You could accurately describe Murphy’s Bar & Grill as several things. It’s a family restaurant. It’s an authentic Irish pub, owned and operated by proud Irishman Don Murphy. It’s a sports bar, fully equipped with multiple screens and just about every satellite TV sports package available. It’s a neighborhood bar for innumerable Downtown workers. It’s also a historic building, built during the whaling boom of the late 19th century.
Murphy’s hosts a yearly block party each Saint Patrick’s Day, shutting down two city blocks to accommodate the estimated 20,000 revelers that turn up each year. It is the largest such Saint Patrick’s Day celebration anywhere in the Pacific.
It’s also the headquarters for a number of charitable events throughout the year, supporting causes such as pediatric cancer treatment and research, literacy and University of Hawaii and high school athletics. Murphy’s has helped raise millions of dollars over the twenty years since it opened, and owner Don Murphy shows no signs of slowing down with that noble work.
The walls in Murphy’s are festooned with countless souvenirs, both sports related and authenticm mementos from the Emerald Isle of Ireland. The bar staff is widely recognized as among the most friendly and knowledgeable in Hawaii, and the service staff is always cheerful and accommodating.
The fare at Murphy’s ranges from simple burgers and sandwiches to traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage, to more sophisticated dishes like miso salmon. Murphy’s a wide selection of domestic and imported draft beer, and although things like Guiness you’d expect from an Irish pub are on hand, other less usual choices are available, Smithwick’s, Boddington’s Ale and Murphy’s Stout among others.
The clientele at Murphy’s represents a wide demographic. The lunchtime crowd usually consists of the business set doing power lunches in the seated rooms, and a more casual sort seated at the bar sneaking a quick peek at "the game" while gobbling up a quick lunch. Mainland visitors are frequent at Murphy’s many of whom are regulars during their stays. All are welcomed as family.
Murphy’s is entrenched in downtown, and looks forward to many more years of providing a taste of Ireland, island style.
This is just before sunrise from my bus stop at 6 am today. It will look pretty much the same on Monday. Unlike most other states (and European countries), Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving Time – there is no “fall back” this weekend and no “spring forward” in March. When it was 6 am at my bus stop this morning, it was 10 am in Denver. On Monday, when it is 6 am in Honolulu, it will be 9 am in Denver.
The idea behind Daylight Saving Time is to allow more sunlight in the afternoon/early evening. At the equator, the length of days and nights doesn’t change much. However, the farther you go in either direction from the equator, the more seasonal change there is in the length of a day compared with the duration of night. In Denver, there are about 14 hours of daylight in July: sunrise is around 6 am and sunset is just after 8 pm. In December, that shrinks to 9 ½ hours of daylight (between 7:30 am and 5 pm). The difference between darkness at 5 pm and darkness at 8 pm is noticeable, and this is with DST. Without it, the December daylight would end at 4 pm.
Hawaii is north of the equator (by about 1,470 miles), so there is a noticeable difference in daylight hours from summer to winter. However, it isn’t nearly as radical as the mainland. In Honolulu, the days are about 13 hours long in July and 11 hours in December. Just a small swing of the pendulum either side of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. It is enough that I catch the bus just before dawn in the winter and in sunlight during the summer months.
About the only time I think about DST these days is when calculating when to call friends and relatives on the mainland. The time difference was a challenge when we first moved here – the phone would awaken us at hideously early hours because it was someone’s morning break in Colorado. I told them to use this rule of thumb: when you are having lunch, I am having breakfast. That works as a rough guide year-round.
This intriguing sand circle was on the beach last weekend. Not exactly like crop circles, I’m sure aliens were not involved. However it looks like a game, rather than the toy bucket sand castles usually left behind. Although the creator was long gone, no one had yet disturbed it.
The beach was quiet during my sunset walk on Sunday. It seemed to be more relaxed than during the busy days of summer. The air was still warm, as was the water. Coming out of the gentle waves after a float, there was a slight chill to the air. But I was soon dry just from taking a stroll and the air was again warm.
I mentioned something about Hawaii in winter to a friend, who laughed. "Do you have winter in Hawaii?" she asked. "Isn’t it just called shade?" The temperature changes here are in a much narrower range than on the mainland, but there is a difference. The weather isn’t quite as hot at midday and is often rainy overnight.
It sometimes seems to be a change in mood rather than a stark seasonal change. There are fewer people on the beach, fewer large groups in stores. The tourists who are here aren’t in quite as much of a hurry. Only a few families relaxed on the beach Sunday, enjoying wide spaces of empty sand.
My Hawaiian moon calendar says we are mid-way through the month of Welehu, which marks the beginning of the Hawaiian winter. It advises: “As the weather is stormy and rough, this is the time to relax.” It is not yet time to prepare for winter holiday celebrations, so the advice is right on target. This is a pleasant and relaxing time to enjoy Hawaii, whether on vacation or just on an evening beach walk.
While I am still a Hawaii newbie by any standards — just entering my second year here — this week provided two powerful reminders of how comfortable this island has become.They both had to do with my feet.
First, I saw a conference that looked interesting and related to my studies.Then, I noticed it is in Ontario, Canada.In March.This is a problem.I moved here after over a decade in Colorado, so I have seen snow and have experienced winter weather.But I had proper clothes there.I suddenly realized that I now have no coat, just a summer hoodie and a winter hoodie, mostly for the air conditioning on buses and in classrooms.I also have no cap, scarf or gloves: items that used to be essential.But the real deal-breaker, the one that dissuaded me from applying for the conference, is that I have no shoes.I have several pair of slippers (flip-flops) that serve quite nicely all year long in Hawaii.I have purchased a pair of sneakers, allegedly to use in the gym (but that hasn’t really taken much tread off over the past year).I wore them when we returned to the mainland last summer and that was fine but I don’t think I’d like to brave Canada snow in a pair of sneakers.
The second foot experience begins with a confession.I am addicted to cable cleaning, decorating and remodeling shows.I know.But anyway, this weekend one of the remodeling projects was in a place where there was snow.That’s fine, I can WATCH people in snow all day.They carried a new rolled up area rug into the living room and were standing on it to kick the roll out.With their shoes on!I shuddered.The sight of people walking on carpet in their shoes seemed so wrong!In Hawaii, a shoe rack sits either outside or just inside the door.Even though most footwear is slippers, they are not worn inside local homes.Knowing that and feeling a physical shudder are two different things.
At some point, I’ll gear up for a winter mainland trip.But for now, I am happy to kick off my slippers at the door in October.
I’m not, by nature, a morbid person. I am, however, an avid history buff. I’m also a rabid baseball fan, and I live across the street from Oahu Cemetery, the home for all eternity of Alexander Cartwright, the father of modern baseball. With the approach of the Fall Classic, the World Series (and my beloved Philadelphia Phillies in it), I was compelled recently to wander over to the cemetery to pay my respects to Mr. Cartwright. And, it turns out, to a host of important figures in the history of Hawaii.
Oahu Cemetery was established in 1844, the first public cemetery in Hawaii. During the booming whaling era of Hawaii’s past it became necessary to accommodate the burial needs of a rapidly increasing population. Many sailors who were banished from their ships due to illness or behavioral reasons stayed in Honolulu and started families, and, back then, there were a lot of things that could kill you, disease and other people in particular.
Oahu Cemetery is considered a “Victorian cemetery,” presumably because of the ornate, regal designs of the tombstones of the cemetery’s earliest and most affluent permanent residents. Marble angels watch over the final resting places of lost children. Celtic filigree crosses and gleaming Egyptian obelisks sprout from the Nuuanu hillside. Simple stone headstones sprinkle the grass all over the 18 acres of Oahu Cemetery.
I didn’t sense any gloominess among the stones, but was overcome with a somber sense of the deep history of Honolulu. Lorrin A. Thurston, one of the leaders of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, is buried there, as is American railroad magnate Benjamin F. Dillingham. Common sailors and lofty American aristocrats share the same place until Kingdom Come. More recent family additions give a sense that the past is still with us.
It was a lovely walk in the park, so to speak, a reflective reverie among adoring expressions of love by those who loved and lost someone long ago. I came to realize that I live less than a block from the permanent home of the soul of baseball. Although it may seem glib and insensitive, I must say that Oahu Cemetery is a lovely stroll. Go Phillies.
Oahu Cemetery 2162 Nuuanu Avenue • Honolulu, HI 96817
With the recent release of the fictional biography Barbarian Princess, controversy surrounding the legacy of Princess Victoria Kaiulani has swirled in Hawaii. Many groups have taken issue with aspects of the film ranging historical inaccuracies about the time surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, its depiction of Hawaiian leadership as ineffectual, and even the title itself.
A beautiful and tragic figure, Kaiulani died at the tender age of 23. Educated in England and an accomplished speaker, Kaiulani fought for the rights of the Hawaiian monarchy to which she was heir. She spoke with US Presidents and influential lawmakers and businessmen in English, French and German about her desire to look after her people. And while much can be made about the social and political intrigues of her time, Kaiulani and her estate at Ainahau in Waikiki (now the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel) remain shining examples of the sophistication she embodied then and represents now.
The ten-acre estate of Ainahau was deeded to Kaiulani by Princess Ruth Keelikolani, a direct descendant of King Kamehaeha the Great. Kailuani’s father and former Royal Governor of Oahu, Archibald Cleghorn, built a two-story home on the estate and furnished it with elaborate ornaments and two grand pianos. Kaiulani’s family often entertained prestigious social circles and became friends with the author Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed periodically at Ainahau during Kaiulani’s childhood.
Archibald Cleghorn was an avid horticulturalist, and brought plants and flowers from all over the world to Ainahau for study and for pure enjoyment. The first banyan tree to come to Hawaii was planted at Ainahau. Kaiulani was known to ride her pony frequently at Ainahau, presumably when she wasn’t tending to her many peacocks, a hobby that earned her the knickname of the Peacock Princess.
When Archibald Cleghorn died in 1910, the Territory of Hawaii refused his gift of Ainahau for use as a public park. Reasons for that refusal are still debated today, but eventually the estate was subdivided and sold to real estate developers. Matson Navigation Company purchased some of the property, and in 1955 cleared the land to build the Princess Kaiulani Hotel (the famous banyan tree was cut down, but clippings were taken and transplanted to another site on Oahu). The Princess Kaiulani Hotel now sits on land that was once the entrance for the storied parcel of land at Ainahau.
Autumn has a different smell in some places: the scent of dried leaves or pine, the crisp feel of breathing cold air. In Hawaii, it smells like flowers. The flowers that adorn trees, bushes and hedges are still in full bloom, sending out their wonderful aromas.
I pass by a hedge with these very small white flowers on my way to and from the bus each day. On their own, they don’t have a powerful smell. But the entire hedge exudes the light scent of gardenia in a gentle wave as I walk by. Plumeria trees are the same – they are still very happily full of leaves, producing the flowers that burst with popcorn-like enthusiasm into clusters on the branches and then litter the ground beneath. The flowers do not have a strong scent but the trees full of them smell vaguely floral and pleasant.
One of my professors was reared on the east coast of the mainland. He said he always thought that air with a smell was a bad thing, until he moved to Hawaii. Here, it is a delight to experience the subtle differences among plants, most of which seem to sprout flowers. I had never seen trees with leaves and flowers before I came to Hawaii. It is still a treat to look up and see an enormous bouquet with a tree trunk as a stem.
Different flowers flourish at different times, but it seems that something is always in bloom, even through the winter season. The floral scent lingering in the air provides another dimension to Hawaii’s natural beauty.
LAST MINUTE TRAVEL DEAL! $245 Roundtrip Air to Honolulu or Maui from Los Angeles or San Francisco Plus 3-day Car
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Departures: Oct 21-26
Returns: Oct 24, 26, 27
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Departures: Oct 23, 25, 26
Returns: Oct 28, 29
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Departures: Oct 20-26
Returns: Oct 20-22, 26, 27, 29
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Departures: Oct 20-21, 23-26
Returns: Oct 20-22, 26-28
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A box full of star fruit was near the office mailboxes today – fruit fresh from the tree free for the taking. I had never seen or tasted star fruit until I moved to Hawaii but now I love its citrusy taste. A week ago, my office-mate brought guava to share. Not only had I never before experienced guava, but I also had to look up on the Internet how to eat it! (I should have just asked him, but it seemed a little too basic.) He also brings tangerines at times; another co-worker makes the rounds distributing guacamole and limes. Last Friday in the student lounge, people were rejecting free mangoes because they were a little too ripe.
I haven’t been in Hawaii long enough to turn down any fresh produce – I took one and we had mango mash on top of pork chops for dinner. It is still a huge treat to get fruit fresh from the tree at all – much less in October! The fruits and veggies do have seasons, but something is available year-round.
We are fortunate to have two Farmers Markets in Kailua, one in the morning and one in the evening. There are also locations all over the islands; the markets rotate days so the farmers can get to all or most of them. I see several Farmers Market locations in Honolulu as I travel through by bus. We have one at the university every Friday. If Rick doesn’t find a particular item at the Thursday market in Kailua, I look for it the next day on campus. No matter where you visit in Hawaii, there will be a Farmer’s Market nearby.
We first went to a Farmer’s Market during our second visit to Hawaii while still living on the mainland. We were staying in a room with a kitchen, so preparing our own meals from locally grown food was an adventure. Many hotels have kitchenettes but even if you don’t have the ability to cook, you can still enjoy fresh snacks. Honestly, we just wandered around the first couple of visits, amazed at the new sights. The sellers will explain what unfamiliar foods are, usually offering a sample, if you ask. It also lets you meet and visit with the people who grow your food — local flavor of two types. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience new tastes when you visit Hawaii!
Some people in Hawaii learn to sail fairly early.Young sailors in small boats skillfully maneuvered around Kaneohe Bay this weekend, wrapping up the season of races for the Hawaii Youth Sailing Association.It is amazing to watch them pilot their small boats, switching the sail from side to side to catch the wind, quickly ducking beneath the boom as it passes over their heads and switching the position of the tiller behind their backs.It is a complicated move that they have obviously practiced many times.
The group of sailors from several yacht clubs was divided by age and skill level.We watched the youngest and newest sailors on what are called training races.They coped with too little wind, too much wind, drifting start lines and friendly but determined competitors.Some had mechanical problems — sails that came loose, fittings that broke.Most were still able to sail into port on their own, displaying remarkable composure.
Sailing is an equal opportunity sport: it doesn’t matter how big you are, or if you are male or female.Girls were equally represented in the competitors and in the plaques handed out at the end of the day.The smallest and youngest girl started the day falling out of her boat when it overturned during the practice run.She was too light to flip it back over the way the other sailors did (several went upside down during the course of the day, figuring out how to turn your boat over and get back in is a required skill).One of the older boys swam over to help her right the boat.She still finished every race on her own power, including the last run with pretty high winds.
The day was entertaining and I learned two things.First, the sailing season is over for the winter — this was the last HYSA race and the Friday evening races at Waikiki have also stopped for the season.Second, when you start sailing around the bay, avoiding coral, or navigating waves off Waikiki as a pre-teen, responsible for your own safety and that of your boat, sailing across the ocean doesn’t seem like such an impossible undertaking. My guess is that it is sailors like these we watched Sunday who later pilot boats in the Trans Pac or Pacific Cup races to Hawaii.
Also, Pacific Cup will start July 5, 2010 in San Francisco and end in Kaneohe, Hawaii.Mark your calendars!
