If you haven’t yet gotten your fill at the Black Friday shopping bonanza, there’s plenty more to be had today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hawaiian South Shore “Swap Meet.”  The name is deceiving in itself because I wrongly assumed the sale would be happening at Aloha Stadium where the weekend “Swap Meet” begins at 8 a.m.  I was all ready to wake up bright and early to score the best stuff, but luckily was informed that the Hawaiian South Shore “Swap Meet” is happening just down the street from where I live!  Clearly, they don’t call it Hawaiian South Shore for nothing.

This one-day, four-hour sale will happen right next to the store on Ward Avenue (across from Sports Authority), and will feature (count ‘em) ten different vendors selling the latest, greatest, and (hopefully) cheap surf gear and apparel for your holiday needs — or simply for your personal needs.  I fall into the latter category, as I’m in desperate need for a winter board for days on the North Shore.  There will be a tent full of great stuff, and Rainbow Drive-Inn will be serving plate lunch!  Even if you leave empty handed, you can leave with a full stomach!

Hawaiian South Shore has become my favorite surf store on the island.  A relatively new store, it always carries some great boards and surf gear.  One bonus is that it has the friendliest staff around.  Dave Kelly (the owner) and Sarisa (a staffer) are the nicest, smiliest people I’ve met.  I can’t imagine you being disappointed by going, so do make an effort to get there early while supplies last.  I’ll be there around noon to grab that perfect winter board, so I’ll see you there!

Hawaiian South Shore
320 Ward Ave
#808.597.9055
www.hawaiiansouthshore.com
hawaiiansouthshore@gmail.com

Who said Hawaii didn’t have any Christmas spirit?  Wreathmakers can prove these people wrong by participating in Honolulu’s 23rd Annual Holiday Wreath Contest.  Every year has a different theme, and this year’s is “Holiday Heroes,” which can pretty much be interpreted in any way you see fit.

There are three divisions: Adult (over 18), Youth (17 or under), and Theme (best depiction).  Three winners will be awarded in each division — $150, $100, and $75.  A Best in Show prize will receive Mayor Hannemann’s Holly Award in the amount of $200.  Six other $20 Judge’s Choice Awards will also be given out.

The wreath contest is held between 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on December 1st in the Lane Gallery of Honolulu Hale (530 S. King St., on the Diamond Head end of the ground floor).  All winners will be notified by December 12, and all entries will be exhibited in the Lane Gallery throughout the Honolulu City Lights program, which lasts from December 6 - January 4.

Visit www.honolulu.gov/moca, or call #768-6622 for more info.

I had to write about the airport’s restaurants for PlanetEye, another travel website that I write for, and was surprised to find two decent reviews of a place called “Stinger Ray’s,” located in the central lobby.  If you’re looking for a place with edible — even “good” — food, then this restaurant might be your only option.

One foodie over at Epinions.com writes that the chili cheese fries and clam chowder were surprisingly tasty, while Claire Walter, a food critic from Colorado, reports the Caesar salad is salty, but the nachos are not terrible.

Wherever it is you’re eating, I would advise ordering your food out and eating it in the courtyard on the bottom floor of the main concourse.  Let me know if you’ve eaten there yourself — or if there are other airport restaurants that are diamonds in the rough.

Presidential hopeful and native son Barack Obama arrived in Honolulu last night for a brief but important visit with his grandmother Madelyn Dunham.  He decided to take time away from the campaign just a fortnight from election day to make sure he could visit ailing Dunham, who suffered from a fall and broke her hip this summer and has severe osteoporosis that keeps her in her 10th story Punahou apartment, where Obama was raised.

Obama stayed at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and has no scheduled campaign appearances during his brief stay on the islands.  He will fly back to the mainland early this evening and  resume campaigning tomorrow in New Mexico and Nevada.

It’s time to break open your piggy bank!  Don’t worry, it’s for a great cause.  Whole Foods is opening at 7 a.m. tomorrow in Kahala Mall, where Star Market, the Patisserie, and I Love Country Cafe used to be.  After much anticipation, Kahala and Diamond Head Residents will now have fantastic organic products at their fingertips.  Not only is this a great addition to Hawaii, it adds a whopping 130 new jobs for Honolulu residents!

Whole Foods follows a strictly socially-responsible consumer model.  Following its animal compassion philosophy, it does not sell traditionally raised veal or buy tuna from canneries that impact dolphins in their fishing methods.  Its charcuterie will offer specialty meats, imported cheeses as well as local goat cheese from Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui, which recently became the first Hawaii farm to earn the Certified Humane Raised & Handled label.  It will also be stocked with local beers, baked breads from Bale, and local honey ranging from Pele’s Gold from Manoa to Royal Hawaiian Honey from the Big Island.  Other suppliers include Kumu Farms, which grows fresh herbs and fruits on Molokai, Maui Kombucha and Pacific Floral Exchange on the Big Island, and Sumida Watercress Farm on Oahu.

There will be a fully-stocked Whole Body section offering body care goods as well as vitamins and supplements — none of which have been animal tested.  Local suppliers include the Indigenous Soap Co., Hawaiian Bath & Body from the North Shore, and Scents of Knowing from Haiku, Maui.

Those seeking a quick, healthy lunch no longer have to look far either!  The store will have gelato, organic juices, a bakery, pizza oven, two salad bars, Keawe-smoked meats, brown rice sushi, 25 kinds of poke, and a plate lunch station.

Hooray for Whole Foods!

A guaranteed great time on hump day is 80’s Acid Wash Wednesdays at Next Door on Hotel Street in downtown Honolulu.  For a year now, my friends and I have been going to this place to dance our butts off to our favorite 80’s music (like “Take on Me” by A-ha!).  When we first started going last spring it was still one of Honolulu’s best kept secrets.  It’s since been discovered by many night owls and always gets packed on the dance floor by midnight.

Bartender Chris is a mainstay here at Next Door and will stir up an awesome drink for you.  Guys must wear covered shoes — and a collared shirt is also recommended.  Girls, as usual, can wear whatever the heck they want.  Doors open at 9 p.m., but people don’t start rolling in til 11.

If you’re looking for a place to chill out before stepping back in time, look no farther than thirtyninehotel, which is next door to Next Door. There’s a great open mic night on Wednesdays, and you can even enjoy the music from their very cozy outdoor patio.

(808) 548-6398

The Honolulu Weekly recently came out with a “Cheap Finds” issue for visitors and residents on a budget, and I’m following up on their list of cheapies by providing a short list of my own.

If you traveled to Hawaii the right way, the only thing you packed was your bathing suit.  That really is all you need to survive in this tropical paradise.  Once you’ve settled into your newfound island lifestyle and you’re looking for some good ole cheap island attire, here’s a quick guide to some really decently priced apparel stores in the Honolulu area.

1. Savers

This is a huge warehouse of second-hand clothing, shoes, houseware, and books.  You might have to dig a little, but there are some really great clothing bargains that are from Banana Republic, or other high-end stores!

1505 Dillingham Blvd #115, ph #808-842-0061

2. Stylus Honolulu

This place is tucked up on the third floor of the building at the corner of University and King, across from Puck’s Alley.  Most clothes are about $10 and are stylish second-hand stuff.  They also have a neat music collection where they sell CD’s for under $10.

2615 S. King Street #A-301, ph #808-951-4500

http://www.stylushonolulu.com/

3. The International Marketplace

With dozens of booths to choose from, you will be sure to buy the cheapest aloha attire and bathing suits somewhere in this Waikiki labyrinth.

2330 Kalakaua Ave, #808-971-2080

http://www.internationalmarketplacewaikiki.com/

We call it “Hangover Sunday” and, hungover or not, my friends and I have established a water sport tradition: we wake up as early as possible on Sunday morning, drive to Makapu’u Beach, and drink a beer (or two) before jumping in the romping surf for at least a full hour of bodysurfing enjoyment.  Indeed, Makapu’u Beach is world-famous for its perfectly bodysurfable waves, but to my friend and me it means so much more.

Ask anyone in Hawaii where to go if you want to surf without a board and, unless they want you to break your neck or get scratched up on the coral reef at Oahu’s other two bodysurfing spots, Sandy’s and Point Panic, Makapu’u will top the list.

There’s a little bit of skill and, in bigger surf, equipment that must be used to avoid injury when bodysurfing. At Makapu’u, you should begin bodysurfing at the eastern edge (the more protected side) of the beach.  Start shallow enough that you can still push off the sandy bottom.  To avoid crashing into the rocks, you will want to catch the wave to your left, so get a good push off the sea floor and direct your body to the left as you stick out your left arm to direct you.  Keep kicking even after you’ve caught the wave.  On big days, rubber fins are necessities for bodysurfing.  Locals do not wear swimming goggles–ever–to bodysurf.  It’s actually considered uncool.

Surfboards are strictly prohibited during lifeguarding hours (8 am - 5 pm every day), so body and boogie boarders have the beach all to themselves for most of the day!

Get out there and have fun!

To get to Makapu’u Beach, head east on H-1 and the Kalanianaole Highway.  The beach on your right, across the street from Sea Life Park.  There is free parking all day, as well as free public bathrooms and fresh water showers.

Well, I guess if I can’t make it to the summer concert of the year (the American Idols Live 2008 tour — David Cook rocks!), I will have to settle for Bayfest. The lineup is surprisingly good this time, though, and I might actually make it to Kaneohe this Fourth of July weekend to check out Live and Everclear on Sunday.

This summer will mark the 19th annual Bayfest concert, and while there is always a country star playing (this year it’s Rodney Atkins), there’s always a rock band in the mix.

Little Big Town and Rodney Atkins will play on Friday ($24)

Three Doors Down will play on Saturday ($29)

Everclear and Live will play on Sunday ($29)

Two day passes are just $48, and the three day pass is $58. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster. Visit the Bayfest web site for more details.

What was once a little-known lighthouse on the rocky eastern coast of Oahu has now become one of the most well-trodden yet wonderfully rewarding hikes on the island.  Many visitors choose to hike from the the parking lot along the paved path to the lighthouse and back.  There are, however, two worthwhile detours, both of which take add an extra hour to the hike.  The first are to visit the pillboxes scattered on the hillside, which will give you a sense of the effects of Pearl Harbor and Hawaii’s current role as a Pacific port of call.  The second leads you down the steep, rocky path to several tide pools you can swim in and blow holes that make for entertaining flying objects by the water’s edge.  During the winter, from November through April, be on the lookout for whales, who find the Makapu’u Lighthouse an especially nice place to breech.

This hike takes two hours round trip, plus two hours for the additional detours.  Take the Kalanianaole Highway past Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach.  Parking is available on the right hand side, just before the hairpin curve leading to Sea Life Park.