Honolulu
Until the Europeans came, HONOLULU was insignificant;
soon so many foreign ships were frequenting its waters that it had
become Kamehameha's capital, and it remains the economic center of
the island. The city covers a long (if narrow) strip of southern
Oahu, but downtown is a manageable size, and a lot quieter
than its glamorous image might suggest. The tourist hotels, and
most of Honolulu's hustle, are concentrated among the skyscrapers
of very distinct WAIKIKI , a couple of miles east.
The setting is beautiful, right on the Pacific and backed by
dramatic cliffs and the extinct volcanoes of Punchbowl (a
military cemetery) and Diamond Head ; but then beauty is not
so rare a commodity on Hawaii, and you can see this sort of scenery
in plenty of other places without a city in the middle of it. What
attracts most visitors to stay in Honolulu, and especially Waikiki,
is the sheer hedonism of shopping, eating and generally
hanging out in the sun. It's also the center of an exemplary
public transportation system, facilitating exploration of
the whole island.
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