In Search Of Historic Honolulu, Part 1

"Tropical Depression" By Patti Liszkay
​Now Available On Amazon

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"Tropical Depression by Patti Liszkay is a powerful and emotionally charged novel."
- Sublime Book Review

"Tropical Depression is rich in the intersections of love, conflict, and culture that bring this world to life." - D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review

​For more reviews of "Tropical Depression" go to Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86517578-tropical-depression#CommunityReviews

​IN SEARCH OF HISTORIC HONOLULU, PART 1

...Continued from previous post:
     Among my favorite of all favorite books in the world is the novel "Hawaii," James Michener's historical mega-saga of the Hawaiian islands. I've read all 1,036 pages three times, to which my well-worn copy will attest.

       Along with my desire to pursue some culture during my recent visit to Hawaii (see previous post: https://www.ailantha.com/blog/i-ukulelist), I also had the desire to visit the oldest streets and sites in Honolulu as described in Michener's book, where the commercial development of the island began in the 19th century, mostly by the children of the American missionaries and other American entrepreneurs who helped themselves to the land of the Hawaiians, made their fortunes, and began turning Honolulu into the island metropolis it would become. 
         I wanted to visit Chinatown, where the industrious Chinese immigrants lived on the edge of haole - or white - society, but from where many rose to run successful businesses, as well.
          I wanted to visit the site where the original missionaries built their houses, as well as the 'Iolani Palace, the royal residence of the rulers of Hawaii until 1893, when a  group of influential American-descendant sugar and pineapple growers enlisted the help of the U.S. Marines to overthrow Hawaiian Queen Liliʻuokalani,

...so that Hawaii could become an American territory.
        I wanted to go to all those places. 
​      Now, it isn't as if I hadn't been to downtown Honolulu before or been to Chinatown or visited the site of the missionary houses on previous visits to the island. But this time I wanted to walk among these places and see them through the lens of Honolulu's history as told in James Michener's tale. 
        And so Monday morning, after an early  walk through the Hale Koa Botanical Garden,

...and along Waikiki beach,

...Tom and I headed towards town to the bus stop,  

...from where we caught the number 20 bus for $1.25 - senior rate - to downtown Honolulu.

     We alit at the corner of King and Punchbowl Streets, Punchbowl Street being named after the ancient volcanic crater located there which is now home to Punchbowl National Cemetery.

    However we walked in the other direction, down King Street to the 'Iolani Palace, which, we learned, was closed on Mondays.

     So we continued down King until we came to Fort Street, the oldest street in Honolulu and the first paved street, where the first banks and powerful 19th century American business enterprises were established and where much of the drama in Michener's story unfolds.
      We found that today Fort Street is a pleasant pedestrian mall,

...where one can still nonetheless find a vintage building or two.

     We then made our way to Beretania Street, 

...where the wealthy haole bankers and businessmen had their fine homes, and from where we could see hills to which, according to Michener, the residents of Chinatown fled in 1900,

...when Chinatown was burned down by he Honolulu health department after an outbreak of  Bubonic Plague, carried into Chinatown in a shipment of rice from a freighter that had been carrying rats.

      We continued down Beretania Street until it took us into Chinatown.

     (where, several blocks in we would be able to see the port from where the Plague entered Chinatown).

     We strolled around the streets, 

...and though I knew that Chinatown in 2023 looked nothing like James Michener's Chinatown from 123 years ago - in truth, none of the oldest streets in Honolulu that we walked along that day were anything like the streets from the era of Michener's novel - still, I now had a geographic sense of these locations, which I know I'll find helpful now that I'm on my fourth reading of "Hawaii."

     To be continued...