Drift Through Chinatown

Don't plan to visit Chinatown.  Just head in the general direction of Beretania and River streets and let it come to you.  Don't bother to resist its tendency to overwhelm. Surrender to its earthy aromas, unique architecture, noodle and dim sum factories, markets fresh with local produce, galleries, restaurants, bars, lei stands, herbal medicine shops, and throngs of people.  In total, these are Chinatown's premiere attractions.

A good time to get a full blast is during the Chinese New Year's Celebration.  It goes on for days, but Feb. 1-2 is a good time to check in.  Events are scheduled on Feb. 1 from 5-10 p.m. at the Chinatown Cultural Place.  More festivities and a 4p.m. parade will take place the following day.

Chinatown turns up the heat the first Friday evening of each month when crowds turn out to wander galleries, museums and studios, and live music, street entertainment, cafes and bistros add to the party mood.  The popular ongoing event is called First Friday.

This 25-acre marketplace dates back to the 1800s when immigrant Chinese families began to establish family stores in the area.  It grew with the arrival, in 1852, of the first wave of contract laborers who came to Hawai’i to work on the sugar plantations.   Eventually, many of these laborers left the fields and established businesses in Chinatown.  Today Chinatown remains firmly steeped in its history, a place where anything can happen and often does.

It's easy to get lost in Chinatown where all manner of sensory distractions can lead you astray.  Take the Oahu Market, known for the best sashimi (raw fish) in town.  If you're there early in the morning, you're likely to see chefs from local restaurants bickering for choice fish, meats and produce.

Or if you take a stroll down Maunakea Street and around the corner to N. Beretania, you'll be hit by the sweet smell of thousands of flower blossoms being strung for leis.  Most of the lei stands are owned and operated by families who have been in the business for several generations.  Nearby on Nu'uanu, north of Hotel Street, so many art galleries and trendy clubs have been established that the area has become Honolulu's hottest arts and entertainment draw.

Cecil's Beauty Salon, on Nu’uanu Street across from the police station, is definitely worth a peek for its eclectic decor and local flavor.  Lai Fong Department Store, 1118 Nu’uanu Avenue, across the street from Indigo Restaurant, is a fascinating store filled with oriental antiques, silk brocade, cheong sams, Ming dynasty porcelain, curios, ivory and jade jewelry, antique teakwood and rosewood furniture.

Lai Fong was a picture bride from Canton who came to Hawai'i and quickly established herself as a skillful dress designer.  She sold bolts of fabric door to door and was soon able to open the store in the heart of Chinatown.  Fifty years later, the store is still in business.

Historic sites worth mentioning are the Sun Yat-sen Statue, 65 Beretania Street at the end of River Street, next to the Chinese Cultural Plaza, and the Kuan Yin Temple at the entrance to Foster Gardens. This temple is dedicated to the Chinese deity of compassion.

Wo Fat Restaurant, at the corner of Hotel and Maunakea streets, dates back to 1882, making it the oldest restaurant in Honolulu. The first building was destroyed in an1886 Chinatown fire, then rebuilt only to be destroyed again in a 1900 fire. Once Honolulu's most popular restaurant, it is no longer in business.

Mr. C's Chinatown Garage Fill Up & Go Bar, 10 N. Hotel Street, has been called Chinatown's answer to Cheers with a local twist.  Regulars claim John-John is the best bartender in town.

The Hawaii Theater Center, 1130 Bethel Street, was proclaimed the "Pride of the Pacific" when it opened in 1922 as a showplace for vaudeville, plays, musicals and silent films.  In May 1996, the theatre reopened as a multi-purpose performance center, following years of disuse and a complete restoration.

All this and more is packed into 25 acres bordered by King, Smith, Beretania and River streets.

NOTES:  You can easily drive downtown and visit Chinatown.  There's some street parking available and lots of parking structures (average cost is 25 cents/15 mins).  From Waikiki The Bus is a good alternative - number 19 or 20 has stops at each end of Chinatown or number 2 or 13 go right down Hotel Street (the middle of Chinatown).

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Photo by myself, information courtesy of 101 Things To Do Oahu.  You can find this Publication and many others at  My Store