Heres my situation... Im coming to Oahu in late april. Im in the navy and will be stationed at Kaneohe MCBH.. My wife is a financial advisor and will be working for wachovia in downtown Honolulu. We had planned to live in Kailua or Kaheohe. Well she spoke to her new boss today who suggested trying to live downtown and mentioned that my drive OUT of downtown to K-Bay would be alot easier than her drive INTO town from one of those towns would be..

Im looking for opinions on which would be the best route..

I have heard nothing but good things about Kailua and had made it my #1 choice but downtown honolulu (from pics) looks like a really nice place to live as well.

Help me out...

Aloha!

Your wife's new boss is right; your commute out of downtown to MCBH K-Bay would be A LOT easier than if she were to come into town over the mountain from the Kailua 'burbs.

I think it'll be pretty much contingent on where you'll be able to find housing. The market is very tight in the greater Honolulu area, although quite a few new high-rise developments have come up in the area. Irregardless, I can't quote you right now, but the rents will be godawful since people pay a stiff premium to be close to the downtown area. Keep in mind that probably 80-85% of the population on Oahu commutes into Honolulu from outlying areas. If you score a place to live in the downtown area, she may not even need a car. Public transpo (The Bus) is pretty reliable, although the ridership can be kind of creepy at times. Usually, the buses heading into the financial district downtown aren't too bad. Mostly comprised of everyday commuters.

If you settle in Kailua/Kaneohe, she can probably expect a 1 - 1 1/2 hour commute in either direction, depending on the time she leaves. Then there's the parking situation downtown. I hope that Wachovia will subsidize her parking... For you, it'll be a snap. Your commute will probably be only 5-15 minutes, depending on how far from the main gate you live.

Anyway, lot's of pro's and con's to weigh but I hope some of this helps. Look us up when you get in; we got a pretty active chapter going out here!

I would have to agree with K-Dogg. If possible try to get a place in town or close to it. Most of the traffic is all going into town not coming out. A drive from town to kailua or Kaneohe should be alot more pleasant.
Kailua is known for a strong Caucasion population. Kailua has everthing supermarkets, shopping areas, theatres, sports bars,sand bars, and beaches and everything else. Town is a little more congested and is definetely alot more busy but has better dining. That's all I can think of right now. goodluck.

It's 5 degrees right now in Chicago, damn you!!!! :)

It's 5 degrees right now in Chicago, damn you!!!! :)

From where I sit at my computer, it's a "relatively" chilly 72 degrees :D Don't feel too bad... The three highest peaks in the state (Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Haleakala) all have snow above the 9,000 foot level.

A few other things for sails.away to consider. Just for clarification, most Oahuan's regard the financial district/capitol district as "downtown", and the greater Honolulu area as "town". That's because again, the vast majority commute into Honolulu from all of the outlying areas, i.e. Hawaii Kai, Kailua, Kaneohe, Aiea, Pearl City, Mililani, Makakilo, Ewa Beach, etc. which are all bedroom communities, to get to their jobs.

In regards to housing, rents are going to suck, no matter what. If you can't find a place downtown, you can try searching in the nearby communities of Nu`uanu, the Punchbowl area, or Makiki. They aren't very far from the financial district. Another thing to keep in mind is that the closer you get to town, the less likely you'll find a house and in all probability, you'll be living in an apartment.

If you settle in Kailua, it'll be a lot more comfortable (bedroom community) but again, the commute will be crappy for your wife. Another thing to ponder. The main artery from Kailua into Honolulu is the Pali Highway, a divided 4-lane roadway. If for some reason, there is ever a wreck or other road emergency town-bound, especially in one of the tunnels, life is going to be absolute HELL. If she's lucky, she can detour to one of the other trans-Ko`olau highways, but it's going to easily add another 45 minutes to an hour to the commute. People on the morning drive keep their ears glued to the radio for the latest traffic reports. If she's lucky, perhaps Wachovia will give her flexible hours, and she can start early and leave early, to get a jump on the traffic.

Living on an island (especially a crowded island), traffic and congestion is a part of daily life. It's now even bad on the weekends!

Anyway best of luck!

K-Dogg, you're awesome for your insight. We were planning on living in an apartment already since it's just us with no kids. We were thinking about a high-rise in the financial district area.

What sort of commute do you think i would be looking at from around there to the base? Also I believe she mentioned already that her company does not have, nor will not provide parking for her.

The rent aspect isn't a huuuge concern but at the same time we aren't rich. Were looking at places that are running right around 2k a month give or take a little bit. I have found some really nice places but since we hadn't decided for certain yet, we haven't made any further inquiry.

Whats the life like in downtown? (shopping, groceries, entertainment)

Thanks again..:grin:

Check the back of your E before you leave the lower 48. I'll bet that several of us (myself included) will be stowing away in your cookie spaces.

I'd love to visit Hawaii but I don't want to have to join the Navy to do it.:razz:

Have a great time @#$%!:wink:

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/apa/552455128.html


this is pretty much exactly what were looking for..... wish i could reserve it now....:cry:

ahhh, great to have that military housing allowance! Life downtown is great! Lots of places to eat, shop and lots of entertainment. Park Place is a great place. Right across the street from Safeway and Longs Drug Store where you can find everything you need 24 hrs a day. It's also across the street from China town where there are art galleries, coffee shops and night clubs. In Chinatown, you can shop for fresh vegetables, fish and other stuff. Park Place is also located near the freeway onramp so you should'nt have any problems getting on the freeway to Kaneohe.
My friend who lived in Park Place loved it there. The place is really clean, safe and beautiful to live in.
Downtown Honolulu, is a very densely populated but relatively safe place to live. Like many urban cities, they have really fixed up the area and there are many popular night spots there now. Lots of restaurants around there too.
Anyway, good luck and look forward to meeting you folks on our upcoming E meets.

K-Dogg, you're awesome for your insight. We were planning on living in an apartment already since it's just us with no kids. We were thinking about a high-rise in the financial district area.

What sort of commute do you think i would be looking at from around there to the base? Also I believe she mentioned already that her company does not have, nor will not provide parking for her.

The rent aspect isn't a huuuge concern but at the same time we aren't rich. Were looking at places that are running right around 2k a month give or take a little bit. I have found some really nice places but since we hadn't decided for certain yet, we haven't made any further inquiry.

Whats the life like in downtown? (shopping, groceries, entertainment)

Thanks again..:grin:

http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/apa/552455128.html

this is pretty much exactly what were looking for..... wish i could reserve it now....:cry:

Wow! That apartment looks killer! Would've been a real score.

From downtown, your commute should be relatively easy. All you need to do is make it over to the Pali Hwy., shoot over the mountain until you get to the Castle Junction at the bottom of the hill. Make a left at the traffic signal to get onto Kamehameha Hwy., head north for about 3/4 miile until you're at the Halekou Interchange, keep to your right and merge onto the H-3. From there, it's a straight shot to the main gate at MCBH. Since you'll be going against traffic coming or going, your commute should be a half hour, maybe 35 minutes tops.

Within a one mile radius of the financial/capitol district, there's a Safeway supermarket and a Long's Drugs at the corner of Pali Hwy. and Vineyard Blvd. As far as shopping, entertainment, nightlife, etc. the Aloha Tower Marketplace is within walking distance, but the shops, restaurants, etc. are more touristy. Sometimes, the pau hana (after work) crowd frequent the bars and eateries there. There are places to eat e.g. Subway, McD, Starbucks, etc. right in the financial district, but most places aren't open late and are usually closed once the office commuters clear out. If you have weekends free, Chinatown is within walking distance and is a great cultural experience.

Another word about downtown... Like many other large metro areas, Honolulu has it's share of issues, especially with the homeless, drugs, crime, etc. Although it's been cleaned up significantly in the past decade, I still wouldn't want to walk around downtown past 9 at night... The homeless and tweakers typically frequent (or at least, used to frequent) the Hotel St. and Fort St. areas.

If you travel a little further out, there's Restaurant Row, with a few restaurants and a multiplex theater. The happening nightspot at Restaurant Row, Ocean Club however, is a thing of the past. They couldn't renegotiate the lease, so they packed up. A little further out from that and you have the Ward Warehouse, Ward Center and Ward Entertainment Complex with more local-friendly shopping, restaurants, theaters and entertainment. The Ward area is a pretty happening place right now.

Heading east past the Ward area, you then wind up at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Near Ala Moana, there's a WalMart/Sam's Club. For recreation, Ala Moana Beach Park is nearby and an extremely popular place for beachgoing, jogging, swimming, etc. Heading west from the downtown area, there really isn't much besides the harbor district and the light industrial area of Iwilei. However, in the Iwilei Business Complex, you'll find a huge Home Depot, a Costco, and a Best Buy.

If you have control of the E, you might be the one tasked to do the grocery shopping. After work, you may be the one heading over to the commissary on-base! In addition, not far from downtown, there's always the new NEX near Pearl Harbor, maybe a 20-minute drive away.

In anycase you hopefully will be able to join us on one of our meets because we meet on all sides of the island. =) Goodluck with the housing and let us know what happens..

It's 5 degrees right now in Chicago, damn you!!!! :)

Just finished shoveling 10 inch's of snow here. :mad: I also am most jealous of your weather.

Your comments (all of you islanders) have been most enlightening. Pardon my dumbassness but is rail commuting just never going to happen there?

Just finished shoveling 10 inch's of snow here. :mad: I also am most jealous of your weather.

Your comments (all of you islanders) have been most enlightening. Pardon my dumbassness but is rail commuting just never going to happen there?

I dunno... Maybe we'll get our celebrated "train to nowhere" in 25 or 30 years. But then, was it supposed to be a fixed guideway with a magnetically levitated train? Or was that a fixed guideway, train with steel wheels on steel track? Or was that an elevated system, concrete corridor, train with rubber wheels? Or was it gonna be a monorail?

By the time the City sorts everything out, breaks ground, contends with the inevitable construction delays, setbacks, and cost overruns, by the time they realign all of the sewer, water and electrical transmission lines along the proposed route, by the time they evict all of the residents and businesses along the proposed route and demolish all the structures, if and when the train finally becomes reality, I will have dutifully paid my taxes and I will have been long dead and buried... :rolleyes:

It may be warm(er) on HI (OK it's -17 here), but, been to HI (more than once) and wouldn't trade where I'm at (well, at least permanantly) for a small island in the Pacific (would get island fever VERY quickly).

Will swap houses for a couple of weeks, though, PM if interested...... :D:D:lol::lol:

It may be warm(er) on HI (OK it's -17 here), but, been to HI (more than once) and wouldn't trade where I'm at (well, at least permanantly) for a small island in the Pacific (would get island fever VERY quickly).

Will swap houses for a couple of weeks, though, PM if interested...... :D:D:lol::lol:

For a guy from a state that's twice the size of Texas, I can see your point...:rolleyes:


If you're in an area with good King Salmon fishing, maybe we'll talk this summer... :razz:

Yo, "Sails.Away" howzit (howdee) let me know when you get here I have close family friends that may be able to help you find a place. They're realtors and have quite a number of rentals or if interested in buying? They probably can help in that dept. too. I would trust my life with these folks with so let me know. I'll find out more information if you're interested. LMK when you get here. Aloha~ Nalu :cool:

If you want to PM me your ph. # we can talk.