A Weekend of Firsts

View of Enchanted Lake from Wiliwilinui Ridge

This weekend was a weekend of firsts. On Friday night, I went to a party in Kahala, where a jazz band started playing at about 10. I originally went to the party to meet some friends between a dinner I went to earlier and party at the W, however, I had such a good time (and a little too much to drink) that I never actually made it to the W (sorry Lisa, I’ll make it up to you!) One of the guys in the band was hosting the party at his parents’ house. Anyway, according to some guys at the party, this particular band plays at 39 Hotel in downtown on Tuesday nights. I’ve heard jazz music before, but that was the first time that I heard a live jazz band. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the music and would definitely make it a point to go see them play one day. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol, but that night I felt a lot positive energy- everyone seemed to be having a great time…that is until the alcohol ran out. Just kidding. Actually, I had a blast. It was fun!

I also went hiking for the first time up Wiliwilinui Ridge with Dave. According to this book Dave had, it was a hike for novice and intermediate hikers. However with the decent incline, I would have to say that it was a hike for at least advanced-novice hikers. I am sure my quads got quite the workout... the verdict to come out tomorrow. It took us about five hours round trip… just like the book said. Once we got to the end of the trail the view from up top was so awesome that it completely took my breath away. I have to admit that I have never seen such a view! I was able to see Honolulu on one side and the entire windward side on the other! It was so awesome. I also learned a lot of different factoids from Dave. Thanks to Dave, I must say I have a much better appreciation for native Hawaiian plants, a different view of dolphins, learned about water polo, and now have a laundry list of “must see” movies. Oh yeah, I also learned a new term… if anyone knows where I live, my neighbors in the park across the way will now be referred to as “urban campers.” Haha.

Finally, I had dinner at Nobu’s for the first time. Nobu’s is located in the Waikiki Parc Hotel across from the Halekulani. Chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa has been known as being the master in eclectic Japanese cuisine. The original Nobu restaurant is in New York and his Hawaii restaurant opened in May of this year. I love Japanese food, especially good sushi and sashimi. We had a variety of dishes: tuna tataki with ponzu sauce, lobster salad, seared ahi salad, rock shrimp tempura, black cod miso, duck, and a variety of sushi. It was delicious. My favorite was the tuna takaki with ponzu sauce. For dessert we tried a couple of dishes, which were all amazing. Both the dinner and company was awesome! I would definitely go there again. Highly recommended. Such an awesome weekend of firsts!