As I wrote (blogged?) before, my wife and I were just up in San Francisco. I hadn’t been there in some time.
Having lived here, where preservation is a big issue, as well as reaching an age that brings appreciation of day-to-day things, I saw SF with different eyes this time.
What amazed me was, at least in the ‘touristy’ areas, how many older buildings there were; and how much identity SF had preserved over their history.
Buildings all over the districts I saw were obviously built in the early to mid-20th century. Not only that, they were in good shape.
This was shocking to someone like me – an Oahu resident – where architecture is not valued. Hotels are demolished after as little as 20 years of service, cleared away for a bigger hotel using the same blueprint as a place in Albuquerque.
There may be some concessions to ‘place’ in the lobby, but once you enter the elevators, you could be anywhere. Hotel rooms share the double bed, tv & dresser combo that you find at any Holiday Inn.
There has been beautification done in Waikiki, but, again, outside of the immediate beach area, it’s the Rodeo Drive variety mostly.
Expensive designer stores, some palm trees and lame street acts. I’m astonished at how fascinated people are by a dude who is all silver. And doesn’t move.
The great buildings and hotels of Hawaii: The Waikikian, Waikiki Theater, the old Halekulani, Canlis Boiler, much of the International Marketplace – gone forever. I can name a lot more, but it just gets too depressing.
My point is that SF gets it – they have something unique – great buildings, the Market St streetcars, the trolleys.
Here in Hawaii, the travel industry is dominated by the big name hotel chains and a very unimaginative Visitor’s Bureau. They have gotten away with advertising a picture of a beach for 50 years now and raked in the money.
And the beaches are great. But they don’t build anything themselves that contributes to the tourist industry. They don’t think that giving a ‘Hawaii Experience’ that encompasses the visitor is important.
Try to find a tiki restaurant in Hawaii. Besides Tiki’s, which is basically TGI Friday’s with some decor that is, admittedly, not too bad. They used to litter the main drag of Waikiki. Not anymore.
The old Duke’s at the International Marketplace, that featured great live Hawaiian music, is now a Frat Dude bar. If you like to dance to Hotel California, I highly recommend it. It’s like you really are in Daytona!
Put it this way – to eat at a prime Polynesian restaurant, I had to go to SF! If you are ever there, make it a point to go by the Tonga Room.
Again, the music isn’t Polynesian, but the inside is incredible. We do still have the La Mariana here in Hawaii, but it’s up for sale, so I don’t hold out much hope.
The Hawaii tourism industry – especially Waikiki – should be ashamed of themselves. They’ve gotten lazy and the boom of the past 2 years didn’t help.
We’re experiencing a drop in arrivals as I write this. But I don’t think they’ll learn anything. Their best ideas will be to buy more ad space on the mainland and raise room prices.
Now that’s brilliant marketing.