MY PUBLISHED WORK

  • A surfer carries his surfboard into the water at Laguna Beach, California, in September. The best time to visit the popular Orange County beach is in the fall; the water is still warm and crowds have dissipated leaving plenty of room on the sand and

    These U.S. beach towns are even better in the fall

    Summer may be over, but beach season doesn’t have to be. In fact, with fewer crowds and cooler temperatures, fall is the best time to explore coastal towns where cultural sites, natural wonders, and tons of history tell memorable stories to take back home. Here are seven seaside escapes that are even better offseason.

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  • In this 2022 photo, visitors spend the day at Ho'okipa Beach on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. While western Maui is closed, the rest of the island is open to tourists. PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC MARTIN, FIGAROPHOTO/REDUX

    How can tourists help Maui recover? Here’s what locals say.

    In the face of devastating economic losses, residents are asking visitors to return—but respectfully.

    LiAnne Driessen had moved into her grandparents’ home in Lāhainā four years ago, a home destroyed in the August 8 wildfires that razed the historic coastal town and killed at least 115 people. Everything—except for a mango tree her kūpuna (grandparents) had planted from a seed 50 years ago—is gone.

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  • Photo: Aaron Yoshino

    Haunted Hawai‘i: My Personal Experience With the Supernatural and the Unexplained

    Many say that Hawai‘i is full of ghosts and otherwordly beings–not just from one culture, but all of the cultures that live together in the islands. This is one writer’s experience with the supernatural.

    Hawai‘i is one of the most isolated island chains on earth. Add to that a mix of Hawaiian and immigrant cultures, each with their own supernatural beliefs, and you have a potent recipe for eerie late-night stories. Look around with the right eyes, and the Islands are full of ghosts.

    There are stories I never liked sharing.

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  • Dancing a once-forbidden hula, at long last

    Wahineka‘iu Lum Ho, now 70, remembers hearing her grandparents speaking Hawaiian in their home on Maui. But they never encouraged her to learn the language. She wasn’t allowed to dance hula, though she had master hula teachers in her family. Even when she attended a private school for children of Hawaiian descent, she felt disconnected. “We sang Hawaiian songs,” Lum Ho says, “but I didn’t really know what we were singing.”

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  • The Ultimate Volcanoes National Park Travel Guide

    A trip to the largest of Hawaii Island's five national and historic parks is a step back in time, a place where two active volcanoes have long altered the landscape. From 1983 to 2018, lava poured into the Pacific Ocean, as it pounded and shaped the craggy shoreline. Today, endangered birds and rare orchids fill the rainforest and grasslands, geological wonders dot the terrain, and sacred cultural sites speak to the park's mythic roots.

    READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

  • Here's why you see lei everywhere in Hawai'i

    You’ll see lei at birthdays, weddings, graduation parties, luau, even at the airport when you arrive. Defined as a garland or wreath, lei is so much more than just a beautiful adornment. In Hawai'i, it’s the symbol of aloha, it’s something you give to someone you love, it’s a way of showing appreciation – a welcome.

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  • The top 13 hikes in Hawaii

    here’s no better way to explore Hawaii than by hitting one of the dozens of hiking trails that weave across the state.

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  • How Hawaiʻi-Style Saimin is Making a Comeback

    This humble noodle dish, unique to Hawaiʻi, is quietly regaining its popularity. It’s obvious when Mark Noguchi walks into Palace Saimin in Kalihi on Oʻahu that he’s been coming here for decades. Practically his whole life.

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  • 19 Reasons Why Hawaii Costcos Are the Best in the Country

    When Costco opened the first warehouse store on Oahu in 1988, the Washington-based members-only retailer stocked its shelves with Hawaii-made products, including Kona coffee, locally grown produce, and books written by Hawaiian authors. With four locations on Oahu alone and one on each of the main islands, it’s safe to say that Hawaii residents love Costco just as much as the rest of the country — and not just for bulk-size dish soap and $1.50 hot dogs.

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  • The Secret Ingredient to Being Restaurateurs of the Year

    It’s not just the food—Restaurateurs of the Year Robynne Maii and Chuck Bussler are committed to supporting the local industry and workers.

    The first thing I notice are the books. Hundreds of them, neatly arranged on a giant bookshelf that takes up an entire wall of Fête’s upstairs office. Worn spines, ripped jackets, yellow Post-it notes sticking out from the pages. Books with titles like Chicken Genius, A Fistful of Lentils and A Love Affair with Southern Cooking.

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  • The author after being crowned Cherry Blossom queen in 2001. Photo: Courtesy of Catherine E. Toth

    Why I Ran in the 49th Cherry Blossom Festival

    About a dozen women, all in their 20s, sat in a semi-circle in November in a classroom at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, with half-full Starbucks cups and Hydroflasks nearby. They were getting instruction on how to answer questions memorably and to share a little bit about themselves in the process.

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