June marks the beginning of hurricane season in the Central Pacific. Hurricanes Dot (1959), Iwa (1982), and Iniki (1992) were the most consequential in recent times. Read more
uzz Schneider had a talent for starting things. His first restaurant, Buzz’s Steak ‘n’ Lobster, opened in July 1957 in Waikiki. In the following decades there would be over 20 restaurants in his orbit. Read more
I asked readers who they managed to have a photo with. Did they cross paths with a celebrity and have a photo to prove it? Last month I shared stories of their meeting Neil Diamond, Willard Scott, Beatrice Wood and Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Read more
My email inbox is usually overflowing with reader comments and questions. Sometimes they ask things I have never considered, such as when Punchbowl was first considered as a cemetery, or about proposed nuclear power plants on Oahu. Read more
I met R. Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome, a few times when he was in Hawaii around 1980. I have a photo of us somewhere. Read more
One of the greatest broadcasters in sports history, in my opinion, is Al Michaels. Read more
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Jeffrey Young asked, “Can you find out where ‘Chinese Hollywood’ is and how it got its nickname? Read more
In March I wrote about the original “Hawaii Five-0,” which ran from 1968 to 1980. Several readers told me about their experiences with the long-running TV show. Read more
A few months ago I wrote about vendors who drove, biked or walked though residential communities selling milk, ice cream, pastries, meat, vegetables, fish, manapua, tofu, ice, brooms, etc. Read more
On April 7 I wrote about the somewhat obscure history of that thumb-and-pinkie wave we call shaka. It brought in several interesting comments from readers. Here are some of them. Read more
Recently, Steve Sue, who is making the documentary “Shaka, the Story of Aloha,” interviewed me about that local thumb-and-pinkie wave we do here. In preparing for it, I decided to take all the things I know about the shaka and put it in a timeline. It helped me gain some perspective on it. Read more
People ask me all the time where I get the ideas for my columns. Many of them come from questions readers send me. Here are three I’ve gotten in the past few weeks. Read more
Ronnie Belasco in Sacramento, Calif., suggested a topic for today: “Ask your readers what their first impressions of the mainland were, when they landed. Read more
The first TV show that was set in Hawaii is celebrating its 55th anniversary this year. Read more
Every month or two, I dedicate a column to answer a few reader inquiries. This week I’ll explore the history of pizza in Hawaii, Lucky Luck’s tavern, the 1949 Merci Train, Henry Berger and automats. Read more
Two weeks ago I wrote about amusing interactions between the public and local police officers. These are the kind of stories that often don’t appear in the newspaper — they’re not really news — but fit perfectly in this column. Read more
Two new books have come out recently that I have found to be both historical and delightful. One is by Jane M. Goodsill, whose father, Marshall Goodsill, was a well-known Hawaii lawyer. Read more
Recently, I asked readers of my Insider email newsletter about their interactions with local police officers. As you might imagine, they had several interesting stories. Let’s take a look. Read more
Today the Ala Wai Canal is considered the dirtiest waterway in the state, but 70 years ago plenty of local fishermen plied its waters. Read more
Before the advent of modern supermarkets in Hawaii, vendors supplied many of neighborhood families’ needs. Read more
The 50th anniversary of the Elvis concert “Aloha From Hawaii” was Saturday. The concert was the first ever to be broadcast worldwide. An estimated 1.5 billion fans in 36 countries watched the 90-minute show. Read more
