A WEEK FULL OF AWESOMENESS
People ask me all the time if I ever get bored of living on an island in the middle of the ocean. My answer? A firm “No!” mixed with a catch 22. “I don’t get bored because I live on the island of Oahu and there tons of things to do here. If I lived on Maui, now that would be a different story. I’d get rock fever within three days” I’ve mention it over and over to my couples, and my site, but there are tons of things to do on Oahu. Not so much on the outer islands. But my favorite time of year has to be the week of the Pro Bowl as there are just so many things to do that week! But there’s more than just football!
BIG WAVES ON THE NORTH SHORE
Around the time of the Pro Bowl, the waves in Hawaii on the North Shore get VERY large, we’re talking about forty of fifty foot faces. If the conditions are perfect, the big wave contest called “The Eddie” is held. Basically it’s a contest where Pro big-wave surfers fly in to try to catch the biggest waves in the world. When the waves get big on the North Shore, the traffic gets horrendous as there is only one, two-way lane HWY that serves as the corridor to Waimea. If you want to watch the big waves, travel to the North Shore early.
RINGING IN THE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN CHINATOWN
Here in Hawaii we have a gigantic Asian community. In fact, I would probably go out on a limb and say that 90% of the people on the Island are of Asian decent. The Friday and Saturday leading up to the Pro Bowl Game, the roads in Chinatown are closed and a hundreds of vendors flood the streets. It has nothing to do with the Pro Bowl, but everything to do with celebrating Chinese New Year. There’s a wide array of food to stuff your face with, crazy cheap gifts to buy for loved ones back home. I found $4 good luck panties!
I failed to take pictures of the Chinese Lion Dance stunt teams, so I posted this youtube video below of a competition that too place on Hong Kong. You truly need to experience the Chinese Stunt Lion Dances in person. If you thought riding big waves were awesome, this stuff tops that. If you head to Chinatown during this time of the year, you won’t have to travel internationally to experience this. It’s happening in Hawaii.
THE PRO BOWL
We don’t have a NFL football team in Hawaii. We have he second best thing. The Pro Bowl. The week of the Pro Bowl is littered with events sponsored by the NFL. There are practice sessions that double as autograph sessions for the pros, parties, and block parties. The game itself, as you probably already know, has evolved to make is more interesting, and is actually quite entertaining. In all honesty, the Pro Bowl was a lot more exciting than the Superbowl this year! Isn’t that sad?
The following pictures are taken from the Pro Bowl Block Party in Waikiki. The main strip of Waikiki is closed down for the party. There are food booths, NFL memorabilia to purchase, and seven stages of entertainment to choose from.
If you’re a football fan and you want to get married in Oahu, you really need to think about getting married during the Pro Bowl week. As you can see, there’s just so many things to do! If you are really a football nut, I have a tip to pass on. Book your room at the JW Marriott Ihilani. That hotel is filled with Pro Bowlers and NFL legends during the week. You could be rubbing elbows with Drew Brees at the bar!
Steve Young
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