Honolulu

Posted on August 14th, 2008 in Honolulu by yukii

Honolulu is the capital city of Hawaii. In the Hawaiian language Honolulu means – ‘A place of shelter’ and this is the kind of feeling that people get when they visit this beautiful island located in the Pacific Ocean. In the year 1845, King Kamehameha III made Honolulu the capital city of his Kingdom.  It was during his reign that Honolulu started changing, with modern influences coming into it.   During the 19th and early 20th century Honolulu became a major centre of commerce and trade, for the islands surrounding it. This feature of the city continued even though Honolulu faced a considerable amount of political turbulence during that period in the form of overthrow of the monarchy and the incident on Pearl Harbor.  Today, Honolulu is the largest city in Hawaii, having an airport and a number of seaports.  Honolulu is divided into many distinct neighborhoods and districts. Here is a look into the major ones:  

§  Downtown Honolulu – This is the seat of Honolulu’s government and its finance and commercial interests. The tallest building in Hawaii, ‘The Aloha Tower’, is situated here.

 §  Honolulu Arts District – This area serves as the base for many arts and cultural institutions.  §  Capitol District – This area has many of Honolulu’s historical buildings such as Iolani Palace, Honolulu Hale, Statue of King KamehamehaI and much more.  

§  Waikiki – This area is a famous tourist place. It has many shops, hotels, beaches and entertainment venues that are of interest to tourists.

 

§  Pauoa District – This is an upper class district. Most significant aspect here is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

 

§  Manoa – This is a residential neighborhood and also the base of the University of Hawaii.

 One of the most interesting aspects of Honolulu is its music and dance form. Honolulu is the center of Hawaiian music, which is a collection of various traditional styles and modern styles such as rock, hip hop. Hawaiian music has influenced music in the United States in a big way. For example, it introduced the use of the steel guitar, which in turn contributed to U.S country music to the introduction of the steel guitar. The Hula dance, which is a special aspect of Honolulu, is renowned worldwide for its usual dance patterns and luscious style.  

Honolulu is a major tourist centre because of its beautiful beaches. The many beaches here offer plenty of opportunity for water sports such as swimming, surfing, snorkeling, diving and much more. Various water sport competitions are held here every year, in specific beach venues, brings people from all over the world to Honolulu. Honolulu has many world class star hotels, restaurants, shopping areas and entertainment venues that cater to an international crowd.  This feature combined with its traditional elements makes it the perfect holiday venue for relaxation and enjoyment.