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It’s pretty easy to catch a BJ Penn pay per view fight at any number of sports bars in Oahu. MMA is huge here. It seemed a no brainer that some place would feature the Pacquiao/Cotto fight. Pacquiao is a Filipino National Treasure and outside of the Philippines I’ve never lived around so many Filipinos! I called every place that people suggested I call with zero luck. No one was showing it. Our house isn’t equipped with a digital box so we couldn’t purchase it to watch at home.
At work, K asked a friend on the crew if they knew who might be showing the fight. He put it out on the walkie and K said suggestions came pouring in. As an aside, I wish this applied to all of life’s issues.
One of the suggestions was Giovanni Pastrami in Waikiki. And thank goodness! They were showing the fight and you could make reservations. Of course K and I ended up paying cover charges for four people just so that we could have a table…but it was worth it! Giovanni Pastrami is awesome. The pizza wasn’t so good but then again, it isn’t called Giovanni Pizza.
The fight was so good. And the place was filled with Pacquaio fans. We whooped and hollered and banged on the table which was so much fun. It wouldn’t have been if we were Cotto fans or if we’d had to watch it in Puerto Rico instead of HI….
At the end of last season we gave up our rented condo and returned to NY. We loved our Kailua home but wanted to start fresh when we came back. This meant that we had to stay in a hotel when we returned. My friend Sarah recommended Hotel Renew, a very affordable boutique hotel in Waikiki.
A quick scan of hotel rates in the area confirmed that Hotel Renew’s nightly rate was exorbitantly less than most…at the very least competitive. We stayed at the hotel just shy of two weeks which, if you’re not on vacation can feel like an eternity. Waikiki’s throngs of tourists and over-the-top vibe can be draining. In contrast Hotel Renew’s low-key polish is an oasis. The hotel staff’s attentiveness is genuine and warm. Wil, one of the valets, was particularly helpful and cheerful which made a difference when coming home from a long day of looking at rentals.
The hotel itself is lovely. You can feel the thoughtfulness in small details–from FACE Stockholm bathroom supplies to the beautiful reflecting fountain in the lobby. The rooms are very clean, well laid out, and quiet. My favorite part was the giant TV that could be angled to face almost any part of the room.
There’s no hotel restaurant, bar, or pool. But Hotel Renew does well with what it has. The continental breakfast is small but satisfying and the lounge serves wine until 9:30 PM. We’ve already recommended the hotel to two sets of friends coming in from NY this month. We’ll recommend it to anyone else that asks.
pros: thoughtful Contemporary design, giant TV, great staff, warm vibe, great location, very clean.
cons: no self parking, decent but at times spotty wi-fi service (no big downloads).
- an example of Hotel Renew’s clever marketing.
We’ve been in our hotel for a week and two days. Our hotel is perfectly lovely. It’s comfortable enough and everyone here is very nice to us. They also serve this juice at their continental breakfast which is basically like a non-alcoholic pina colada–pineapple juice with a little coconut flavor. It’s yummy. Every morning as soon as it turns 7:30 I put a dress over my pajamas and go downstairs to fetch a coffee, three pastries and this juice. I’ll miss it when we’re gone.
K and I are no strangers to hotel living. Once in Vancouver we lived in a hotel for over three months. Our apartment in Manhattan is smaller than alot of hotel rooms. I feel it’s a testament to how good we get along that we can live in these tiny places and not kill one another. In fact we take alot of comfort in each other’s companionship.
I used to say when K was my best friend and not yet my boyfriend that we would be ok in a cardboard box together. We’d never run out of things to talk about.
With all of this said, this week has been at times very frustrating and hard on us. We can’t wait to move into our new place. We can’t wait to cook our own meals. It would simply be great to unpack our bags.
It’s far from a bad life. But believe you me, I’ll be psyched to write a post in two weeks announcing that we’ve arrived and we ain’t leaving for awhile.
We’re fast approaching our Summer break which means heading back to NY for a little while. It’s exciting. Summer is my least favorite season in Manhattan but as K would say ‘it’ll do pig’. I’m looking forward to being able to go anywhere without having to worry about driving or getting a ride. Translation I’m most looking forward to seeing all my favorite friends at all our favorite places. High on my list is a nice long session with Mary at Marlow: good wine, pate, chocolate cake with sea salt. I just gulped when I wrote that.
K’s friend and coworker Eric wrapped up his job here the other day and they planned a very festive going away dinner for him at Uncle Bo’s in Waikiki. Lots of people turned out because this Eric dude is a very likable fellow. My friend Seth lives nearby in Chinatown so I gave him a call and asked if he wanted to meet us for a drink.
Seth and I are old friends from NY. We used to eat and drink a whole lot when we first met 11 years ago. It was liberating and very nostalgic to spontaneously get together just to drink and talk. Because of my mobility issues I’ve been here in Oahu for 8 months and have only seen him 3 times.
Uncle Bo’s is quite nice. K and I unfortunately didn’t eat any of the food because we thought it was only drinks. On the way, we stopped for McDonald’s drive thru.
Uncle Bo’s set down a bunch of complimentary dishes in front of us that looked very tasty but at the time made me feel a little sick because of my hastily devoured Big Mac. I hope we get a chance to go back. The spicy tuna looked good.
My favorite thing at Uncle Bo’s was the espresso infused vodka. Deeeeelicious. It didn’t even taste like vodka–very smooth and fragrant. Seth was explaining to me why it was special but I wasn’t registering what he was telling me.
K and I brought our new flip cameras with us. After midnight, most of the people at the dinner had either gone home or headed to a party at Aloha Tower. K, Eric, Seth, and I were the only ones left polishing off drinks and talking. K and I had brought our new flip cameras and we filmed silly little drunk bits of conversation.
I realized watching the footage later that when I’m drunk I can be a little bit of a bully. I insisted Eric give me a profound thought to wrap up his time here in Hawaii. Poor Eric. When pressed he came up with: don’t eat the yellow snow.
