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  • Locating to Kaua'i

    Evening all,

    I've been lurking and looking around the threads and figured I ought to introduce myself. I've still got about 17 more pages to go in the 'so you want to buy your one-way ticket' section of the boards, but here goes. I'm recycling most of the statement I sent in with my membership activation as it pretty well sums up current affairs.

    Despite growing up in the midwest, when I could make a conscious choice about where to live, I relocated to coastal, Northern California (wayyyy Northern - six hours north of the San Francisco Bay Area) for college and a more relaxed life. I consider myself 'from' Arcata (home to Humboldt State University) as the person I am has much to do with the decade or so I spent out there.

    In the last year and a half my husband and I had decided we should buy a house and start our family etc - but your 'average' person is no more likely to be able to afford a house in California than Hawaii (darn real estate speculation & 'investment'). For some reason we thought it'd be a grand idea to move back to the mid-west to buy a house and be closer to family. In the process we have discovered that we're coastal people. The higher prices are worth the true 'cost of living' when it comes to happiness and compatible lifestyle. The midwest isn't a bad place to live - it's just not for us. I'll take sand and slower pace in trade for angry, rushed people any day of the week.

    To balance out the artist husband, I've developed a niche in student affairs/misc. university administration. I've worked in Financial Aid for many years at universities in California and Wisconsin - and of all things noticed a recent posting at Kaua'i Community College's Financial Aid Office. I wouldn't go so far as to start using the f-word (...fate), but that was one excellent case of serendipity if nothing else. Even if that prospect doesn't come to fruition, the hubby and I are still eagerly looking into relocating to Kaua'i or perhaps Maui. Really, we'd be quite happy on either island, but the garden isle has particularly captured our hearts.

    I look forward to learning a lot from everyone on here.

    ~cheers
    Lindsay

  • #2
    Re: Locating to Kaua'i

    Aloha and welcome to HT Lindsey!

    Auntie Lynn
    Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
    Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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    • #3
      Re: Locating to Kaua'i

      I'm from Kauai...ask away!
      Twitter: LookMaICanWrite


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      • #4
        Re: Locating to Kaua'i

        Mahalo for the welcome took me a bit to get back here after a blizzard, a birthday and a bit of a family health scare.

        Back to business though!

        Ok Mike, first question: The bus - would it be foolish to try to live in Kapaa and bus to work in Lihue. I remember traffic getting quite bunchy through there in the before/after work hours. Any thoughts?

        ~Lindsay
        Last edited by redwoodcurtain; March 27, 2011, 03:48 PM.

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        • #5
          Re: Locating to Kaua'i

          Originally posted by redwoodcurtain View Post
          Mahalo for the welcome took me a bit to get back here after a blizzard, a birthday and a bit of a family health scare.

          Back to business though!

          Ok Mike, first question: The bus - would it be foolish to try to live in Kapaa and bus to work in Lihue. I remember traffic getting quite bunchy through there in the before/after work hours. Any thoughts?

          ~Lindsay
          The bus is the responsible thing to do! The number of cars here are almost equal to the number of people here. The Kauai Bus has also become more efficient in the past year...it's a feasible method of transportation from Kapaa-Lihue.
          Twitter: LookMaICanWrite


          flickr

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          • #6
            Re: Locating to Kaua'i

            Good to hear! Thanks for the perspective.

            As convenient as vehicles may sometimes be, I dream of the day I am no longer owned by my car. In my previous west-coast town I was incredibly spoiled by being able to walk/bike/bus anywhere I needed or wanted to go...but the midwest just doesn't have the same mindset about transportation.

            Next query - Between the sunshine markets and hopefully hooking up with a CSA farm share (google appears to indicate a couple exist), it seems like it would be fairly manageable to stay local with produce. With respect to the protein side of the plate, do you find that a dedicated fish/seafood market (I think there's one on Kilauea, yes?) has the best availability? Or do the grocery stores get an ok supply from local waters/fishers? I imagine there will always be some things we'll need to buy that have been flown over - but I'm all for substituting local/more sustainable options when possible. Any fishy thoughts?

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            • #7
              Re: Locating to Kaua'i

              Originally posted by redwoodcurtain View Post
              Good to hear! Thanks for the perspective.

              As convenient as vehicles may sometimes be, I dream of the day I am no longer owned by my car. In my previous west-coast town I was incredibly spoiled by being able to walk/bike/bus anywhere I needed or wanted to go...but the midwest just doesn't have the same mindset about transportation.

              Next query - Between the sunshine markets and hopefully hooking up with a CSA farm share (google appears to indicate a couple exist), it seems like it would be fairly manageable to stay local with produce. With respect to the protein side of the plate, do you find that a dedicated fish/seafood market (I think there's one on Kilauea, yes?) has the best availability? Or do the grocery stores get an ok supply from local waters/fishers? I imagine there will always be some things we'll need to buy that have been flown over - but I'm all for substituting local/more sustainable options when possible. Any fishy thoughts?
              There are not that many mom & pop seafood joints anymore, but the ones that we do have are in town in Lihue or on the west side of the island. The local supermarket chains (Big Save, Foodland, and Times) have a pretty good variety of local seafood caught by fishermen on island. Check out The Fish Express, Ishihara Market, Sueoka Store, and side-of-the-road vendors for the best island-caught seafood.
              Twitter: LookMaICanWrite


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