Hawaii ~ 2010

While working on "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," my boyfriend is spending 6 months working in O'ahu. I was lucky enough to get to visit him on 3 different occasions. Here are a few of the highlights from my trips:

Trip 1 = March 24th - May 4th
(yes, I was there for 6 weeks)

"From Here to Eternity" Beach



Hiking Diamond Head









Paradise Cove Luau
Right down the street from Sherman's hotel in Ko Olina, was home of the Paradise Cove Luau. One of the best luau's in O'ahu, I was told. Our friend Nancy joined Sherman and I for our Hawaiian Luau Adventure!


As soon as we got to the Luau, we were handed Mai Tai's & lei'ed. A girl wearing a coconut bra & grass skirt told us that we had 90 minutes of "play time" before dinner. Time flew by as we made leis, threw spears, got fake tattoos and watched Sherman dance in a grass skirt on the beach. A few Mai Tai's later, we sat down to a fantastic dinner & Polynesian show!


Alli Kai Dinner Cruise
My awesome PA (Rahim) from "Love Don't Let Me Down" gave Sherman & I tickets for the Alli Kai Dinner Cruise. We had a blast! We sailed for about 2 hours on a Catamaran (going down the coastline, towards Diamond Head). After eating some awesome food, the staff of Alli Kai put on a fun show for us.











Bishop Museum
Sherman & I never would have known about the Bishop Museum, if it were not for the "1000 Places" book. We were slightly hesitant heading to the museum but what a pleasant surprise!

Pearl Harbor We split Pearl Harbor into 2 trips. Trip #1 was USS Bowfin.











Trip #2 was USS Missouri & USS Arizona.


Pearl Harbor was an amazing experience. I loved exploring the USS Bowfin (a Submarine that was launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor) through an interactive audio tour.

The USS Arizona Memorial is dedicated to the men & women who lost their lives in the attack of Pearl Harbor. I don't know what was more moving to see ~ the remains of this sunken battleship or the marble wall with the names of every single person who died aboard the USS Arizona (all 1,177 of them). One astonishing fact about the USS Arizona is that it still leaks about a quart of oil each day into the harbor. Survivors from the crew believe that it will continue to leak until the the last survivor has passed away.

The USS Missouri was the last battleship built by the US. Boarding the ship, we were met by a tour guide who showed us some of the highlights of the boat. The most impressive thing to see was the plaque marking the spot where the Japanese surrendered, therefore ending WWII.



Sunset Booze Cruise









To celebrate Sherman's 30th Birthday, Hampton (Sherman's sister), Jim (Hampton's boyfriend), Dawn (Sherman's co-worker) and I went on a Booze Cruise. 2 hours on a sailboat, sipping on Mai Tais and watching the sun set...


Trip 2 = May 28th - May 31st (Memorial Day Weekend)

Submarine Ride
Hands down, this was one of the coolest experiences of my life. We boarded a boat out of Waikiki and 10 minutes off the coast we saw our submarine emerge from the ocean. We went down over 100 feet into the Pacific. Our tour guide pointed out the various colorful fish we encountered (not to mention the 7 sharks that surrounded us at one point), the 2 sunken ships and many different reefs. One of coolest things I learned on the sub ride is that the color red disappears when you go 15 feet under water. Who knew!?!

Trip 3 = July 2nd - July 5th (4th of July Weekend)
Sushi @ Mr. Ojisan's
Sherman's boss, Zach, introduced him to Mr. Ojisan's (where Sherman has become a bit of a regular). He was greeted with big smiles the moment we got there. Great food, great service! If you like sushi, I definitely recommend a trip to Mr. Ojisan's if you ever find yourself in O'ahu!



4th of July Dinner @ Michel's
Hanauma Bay
All beaches in Hawaii are open to the public, but Hanauma Bay is not a normal beach. After paying $1 for parking, we waited in line for about 20 minutes to pay $7.50/each to get entrance to the beach. Before being admitted to the beach though, all visitors are required to listen to an educational video about the bay and marine life. Sadly, the video wasn't working and Sherman and I were deprieved of our lesson for the day!

The beach was beautiful, I would have loved to have gone snorkeling but my broken foot and the fact that I had a plane to catch put a kink in our plans.

Nashville

2010 has been a busy travel year for me. I started off the year in Nashville, working on the film "Love Don't Let Me Down" (which might be released as "Country Strong" ~ stay tuned). I absolutely loved Nashville! Not only did I meet fantastic people but I ate at some amazing restaurants (Loveless Cafe, Monells) and heard THE BEST music!!!! All the rumors about Nashville are true. So many musicians live in Nashville and they really do stop in at bars and jump on stage. A country music fan's dream come true!!!!

Highlights from my time in Nashville:
1. Jill, Mike & Annie visiting me! We spent the weekend being tourists - breakfast at the Hermitage, Belle Meade, a concert at the Grand Ole Opry (Ryman Theatre).
2. Bar hopping on Broadway. With Sherman. My parents. And the LDLMD crew. The Stage & Robert's Western World were 2 favorites. But I have to give props to my favorite Nashville dive bar - Melrose Billards.
3. Hanging out in Nashville with my parents. Hanging out on the movie set (where they were extras), having drinks with the crew at Layla's, seeing Andrew Jackson's home and more.
4. Music & Food!!! Seeing Vince Gill performing randomly at a bar. The amazing food at Loveless Cafe, Rosepepper, Arnolds, Bosco's, Monell's, Pancake Pantry, Jack's BBQ. Seeing Lady Antebellum & Carrie Underwood at The Ryman. Both lists can go on & on...

5. The LDLMD Wrap Party ~ introducing Gwyneth Paltrow, karaoke, scooby doo shots!


6. My weekend getaway with Jen to Memphis ~ Graceland, Civil Rights
Museum, Bourbon Street, Memphis BBQ, Sun Studios...



Thank you to all my Nashville friends for showing me such a great time when I was town (particularly Jen, Lynn, Tara & Rahim). I can't wait to come visit again.

Travel Bug

Whenever I get any time off, my first instinct is to go to Chicago to see my family. Love them to death, but after many years of traveling back & forth from California to Illinois.... I realized that I need to see other parts of the world. So about 2 years ago I got the book "1000 Places To See in the US/Canada Before You Die" (and yes, I have the "1000 Places To See in the World Before You Die" book too).