commuting question and general advice requested (Honolulu, Kailua: for rent, condo, crime)

[marymac0321]

My dilemma? I have been offered a transfer to Honolulu. Unlike many who dream of living in Hawaii and arrive with nothing, I will actually have a job waiting that pays about 90k. While that is a nice salary here on the mainland, it seems like it will not go far in Honolulu! I never thought about moving to Hawaii, but now I have this wonderful opportunity and I need to seriously consider it. It researching areas to live, I am drawn to the eastern side of Honolulu toward Diamondhead, Hawaii Kai and as far as Kailua, etc. I will be working in Downtown, so my question is what is the real time for the commute during morning and evening rush hour if I live that far out? Another option is a secure high rise downtown or Waikiki where I could walk to work or a short bus ride. I have never lived in an urban center so I am a little concerned about the adjustment but I am also open to new experiences so I will go into any situations with a positive, open mind. I know the parking and crime situation downtown is one of the negatives, but the convenience is a plus.
I am also open to a house share situation in an upscale neighborhood. Any advice there? Aside from the obvious risk of living with someone who seems normal and then turns out to be crazy, it seems like an affordable way to live in a million dollar plus home in Hawaii.
My list of pros and cons for making this move is really lopsided--way more cons. I will be spending way more on housing than I do now, which will leave less for everything else. I did this once before when I moved to a beach city for two years and went from 2200 sq feet to 500sq ft where I could walk to the ocean in two minutes (ahh, worth it!) but I guess the housing situation in Hawaii intimidates me more. The Pro? Living and working in such a beautiful place with a secure job doing what I know and love. That is a big pro.
Would love advice on the commuting issue and anything else. And I mean no disrespect here to those who love to be negative, I do know what gas costs, and milk, and lettuce and housing, and about the crime, so if your standard answer is "Don't come here" I have already had that conversation with myself! That is precisely why this is a dilemma!

Mahalo

[whtviper1]

I live downtown and I love it. I'm right at Bishop and Beretania - lots of restaurants and bars in the area and if I'm inclined to go to the Ala Moana area that is 10 minutes away or Waikiki is 20 minutes away. I'm at all the major freeways and Safeway is 3 blocks away.

I've lived in Hawaii Kai - on good days the commute is 30 minutes but runs closer to 45 minutes - when classes are in session at UH, that makes the commute longer. Figure the same commute time for Kailua.

[marymac0321]

thanks! I thought it would be about 45... I've done that kind of commute before and swore never again.

[whtviper1]

If you are wary of right in downtown - the Ala Moana area (zip 96814) is another option - the commute is closer to 10 minutes if you drive (get parking as part of your compensation plan, parking is very expensive downtown), or you can take the bus. Ala Moana doesn't have the cramped quarters that Waikiki has and you are still very close to shopping and restaurants.

[keikioaina]

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwUJH70ubM]Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi - YouTube[/url]

[UHgrad]

If you want to shorten your commute a bit there are places in between East Oahu and Downtown like Kaimuki (mostly single family homes, lots of restaurants, close to Kahala Mall) and Kapahulu/Moiliili (mostly walk ups and secure high rises, close to Waikiki, lots of restaurants) that offer easy bus/bike access to downtown as well as a reasonable commute by car using King St and Beretania St.

Depending on your desired living situation, you may also want to consider that places like Kaimuki, Palolo, Manoa, St Louis Heights, and even Aina Haina will often have "Ohana" units available for rent that can get you into a nice suburban neighborhood without having to rent an entire house and deal with roommates. These are typically studios built above someones garage or in their backyard which families will rent out at a reasonable rate.

90k for a single person should not be hard to live pretty well on in Honolulu unless your standards are pretty high. My advice is to live close to work and close to the beach, the traffic sucks and the beach is world class so if you do those two things you can spend more time outside and less time in your car.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If you are wanting advice, rent something really small and cheap for a couple of months while you look around. You'll get a better place to live if you put some time and research into it. Learn what the traffic is like, and what beaches you want to go to, and where things are in relation to your job and shopping.

[Honolulu waku waku]

I stayed in a short-term condo in Waikiki during my househunting last month. I had thought about living there, but after a week decided against it. Two main reasons... First, too many funky, crazy tourists around. I used to be one of them, but now I'm a resident & I found hanging around manic tourists all day grated on my nerves. Particularly around Ala Wai canal, mostly a younger crowd who get noisy & drunk until around 2-3 AM when the neighborhood finally quiets down. This is 7 days a week. If you are of the younger crowd, maybe this would appeal to you, but I'm past that stage of my life. I'm sure there are other Honolulu neighborhoods to choose from but that was my experience.

Secondly, if you live near a tourist area then you end up paying tourist prices for everything. I had been only 24 hours on the island before I walked into Subway Waikiki, saw a sandwich for $10.50 and thought I'd made a big mistake by moving here. But later, further from Waikiki, I saw the same sandwich for around $7.50. Likewise, if you run to the corner convenience store, etc. you'll find prices inflated near the tourist areas.

Just some food for thought. YMMV.