So you want to act out your Hawaiian fantasy? Think: REALLY expensive. Everything except clothes wil

My girlfriend and I have lived in Brooklyn for a year, and when our lease is up in August we're considering hotel near disneyland downsizing everything hotel near disneyland we have to a few bags and moving to Hawaii. Given that it is a chain of islands, how does one choose which is best? Our needs are simple: we'll need public transportation or, preferably, an area that is bicycle friendly, has quality restaurants, the beach and jobs.
Go west, young man. Trading Atlantic islands for Pacific islands will mean the change of lifestyle hotel near disneyland you seek and better beaches and sunsets. As for which island hotel near disneyland is best for starting your new life, I asked the advice of two longtime Hawaii residents. Jocelyn Fujii , who has lived on Oahu most of her life and wrote " 36 Hours in Maui " (Jan. 4, 2009) and " 36 Hours in Honolulu " (Sept. 26, 2004), recommended Maui , particularly the areas of Kihei and Kapalua (these articles and those cited below are available at nytimes.com/travel ).
"For a bicycle-friendly place, I would say Maui's Kihei might be a good prospect. It's on the south shore, so the sunsets and weather are gorgeous. Although Kihei is dense with condominiums, it's a beachfront town, and there are loads of restaurants," she wrote to me in an e-mail message. Kapalua, a private resort with small beachfront towns nearby, has scenic wooded areas and coastline trails. "Maui is one of the priciest islands regarding cost of living, but the buses go to many places on the island and also have bike racks."
Carol Fox, a Times reader who's lived in Honolulu hotel near disneyland since 1982, recommended you move to Oahu, "at least until they get their feet on the ground," she wrote. Oahu has the best beaches, in her opinion, great choices for restaurants and entertainment and "many options of where to live, depending on your lifestyle." Real estate prices are down right now, but not cheap. Ms. Fox suggested getting a good agent who can work with your budget and lifestyle. "Be prepared to be surprised by the cost of both food and housing," she said. The pace is scaled back compared with Brooklyn's, but not the prices.
As for job prospects, the Honolulu area of Oahu may be your best bet just because the majority of the state's population is there. Look for jobs on Web sites like Craigslist ( honolulu.craigslist.org ), the Honolulu Star-Bulletin ( starclassifieds.monster.com ), the Honolulu Advertiser ( honoluluadvertiser.gannettonline.com/careerbuilder ) and HonoluluHelpWanted.com .
"The dining, jobs and public transportation on Oahu are generally good," Ms. Fujii said, and Honolulu in particular has "great restaurants, a terrific bus system, sunsets, the cultural events," but, she added, the city has bad traffic and is not particularly bike -friendly.
Q A: Hiking and Dining on Oahu Hawaiian Airlines Offers New Service to Asia and the Pacific Environmental Group Rates Beaches hotel near disneyland for Water Quality hotel near disneyland Morning Walkabout 5/15: Hawaii s Beaches Fade, and Hertz Gets Zagat Stamp Q A: For Sisters, Hawaii May Beckon
The jobs are scarce, you ll be paid much less than you will in NY (with equally high cost of living), and locals aren t particularly accommodating toward mainlanders. You ll never be a local, no matter how long you live there since (I m assuming) you didn t grow up there. Unlike New York where you can find your niche very easily, I don t think the same can be said for Hawaii.
That said, many people can succeed hotel near disneyland in Hawaii (if their job doesn t depend on the local economy), but the islands are so depressed right now, that you should hotel near disneyland definitely spend a few weeks reading the local newspapers to see if it s the right decision for you.
In Transit is right on the money when they say that Honolulu has the only decent bus system. The outer islands have such limited service that you ll be forced to get a car. However, I would advise you not to count on doing much biking in Honolulu the danger level is right up there with the busiest Manhattan streets. Drivers don t look for, or expect, bikers and I ve seen more car-bike accidents than I care to count.
While Hawaii's geographic climate may be that of a tropical island, its financial climate is more akin to the Gobi Desert. It's hard enough to make it in Hawaii when the economy is good, but in this recession Hawaii is hurting and jobs are scarce. The state is currently in negotiations to layoff or furlough a large number of state employees. Tourism from Asia is way down and jobs will be hard to come by.
If you do decide to go, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH IN SAVINGS hotel near disneyland FOR THE TICKET HOME. Many of Hawaii's homeless start out with the same plan as you and your girlfriend. Just make sure you have a way to get back if things don't work out.
I would recommend Oahu. I am originally from Hawaii (born and raised on Oahu), although my father moved here from Staten Island before I was born, but I have since moved to Virginia. I have had the pleasure of living on both islands and would hands down recommend Oahu. Maui is a beautiful place, but it comes with isolation and inflated prices. It is two times more expensive to live there and finding a job is nearly impossible. As far as Oahu, it's the city. You will be able to find everything you need and accommodate your comfort foods and shopping all in one place.
I don t drive so when I travel, hotel near disneyland a good transit system is what I always hope for. On my three visits to Hawaii I ve found that Oahu has the best public bus system in the world!!! I don t think there is anywhere on the island you cannot get to on public transit. (There is one bus that has a route that goes all the way around the island and you get to see tons of stuff without paying for a formal tour.) So, for that reason, I would recomment Oahu.
HOWEVER, overall, hotel near disneyland Oahu is, to me, like any big city in America with the traffic, the noise and the crowds. It s not really all that different from NY or Paris or London. For that reason, if I were to live in the Hawaiian Islands, I would choose Maui. It s my favorite Hawaiian island with Kona a close second (the snokeling is better there).
And as photojournalists, travel writers, authors of 18 books about Hawaii hotel near disneyland including IZ Voice of The People, the bio of Israel Kamakawiwo ole, we came to realize there is really only one island that delivers all any sophisticated person hotel near disneyland seeks and it is O ahu.
We never got island hotel near disneyland fever whatever that is, but while wandering hotel near disneyland all over the Pacific on assignment for two decades, we took vacations in San Francisco, Manila, Tokyo, hotel near disneyland Hong Kong, or some other big city.
Honolulu may be the New York of the Pacific but you will discover slands like cruise ships shrink in relation to the length of time you spend at sea. Ask me about Tonga, some time. Or Bora Bora. Find, then make your paradise. We did.
If you have portable and recession-proof occupations you can find work on the Big Island (Hawaii). We always need good teachers, we have a shortage of doctors and dentists and nurses and we need more educated entrepreneurs. I live on and love the windward hotel near disneyland Hilo side because it s real life, not tourist centered and still somewhat old style and small town in feeling.
So you want to act out your Hawaiian fantasy? hotel near disneyland Think: REALLY expensive. Everything except clothes will seem heartstoppingly expensive after the mainland. Good bus service? Oahu, only. Biking in Kihei (on Maui)? I live in Kihei. Riding a bike here is absurdly dangerous. I wouldn t do it. Get a job on Maui? Forget it. Too many people being laid off. Remember, Maui is a tourist economy. When times are good, enough work for waitstaff, bartenders, and cleaners. When tourism dwindles, hotel near disneyland so do these jobs. And the wellpaid jobs at property developers are rapidly going away. Yes, the islands are beautiful and the climate is perfect. But bring enough cash for four years, or you ll be asking for financial support from an economy that is spiralling downward.
If so, and you are also willing to accept those constraints on any potential future children, then move here. Otherwise I would strongly suggest you consider hotel near disneyland other sunny paradises like Florida or San Diego.
Too many people not born and raised in Hawaii move here to fulfill dream images promoted by the tourist industry. The islands have been ruined in many ways by this commercialization of a once-vibrant culture. Most transplant residents have little interest in local history or language or customs, and after six months hotel near disneyland or so are often very disappointed to discover that Hawaii is more like a foreign country than any part of America. So, good luck, but beware. Come for a while and travel around, and see how things appeal to you.
maybe try to get your jobs lined up before the move we are not depressed just challenged at the moment. I moved to Honolulu over 30 years ago it was a great way to start in the islands, but thankfully moved to Maui a year later. If you respect the culture, really try to know it, speak the language a little, you will be rewarded many times over. Aloha no.
I ve been living on Oahu for 2 years now, originally from the East Coast. I m no expert on the Neighbor Islands since all of my time is spent here on Oahu. The great thing about Oahu is that everything you need is all on one island. If you want big city life, we got. Great beaches, we got. And contrary to popular belief, Oahu is NOT all urban. There are lovely country areas of Oahu, especially on the Windward side where one can lead a suburban lifestyle or country/rural lifestyle depending on where one settles ..but whenever one needs the conveniences of the city, it is just a short ride away (short as long as one isn t in rush hour). As other posters said, the economy here is very bad right now and the Governor is in the midst of trying to either cut pay, layoff, or furlough state workers. Housing prices are high and salaries do not compare with NYC. Also, it is the truth .there is a big divide here between the local population and mainlanders, especially if you are caucasian. Lots of cultural differences, lifestyle differences, and at times pre