# I Got the Job and We’re Moving to Oahu



## slip (Jul 9, 2019)

I had a thread about my last trip to Molokai and I put a post on there about applying for a job on Oahu that had opened up at the company I work for. The thread was getting very long and since I’ll be making this change I thought I would start a new thread. 

So, I got the call today and we settled on a number I had in my head for a long time that I thought was reasonable. I’m taking the job and we are moving to Oahu. 

They want me there on 08-05-19 but I don’t know if my current operating company will let me go that soon. I’ll be meeting with my current company President on Thursday to go over everything. 

The adventure begins.


----------



## PcflEZFlng (Jul 9, 2019)

Living the dream! Congratulations, Jeff!


----------



## klpca (Jul 9, 2019)

What exciting news! Congratulations!


----------



## linsj (Jul 9, 2019)

Congratulations! I'm trying to keep my jealousy in check, but it's hard.  I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could afford to.


----------



## TheTimeTraveler (Jul 9, 2019)

Congratulations.  The winters in HI are so much nicer than WI.  The only downside is that Real Estate prices are really outrageous as well as basic supplies such as groceries and gasoline (just to name a few).  

I'd move there in a heartbeat also regardless of the high cost of living.




.


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 9, 2019)

Congratulations!!!


----------



## Panina (Jul 9, 2019)

Great news, congratulations


----------



## Sugarcubesea (Jul 9, 2019)

Congrats.  So excited for you


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 9, 2019)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> Congratulations.  The winters in HI are so much nicer than WI.  The only downside is that Real Estate prices are really outrageous as well as basic supplies such as groceries and gasoline (just to name a few).
> 
> I'd move there in a heartbeat also regardless of the high cost of living.
> 
> ...



There are four Costco's on Oahu.  Groceries and gas there are comparable to Mainland pricing.  

Consider, too, that while you might spend more for some things there, (in some cases a LOT more), you don't have to heat your house, buy Winter clothes, snow tires, deal with extremes in climate, and so on.  It trades off. 

Dave


----------



## billymach4 (Jul 9, 2019)

Slip,

I had to back and catch up on your news! Very excited for you indeed!


----------



## slip (Jul 9, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> There are four Costco's on Oahu.  Groceries and gas there are comparable to Mainland pricing.
> 
> Consider, too, that while you might spend more for some things there, (in some cases a LOT more), you don't have to heat your house, buy Winter clothes, snow tires, deal with extremes in climate, and so on.  It trades off.
> 
> Dave



Definitely true on the trade offs. 

We are Costco members and now we will be able to use it more often than here.


----------



## Luanne (Jul 9, 2019)

Congratulations to you and your wife again.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 9, 2019)

slip said:


> Definitely true on the trade offs.
> 
> We are Costco members and now we will be able to use it more often than here.



The Iwilei Costco in Honolulu is close to where you'll be working.  (Iwilei is pronounced "Evee-lay.")


----------



## amycurl (Jul 9, 2019)

I am so excited for you! You’ve had a great attitude through this whole application/interview process and it sounds like it really paid off! Glad that the numbers worked, too. Congrats!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## slip (Jul 9, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> The Iwilei Costco in Honolulu is close to where you'll be working.  (Iwilei is pronounced "Evee-lay.")
> 
> View attachment 12798



Just when I thought I was fair at the Hawaiian Street names, you had to throw this one out there. 

I actually saw a few places up by the Kamehameha shopping center on your map.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 9, 2019)

slip said:


> Just when I thought I was fair at the Hawaiian Street names, you had to throw this one out there.
> 
> I actually saw a few places up by the Kamehameha shopping center on your map.



Thats a snip from Google maps.  If you tell it to show you "Iwilei Costco" you can see that, and a whole lot more.

Another place you'll be close to, is "Nico's Pier 39" restaurant. It is an awesome place to eat super fresh seafood, taken right from the fishermen's boats.  Not a fancy place, but the food is great.  Beverages are good, too. We eat there every time we go to Oahu. (Hint:  Go during Happy Hour, like around 5:00PM.  You can order the dinner entree at Happy Hour pricing.)

Hawaiian language is pretty easy, but you have to learn the rules.  Only 12 letters in the alphabet:  Five vowels A,E,I,O,U, and seven consonants H,K,L,M,N,P,W.  Every letter is pronounced, (technically), until you get to the colloquial pronunciations, which screws things up.  Every word ends in a vowel, and there are never two consonants together.  They are always separated by at least one vowel. Vowels are pronounced: A as in "aah." E is "Aay." I is "ee." O is "oh." and U is "ooh."  The consonants are the same as you've ever heard them.

EXCEPT for W.  When the word starts with a W, it is pronounced as a classic "double U" letter sound.  When W is contained within the word, especially the next to last letter, it is often pronounced as a V.  "Ewa Beach" is a V-sound word, because the W is the next to last letter.  "Waikiki" is a W-sound word because the word starts with a W.  So in the case above, "Iwilei" has a W not as the first letter, so is one of those V-sound words.

But just when it seems simple to understand, there are places like Wahiawa. By the rules, it should be pronounced "Wa-hee-ahV-a."  But it's "Wa-hee-a-Wah."  And of course, there are words where both W pronunciations are valid:  Hawaii can be "Ha-Wah-ee" or "Ha-Vah-ee."  So there it is.  Easy as pie. Except when it's not.  LOL!

You'll get used to it, and how Hawaiian words are sprinkled into non-Hawaiian phrases.  "Junior! Get your okole in the house!"  or on the golf course:  "You putt the ball into the puka."  And we all know what a "pupu platter" is.  It's fun, and I know you'll enjoy yourself.  And don't get me started on how Pidgin fits in.  That's a whole different story.

Hele on, bruddah Jeff.  You got this.  

Dave, aka Kawika. (With a V sound...)


----------



## slip (Jul 9, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Thats a snip from Google maps.  If you tell it to show you "Iwilei Costco" you can see that, and a whole lot more.
> 
> Another place you'll be close to, is "Nico's Pier 39" restaurant. It is an awesome place to eat super fresh seafood, taken right from the fishermen's boats.  Not a fancy place, but the food is great.  Beverages are good, too. We eat there every time we go to Oahu. (Hint:  Go during Happy Hour, like around 5:00PM.  You can order the dinner entree at Happy Hour pricing.)
> 
> ...



I have nothing but time now and it will take a while.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 10, 2019)

slip said:


> I have nothing but time now and it will take a while.



It's not nearly as hard as it might seem.  Just look at the word, consider the spelling, and know that a lot of combinations of letters have colloquial sounds to them, For example, "au" together isn't always "ah-ooh", but is often pronounced as "ow," like you stubbed your toe. So "Hanauma Bay" sounds like "Hah-now-mah."  (Although colloquial pronunciation drops the U sound, and it's spoken as "Hah-nom-ma."  Even common words like Honolulu should be pronounced as "Hoh-noh-loo-loo," and not "Hah-nah-lu-lu."

Multiple vowels together are usually all pronounced.  So "Kaaawa" (a community on the Windward side of Oahu) is pronounced "Kah-ah-ah-Va." Before you know it, you'll be ripping through some real tongue twisters, like Ke'eaumoku Street, Kalanianaole Highway, Piikoi, Ko'Olina, and Kapolei.

Now you're an expert.  

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 10, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> It's not nearly as hard as it might seem.  Just look at the word, consider the spelling, and know that a lot of combinations of letters have colloquial sounds to them, For example, "au" together isn't always "ah-ooh", but is often pronounced as "ow," like you stubbed your toe. So "Hanauma Bay" sounds like "Hah-now-mah."  (Although colloquial pronunciation drops the U sound, and it's spoken as "Hah-nom-ma."  Even common words like Honolulu should be pronounced as "Hoh-noh-loo-loo," and not "Hah-nah-lu-lu."
> 
> Multiple vowels together are usually all pronounced.  So "Kaaawa" (a community on the Windward side of Oahu) is pronounced "Kah-ah-ah-Va." Before you know it, you'll be ripping through some real tongue twisters, like Ke'eaumoku Street, Kalanianaole Highway, Piikoi, Ko'Olina, and Kapolei.
> 
> ...



Heck, with my Chicago accent I can barely speak English. 

I always do a little better and I’m there hearing them being pronounced too so that will help. All in time.


----------



## Gypsy65 (Jul 10, 2019)

I have a cousin who moved there years ago. He Took some course that would help with the anxiety of being on an island. It’s not vacation and you won’t be going “home” next week
He took it and was fine. His wife didn’t and was a mess
They moved back to the Mainland 

Maybe something to look in to

I’ve often thought of moving there as well


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 10, 2019)

Gypsy65 said:


> I have a cousin who moved there years ago. He Scorpio some course that would help with the anxiety of being on an island. It’s not vacation and you won’t be going “home” next week
> He took it and was fine. His wife didn’t and was a mess
> They moved back to the States
> 
> ...




Sorry, personal pet peeve:  Hawaii IS a state, and has been since 1959.  

"They moved back to the Mainland" is a better way to say it.

"Island fever" can happen, but it depends a lot on how integrated into the local world people let themselves become.  If you embrace the culture, and try to become part of the experience, it's much easier.  People who maintain a "just visiting" attitude rarely adapt well.

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 10, 2019)

Gypsy65 said:


> I have a cousin who moved there years ago. He Scorpio some course that would help with the anxiety of being on an island. It’s not vacation and you won’t be going “home” next week
> He took it and was fine. His wife didn’t and was a mess
> They moved back to the States
> 
> ...



Definitely something we have heard and thought about. I can’t say it won’t happen to me or my wife but when we are here we don’t go too far besides taking a few trips. We will still be able to take trips if we want to so I really don’t think it will be an issue but we won’t know unless we try.


----------



## pspercy (Jul 10, 2019)

Congrats


----------



## TheHolleys87 (Jul 10, 2019)

Yay for you! I’m looking forward to following your move!


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Jul 10, 2019)

Congratulations on the new job.  I cannot imagine a better place to live.


----------



## silentg (Jul 10, 2019)

That is great news! Throw away your snow shovel! Wishing you and your wife a pleasant move to your new home!


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 10, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> A as in "aah." E is "Aay." I is "eye." O is "oh." and U is "ooh."  The consonants are the same as you've ever heard them.



Dave, isn't E pronounced "eh" like Kamehameha - Kai meh hah meh hah and I "ee", like Ha-wa-ee'ee?

The apostrophe means sound the vowel after it separately, like a distinct I at the end of Hawai'i, right?


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 10, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> It's not nearly as hard as it might seem.  Just look at the word, consider the spelling, and know that a lot of combinations of letters have colloquial sounds to them, For example, "au" together isn't always "ah-ooh", but is often pronounced as "ow," like you stubbed your toe. So "Hanauma Bay" sounds like "Hah-now-mah."  (Although colloquial pronunciation drops the U sound, and it's spoken as "Hah-nom-ma."  Even common words like Honolulu should be pronounced as "Hoh-noh-loo-loo," and not "Hah-nah-lu-lu."
> 
> Multiple vowels together are usually all pronounced.  So "Kaaawa" (a community on the Windward side of Oahu) is pronounced "Kah-ah-ah-Va." Before you know it, you'll be ripping through some real tongue twisters, like Ke'eaumoku Street, Kalanianaole Highway, Piikoi, Ko'Olina, and Kapolei.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the primer. I even picked up a little. When we were on Maui in May, I noticed a definite 'pause' in the TV newscasts pronunciation of Hawai'i and O'ahu. Jeff will pick it up in no time- even with a Chicago accent underneath. (My wife still has a touch of Wisconsin 'twang' after 40 years here- and still puts a 'z' in Boise).


----------



## rapmarks (Jul 10, 2019)

Giving up rural Wisconsin Dells for Hawaii, nice trade.


----------



## chellej (Jul 10, 2019)

congratulations  That is great news


----------



## easyrider (Jul 10, 2019)

Nice move. Now the vacation time is in Wisconsin ?

Bill


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 10, 2019)

With 90,000 Hawaiian residents, Las Vegas is often referred to as the 'Ninth Hawaiian Island'. The Silverton Casino features Hawaiian cuisine, and Boyds Hotel is often 90% filled with Hawaiians as 4 Boyd Gaming chartered jets descend on McCarran airport from Honolulu weekly.

So much for Wisconsin.

Jim


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 10, 2019)

slip said:


> I had a thread about my last trip to Molokai and I put a post on there about applying for a job on Oahu that had opened up at the company I work for. The thread was getting very long and since I’ll be making this change I thought I would start a new thread.
> 
> So, I got the call today and we settled on a number I had in my head for a long time that I thought was reasonable. I’m taking the job and we are moving to Oahu.
> 
> ...



Congratulations on the New Job and the new location on our favorite Island.   I say our favorite island since we have been to all 6 Hawaiian Islands and Oahu is the one we love the best.  We have spent about 3 years of total time vacationing in the last 11 years on Oahu, and in May we purchased a 2 BR Condo so we can spend more time there.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 10, 2019)

Henry M. said:


> Dave, isn't E pronounced "eh" like Kamehameha - Kai meh hah meh hah and I "ee", like Ha-wa-ee'ee?
> 
> The apostrophe means sound the vowel after it separately, like a distinct I at the end of Hawai'i, right?



Thanks.  I shouldn't try to type this stuff late at night.    You're right, of course, the letter I is pronounced as "ee" not "eye."  I blame autocorrect.   I didn't want to get too deeply involved in the apostrophe splitting vowel sounds.  That comes with experience, and is likely why some people say the state name as "Hawa-i'i" with two separate I sounds, and others run it together, and say it as "Hawyee."  (I can hear it better than I can type it.)

As for pronunciation, to my ears, "eh" and "aay" sound the same. 

Dave


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 10, 2019)

Duplicate reply


----------



## LisaH (Jul 10, 2019)

That’s excellent! Congrats!!!


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 10, 2019)

And just so you guys can practice your Hawaiian, don't forget the Hawaiian Royalty:  My favorite was Queen Lydia Liliuokalani. 

Dave


----------



## canesfan (Jul 10, 2019)

Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DebBrown (Jul 10, 2019)

Congratulations!  I am more than a little jealous!  Don't we all dream of living in paradise?  I've heard people get island fever but I think I would be just fine.


----------



## slip (Jul 10, 2019)

Wow, Thank You everyone for all the well wishes!! You gotta love TUG!

I had the realtor over tonight and boy I was off on what to list our house at. We have been here 15 years and I have not been following the market so we were surprised. She thinks it should sell well and said the market is strong now so hopefully she’s right. 

She even has people that will help us get rid of our stuff. We have to do a couple things but nothing too bad. 

I’m also getting ready to ship my car. I will probably set that up tomorrow. They will pick it up next week and it will be in Honolulu on 08-08-19. I’ll have to rent a car for a couple weeks here and then only for a few days there. 

Things are moving along but there’s still a lot to do.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 10, 2019)

slip said:


> I’m also getting ready to ship my car. I will probably set that up tomorrow. They will pick it up next week and it will be in Honolulu on 08-08-19. I’ll have to rent a car for a couple weeks here and then only for a few days there.


House prices are kind of nutzoid if you haven't been following them. Of course there's a downside to that too- you still have to live someplace. 
Will they containerize the car there, or will it go by open car trailer and be containerized at the port? Can you load personal goods in the car? Nothing highly valued, or critical, but, say a few boxes of clothing or kitchen stuff so you won't have to buy what you already have. Cars are pretty much shipped at a flat rate- not by weight so any extra you can put in it is el-freebo.

Just curious. Over my years of moving people's household goods, I never was involved with an ocean move.

Jim


----------



## slip (Jul 10, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> House prices are kind of nutzoid if you haven't been following them. Of course there's a downside to that too- you still have to live someplace.
> Will they containerize the car there, or will it go by open car trailer and be containerized at the port? Can you load personal goods in the car? Nothing highly valued, or critical, but, say a few boxes of clothing or kitchen stuff so you won't have to buy what you already have. Cars are pretty much shipped at a flat rate- not by weight so any extra you can put in it is el-freebo.
> 
> Just curious. Over my years of moving people's household goods, I never was involved with an ocean move.
> ...



I haven’t been watching and one good thing is I’m just going to rent for the six years I’m on Oahu. 

Open trailer and containerized at the port. You can’t have anything in the car though. Only car related like car mats, jumper cables, a jack. Plus the tank has to have under a quarter of a tank.


----------



## slip (Jul 10, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> Congratulations on the New Job and the new location on our favorite Island.   I say our favorite island since we have been to all 6 Hawaiian Islands and Oahu is the one we love the best.  We have spent about 3 years of total time vacationing in the last 11 years on Oahu, and in May we purchased a 2 BR Condo so we can spend more time there.



Congratulations on your condo purchase!
It’s nice to have a home to go to while your on the island. 

One thing I forgot to mention with everything else going on, our new windows were installed in our condo yesterday and today the new lanai door was going being installed. Can wait to see it.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 11, 2019)

slip said:


> Definitely something we have heard and thought about. I can’t say it won’t happen to me or my wife but when we are here we don’t go too far besides taking a few trips. We will still be able to take trips if we want to so I really don’t think it will be an issue but we won’t know unless we try.



As I mentioned we have spent about 3 years in the last 11 in Honolulu.  We live without a car and can walk or take the BUS to just about anything we want to do.  We don't work to stay busy but we never lack for things to do.  At times we have 2 and 3 activities we would like to do on one day or night and have to choose which one we will do and what we won't.  If you start to have some island fever for lack of stimulation and things to do send me a private message and I will give you some of our thoughts.  However, location is important.  Will your wife have a car?  I don't know where your home will be but we are located in Waikiki so that there is a lot going on right around us and the BUS runs very frequently to and from downtown Honolulu so we don't need a car to get around.


----------



## TheTimeTraveler (Jul 11, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> As I mentioned we have spent about 3 years in the last 11 in Honolulu.  We live without a car and can walk or take the BUS to just about anything we want to do.  We don't work to stay busy but we never lack for things to do.  At times we have 2 and 3 activities we would like to do on one day or night and have to choose which one we will do and what we won't.  If you start to have some island fever for lack of stimulation and things to do send me a private message and I will give you some of our thoughts.  However, location is important.  Will your wife have a car?  I don't know where your home will be but we are located in Waikiki so that there is a lot going on right around us and the BUS runs very frequently to and from downtown Honolulu so we don't need a car to get around.






A couple of questions for you if I may:   Homelessness has been a very serious problem in the past in Honolulu (with tents and people living on City owned land).   Is this still a major problem or has the booming economy eliminated that excessive homeless issue?   i.e. the homeless now have paying jobs?   I do recognize that the cost of living is a huge issue in that area.

Second;  I know that a new, modern rapid transit monorail system has been in the works for well over 15 years or so, and for some time was a Political football;  where does that stand at this point?  Has a specific route been decided thru the city and how much more has to be done before it is actually up and running?  Have they announced an anticipated official or estimated start date yet?






.


----------



## slip (Jul 11, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> As I mentioned we have spent about 3 years in the last 11 in Honolulu.  We live without a car and can walk or take the BUS to just about anything we want to do.  We don't work to stay busy but we never lack for things to do.  At times we have 2 and 3 activities we would like to do on one day or night and have to choose which one we will do and what we won't.  If you start to have some island fever for lack of stimulation and things to do send me a private message and I will give you some of our thoughts.  However, location is important.  Will your wife have a car?  I don't know where your home will be but we are located in Waikiki so that there is a lot going on right around us and the BUS runs very frequently to and from downtown Honolulu so we don't need a car to get around.



I just arranged to have my car to be shipped today. Her car will be shipped to Molokai when we sell our house. That way she will have a car while she is staying at our condo. 

When we find a place to rent on Oahu, we do want to be close to the bus line but she could always drive me to work if need be. She won’t be working after we sell our house.


----------



## cyntravel (Jul 11, 2019)

Congratulation! So happy everything worked out and you can relax and enjoy your new adventures together.
Have fun and share all your new experiences with us.


----------



## MrockStar (Jul 12, 2019)

Congrats, much closer to your retirement condo/home now. Best wishes on the new job.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 12, 2019)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> A couple of questions for you if I may:   Homelessness has been a very serious problem in the past in Honolulu (with tents and people living on City owned land).   Is this still a major problem or has the booming economy eliminated that excessive homeless issue?   i.e. the homeless now have paying jobs?   I do recognize that the cost of living is a huge issue in that area.
> 
> Second;  I know that a new, modern rapid transit monorail system has been in the works for well over 15 years or so, and for some time was a Political football;  where does that stand at this point?  Has a specific route been decided thru the city and how much more has to be done before it is actually up and running?  Have they announced an anticipated official or estimated start date yet?
> 
> ...


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 12, 2019)

slip said:


> I just arranged to have my car to be shipped today. Her car will be shipped to Molokai when we sell our house. That way she will have a car while she is staying at our condo.
> 
> When we find a place to rent on Oahu, we do want to be close to the bus line but she could always drive me to work if need be. She won’t be working after we sell our house.



Here are a few thoughts:

I do not know much about the area where you are working, but it is about 3 miles West of the center of the City.  We don't drive when we are there so we can't comment on specific problems with the traffic but the area where you are working is right in the middle of the main rush hour traffic route from the West.  You mentioned "island fever".   I don't know what your wife would like to do while you are working or what you both would like to do when you are off to prevent that, but areas up to 6 or so miles East of your work location and about a mile or so from the water would be where most of the action is and where I would look for a place.  We picked Waikiki since we usually stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village our condo choice is right across the street and a block from the water.  It is about 5 miles East of your work location.


----------



## tompalm (Jul 12, 2019)

I didn’t see when you needed to start a rental in Hawaii, but if August 1st works, my neighbor has a two bedroom apartment attached to the front of his house that is around 1000 sq foot and has a view of the ocean. It is really nice and also in an upscale neighborhood.  It is walking distance to shopping and Hanauma Bay. $2600 a month includes all utilities.  Send me your phone number on a PM and I will tell him to call you. This will be rented the first day he advertises it, so don’t wait too long. Driving time to your work area when there is no traffic is less than 30 minutes.


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 12, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> There are four Costco's on Oahu. Groceries and gas there are comparable to Mainland pricing.


Except for milk! Milk is still damn expensive in Hawaii. If Costco can get the cost of most other groceries down to close to mainland prices, why can't they do the same for milk?


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 12, 2019)

dioxide45 said:


> Except for milk! Milk is still damn expensive in Hawaii. If Costco can get the cost of most other groceries down to close to mainland prices, why can't they do the same for milk?



Is it? Maybe because it has to be bought locally? I don't buy milk, so I've never noticed.  I have noticed a lot of the things I do buy at home are the same, or close to the same price, at Costco in Hawaii.

Dave


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 12, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Is it? Maybe because it has to be bought locally? I don't buy milk, so I've never noticed.  I have noticed a lot of the things I do buy at home are the same, or close to the same price, at Costco in Hawaii.
> 
> Dave


Yeah, for whatever reason milk is still like $5 a gallon in Hawaii when we were paying $0.98 back in Ohio. Found out it is $1.99 here in Florida. Eggs are also double. I suspect these are cheaper in Ohio mainly due to transportation costs.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 12, 2019)

dioxide45 said:


> Yeah, for whatever reason milk is still like $5 a gallon in Hawaii when we were paying $0.98 back in Ohio. Found out it is $1.99 here in Florida. Eggs are also double. I suspect these are cheaper in Ohio mainly due to transportation costs.



Was that $5 a gallon in Hawaii the Costco price, or local grocery stores?  Here in Washington State where I am, literally surrounded by dairy farms, milk is $2 to $4 a gallon. At our Costco it's about $2 a gallon, but you have to buy two gallons at a time. As I say, I don't buy milk, so there is no way I'd be able to go through two gallons before it started going bad.

Dave


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 12, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Was that $5 a gallon in Hawaii the Costco price, or local grocery stores?  Here in Washington State where I am, literally surrounded by dairy farms, milk is $2 to $4 a gallon. At our Costco it's about $2 a gallon, but you have to buy two gallons at a time. As I say, I don't buy milk, so there is no way I'd be able to go through two gallons before it started going bad.
> 
> Dave


It was just as expensive at Costco as the grocery stores. Perhaps a small savings but I have never really found Costco to be competitive on their pricing of milk.


----------



## SmithOp (Jul 13, 2019)

We buy the organic ultra pastuerized milk at Costco, comes in a 3 pack of half gallon, good for at least 6 weeks.  One pack lasts a month so price is not a factor in our purchase decision, prefer not to buy the cheap milk full of bovine hormones. A little on cereal and a splash in coffee is all we use.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 13, 2019)

tompalm said:


> I didn’t see when you needed to start a rental in Hawaii, but if August 1st works, my neighbor has a two bedroom apartment attached to the front of his house that is around 1000 sq foot and has a view of the ocean. It is really nice and also in an upscale neighborhood.  It is walking distance to shopping and Hanauma Bay. $2600 a month includes all utilities.  Send me your phone number on a PM and I will tell him to call you. This will be rented the first day he advertises it, so don’t wait too long. Driving time to your work area when there is no traffic is less than 30 minutes.



Slip, everything that tompalm mentions about this apartment sounds correct.   I am not trying to throw cold water on this location, while it wouldn't work for my husband and I although it may work for you and your wife.  Lifestyles are different so I would like to offer my thoughts and questions which may prevent island fever for you:  We don't drink and drive, but we do like to drink both in our accommodations and then go out and also when we go out.  So walkability is an important and complicated issue.  Walking distance is not necessarily safe walking distance.  Are there sidewalks?  Also, walking during the day is different than walking at night.  Are there restaurants and nightlife within walking distance?  How far and how easy a walk is the BUS both day and night?  What BUS line is it?  Where does it go?  How often does it run, and what time does it stop at night?  Finally, the last sentence states that "Driving time to your work area WHEN THERE IS NO TRAFFIC is less than 30 minutes.  Are you going to go to work and come home in the middle of the night?  As I mentioned we bought our condo in Waikiki, since all the questions that I asked come with positive answers for our location and that location works perfectly for us.  Everyone is different.


----------



## slip (Jul 13, 2019)

tompalm said:


> I didn’t see when you needed to start a rental in Hawaii, but if August 1st works, my neighbor has a two bedroom apartment attached to the front of his house that is around 1000 sq foot and has a view of the ocean. It is really nice and also in an upscale neighborhood.  It is walking distance to shopping and Hanauma Bay. $2600 a month includes all utilities.  Send me your phone number on a PM and I will tell him to call you. This will be rented the first day he advertises it, so don’t wait too long. Driving time to your work area when there is no traffic is less than 30 minutes.



Thank You, timeframe is about right but I have to get there to see about commutes and good neighborhoods. I definitely want to be closer but I also don’t know if it is realistic. I would rather not spend that much but again I don’t know if it’s realistic. 

We are definitely downsizing and can get away with less than a 1,000 sq/ft so hopefully we can save some money because of that. One bedroom preferred but would consider a studio. A parking spot is a must also.


----------



## slip (Jul 13, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> Slip, everything that tompalm mentions about this apartment sounds correct.   I am not trying to throw cold water on this location, while it wouldn't work for my husband and I although it may work for you and your wife.  Lifestyles are different so I would like to offer my thoughts and questions which may prevent island fever for you:  We don't drink and drive, but we do like to drink both in our accommodations and then go out and also when we go out.  So walkability is an important and complicated issue.  Walking distance is not necessarily safe walking distance.  Are there sidewalks?  Also, walking during the day is different than walking at night.  Are there restaurants and nightlife within walking distance?  How far and how easy a walk is the BUS both day and night?  What BUS line is it?  Where does it go?  How often does it run, and what time does it stop at night?  Finally, the last sentence states that "Driving time to your work area WHEN THERE IS NO TRAFFIC is less than 30 minutes.  Are you going to go to work and come home in the middle of the night?  As I mentioned we bought our condo in Waikiki, since all the questions that I asked come with positive answers for our location and that location works perfectly for us.  Everyone is different.



You are correct, everyone is different and as long as I’m in a relatively safe neighborhood close to grocery and a few restaurants, We’re fine. I will have to drive a little there and see about the commute times and makes sure I’m in a pretty good neighborhood.

We are not nightlife people but will enjoy a drink or two at home and usually only drink one or maybe two away from home.

We hope to get out more because of the weather but it in reality it will be on The weekend, Friday Saturday and Sunday.


----------



## slip (Jul 13, 2019)

I had to catch up on this thread since we have been really busy. 

We decided to get a dumpster so we can just throw stuff when we are going through it. We have the lady who does auctions coming Monday to go through everything and buy what she wants to sell. After that we can start to go through what’s left. 

My son came over today and took what he wanted. He helped me with a little drywall patch I had to do also. We did a little outside work too. Just some trimming of the grass and bushes. We have a guy coming this week to pressure wash the house and deck. The outside should be in good shape after that. 

Tomorrow I just have to put some trim back on and then I’ll start going through some areas and throw away stuff that I know needs to go. 

We’ll have to move things to the garage this week also because we are putting in new carpet. Hopefully some of this stuff will be taken by the auction lady. 

We had to take a little time today because we found new homes for our cat and dog. This was the roughest thing. With our six year plan our dog was going to be 15 and possibly even not around so we would only have to find a home for the cat but because of how fast this all is going we had to find them new homes. I didn’t want to put them through that long plane ride and it also would make things much tougher to find a rental. My wife cried about the cat. She handled that one and I cried about the dog. When we got the dog it was hers but she quickly became mine and that was tough on me today but the lady who took her bright her grand kids with her and Molly was playing with them right off the bat and she went right over by there car. It made it easier on me seeing she was happy. 

One problem I have is that there were no cars available to rent at our only rental car place in town for Monday and that’s when my car is being picked up. They may have something that afternoon but I don’t know the time my car is being picked up at. Hope the timing works out. I tried to get a car on Saturday but they didn’t have anything. 
I’ll make it work somehow. 

We’re moving along.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> I’ll make it work somehow.
> 
> We’re moving along.




Eyes on the prize, Jeff.  Eyes on the prize.  And don't forget to breathe.  It will ALL be fine.

When we finally meet next year, first round is on me. Maybe the second round, too.  

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Eyes on the prize, Jeff.  Eyes on the prize.  And don't forget to breathe.  It will ALL be fine.
> 
> When we finally meet next year, first round is on me. Maybe the second round, too.
> 
> Dave



Now we’re talkin.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> You are correct, everyone is different and as long as I’m in a relatively safe neighborhood close to grocery and a few restaurants, We’re fine. I will have to drive a little there and see about the commute times and makes sure I’m in a pretty good neighborhood.
> 
> We are not nightlife people but will enjoy a drink or two at home and usually only drink one or maybe two away from home.
> 
> We hope to get out more because of the weather but it in reality it will be on The weekend, Friday Saturday and Sunday.



You have your priorities straight as far as a safe neighborhood and the daily commute being the most important. 

At our age we no longer are nightlife people either, but we will drink at home with a salad before we go out to dinner to save money, (It could save 1/2 of the restaurant bill) and we also may have a couple at a microbrew or discount happy hour; but even one or two and you are impaired and we don't want to drive impaired.  

However, the details that I brought up about walkability and the BUS is not just so you don't have to avoid drinking and driving.  You mention your wife will not have a car.  Therefore, the walkability and Bus service will be critical for her to enjoy being here and hopefully not get ISLAND FEVER.  You did say that she could drive you to work and have the car for the day.  Unless you live pretty close to where you work that is going to cost her a lot of time making 2 trips to your job(dropping off and picking up) each day she wants the car.  Keep in mind that even if you live somewhat East of your job, which I recommend, so the main rush hour traffic is in the opposite direction, if she drops you off the return trip home and the evening trip to pick you up will be in the middle of rush hour traffic.  That can get old very quickly as well as gas costly.  I don't know your wife, but I know that I would not want to sit home all day without a car and not be able to get out and walk or take a bus easily to everything I wanted to do in Honolulu while my husband was at work!  It would be a shame if your wife got ISLAND FEVER, like I would, for lack of a car or the ability to get where she would like to go to have an enjoyable stay.


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> You have your priorities straight as far as a safe neighborhood and the daily commute being the most important.
> 
> At our age we no longer are nightlife people either, but we will drink at home with a salad before we go out to dinner to save money, (It could save 1/2 of the restaurant bill) and we also may have a couple at a microbrew or discount happy hour; but even one or two and you are impaired and we don't want to drive impaired.
> 
> However, the details that I brought up about walkability and the BUS is not just so you don't have to avoid drinking and driving.  You mention your wife will not have a car.  Therefore, the walkability and Bus service will be critical for her to enjoy being here and hopefully not get ISLAND FEVER.  You did say that she could drive you to work and have the car for the day.  Unless you live pretty close to where you work that is going to cost her a lot of time making 2 trips to your job(dropping off and picking up) each day she wants the car.  Keep in mind that even if you live somewhat East of your job, which I recommend, so the main rush hour traffic is in the opposite direction, if she drops you off the return trip home and the evening trip to pick you up will be in the middle of rush hour traffic.  That can get old very quickly as well as gas costly.  I don't know your wife, but I know that I would not want to sit home all day without a car and not be able to get out and walk or take a bus easily to everything I wanted to do in Honolulu while my husband was at work!  It would be a shame if your wife got ISLAND FEVER, like I would, for lack of a car or the ability to get where she would like to go to have an enjoyable stay.



The bus is definitely the other option for that. Most of the places I have seen, that had parking, we’re close to the bus. I don’t see her going into Honolulu by herself. That may change while we’re there but we’ll see. She will go to more neighborhood places while I’m at work if needed. 

Time will tell with all this. I’m leaning toward a six month. That way, after that time we can see if we are happy with the area.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> The bus is definitely the other option for that. Most of the places I have seen, that had parking, we’re close to the bus. I don’t see her going into Honolulu by herself. That may change while we’re there but we’ll see. She will go to more neighborhood places while I’m at work if needed.
> 
> Time will tell with all this. I’m leaning toward a six month. That way, after that time we can see if we are happy with the area.



During the daytime I go into Downtown Honolulu all the time by myself.  If I do go with my husband I will wander around by myself while he is getting a haircut.  It also depends on what your definition of Honolulu is.  My definition is much broader than Chinatown and the Business District: Waikiki is Honolulu, Ala Moana Shopping Center is Honolulu, The Honolulu Museum of Art is Honolulu, The Hawaii State Art Museum is Honolulu, The Blaisdell Concert Hall, Arena and Meeting Rooms are Honolulu, the Hawaii Convention Center is Honolulu, the New Upscale Ward Village is Honolulu, the University of Hawaii at Manoa is Honolulu.  I don't know what "neighborhood places" you are talking about but if it doesn't have lots of stimulating activities, (if your wife needs and desires stimulating activities), she will not be happy and perhaps she will get ISLAND FEVER.  Furthermore, if you want to meet up with her for an event in Honolulu after your work day, say on Friday night, it would be great if she could meet you there rather than spending the time traveling home to pick her up fighting Friday night traffic.  Honolulu has lots to offer.  But one needs to take advantage of what is has to offer.


----------



## rapmarks (Jul 14, 2019)

dioxide45 said:


> Yeah, for whatever reason milk is still like $5 a gallon in Hawaii when we were paying $0.98 back in Ohio. Found out it is $1.99 here in Florida. Eggs are also double. I suspect these are cheaper in Ohio mainly due to transportation costs.


Where do you find milk for that price in Florida?  About 2.49 at Costco and 4.29 at publix and eggs high too.


----------



## rapmarks (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> I had to catch up on this thread since we have been really busy.
> 
> We decided to get a dumpster so we can just throw stuff when we are going through it. We have the lady who does auctions coming Monday to go through everything and buy what she wants to sell. After that we can start to go through what’s left.
> 
> ...


If you have a garage sale, let me know.


----------



## TheTimeTraveler (Jul 14, 2019)

rapmarks said:


> Where do you find milk for that price in Florida?  About 2.49 at Costco and 4.29 at publix and eggs high too.




Even the gas at Costco is about 50 to 75 cents more per gallon at any of the locations in Hawaii versus that of the other states (don't count California or Alaska).   Nothing against California but they seem to beat to their own drum when it comes to gasoline prices in the USA.

Anyone know WHY California gas prices are so high?   I understand why Hawaii gas prices are high but never understood the issue with California.





.


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 14, 2019)

rapmarks said:


> Where do you find milk for that price in Florida?  About 2.49 at Costco and 4.29 at publix and eggs high too.


Aldi around here has milk for $1.99. Just bought a gallon today!


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 14, 2019)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> Anyone know WHY California gas prices are so high? I understand why Hawaii gas prices are high but never understood the issue with California.


Mostly taxes and emissions requirements? Don't they refine gasoline a little different for California?


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> During the daytime I go into Downtown Honolulu all the time by myself.  If I do go with my husband I will wander around by myself while he is getting a haircut.  It also depends on what your definition of Honolulu is.  My definition is much broader than Chinatown and the Business District: Waikiki is Honolulu, Ala Moana Shopping Center is Honolulu, The Honolulu Museum of Art is Honolulu, The Hawaii State Art Museum is Honolulu, The Blaisdell Concert Hall, Arena and Meeting Rooms are Honolulu, the Hawaii Convention Center is Honolulu, the New Upscale Ward Village is Honolulu, the University of Hawaii at Manoa is Honolulu.  I don't know what "neighborhood places" you are talking about but if it doesn't have lots of stimulating activities, (if your wife needs and desires stimulating activities), she will not be happy and perhaps she will get ISLAND FEVER.  Furthermore, if you want to meet up with her for an event in Honolulu after your work day, say on Friday night, it would be great if she could meet you there rather than spending the time traveling home to pick her up fighting Friday night traffic.  Honolulu has lots to offer.  But one needs to take advantage of what is has to offer.



My wife gets around but she does have some difficulties. She is more comfortable getting around with me there. She also has many hobbies that she does around the house. Even here In Wisconsin there are many things to get out and do but don’t do them a lot. That may change when we’re there we’ll see.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> My wife gets around but she does have some difficulties. She is more comfortable getting around with me there. She also has many hobbies that she does around the house. Even here In Wisconsin there are many things to get out and do but don’t do them a lot. That may change when we’re there we’ll see.



You'll find once you're on island that you'll develop a new perspective about your time in Hawaii.  When you're on vacation, you have to go and do something most every day, before the vacation ends.  Once you live there, you'll find you can plan for events that might be weeks away.  What you do "on the day" quickly boils down to how you feel, what the weather is doing, how crowded it will be, and so forth.  It'll take time to adjust, but after that, it's all good.  Give yourselves time.

As for neighborhoods, we've discussed that.  Your "15 minute drive" thing may require some adjustment.  That's more of a Mainlander attitude.  You may find, once you're there, that certain parts of the island are more appealing places to live, but to live in those areas, the tradeoff is a longer commute.  Note that working hours in Hawaii tend to start earlier in the day than on the Mainland, so quitting time also comes earlier. Being closer to the Equator, days and nights tend to be about the same length of time, year round.  Hawaii also doesn't recognize Daylight Saving Time, so days and nights are pretty steady year round.

I'd suggest you explore the Windward side of the island.  Kaneohe is a nice community at the end of the Likelike Highway, which dumps out very close in Honolulu ("Town") to where you'll be working.  Kaneohe has a lot of condos and such, so might be simpler to find a place to live. Weather tends to be a bit cooler and rainier on the Windward side, compared to the Leeward side, which is drier and warmer.  Easy beaches, good community shopping, and a more relaxing environment than Honolulu.  (If you want big-city urban life, Honolulu is great.  But if you want a somewhat slower pace, the Windward side might be a good place to look into.)  Kailua is a nice option, too, but it may be a longer commute to get to where you work.

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> You'll find once you're on island that you'll develop a new perspective about your time in Hawaii.  When you're on vacation, you have to go and do something most every day, before the vacation ends.  Once you live there, you'll find you can plan for events that might be weeks away.  What you do "on the day" quickly boils down to how you feel, what the weather is doing, how crowded it will be, and so forth.  It'll take time to adjust, but after that, it's all good.  Give yourselves time.
> 
> As for neighborhoods, we've discussed that.  Your "15 minute drive" thing may require some adjustment.  That's more of a Mainlander attitude.  You may find, once you're there, that certain parts of the island are more appealing places to live, but to live in those areas, the tradeoff is a longer commute.  Note that working hours in Hawaii tend to start earlier in the day than on the Mainland, so quitting time also comes earlier. Being closer to the Equator, days and nights tend to be about the same length of time, year round.  Hawaii also doesn't recognize Daylight Saving Time, so days and nights are pretty steady year round.
> 
> ...




That’s what I’m thinking. It will be different working there and I’m thinking during the week it will be similar to what we do here. And like you said there will be no hurry to get to do or see things. I will definitely learn more when I’m there. 

My hours will probably be similar to what I have here, 7am to 5pm. Sometimes a little later and sometimes a little early. It will be a flexible, a little anyway.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> That’s what I’m thinking. It will be different working there and I’m thinking during the week it will be similar to what we do here. And like you said there will be no hurry to get to do or see things. I will definitely learn more when I’m there.
> 
> My hours will probably be similar to what I have here, 7am to 5pm. Sometimes a little later and sometimes a little early. It will be a flexible, a little anyway.




If you're expecting to work 7-5, you may be able to skip a certain amount of rush hour traffic on Oahu.  Most people would be more like 8-4 or so.  Traffic near the military bases might back up during those early hours, but if you're at your desk an hour before anyone else needs to be at work, traffic may not be so bad.

Due to flexible working hours, afternoon rush hour tends to be longer than in the morning.  Five o'clock may still leave some traffic to contend with.  If you're living in the Punchbowl area, as we originally discussed, you can drive surface streets and avoid the freeway, which will help you get around better during high traffic times. No matter what, I'd strongly recommend you avoid living anywhere from around the airport to the west end of the island.  So anything around Pearl Harbor out to Kapolei should be avoided.  That's where rush hour traffic is the worst.

Dave


----------



## WinniWoman (Jul 14, 2019)

How very exciting for you! Best of luck! I’m envious! Not about the job, but about the place and the adventure of it!


----------



## taffy19 (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> That’s what I’m thinking. It will be different working there and I’m thinking during the week it will be similar to what we do here. And like you said there will be no hurry to get to do or see things. I will definitely learn more when I’m there.
> 
> My hours will probably be similar to what I have here, 7am to 5pm. Sometimes a little later and sometimes a little early. It will be a flexible, a little anyway.


Such an interesting thread to follow again but it will work itself out too like your Molokai purchase has done and the replacement of the car while on vacation.

I hope that everything works out soon and also the sale of your home.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> My wife gets around but she does have some difficulties. She is more comfortable getting around with me there. She also has many hobbies that she does around the house. Even here In Wisconsin there are many things to get out and do but don’t do them a lot. That may change when we’re there we’ll see.



Slip, I need to apologize to you and your wife.  In my excitement for you with your move to Oahu along with our purchase of the Condo in Waikiki I projected my values, likes and desires onto to you and your wife.  I should have had more incite about your likes, habits, and desires since you and your wife choose Molokai as your retirement home.  While I love Molokai and keep urging my husband to take me back there for longer than the 3 days we spent there a few years ago, I wouldn't want to stay there for a long time or I would get island fever.  Any place on Oahu is like going 120 miles an hour compared to Molokai.  
Even though Oahu is an island, when we are in Honolulu we are too busy and stimulated to get island fever.  We don't have time to get island fever.  

As I said previously, you have your priorities straight as far as finding a safe neighborhood and the length of the daily commute being the most important.


----------



## dsmrp (Jul 14, 2019)

First congrats to slip on the move to Oahu!
Years ago when I worked at a DOD summer job, the mainland transplants told me the 2 hardest things were 1) lack of seasons (yes, another sunny day can get boring ) and 2) can't drive very far, islands are pretty compact; Oahu-Honolulu wasn't called the 'rock' for nothing....
If you can get past #1, I think you'll be fine.



DaveNW said:


> Hawaiian language is pretty easy, but you have to learn the rules.  Only 12 letters in the alphabet:  Five vowels A,E,I,O,U, and seven consonants H,K,L,M,N,P,W.  Every letter is pronounced, (technically), until you get to the colloquial pronunciations, which screws things up.  Every word ends in a vowel, and there are never two consonants together.  They are always separated by at least one vowel. Vowels are pronounced: A as in "aah." E is "Aay." I is "ee." O is "oh." and U is "ooh."  The consonants are the same as you've ever heard them.
> 
> EXCEPT for W.  When the word starts with a W, it is pronounced as a classic "double U" letter sound.  When W is contained within the word, especially the next to last letter, it is often pronounced as a V.  "Ewa Beach" is a V-sound word, because the W is the next to last letter.  "Waikiki" is a W-sound word because the word starts with a W.  So in the case above, "Iwilei" has a W not as the first letter, so is one of those V-sound words.
> 
> But just when it seems simple to understand, there are places like Wahiawa. By the rules, it should be pronounced "Wa-hee-ahV-a."  But it's "Wa-hee-a-Wah."  And of course, there are words where both W pronunciations are valid:  Hawaii can be "Ha-Wah-ee" or "Ha-Vah-ee."  So there it is.  Easy as pie. Except when it's not.  LOL!



One small point on pronunciation.  the 'W' should be pronounced as a double-u when it's at the beginning of the word and is followed by an 'a'.  In all other cases it should be pronounced as a soft 'v', but as Dave noted, there are colloquial aka 'local' exceptions.
So examples:  Waikiki, Waipahu, Waianae etc are all pronounced as a double u, 'why'
Weke is a hawaiian name for a local fish, pronounced 'veh-keh'
Wiki wiki means quick, and is usually pronounced with the double-u (exception).  I haven't heard anyone say it as 'vee-kee vee-kee' as it should be.

Hawai'i should be pronounced as 'Ha-vai-ee', and is by Hawaiian speaking locals.  Other locals will also say it with the double-u sound. 
The apostrophe glottal stop between vowels means each one should pronounced separately, and not strung together.  Here's another good one, Ka'a'awa or Kaaawa is a local place name.  Pronounced 'kah-ah-ah-vah'

Hawaiian is a syllabic type language like Japanese.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 14, 2019)

dsmrp said:


> First congrats to slip on the move to Oahu!
> Years ago when I worked at a DOD summer job, the mainland transplants told me the 2 hardest things were 1) lack of seasons (yes, another sunny day can get boring ) and 2) can't drive very far, islands are pretty compact; Oahu-Honolulu wasn't called the 'rock' for nothing....
> If you can get past #1, I think you'll be fine.
> 
> ...



Great points, thanks!.  I wrote what I did from memory, and didn't want to scare @slip away by overdoing the language. It started with "Iwilei."   I didn't consider the 'Wa' vs. 'Vi' or 'Ve' sound, but as you mention it, you are definitely correct. I'm sure once they get there and start hearing it, things will get easier. 

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> Slip, I need to apologize to you and your wife.  In my excitement for you with your move to Oahu along with our purchase of the Condo in Waikiki I projected my values, likes and desires onto to you and your wife.  I should have had more incite about your likes, habits, and desires since you and your wife choose Molokai as your retirement home.  While I love Molokai and keep urging my husband to take me back there for longer than the 3 days we spent there a few years ago, I wouldn't want to stay there for a long time or I would get island fever.  Any place on Oahu is like going 120 miles an hour compared to Molokai.
> Even though Oahu is an island, when we are in Honolulu we are too busy and stimulated to get island fever.  We don't have time to get island fever.
> 
> As I said previously, you have your priorities straight as far as finding a safe neighborhood and the length of the daily commute being the most important.



No apologies necessary. While Oahu wasn’t our first choice for a place to live, I do think we will enjoy it more when we are there. There are so many things we haven’t seen or done that I know we won’t have a need for things to do. Working there will be different and my wife will have an adjustment to make because she won’t be working.

The whole thing is a big change and I can’t say how things will be with absolute certainty but we are looking forward to the change and we just have to see how it works out.


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

dsmrp said:


> First congrats to slip on the move to Oahu!
> Years ago when I worked at a DOD summer job, the mainland transplants told me the 2 hardest things were 1) lack of seasons (yes, another sunny day can get boring ) and 2) can't drive very far, islands are pretty compact; Oahu-Honolulu wasn't called the 'rock' for nothing....
> If you can get past #1, I think you'll be fine.
> 
> ...



I think the season thing will be something that could change as time goes by. My wife was just saying to friends today about how she can’t wait to brag about the great weather when they are having snow storms here in Wisconsin.


----------



## taffy19 (Jul 14, 2019)

slip said:


> I think the season thing will be something that could change as time goes by. My wife was just saying to friends today about how she can’t wait to brag about the great weather when they are having snow storms here in Wisconsin.


The trade winds will always be important in Hawaii and I cannot imagine getting tired of a sunny day and a blue sky or a rainbow either in a cloudy sky.

Sometimes we miss the beauty of the spring and fall in southern CA but never the cold weather in the winter but we do miss seeing the snow in the mountains.  It is such a beautiful sight even if you do not ski.

What you may miss are the long summer evenings in Wisconsin but you’ll get used to that too.

I am sure that you will visit Wisconsin again and again.


----------



## slip (Jul 14, 2019)

taffy19 said:


> The trade winds will always be important in Hawaii and I cannot imagine getting tired of a sunny day and a blue sky or a rainbow either in a cloudy sky.
> 
> Sometimes we miss the beauty of the spring and fall in southern CA but never the cold weather in the winter but we do miss seeing the snow in the mountains.  It is such a beautiful sight even if you do not ski.
> 
> ...



We were just talking about this today. I know we will come back to visit Wisconsin but it will probably be a while. That will be good though because my daughter always complains when she comes to visit that many of her friends are busy working and she doesn’t get to see many of them. 

I would run into that to. At least until some people retire in a few years. Then we would be able to visit. Otherwise a long weekend would work but we won’t want to go that far for that. 

So for right now my vacations will be on Molokai, Kauai, Maui and The Big Island.


----------



## dioxide45 (Jul 14, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> You'll find once you're on island that you'll develop a new perspective about your time in Hawaii. When you're on vacation, you have to go and do something most every day, before the vacation ends. Once you live there, you'll find you can plan for events that might be weeks away.


I know what you mean by this, we have been in Jacksonville for over two weeks and we still haven't seen the beach!


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 15, 2019)

dioxide45 said:


> I know what you mean by this, we have been in Jacksonville for over two weeks and we still haven't seen the beach!



I know, right?  And isn't the beach there like the whole side of the city?  When I lived in Hawaii, the only time we went to places like Pearl Harbor was when family came to visit.

Dave


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 15, 2019)

slip said:


> No apologies necessary. While Oahu wasn’t our first choice for a place to live, I do think we will enjoy it more when we are there. There are so many things we haven’t seen or done that I know we won’t have a need for things to do. Working there will be different and my wife will have an adjustment to make because she won’t be working.
> 
> The whole thing is a big change and I can’t say how things will be with absolute certainty but we are looking forward to the change and we just have to see how it works out.



In view of my last post and your statement that Oahu wasn't your first choice for a place to live, I am now coming from a different place than before.  When you get out of the city areas of Oahu, there are many places that are suburban and even rural much like the other islands of Hawaii.  The trick would be to find an area that you would like that will also make your commute easy.  Since we don't drive there I can't help you with finding those locations but by balancing the two I am sure you can find your place.


----------



## Kapolei (Jul 16, 2019)

I hear of urban dwellers that make use of Uber and wiki bikes.  I understand Uber pricing can fluctuate quite a bit.  One warning, be careful as a driver, bicyclist, and pedestrian in town, we seem to get a lot of tragedies.  MKO is a great staycation if you are patient and know how to get it through II.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 16, 2019)

DaveNW said: ↑
You'll find once you're on island that you'll develop a new perspective about your time in Hawaii. When you're on vacation, you have to go and do something most every day, before the vacation ends. Once you live there, you'll find you can plan for events that might be weeks away.

I totally agree with you about when you are on vacation you have to go and do something every day before the vacation ends. We have spent a total of about 3 years in the last 11 in Honolulu and during some periods we do have something to do everyday sometime 3 things in one day.  One thing that we don't have pressure with that short time vacationers do is going to the beach.  It is right there and if it is not a nice sunny day we don't have pressure to go and take advantage of it while we are there.  We do plan things weeks and months ahead.  We already have tickets for New Years Eve to see Bill Maher at Blaisdell Concert Hall.  We will book Symphonies, Film Festival Openings and Concerts at the Museum of Art/Doris Duke Theatre, Shows at the Hawaii Theatre, Concerts at the Blaisdell Arena, Concerts at Blue Note, Theatre Tickets at Manoa Valley Theatre, TAG Brad Powell Theatre, Kumu Kahua Theatre, the Arts at Saint Marks Garage as soon as we can since shows do sell out or the best seats sell out.


----------



## slip (Jul 16, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> DaveNW said: ↑
> You'll find once you're on island that you'll develop a new perspective about your time in Hawaii. When you're on vacation, you have to go and do something most every day, before the vacation ends. Once you live there, you'll find you can plan for events that might be weeks away.
> 
> I totally agree with you about when you are on vacation you have to go and do something every day before the vacation ends. We have spent a total of about 3 years in the last 11 in Honolulu and during some periods we do have something to do everyday sometime 3 things in one day.  One thing that we don't have pressure with that short time vacationers do is going to the beach.  It is right there and if it is not a nice sunny day we don't have pressure to go and take advantage of it while we are there.  We do plan things weeks and months ahead.  We already have tickets for New Years Eve to see Bill Maher at Blaisdell Concert Hall.  We will book Symphonies, Film Festival Openings and Concerts at the Museum of Art/Doris Duke Theatre, Shows at the Hawaii Theatre, Concerts at the Blaisdell Arena, Concerts at Blue Note, Theatre Tickets at Manoa Valley Theatre, TAG Brad Powell Theatre, Kumu Kahua Theatre, the Arts at Saint Marks Garage as soon as we can since shows do sell out or the best seats sell out.



Holy cow, I’m not that busy on vacation. 

I know what you mean though.  It will hit us when we’re there and start to plan something a month or two out. One thing so know is that’s its going to be different for us.


----------



## slip (Jul 16, 2019)

Car got picked today. The auction lady was able to have ours starting 08-01-19. It’s an online auction so all we have to do is take the items we want and dispose of personal papers, pictures and paint and she will sell the rest. So that makes it easier on us. She says it will take two months to finish but she often finishes quicker. So even if the house sells fast, it shouldn’t delay closing too bad. 

I put the trim back up and all I have to do yet is put in a smoke detector and paint the wall where my son did the patch on the dry wall. Then I have to pack my stuff. Not too bad. 

Then in a few weeks I have to make arrangements to have my wife’s car shipped to Molokai. 

We’re moving along but still have stuff to do with not much time. We’re still waiting on when the carpet will be installed too. Then we have furniture to move.


----------



## TheTimeTraveler (Jul 17, 2019)

Just out of curiosity;  How much does it cost to ship a car to the rock ?




.


----------



## slip (Jul 17, 2019)

TheTimeTraveler said:


> Just out of curiosity;  How much does it cost to ship a car to the rock ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



They picked up mine here in Wisconsin and it was $2,450.


----------



## Kapolei (Jul 17, 2019)

Are you considering renting a small place on Oahu and flying home to Molokai on the weekends?  You should be able to make a lot of friends on Molokai if you are willing to do some shopping at Costco and bring stuff home with you on the weekends.  Of course, weight is a big factor flying these days.


----------



## slip (Jul 17, 2019)

Kapolei said:


> Are you considering renting a small place on Oahu and flying home to Molokai on the weekends?  You should be able to make a lot of friends on Molokai if you are willing to do some shopping at Costco and bring stuff home with you on the weekends.  Of course, weight is a big factor flying these days.



Yes, but it won’t be every weekend, that would get too expensive. Also, I know that would work out great for people if I could bring stuff back for them. So I’m sure that would happen.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 17, 2019)

slip said:


> Holy cow, I’m not that busy on vacation.
> 
> I know what you mean though.  It will hit us when we’re there and start to plan something a month or two out. One thing so know is that’s its going to be different for us.



However, since we are usually in Honolulu from around New Years Day to around May 1 so we are really NOT on vacation and we are retired so everyday is Saturday or Sunday.  Living in Honolulu where the weather is always comfortable to go out particularly at night when a lot of stuff is happening we want to do things.  Also, most everything we do is either in walking distance or less than a 1/2 hour bus ride.  Since we are Seniors over 65 we get the senior bus pass which is $1/trip, $6/month or $35/year for unlimited rides;  So transportation is practically free.  When we are home many months it is cold and at night it is even colder we don't want to go out and do things.  Also, while there are some things happening on Long Island, the best stuff in the area is in New York City.  We are about 2 hours from New York City.  Also, parking in New York City can be $50 if we drive, and the Long Island Railroad costs about $50 round trip.


----------



## BDMX2 (Jul 17, 2019)

Wow, congratulations!!!  How exciting!


----------



## taffy19 (Jul 17, 2019)

slip said:


> Car got picked today. The auction lady was able to have ours starting 08-01-19. It’s an online auction so all we have to do is take the items we want and dispose of personal papers, pictures and paint and she will sell the rest. So that makes it easier on us. She says it will take two months to finish but she often finishes quicker. So even if the house sells fast, it shouldn’t delay closing too bad.
> 
> I put the trim back up and all I have to do yet is put in a smoke detector and paint the wall where my son did the patch on the dry wall. Then I have to pack my stuff. Not too bad.
> 
> ...


I admire how organized you are and get things done so quickly.  You are living your dream!


----------



## slip (Jul 17, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> However, since we are usually in Honolulu from around New Years Day to around May 1 so we are really NOT on vacation and we are retired so everyday is Saturday or Sunday.  Living in Honolulu where the weather is always comfortable to go out particularly at night when a lot of stuff is happening we want to do things.  Also, most everything we do is either in walking distance or less than a 1/2 hour bus ride.  Since we are Seniors over 65 we get the senior bus pass which is $1/trip, $6/month or $35/year for unlimited rides;  So transportation is practically free.  When we are home many months it is cold and at night it is even colder we don't want to go out and do things.  Also, while there are some things happening on Long Island, the best stuff in the area is in New York City.  We are about 2 hours from New York City.  Also, parking in New York City can be $50 if we drive, and the Long Island Railroad costs about $50 round trip.



Being retired will definitely be a big change and would make a big difference. My wife was even saying she will just have to take some time and learn how to use the bus.


----------



## slip (Jul 17, 2019)

So we signed with the auction lady today. So all we have to do is take the stuff we want, which isn’t much and then dispose of our personal papers and pictures. My son will take some of those. Then just throw anything broken and any good away. 

It shouldn’t be too bad. We are setting up jet car to be shipped to Molokai tonight. That was only $300 more than sending mine to Oahu. So we hope to finish by this weekend.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 17, 2019)

slip said:


> Being retired will definitely be a big change and would make a big difference. My wife was even saying she will just have to take some time and learn how to use the bus.



thebus.org is the website for The BUS in Honolulu.  The website has the routes, timetables, maps.  

hea.thebus.org is an app that she can put on her phone that will let her find out actually when the bus will arrive.  It is actually pretty accurate most of the time.  Some buses don't have GPS's so they can't be tracked.  It can also tell her where the closest bus stop is.  

Where we have lived on Long Island for most of our lives we each need a car to live.  Without a car you are handicapped.  The bus service is poor to non existent.  Therefore, I understand from that perspective the importance and emphasis you have placed on having your cars shipped to Hawaii.  I know on Molokai you can't live there without a car.  In areas of Oahu you also need a car since using the bus service would be slow going to work everyday, the bus runs infrequently and service stops early in the evening.  

We have lived for a total of 3 years in the last 11 without a car.  We chose Waikiki, however there are other areas, for our home on Oahu because we wanted to live in an area where we could live without a car without sacrificing our lifestyle.


----------



## slip (Jul 17, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> thebus.org is the website for The BUS in Honolulu.  The website has the routes, timetables, maps.
> 
> hea.thebus.org is an app that she can put on her phone that will let her find out actually when the bus will arrive.  It is actually pretty accurate most of the time.  Some buses don't have GPS's so they can't be tracked.  It can also tell her where the closest bus stop is.
> 
> ...



Thank You for the information on the bus. I will give that to her when she gets there so she can give it a try.


----------



## cerralee (Jul 18, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> thebus.org is the website for The BUS in Honolulu.  The website has the routes, timetables, maps.
> 
> hea.thebus.org is an app that she can put on her phone that will let her find out actually when the bus will arrive.  It is actually pretty accurate most of the time.  Some buses don't have GPS's so they can't be tracked.  It can also tell her where the closest bus stop is.
> 
> ...



One idea is to get a second car once you get there. A lot of people don’t stay in Hawaii after they move there and find shipping their car back to the mainland is financially a loss.  Consider looking through the craigslist and other ads with the keyword “moving” in the search bar.  A second car can be picked up as a bargain simply because the owner does not want to deal with the cost of shipping which can equal the cost of the car. Sometimes spur of the moment moves can also facilitate getting a used car at a good price. Lots of military move off the island and look to sell their cars last minute as well.
If you can do with one “good” car, a second bopping around the neighborhood car can be a good option.  The car rental companies often have cars at good/excellent prices as they don’t care to ship them back either and there are a lot of outdated/low mile rentals available.  My daughter lives in Kaimuki in Honolulu and likes the convenience of having a car but honestly doesn’t put many miles on it as most everything is a short walk in the neighborhood.


----------



## slip (Jul 18, 2019)

cerralee said:


> One idea is to get a second car once you get there. A lot of people don’t stay in Hawaii after they move there and find shipping their car back to the mainland is financially a loss.  Consider looking through the craigslist and other ads with the keyword “moving” in the search bar.  A second car can be picked up as a bargain simply because the owner does not want to deal with the cost of shipping which can equal the cost of the car. Sometimes spur of the moment moves can also facilitate getting a used car at a good price. Lots of military move off the island and look to sell their cars last minute as well.
> If you can do with one “good” car, a second bopping around the neighborhood car can be a good option.  The car rental companies often have cars at good/excellent prices as they don’t care to ship them back either and there are a lot of outdated/low mile rentals available.  My daughter lives in Kaimuki in Honolulu and likes the convenience of having a car but honestly doesn’t put many miles on it as most everything is a short walk in the neighborhood.



We will definitely keep that in mind. For right now we will just have one car on each island. If my wife ends out liking Oahu more, I can see her wanting a car.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 18, 2019)

cerralee said:


> One idea is to get a second car once you get there. A lot of people don’t stay in Hawaii after they move there and find shipping their car back to the mainland is financially a loss.  Consider looking through the craigslist and other ads with the keyword “moving” in the search bar.  A second car can be picked up as a bargain simply because the owner does not want to deal with the cost of shipping which can equal the cost of the car. Sometimes spur of the moment moves can also facilitate getting a used car at a good price. Lots of military move off the island and look to sell their cars last minute as well.
> If you can do with one “good” car, a second bopping around the neighborhood car can be a good option.  The car rental companies often have cars at good/excellent prices as they don’t care to ship them back either and there are a lot of outdated/low mile rentals available.  My daughter lives in Kaimuki in Honolulu and likes the convenience of having a car but honestly doesn’t put many miles on it as most everything is a short walk in the neighborhood.



The reason that the Island of Oahu is trying to build the rail is to help alleviate the bad traffic situation that is getting worse each year.  They are NOT building any new roads on Oahu.  Back in 2009 when I heard they were building a rail, the first thing that crossed my mind was that with the amount of available parking Honolulu, much of which is low cost or no cost  (compared to say New York Cit where parking can easily be $50-70 a day), people will NOT get out of their cars and take the rail. However, last winter they doubled the cost of public parking.   With the advent of more and more Electric Vehicles which don't pay the gasoline tax they are contemplating placing a tax on the number of miles you drive a year.  Some Condo don't have parking spaces.  Others only have 1 parking space per Condo Unit so parking a car every night can be a cost, and that cost can be going up each year.  The point is that the cost of buying a second car is just the start of the cost.  There are other costs, and they seem to be going up.  We don't care how much they charge for parking, gas, vehicle registration, miles per year driven etc.  We will continue to walk or take the convenient bus that stops right outside our Condo.


----------



## slip (Jul 21, 2019)

Well, I’m coming to an end on what I can get done. Our touch up painting is done, trim is up and I went through my personal stuff. Now hopefully I did set aside too much stuff to take.  We moved the boat back from the lake so she could sell it. My son took his motorcycles so I think we took care of everything.

I think I’ll be OK, space wise. I’m taking two bags and my wife will be doing the same when she comes on 08-31-19. After 08-01-19, my wife will move in with her sister until she leaves. On August 1st the auctioneer takes over and starts to get ready for the online auction.

I go to Madison on 07-26-19 and leave on the 27th. Then it’s time to find a rental.

We said our goodbyes to some friends and my wife’s side of the family today. My wife will still have an opportunity to say goodbye again.

I started to clean out my office on Friday. I should be able to do the rest by Monday. I’m not going to be working much on Thursday and Friday.


----------



## taffy19 (Jul 21, 2019)

slip said:


> Well, I’m coming to an end on what I can get done. Our touch up painting is done, trim is up and I went through my personal stuff. Now hopefully I did set aside too much stuff to take.  We moved the boat back from the lake so she could sell it. My son took his motorcycles so I thought k we took care of everything.
> 
> I think I’ll be OK. I’m taking two bags and my wife will be doing the same when she comes on 08-31-19. After 08-01-19, my wife will move in with her sister until she leaves. On August 1st the auctioneer takes over and starts to get ready for the online auction.
> 
> ...


Good luck, Jeff. 

Who would have expected that when you went to Molokai to take possession of your retirement condo?


----------



## slip (Jul 21, 2019)

taffy19 said:


> Good luck, Jeff.
> 
> Who would have expected that when you went to Molokai to take possession of your retirement condo.



Yes, it was a year ago this week that I was condo shopping on Molokai. Now a year and a week later I’ll be on Oahu looking for a rental.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 22, 2019)

It's scary, but exhilarating.  You'll be fine.  Good luck with all of it!  Can't wait till that first beach day on Oahu when you and your wife have a rental set up, and you can go play some.

Work hard.

Dave


----------



## pedro47 (Jul 22, 2019)

Good Luck and Enjoy your new Job.  You will be living in paradise.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 22, 2019)

slip said:


> Well, I’m coming to an end on what I can get done. Our touch up painting is done, trim is up and I went through my personal stuff. Now hopefully I did set aside too much stuff to take.  We moved the boat back from the lake so she could sell it. My son took his motorcycles so I thought k we took care of everything.
> 
> I think I’ll be OK. I’m taking two bags and my wife will be doing the same when she comes on 08-31-19. After 08-01-19, my wife will move in with her sister until she leaves. On August 1st the auctioneer takes over and starts to get ready for the online auction.
> 
> ...



You did a great job on getting everything ready for your move.  We have been in our house for 42 years and have accumulated soooo much stuff that I dread the thought of ever moving totally to Hawaii.  While I would love it, and it would save a great deal of money, there are other considerations in our lives outside of ourselves that need to be considered. 

Good Luck with you relocation, I will be thinking of you.


----------



## slip (Jul 22, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> You did a great job on getting everything ready for your move.  We have been in our house for 42 years and have accumulated soooo much stuff that I dread the thought of ever moving totally to Hawaii.  While I would love it, and it would save a great deal of money, there are other considerations in our lives outside of ourselves that need to be considered.
> 
> Good Luck with you relocation, I will be thinking of you.



Thank You!

It certainly helped us that we didn’t have to pack much up. We mostly threw stuff away. The auction lady will handle the rest. That’s what helped us the most. 

Yes, this move isn’t for everyone. There are many things to consider. I’m glad we had went through all that when we bought our condo so we were ready to commit when the job came open.


----------



## slip (Jul 22, 2019)

Well my office is cleaned out, after 35 years it will be weird not going there. I only have a few things to get done for the rest of the week and I’ll have some time to say goodbye to some friends. 

I set up an appointment to check out an apartment in North West Makiki. It’s small but it has everything we want and is close to everything. I have a few backups so I’ll see more when I get there  

I canceled the flight we had setup for our vacation to Molokai for Labor Day week. That worked well and I got my points back. Then I cancelled my wife’s return flight for that week and she got her points back too. So we still have enough for a few round trip tickets. So the only other flight we kept is the flight from Honolulu to Molokai. I’ll be ready for some relaxing then. 

We’re moving along.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 23, 2019)

slip said:


> Well my office is cleaned out, after 35 years it will be weird not going there. I only have a few things to get done for the rest of the week and I’ll have some time to say goodbye to some friends.
> 
> I set up an appointment to check out an apartment in North West Makiki. It’s small but it has everything we want and is close to everything. I have a few backups so I’ll see more when I get there
> 
> ...



Slip, I like the location of Makiki for your commute to and from work.  You will be going against the main rush hour going into the city from the West.  I don't know the area intimately but I have been up to the Honolulu Museum of Art's, Spalding House a number of times and to the National Cemetery of the Pacific on the #15 BUS.  It is a nice area.  I don't know how close you will be to the bus but the #15 runs about once per hour it stops leaving the city at 9:30.


----------



## slip (Jul 23, 2019)

Thank You, that’s great information. The bus is right up the block.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 23, 2019)

After 35 years, saying Goodbye will be hard.  It's nice that you've had that job stability all these years.  Now, the sudden changes make it seem like you're a kid again.  Adventurous times!  

Makiki is a good place for you two.  Close but not too close, and far enough away to be in a nicer part of town.  And keep in mind, it's a temporary thing.  So even if you get landed there, and it turns out to be less than you want, you can take time to look around, and then move to something more suitable.  I hope it all works for you.

Safe travels. Everyone is living vicariously through you.  LOL!

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 23, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Makiki is a good place for you two.  Close but not too close, and far enough away to be in a nicer part of town.  And keep in mind, it's a temporary thing.  So even if you get landed there, and it turns out to be less than you want, you can take time to look around, and then move to something more suitable.  I hope it all works for you.
> 
> Safe travels. Everyone is living vicariously through you.  LOL!
> 
> Dave


Oh, I’m living it alright. 

Thank You everyone for your thoughts on Makiki. 

Dave, that’s exactly how I am looking at this. It’s temporary and I can move again if needed. It would be easy since we will be there. The only drawback is the shortest lease they do is a year. I was hoping for six months. But I’ll make it a year if we decide on someplace different. Time flies anyway. 

I definitely like what I see about the place on the online and Google earth. I’ll take pictures and video and post them after I check it out. I’ll have to do that for my wife anyway. She liked it too from what we saw online.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 23, 2019)

slip said:


> I definitely like what I see about the place on the online and Google earth. I’ll take pictures and video and post them after I check it out. I’ll have to do that for my wife anyway. She liked it too from what we saw online.



It's always easier when you're there.  And that general area has a lot of condos and apartments, so it will probably be fine. Keep us posted! 

Dave


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 23, 2019)

Jeff,

What do you think of the western side of Molokai? I keep getting notifications of some nice looking properties in Kepuhi Bay and Maunaloa.


----------



## slip (Jul 23, 2019)

Henry M. said:


> Jeff,
> 
> What do you think of the western side of Molokai? I keep getting notifications of some nice looking properties in Kepuhi Bay and Maunaloa.



That’s where the nicest beaches are but like everything there are trade offs. I felt it was too far from town. It’s about a half hour drive. The ranch that is closed is over there too and there are some boarded up buildings so that is a little depressing. 

But now the good part. If your seeing condos, when your on the property you won’t see any of that. The other good thing is that there are more variations of sizes to the condos over there. Maintenance fees are proportional to what I pay so it will be a little higher with a bigger unit and cheaper on a smaller unit. 

They have studio units over there and many more two bedroom units that are priced really well. The sizes on the two bedroom units vary a little bit are nice sized overall. Views can be fantastic, especially with an ocean view. On clear days you can see Oahu. Many times we have been the only people on the beaches on that side and the beaches are beautiful. 

If you don’t get an ocean view, the views can still be very good. Plus you will see turkeys and deer on that side of the island. 

I looked at a couple on that side. Let me know which ones you saw. I may have looked at it.


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 23, 2019)

I think the ones I’ve seen are at Ke Nani Kai. There are some units that would need remodeling, but others that look really nice and come fully furnished. The address is 50 Kepuhi Pl.


----------



## slip (Jul 23, 2019)

Henry M. said:


> I think the ones I’ve seen are at Ke Nani Kai. There are some units that would need remodeling, but others that look really nice and come fully furnished. The address is 50 Kepuhi Pl.



Yes, I have been there and looked at a unit there. They did have some do sale that were fairly updated and others that needed more work. But they are laid out nice and the grounds are kept up nice. There are usually timeshares there that are available through Platinum Interchange. I really thought the value was there if you did mind the longer ride to Kaunakakai.


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 23, 2019)

The property looks nice, but it does seem far away from everything. There are quite a few studios and 1BR for sale, along with a couple of 2BR. The beach looks great.


----------



## slip (Jul 23, 2019)

Henry M. said:


> The property looks nice, but it does seem far away from everything. There are quite a few studios and 1BR for sale, along with a couple of 2BR. The beach looks great.



The beach is great. A lot of people do stay over there so it is popular and there are a lot of owners that leave there cars there. Ke Nai Kai is maintained pretty well. 

One thing that makes the drive seem longer is that you have to go over the mountain. It makes for a scenic drive though.


----------



## Tamaradarann (Jul 24, 2019)

slip said:


> Yes, I have been there and looked at a unit there. They did have some do sale that were fairly updated and others that needed more work. But they are laid out nice and the grounds are kept up nice. There are usually timeshares there that are available through Platinum Interchange. I really thought the value was there if you did mind the longer ride to Kaunakakai.



Your comment on the "longer ride to Kaunakakai brought to my mind some thoughts.  When the subject of long drives comes up in conversations my husband tells about leaving work on Long Island on a Friday night when he was in his early 20's and driving up to Oneonta College 5 hours away for the weekend.  He also talks about buying land around the same timeframe in Arizona 50 miles from Tucson and thinking that it wasn't in the middle of nowhere it was only a 45 minute ride into the city which was nothing.  A few years later when we were together he would start an 8 hour drive home from Montreal or Virginia to Long Island after 4 PM and think nothing of it.  I am sure everyone has done some of these things and have also driven to Florida or Coast to Coast in the United States in a few days.  

However, we are going to be 70 years old this year and we would no longer do any of these things.  When we were young there was a song by the music group the Birds "Turn Turn Turn" which talks about the seasons of life.  When we were young it was a season to do that longer driving, we are not in a season to do that any longer or at least not do it at night.  That is one of the reasons we have chosen to make the Wailana in Waikiki our Hawaii home since we are starting to think about being able to live without needing to drive at all any longer.  It is our season to walk or take public transportation.


----------



## Henry M. (Jul 24, 2019)

Very tempting! Someday we might end up in Maui County somewhere.


----------



## slip (Jul 24, 2019)

Tamaradarann said:


> Your comment on the "longer ride to Kaunakakai brought to my mind some thoughts.  When the subject of long drives comes up in conversations my husband tells about leaving work on Long Island on a Friday night when he was in his early 20's and driving up to Oneonta College 5 hours away for the weekend.  He also talks about buying land around the same timeframe in Arizona 50 miles from Tucson and thinking that it wasn't in the middle of nowhere it was only a 45 minute ride into the city which was nothing.  A few years later when we were together he would start an 8 hour drive home from Montreal or Virginia to Long Island after 4 PM and think nothing of it.  I am sure everyone has done some of these things and have also driven to Florida or Coast to Coast in the United States in a few days.
> 
> However, we are going to be 70 years old this year and we would no longer do any of these things.  When we were young there was a song by the music group the Birds "Turn Turn Turn" which talks about the seasons of life.  When we were young it was a season to do that longer driving, we are not in a season to do that any longer or at least not do it at night.  That is one of the reasons we have chosen to make the Wailana in Waikiki our Hawaii home since we are starting to think about being able to live without needing to drive at all any longer.  It is our season to walk or take public transportation.



Yes, that is a great observation. Growing up in Chicago, I never liked driving and I enjoyed living in a small town with its low traffic. So I  way on the end of not driving a lot. Where others think nothing of a long commute or a long drive to vacation.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 24, 2019)

slip said:


> Where others think nothing of a long commute or a long drive to vacation.



When I was stationed with the Navy in San Diego, I’d drive home to Bellingham, Washington, for vacation a couple of times a year. Bellingham is as close to the Canadian border as San Diego is to the Mexican border. Over 1200 miles, and took over 24 hours if I stopped to sleep somewhere. It was nuts. Not anymore. I enjoy driving, but there’s a limit to my enjoyment these days. 

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 24, 2019)

Started packing tonight and got most of it done. Two checked bags and a carry on. Can’t believe I still have a little room. My wife is doing the same when she comes next month, two checked and a carry on. I don’t know if she’ll have room though. 

My office is cleaned out and I said most of my goodbyes today. Tomorrow I will be in and out and I’m only there until noon on Friday. 

This will be the longest period my wife and I will be apart. In 35 years the longest we have been apart has been a week. That was a few times for work and when I was looking for the condo last year. This will be a month so that will be strange. She’s really looking forward to getting her car on Molokai and then just relaxing. 

We’re getting there.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 24, 2019)

slip said:


> This will be the longest period my wife and I will be apart. In 35 years the longest we have been apart has been a week. That was a few times for work and when I was looking for the condo last year. This will be a month so that will be strange. She’s really looking forward to getting her car on Molokai and then just relaxing.


It will be a sweet 'homecoming' when she joins you. By then you'll have staked out a nice dinner spot or two. Hopefully you'll have made a few friends in the new workplace and start to feel like you are 'fitting in.' In case I miss the right moment, Bon Voyage!

Jim


----------



## slip (Jul 25, 2019)

Down to my last half day at work.  My friend that used to watch my dog decorated my office with leis, Hibiscus and a platter of Macadamia it cookies. More people stopped in to say their goodbyes. I think I have done that to everyone now.

So I just have to pack my last minute stuff and drop off my rental car before my wife and son drop me off in Madison.

The realtor stopped by tonight and is still very confident that the house will sell and it sounds like we will do well with our online auction.

It will definitely hit me tomorrow when I have to say goodbye to my wife for a month.


----------



## taffy19 (Jul 25, 2019)

slip said:


> Down to my last half day at work.  My friend that used to watch my dog decorated my office with leis, Hibiscus and a platter of Macadamia it cookies. More people stopped in to say their goodbyes. I think I have done that to everyone now.
> 
> So I just have to pack my last minute stuff and drop off my rental car before my wife and son drop me off in Madison.
> 
> ...


How nice of your dog sitter friend to decorate your office with leis, flowers and Hawaiian goodies to eat.

A month passes pretty fast when you are very busy. It may be harder for wife.  All the best.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 25, 2019)

Hey Jeff, don't forget to amend your TUG profile to indicate that 'home' is Hawaii, not Reedsburg! Happy travels, and wishing you much success! New adventures are always full of apprehension and foreboding, but you've laid the groundwork and are well prepared. I wish you all the best and ALOHA!

Jim (a little green with envy)


----------



## silentg (Jul 25, 2019)

Safe travels and Aloha!


----------



## slip (Jul 25, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> Hey Jeff, don't forget to amend your TUG profile to indicate that 'home' is Hawaii, not Reedsburg! Happy travels, and wishing you much success! New adventures are always full of apprehension and foreboding, but you've laid the groundwork and are well prepared. I wish you all the best and ALOHA!
> 
> Jim (a little green with envy)



Thank You Jim!! 

As soon as I get there things will move along and I’ll be moving forward. They last few days here were filled with thinking about memories. 

I’m glad you reminded me about changing the Home! I probably wouldn’t have caught that for months. I’ll change it on Saturday when I’m on my way.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 25, 2019)

Jeff, you know I'm right there with you, lending encouragement every step of the way.  As someone who spent many years being away from family and friends for months at a time, I can tell you a month away will be a challenge, but it's very do-able. Your wife will be hanging on your every word, so stay in close touch with her.  Your reunion with her will be sweeter than ever, since you know you won't have to be separated like that again.  Safe travels, and good luck house hunting!  (Did you call HGTV and get scheduled to be on that show? )

When do you start work on Oahu?

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 25, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Jeff, you know I'm right there with you, lending encouragement every step of the way.  As someone who spent many years being away from family and friends for months at a time, I can tell you a month away will be a challenge, but it's very do-able. Your wife will be hanging on your every word, so stay in close touch with her.  Your reunion with her will be sweeter than ever, since you know you won't have to be separated like that again.  Safe travels, and good luck house hunting!  (Did you call HGTV and get scheduled to be on that show? )
> 
> When do you start work on Oahu?
> 
> Dave




Thanks Dave! I know when I get there I will be busy and the time will go by fast. 

HGTV called but I turned them down, I’ll stick with TUG. 

I did book my car rental today. I decided to pick it up on Sunday close to my hotel. That will give me Saturday evening and Monday morning to relax a little. 

I’ll drive by the apartment building that I am looking at on Monday and the warehouse where I’ll work on Sunday. Traffic should be slower that day too.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 25, 2019)

slip said:


> Thanks Dave! I know when I get there I will be busy and the time will go by fast.
> 
> HGTV called but I turned them down, I’ll stick with TUG.
> 
> ...



Common sense thing about the apartment you have in mind:  Drive by it in the evening, around dinner time.  That will give you a good idea how crowded the neighborhood is, how noisy it is, and such.  If you only go by in the daytime when everyone's at work, it'll give you a false sense of things.  (I made that mistake in San Diego once.  I rented an apartment right under the flight path for the airport, and didn't hear any planes until after I'd signed the lease.  Yowza!  That was a noisy place!)

Time for you will pass much faster than time for your wife.  So be sure to contact her every day, even if there isn't anything to talk about.  She'll just want to hear your voice, and hear how you're doing.

Dave


----------



## slip (Jul 25, 2019)

DaveNW said:


> Common sense thing about the apartment you have in mind:  Drive by it in the evening, around dinner time.  That will give you a good idea how crowded the neighborhood is, how noisy it is, and such.  If you only go by in the daytime when everyone's at work, it'll give you a false sense of things.  (I made that mistake in San Diego once.  I rented an apartment right under the flight path for the airport, and didn't hear any planes until after I'd signed the lease.  Yowza!  That was a noisy place!)
> 
> Time for you will pass much faster than time for your wife.  So be sure to contact her every day, even if there isn't anything to talk about.  She'll just want to hear your voice, and hear how you're doing.
> 
> Dave



You are right about the time for my wife. I know it will be worse for her. The first week will be easy contacting her while I’m not working and looking for apartments. When I start working the time difference will make it tough. I may move to call her while I’m at lunch. 

Because of the online auction, my wife has to be out of the house on 08-01-19 so she is moving in with her twin sister.
They always kid about being womb mates.  But they are sisters and get on each other’s nerves so that will be tough for her too.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 25, 2019)

slip said:


> You are right about the time for my wife. I know it will be worse for her. The first week will be easy contacting her while I’m not working and looking for apartments. When I start working the time difference will make it tough. I may move to call her while I’m at lunch.
> 
> Because of the online auction, my wife has to be out of the house on 08-01-19 so she is moving in with her twin sister.
> They always kid about being womb mates.  But they are sisters and get on each other’s nerves so that will be tough for her too.



If you called her first thing in the morning, before work, it'd be lunchtime in Wisconsin.  

Having a twin sister sounds interesting, but I can't imagine living with anybody who's remotely like me.  As Tallulah Bankhead once said, "Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it."  

That auction thing sounds really interesting.  I hope it works to your advantage.

Dave


----------



## TheHolleys87 (Jul 26, 2019)

Continuing best wishes for the transition, Jeff!  DH and I lived apart for a year and a half due to a job change, but we were only a 5-hour drive apart, so we were able to get together on weekends and holidays.  Here's hoping the month will fly by for both of you!  And good luck on the apartment search!

Carolyn


----------



## slip (Jul 26, 2019)

Stayed at work until 11am. I would have been done a little sooner but I have to take my laptop with me and it died so my IT guy had to build a new one for me.

My one Bag is going to be over 50 pounds but I’ll just pay the extra.

My wife and son took me out to eat at Rocky Rococo Pizza In Madison one more time. Then they dropped me off at the hotel and I’ll shuttle to the airport tomorrow morning. It will be a long day.

I have a few hours to relax on the Big Island before I head to Oahu and I should be there around 4pm Hawaii time.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 26, 2019)

slip said:


> My wife and son took me out to eat at Rocky Rococo Pizza In Madison one more time. Then they dropped me off at the hotel and I’ll shuttle to the airport tomorrow morning. It will be a long day.


Safe travels, Amigo! And Alo-HA! The adventure continues. . . . .


----------



## sjsharkie (Jul 26, 2019)

Safe travels, slip.

Ryan

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


----------



## sun starved Gayle (Jul 27, 2019)

slip said:


> HGTV called but I turned them down, I’ll stick with TUG.
> 
> Did HGTV really call you and want you on the show  ?
> 
> Congratulations and safe travels !


----------



## geist1223 (Jul 27, 2019)

ALOOOOOOOOO HA


----------



## slip (Jul 27, 2019)

Boarding now for Denver. A first class seat opened up so I grabbed it. This flight is full otherwise. I’ll be tired when I get there, I’m it used to getting up at 4am.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 27, 2019)

OK, Jeff. Time for another new thread about starting fresh in Hawaii.


----------



## slip (Jul 27, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> OK, Jeff. Time for another new thread about starting fresh in Hawaii.



I was thinking that too.

On to my second leg to Kona.


----------



## Passepartout (Jul 27, 2019)

slip said:


> On to my second leg to Kona.


Hope you're on the right side of the plane- I'm waving!!!


----------



## slip (Jul 27, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> Hope you're on the right side of the plane- I'm waving!!!



I see you.


----------



## DaveNV (Jul 27, 2019)

slip said:


> I see you.




If your eyes are that good, I'll have what you're having.  LOL! 

See you in the new thread.

Dave


----------

