What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

[Ron Whitfield]

Or, miss about wherever else beside the mainland and Hawaii?

This is the reverse of the current thread in 'Islanders Abroad'.

I miss my original friends and the classic Blvd. cruising in hot rods, early day's of life's experiences and loves, 1st hand exposure to Kustom Kulture and the icons responsible, classic eateries like Harvey's Broiler in Downey w/georgeous car hops on roller skates - Chris And Pitt's steak houses w/mini juke boxes at the tables - Orange Julius stands along the Highways, A&W Root Beer joints w/frozen mugs and more georgeous car hops on skates, the unending places to see great music and all the legendary and shouldabeens of that genre, cheap prices for everything, all my dead cultural heros, playing sports/being able to..., and innocence.

Ah yes, good times, and thankfully, life is still good.

[kani-lehua]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

trader joe's, target (coming soon to hawai'i), crate and barrel, pottery barn, bath and body works and ikea. yeah, i like to shop.

[Nords]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

We just got back from a few days in Houston (America's 4th largest city). According to spouse & teen, they missed Mainland shopping. According to their purchases (a Rice U t-shirt and a pair of running shoes on sale) they didn't miss much.

If you sold your median-priced Oahu condo (~$300K) you'd move into a nice five-bedroom 3000 sq ft estate on a half-acre or more. If you sold your median-priced Oahu single-family home (~$600K) and bought in Houston, you'd be rubbing elbows with oil barons.

Our teen is born & raised here so she really shouldn't be missing anything. But she's looking forward to cutting the parental ties for her own life at a Mainland college.

Houston was nice in some ways, not so nice in others. I don't/didn't miss a thing about the Mainland, probably due to being born & raised in Pittsburgh. But according to older friends & shipmates, the next thing to miss is: grandkids.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

KL, per Trader Joe's, you just reminded me of another BIG miss, Greek pizza!

[Butch003]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

If I were to move back to Oahu from Arizona, I would miss the vastness of the mainland for one. I haven't explored much yet, but the thought is in the back of my mind that I could always just drive and see alot of new places and things. I also like all the shopping malls here, the amount of them, the size and makeup of them.
Phoenix has treated me well. A budget surplus has allowed elimination of some taxes on utilities for residents, bringing amount of bills down. They've also been using a mixture of tar and ground rubber to coat the freeways to eliminate road noise! And I've saved $thousands in medical bills when I got really sick a couple of years ago.
The pace here is generally slower and less hectic than Hawaii. Companies here don't streamline as much when there's economic woes; those woes aren't as disastrous here. Cost of living is lower.
The comparisons can go on and on; IMHO, I like it better. The lower humidity suits me better, too.
And I would miss the relaxed gun laws as I've made shooting my hobby since I moved here in 2002.

[tutusue]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

trader joe's, target (coming soon to hawai'i), crate and barrel, pottery barn, bath and body works and ikea. yeah, i like to shop.

I agree...Trader Joe's and Ikea. And I don't even like to shop!

While I'll always love the quaintness and beauty of my home town, I would miss living in tropical surroundings more.

I'll always miss my dad altho' only his spirit remains on the mainland.

[sophielynette]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

Crappy weather! I miss thunderstorms and hail, and the time of year when you have to start wearing sweaters or light coats. I miss snow. I really do. I was actually telling someone how I love Hawaii even if the weather "sucks", as in, is always sunny! I always loved tornado season, sitting on the porch watching the sky turn green as the clouds blew in, then my mom would herd us into the basement where we'd watch it on the weather report as the sirens sounded.

I also miss being able to travel on a whim at low cost. I used to take the Megabus from Cincinnati to Chicago (6 hour drive) for $1 roundtrip. I'd make a weekend out of it, stay at a hostel or with a friend. Chicago had some fantastically crappy weather too..

Foodwise, I miss Cincinnati-style chili, Frischs vegetable soup, and being able to buy canned goods 2 for $1.

[LikaNui]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

Chicago had some fantastically crappy weather too.

Ah yes... The Hawk, Chicago's infamous wind.
I flew to Chicago a few times to participate in some sailing races on Lake Michigan. Very weird. Their waves aren't rounded, they're almost square.

[timkona]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

I miss REAL Mexican food, cooked by a toothless old Mexican woman, whose hair is falling out, and who is blind in one eye, and half deaf in the other.

I miss my brother. And my parents to be grandparents around my daughter.

I miss live pro sports of every flavor. I miss theatre.

I miss driving far also.

[tutusue]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

[...]and who is blind in one eye, and half deaf in the other.[...]

That's quite a medical anomaly!

[timkona]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

Right Tutu, but you got a good visual on the image I was trying to draw, right?

[tutusue]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

Right Tutu, but you got a good visual on the image I was trying to draw, right?

Well...not exactly! Ya see, the best Mexican restaurant in my tiny hometown (an hour north of the Mexican border) had a...ummm, sit down, Tim...Japanese cook! I kid you not! This little hole in the wall didn't have a chef. it wasn't ritzy enough!!! But, that food. OMG!!! So the description you gave above doesn't fit my visual at all.

[buzz1941]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

Driving. Non-stop for a thousand miles.

[Amati]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

College on the mainland meant access to "live plays" at a neighborhood playhouse, and "live bands" at the local pub. Theme parks to kill a Saturday night. Ice Skating rinks (in snowless areas) to make a fool or yourself. Piling into a car and driving on a Saturday morning to "real snow" to blast down a hill on a plastic disk. After class on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving was hopping in the car and driving all night to get to a friend's home for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday afternoon.

The mainland offers a lot of things to do on a tank full of gas. No need for horrid airfares and security lines. Lots of options to overpriced venues. Those things are missed. (Gas cost more now? Just take more people along to share the price. )

[Seeking Penance]

Re: What do Hawaii residents miss about the mainland?

i agree with buzz1941 - non stop driving