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Makiki is a neighborhood in the heart of Honolulu. It's bounded by downtown skyscrapers to the west, Manoa Valley to the east and the foothills of the Ko’olau Mountains to the North. Just two miles away, to the south is the beach at Waikiki. The neighborhood is essentially divided into two worlds. Lower Makiki is a jumbled assortment of unpretentious bungalows, 1960's cinderblock walkup apartments and small businesses such as convenience stores, hairdressers and churches of every type. Makiki Heights, on the hillside, has a cluster of upscale apartment and condo complexes and in the Tantalus area, some of the finest, most secluded homes in town. Perhaps the most famous resident ever to emerge from this polyglot community which includes Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Micronesians and Koreans is none other than Barack Obama, who called Makiki home in the 1970’s.

[edit] Get in

Makiki is bisected by the H-1 freeway, is easily accessible heading East via the Punahou exit or West from the Wilder exit. Thus, if you’re coming from downtown or the airport take the Punahou exit. If you’re coming from the opposite side of the Island, say Hawai’i Kai, take the Wilder exit and follow Wilder to Punahou Street if you want to visit the former neighborhood of Obama.

If you’re coming from Waikiki it’s a 15 minute drive. Take Kalakaua Blvd to Kapahulu. Continue up the length of Kapahulu. Towards the end of the street you'll go under the H-1 freeway. You'll have the option of going straight or turning left. Turn left and after a long block you'll see a freeway onramp on the right and a sign that says "King Street" on the left. Take the left hand land option and get on S. King. You'll pass University Ave and the road will fork to the right. The street will become Beretania (a one way street). A few blocks after University you'll pass McCully Street and about three blocks after, you'll encounter Punahou. You’re now in the heart of Makiki.

Bus (From Waikiki) Take the #2 Bus[1] from Kuhio (Waikiki-School-Middle) Direction: School St Middle St and get off at the KALAKAUA AVE + S KING ST stop.

[edit][add listing] See

• The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific[2] is situated in the middle of Punchbowl, an extinct crater. It’s the final resting place for over 38,000 personnel from WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. A shrine also commemorates the missing-in-action. It’s also the resting place of Stan Dunham, Barack Obama’s grandfather. The rim of the crater offers panoramic views of Honolulu.

[edit] Scenic

• Puu Ualakaa Park[3] provides a stunning view of southern Oahu which includes Diamond Head, Waikiki, downtown Honolulu, Punch Bowl Crater and the airport. There are also hiking trails which allow you to completely forget for a moment that you are in one of the largest cities in the nation.

[edit][add listing] Do

• The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu 2411 Makiki Heights Drive (808) 526-1322 [4], is the sole museum in the state of Hawai‘i dedicated exclusively to contemporary art—specializing in art from 1940 to the present. It offers a wide array of visual art, providing interaction with art and artists in gorgeous indoor/outdoor environs. TCM’s Makiki digs are located at the historic Cooke-Spalding house and gardens in a residential area. Its collection of works include artists such as Vito Acconci, Josef Albers, Robert Arneson, Jennifer Bartlett, Deborah Butterfield, Enrique Chagoya, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, William Kentridge, Sol Lewitt, Robert Motherwell, Vik Muniz, Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Price, Andres Serrano, Kiki Smith, Frank Stella, Masami Teraoka, Mark Tobey, Richard Tuttle, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselman, and Peter Voulkos.

• Walking Tour of Obama’s former neighborhood[5]. This is one of the newest attractions in Honolulu. So new that there are no historical markers or signs erected by the city. In the thirty years since “Barry” Obama, as he was known as a youth, attended high school, the neighborhood hasn't changed all that much. A few new apartment buildings and condos have sprung up but if you walk up Puanhou Street, from his grandmother's former Punahou Circle apartment on 1617 Beretania, towards Punahou School [6] most of the major landmarks such as Kapiolani Hospital[7] (where Obama was born on August 4, 1961) and Shriner’s Hospital, are still there. The walking tour, which takes about an hour to complete, includes sights such as the Central Union Church[8] (the site of Obama’s baccalaureate), Punahou School (which he attended from 1971 -1979) , the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store (where he worked after school), Washington Middle School Playground (where he learned to play basketball), his mother’s old apartment on 1839 Poki Street and his grandparent’s former apartment building on 1427 Alexander Street. The best strategy is to begin at Punahou Circle and make two loops—one towards Punahou School, Poki Street and over to Alexander Street (and back to the corner of Punahou and Beretania). The second, shorter loop would take you in the opposite direction down Punahou towards King Street where it’s easy to take in the Baskin-Robbins and the playground at Washington Middle School. For a route and detailed description of the walking tour check out the maps available on the Obamasneighborhood.com [9].

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Hakkei,1436 Young Street Suite 103, 808.944.6688 Great Japanese eatery—the food is beautiful to look at and equally pleasurable to eat. Try the "A Course" dinner menu

• Ichi-Ryu Noodle House, 1103 South King Street, 808.591.8033 A traditional noodle house. Nothing fancy but always crowded with regulars. Very reasonably priced.

• Eastern Paradise Restaurant, 1403 South King Street, 808.941.5858 Basic, decent Korean Food at a budget

price.

• The Pavillion Café, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 South Beretania Street, 808.532.8734 Situated in an indoor/outdoor setting, it’s usually packed with locals. It’s the place to go for imaginative salads and sandwiches at a reasonable price. The art isn’t bad either.

• Mekong I, 1295 South Beretania Street, 808.591.8841 Consistently good, tasty Thai food at a price that won’t break the bank. Try the curry fish.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Contact