Take a walk down Waikiki’s Kalakaua Avenue and you’ll be treated not only to the overpowering fog of expensive and uncalled for perfume, you’ll get to observe the likes of Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Harry Winston, and Saks Fifth Avenue storefronts.
The locals do a pretty good job of keeping the homeless of Kalakaua, or, as the locals call it, Rodeo Drive. But go one street up, to Kuhio Avenue, or even farther, to the Ala Wai Canal, and you’ll be treated to the pleasant and all together unique sight of homeless men peeing on trees or screaming at traffic and birds. Similarly, the homeless are kept off of the famous Waikiki beach, they move them off just to the next few beaches to the east. Check out Kuhio beach at dusk and you’ll be sharing the sand with dozens of vagrants all shacking up for the night. Some with sleeping bags, some with tarps. A few enterprising individuals even set out umbrellas to block out the presence of people around them.
Return to Rodeo Drive, ahem, Kalakaua Ave, and you won’t be able to tell the homeless from the Versace and Gucci clad vacationers, both seem to operate on the same sense of style. If you manage to maneuver your way past the Jehovah’s Witness’, who are, despite all things, very polite, past the inexplicable sign holders advertising the Honolulu Gun Club, and past the hordes of tourists, you just might make it to the water. Hopefully by this time you’ll have a pineapple encased Mai-Tai in hand. Work your way away from Waikiki Beach, further to the East. Enjoy some waves, get a little sunburned, and spend your afternoon shamelessly staring and people watching. Just make sure you have a good set of sunglasses.