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Just go to Key West, that's about as close to Waikiki as anyplace else on the mainland. If you like Key West, then you can work out from there and see if Hawaii is worth a visit for you.
I have to totally disagree, Key West is nothing like Waikiki. Even the weather isn't similar with the humidity in Key West. The similarity ends at the hotels and beach, people live/work in Waikiki in a major city, it isn't like you live in Key West and commute to Miami daily for work - there are no good comparisons on the mainland to Hawaii, it is such a unique place.
LOL Optimus! You and the other half of the planet, too. Panhandling on the beach for money will get you three squares in a square room, so I guess you can live cheap in Hawaii.
I know it's naturally beautiful, but is it realistic to up and leave the mainland to live in some far-flung island out in the middle of the pacific?
Granite, I would totally jump if the opportunity presented itself and try living there for a few years, but I could not imagine living there the rest of my life (im 27 btw) there. It would just be the same old thing. . . limited places to go and eventually limited things to do.
LOOOOOOOOOL
i'm at the office and when i read 'granite', I burst out into laughter (way too loud for the office but i couldn't control it) and i wasn't able to stop for a couple of minutes.
It's still paradise after you live here a while...just that you get to know some of the annoying elements:
- Centipedes (the giant mom and her babies that look like thin brown threads on your bed...except they wiggle when you touch it, which I did without knowing what they were.)
- Other Unidentified Moving Objects, like a black shiny plastic-looking wire about 3 inches in length lying on the carpet, and due to having lived here for sometime, I wisely used a stick to nudge it to see if it moved...because IT DID.
- Mosquitoes all year round.
- Unbearable heat while you sleep and a hot car to drive around in. Too hot to walk around in the sunshine unless you're ready to jump in the ocean.
- Things break down quickly: termites devouring the ceiling, rust eating away your car and computer parts, and plenty of mice to chew thru the walls and get into your sack of rice.
- Spiders spiders everywhere!
- Online purchases that say free shipping except for Alaska and Hawaii.
- Gas prices.
These elements just make paradise cumbersome and annoying. Paradise isn't perfect.
I know it's naturally beautiful, but is it realistic to up and leave the mainland to live in some far-flung island out in the middle of the pacific?
Granite, I would totally jump if the opportunity presented itself and try living there for a few years, but I could not imagine living there the rest of my life (im 27 btw) there. It would just be the same old thing. . . limited places to go and eventually limited things to do.
Even to just get off the island is a massive undertaking, right? U gotta fly like 5 hours to california?
Have any mainlanders moved to Hawaii for an extended period of time? and what has been ur experience? Does the gloss wash away after a few years? or does it remain the magical islands u always dreamed of?
I lived in S Florida almost 20 years. Why move to Hawaii? Boca is OK and weather the same. Traffic on I-35 is always dense. Hurricanes yearly with tropical storms at least. No state taxes and access to cruises at Ft Lauderdale Port Everglades is nice. Cruise to nowhere on New years Eve just off the coast 7PM to early AM with meals and breakfast! Cheap!
Just drive to key West and stay a weekend every few months. Cheaper and less hassles.
Weather isn't even close to the same. I spent a few weeks working in Boca in the summer. It sucked. With low (night) temps in the upper '70's and real high humidity. The chance for temps in the upper '90's? No thanks.
I am doing just that except the panhandling part. Maybe beach bum it for a bit.
Uh-oh ... define "beach bum"? What exactly is it you think you will do to get by on the beaches here that isn't already cornered by established locals under [strictly] controlled regulations? You got my curiosity working.
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