never saw them ever. I am guessing they suck. I had never even heard of anyone going to a bar in Hilo. House parties were much more common in my experience.

[alaskangrown]

Maybe you don't get out much Lomistick, but there are about a half-dozen nice places to go have a drink or catch live music in Hilo. Pahoa has a more hopping night scene on the weekends, and is worth the drive if you're IN Hilo. But if you are, the Emerald is fun. But there are literally tons of pubs and such, you just have to seek them out.

I've "heard" of all these through word of mouth, been to a few, and have had a great time. But it's all about attitude I guess The live music is great, and so are the local beers.

[birdmove]

I don't live on the Big Island, but will be moving there. My place is about 15 miles from Hilo. I really like the town of Hilo very much. They have a fine farmers market. You can easily spend a day wandering around Hilo on foot. Nice waterfront areas and shops to check out. Good and reasonable restaurants. We ate at a little place this last November. Can't remember the name. I had a cup of clam chowder. I didn't know what to expect because I live near Seattle/Tacoma where every restaurant has clam chowder. I was pleasantly surprised when the clam chowder was every bit as good as the best I'd ever had. I told the cook how great it was, and that maybe they should play up that chowder!!

Went to the Astronomy Museum,and enjoyed that. We did get caught in a very heavy rain-that's when we ducked in to eat. You've got lots of shopping in Hilo. Sorry the Borders closed up. There is a Home Depot, Wal Mart, Sears, and, important to me as an old motorcyclist, a Suzuki shop on Kawili Street.

We're going to retire on the Big Island, and I'm sure we'll end up going to Hilo once a week or so.

[kukuicake]

Originally Posted by birdmove

I don't live on the Big Island, but will be moving there. My place is about 15 miles from Hilo. I really like the town of Hilo very much. They have a fine farmers market. You can easily spend a day wandering around Hilo on foot. Nice waterfront areas and shops to check out. Good and reasonable restaurants. We ate at a little place this last November. Can't remember the name. I had a cup of clam chowder. I didn't know what to expect because I live near Seattle/Tacoma where every restaurant has clam chowder. I was pleasantly surprised when the clam chowder was every bit as good as the best I'd ever had. I told the cook how great it was, and that maybe they should play up that chowder!!

I was once a waitress in another lifetime and my small diner type place served clam chowder. One day a very elderly couple (they looked to be in their mid to late 80's) came in and ordered the clam chowder. Afterward they called me over and the man said to me, "I've been eating clam chowder up and down the eastern seaboard my whole life and this is the best clam chowder I've ever eaten! Make sure you tell the cook!".

It was Campbells. Out of a giant can. I didn't tell them this of course.

[tonesdef]

Originally Posted by kukuicake

I was once a waitress in another lifetime and my small diner type place served clam chowder. One day a very elderly couple (they looked to be in their mid to late 80's) came in and ordered the clam chowder. Afterward they called me over and the man said to me, "I've been eating clam chowder up and down the eastern seaboard my whole life and this is the best clam chowder I've ever eaten! Make sure you tell the cook!".

It was Campbells. Out of a giant can. I didn't tell them this of course.

MSG does do wonders

[OpenD]

A lot of visitors are surprised how small Hilo is. It's a sleepy town of 40,000+ , where the downtown area is pretty much the same as it was before WWII, and the stores mostly close at 4:30. The Post Office closes at 4. There are a few shops and restaurants open later, but the streets are pretty much deserted by 9.

There are several modern shopping centers clustered together on Highway 11 south of the beach where you can find some chain stores... WalMart, Sears, Macy's, Ross, Office Max, Home Depot... but most of the businesses there are local. There are a LOT of things you will not be able to find, even if you drive a couple of hours around to Kona to shop at Target or Costco.

But this is a remote island, farther from land than any other point on earth. Don't come here expecting mainland conveniences or lifestyle. Come here to explore a totally different lifestyle, or you will be disappointed.