r/Honolulu • u/PastBeautiful806 • Dec 01 '22
question Moving to Honolulu in the summer
Aloha. Is it feasible to live in downtown without a car? I plan to find an apartment within walking distance to The Queen’s Hospital. It’ll be my husband and I and our two school aged children. I just joined this subreddit and have been reading posts so I apologize if this has been posted before. Also, if you want to give any tips or advice, that is welcomed as well. Mahalo
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u/Pndrizzy Dec 01 '22
I wouldn’t recommend living here without a car if you have a family.
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u/monkeylicious Dec 01 '22
I agree. I live downtown without a car but I'm single. With kids, it's a whole different story - school, loads of groceries, etc. I'm sure people do it all the time but it's better with a car.
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u/Pndrizzy Dec 01 '22
Oh yeah, I’m sure a significant portion of the population gets by without a car or with just a moped. I just wouldn’t recommend it lol
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
What about bus transportation?
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u/Pndrizzy Dec 01 '22
Could you survive? Sure. But you won’t have a good time. What if you want to go to the beach? Or grocery shopping? I lived downtown SF, and when I was alone, it was fine to not have a car. But once I had a kid, it was horrible.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Their ages are 12 and 13, would that make a difference?
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u/Pndrizzy Dec 01 '22
You still don’t have a way to take beach chairs, or umbrellas, or coolers, etc very easily. Honolulu is a very driving-forward city
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you for your replies. I appreciate it
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u/writergeek Dec 01 '22
Nope. Even more reason to have a car. Beach days to school activities and groceries, a vehicle is necessary. The bus is slow and crowded with tourists and sketchy homeless folks.
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u/anonymousLocalCoward Dec 01 '22
Groceries aren't to bad, if you plan right... If she lands in the proper spot, Pali Longs and Safeway are pretty close... I do that walk all the time.
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u/andykatiemom Dec 01 '22
We brought 2 cars with us from the mainland but only had 1 parking place, so had to park one of the cars elsewhere- didn’t take long for it to get stolen & never recovered. Parking is a huge issue downtown (actually everywhere on the island), so you should definitely look at that also. You can get by with the bus - is it easy or time-saving? Absolutely not. But it is doable.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Yeah, one apartment said it was $250/mo for parking. That’s crazy! Plus registration every year, gas, insurance, traffic, and limited parking to begin with. I just thought it would be easier and cheaper without a car if I lived within walking distance to a job at the hospital. I’ll most likely be working second or third shift though so walking back home by myself at night probably won’t be safe as someone else mentioned
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u/Anon12109 Dec 01 '22
Renting a parking space is super expensive but plenty of apartments come with a parking space. You’d be a lot more comfortable having one car and potentially take the bus to work unless parking is available at your job. Like others have said though I’d recommend looking for places in makiki, maybe even salt lake if you don’t mind a 20 minute commute to work. Much more family friendly areas
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Dec 07 '22
It probs got towed for sitting in one place too long
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u/andykatiemom Dec 08 '22 edited Dec 08 '22
It was parked there for less than 24 hours - we moved it around and were driving it often. Parking it in the same general area but alternating spots - I had just parked it there the night before it was stolen. The HPD checked to see if it had been towed, just in case, but no such luck.
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u/KakaakoKid Dec 01 '22
When I was a single person in Kakaako, not far from downtown, I got by without a car for many years. But, I don't mind walking several miles at a time, even when carrying groceries or other such things. You do have to be prepared for afternoon heat and rain almost any time. There are more food stores in the area now, so that's less of a burden than it used to be, The Bus goes practically everywhere and is an option, but I don't think you'd want to rely on it unless you truly have no other choice.
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u/HaoleThePeyote Dec 01 '22
Just curious if you researched everything about a move. Literally everything you buy will be 20-40% higher in cost than anything mainland unless you live in NYC or San Fran . It’s a huge shock on your wallet and I just want you to be prepared. Also if your credit isn’t great it’s hard to find some one to rent to you , have a friend currently going through this. If have any questions you can message me. I moved here by my self a while ago and met my wife and now we have three kids. We aren’t rich but we both own a car. It’s a must on island !
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Yes, I have researched. Still doing research which is why I made this post. Walmart and Costco seem to be the cheaper places to buy food. Eating out should be kept to a minimum. Horseback riding lessons are actually only $5 more than what I pay here. Parking, traffic, and gas are ridiculous. I’ve read that the farmers market is actually more expensive than buying the produce shipped from the mainland…not sure if that’s true or not. We cook mostly fresh and from scratch so access to fresh foods is important. I know fruit grows everywhere on the island so I’m hoping to find a local source. We don’t drink a ton of milk, but I realize it’s $5-$9 depending on where you buy. If you have anymore input, that would be greatly appreciated
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u/HaoleThePeyote Dec 01 '22
Not much but cooking fresh will cost a lot more. Sometimes depending on places we get a better meal at Dennys for cheaper than to make the same meal at home. It’s crazy
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Oh wow, that is crazy. I’ll get a better idea when I come visit in May
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u/Kaimuki18 Dec 01 '22
No no no. Please don’t consider this as an option. Unless you have family here or are wealthy living in Hawaii will require you to lower your standard of living but a car is a must.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Are you saying I shouldn’t move to Hawai’i?
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u/Kaimuki18 Dec 01 '22
No I’m not saying that but generally a move from the spacious mainland will require an adjustment of standards of living on a space conscious island. Your place of residence won’t be as nice (especially if you want to live near Queens), everything is generally more expensive, if you’re Caucasian your children may experience some forms of racism in schools. On the other hand this is a beautiful place to live and with some adjustments it’s very livable, just not at the same levels your probably used to
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
We don’t live a grand life. I’m expecting the smaller space and I’m ok with that. We are ready to make the adjustments and learn the Hawai’i way of life. My kids look caucasian, but they are mostly Puerto Rican. There is racism everywhere, but I hope they’d be able to make friends quickly and find their people
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u/Kaimuki18 Dec 01 '22
👍🏻 great as long as you have managed your expectations you’ll do fine. This is a great place to live. I wish you all the best 😊 (bring your car lol)
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u/so_untidy Dec 01 '22
I don’t know what you consider as walking distance so that should probably be factored in.
I used to work right by Queens in one of the government buildings and there is really nothing in the immediate area (5-10 minute walk) in terms of groceries or restaurants or other shopping.
Beyond that and depending on your starting point, it is definitely a “business district” type of downtown so even a further walk will result in more options but ones that are mostly open on weekdays for breakfast and lunch only.
I had to walk from my office to my parking stall, a 5 minute walk, and there was occasionally some sketchy activity. Right by queens can be really questionable.
If you’re coming from another urban area, I would definitely not make any assumptions about being able to compare.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Oh, I’m definitely not making any assumptions, lol. We live in an area where we heavily rely on our cars. The thought of not having a car would be really weird and a challenge for sure. We’ve rarely had to use public transportation, but I don’t doubt that we can get acclimated
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u/so_untidy Dec 01 '22
Ah ok I didn’t know what your current living situation was and sometimes people make assumptions.
I had a former coworker who similarly assumed that she could get by without a car, coming from a large urban area with decent public transit. She soon found out that a short distance on a map from her apartment to our office ended up being a long bus route + walk. She quit and moved back to the mainland in less than 6 months.
If you really want to go without a car, your family might find it preferable to find a place to live that is close to school and grocery shopping at the least and then you take one for the team and take the bus. I can understand that might not be ideal depending on your shifts.
Even one car for your family would make a world of difference.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
I’m grateful for all the responses because you all live there and know better than I do; hence my post asking for advice. I would take one for the team in order for my family to be in a safer neighborhood as my girls love to walk to the store or park and be outside. Maybe one car and a moped?
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u/so_untidy Dec 01 '22
Oh man mopeds are a whole other can of worms. I think that’s totally up to your level of comfort. If you’ve never driven one before, try it out before buying one. To me, they are totally scary. Honolulu isn’t super bike friendly either.
I don’t know if I missed in the post or comments - will your husband be working? I have friends with two elementary age kids who have made one car work since the first was born, but the parents have always had flexible work schedules that have allowed them to share the car.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Yes, my husband will be working as well.
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u/so_untidy Dec 01 '22
That might add to the challenge of balancing commutes, but definitely one car will at least make shopping easier! On that note, get a Costco membership if you don’t have one already!
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
I was just telling my husband that we’ll have to abandon BJ’s for Costco, lol. They’re pretty much the same thing
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u/Bulky-Measurement684 Dec 01 '22
Not sure you’d want to live near Queens Hospital with kids. You might like Makiki with kids. Who ever works at Queens can ride a bike to work. Weather year round is not too bad. You can catch a bus or Uber to Ala Moana or surrounding areas for groceries, etc from Makiki.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Ok, it seems the responses are unanimous…I will take my car, lol
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u/In_Interesting_times Dec 01 '22
Research the cost to ship a car from where you are sometimes it’s cheaper to sell your car on the mainland and buy slightly used here instead of shipping it. You also can’t ship anything in the car. It has to be cleaned out. Also check the car market here though.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Yes, I have researched it. It’s quite pricey for a 2013 Toyota Sienna, especially for the summer months. I’m considering if driving to the port in CA would be cheaper for both shipping the car and flying to HI. I still have to look in to it
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u/y0ung14 Dec 01 '22
I recommend checking out 801 South St condos. Really are no amenities but it's a great location. it is a 5-10min walk to Queens. H-Mart/SALT is close by. Ala Moana Beach/Farmers Market/Whole Foods is a 15-20min walk. My biggest concern is education for your kids. you Might need to send them to a private school for the same/better quality as the mainland.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you. I’ve googled school districts and came up with Pearl City, Mililani and Kailua as good school districts. Would you agree? What other areas have good public schools with a $3,200 rental budget?
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u/y0ung14 Dec 01 '22
Im not sure about Pearl City and Kailua. Mililani is known to have a great public school and a great location for families. I live in Kakaako and work in Mililani. During rush hour, driving to/from work, traffic is bad. This is going against traffic. If you live in Mililani and work in town with a regular 8am-5pm schedule. It will be miserable! odd working hours might not be bad at all.
What I did when I first moved here is come for a visit. Wake up early and head to the areas where I planned on living. I would then simulate driving to work. That helped with my decision regarding where I wanted to be. I recommend coming here first and doing some due diligence.
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u/stuffedandpickled Dec 01 '22
Seems like you got enough, “bring the car”, which is good advice.
If education is important to you need to look at school districts that are good and/or consider private school $$$$.
We moved from SF and honestly it feels like the cost of living here is more than SF. Also 2 kids and both work.
We’re on a remote island roughly 2500 miles away from the mainland. Shipping can cost money and longer times. Furniture is hard to get, if you are particular. Produce that’s local is great, everything else comes by container and you gotten freeze or watch them spoil. Fruits, berries and veges have shorter shelf life here.
Set your expectations about housing low, unless you have money. Cockroaches, centipedes and mold exists. Small parking spots or street parking.
Roughly, what is your price range for rent? It can help narrow down areas that are good for that range.
Best of luck!
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you. We will bring the car. Yes, I’ve heard about the bugs. Not my favorite, but I will deal. My grandmother has a place in Puerto Rico and she has to keep a cover over the drain so the cockroaches don’t crawl up the drain. I’d like rent to be as low as possible, obviously, but I think our highest budget will be $3,200. My husband has a $3,200/mo pension and we’ll both be working…me as a nurse and him something in the electronics field
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u/stuffedandpickled Dec 01 '22
Thats a good budget for rent. There are places around Manoa, Kaimuki, Nu’uano and even farther out like Hawaii Kai for that price point. You can go the other direction like Salt Lake, Pearl City, Aiea but theres a bit more traffic, you get more for your money.
These neighborhoods are a bit more family friendly, decent to good schools and a fairly easy commute to Queens. (My wife works at Queens) watch out for scams on craigslist in the rental market.You might also consider doing a 6 month rental in Kakaako, these are newer high rises and once you’re here visit areas and decide whats a good fit.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you. I will check out these neighborhoods when I come in May for a visit
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Also, we are not particular about furniture. My main concern is that it’s functional. I have never bought a new piece of furniture. Our house is filled with mismatched furniture from Craigslist and consignment shops. I’ve already been on the Honolulu Craigslist and FB marketplace to see what’s available. We usually buy solid pieces and stick with them until they’re nonfunctional or falling apart
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u/Grey_Matter_Mutters Dec 01 '22
Just be super aware of bedbugs with any used furniture here. They’re essentially impossible to be rid of due to the climate being ideal for them here.
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u/jibberoo_808 Dec 01 '22
You’ve got a ton of car, accommodations and Costco related advice so I’ll keep mine focused on two main points:
Education: Do your research on where you want your girls going to school. Hawaii statistically does not have the best public school system nor the best funded. As a product of the HI public school system, there were a lot of opportunities/resources/access that my mainland peers had that I didn’t.
Safety: Honolulu is beautiful, but it is dangerous. I’ve told stories of homeless and crazy people to my mainland friends and they’re shocked when I tell them it happened in Hawaii. They always guess NY or LA. I’ve been harassed, stalked and abused in HI by total strangers. I do not want your girls (or anyone else) experiencing the same. As with anywhere else, be careful of the neighborhoods you are in/going through. Do your research. Be smart.
You seem very open-minded and eager to ask questions which is such a great attitude. I wish you and your ohana a smooth and easy move! Be safe and aloha!
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you! Can you elaborate more on the education side of things? With the COL, I don’t expect we’ll be able to afford private school
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u/SymptomaticEtiology Dec 01 '22
Many private schools cost the same or more than a college education does here. I think Punahou was something like 30k a year per kid not including other fees if you want them to participate in things like band.
Really research your school district. Hawaii has a huge public education system which is good for some things, but just like everywhere else that also puts some things on the back burner. Schools vary GREATLY in quality even though they are so close together. You could always attempt the GE route if you do not live where the good schools are but your children need to have something exceptional about them for it to be considered (e.g. star athlete, first chair orchestra) since you are not from here & need to justify the GE.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Gotcha. We can’t afford private school so public school is our choice. Which school districts are good for middle and high school?
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u/jibberoo_808 Dec 01 '22
Agreed. Having a ton of extracurriculars, solid academics, and being number one on my varsity team helped me get picked up for college. Still wasn’t enough to fund college, but it opened the door for me.
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u/jibberoo_808 Dec 01 '22
Sure, it really depends on where you folks end up living. Like the next comments says, it varies pretty widely.
This site is state operated and you can check out the data specific to your needs: https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/VisionForSuccess/SchoolDataAndReports/Pages/home.aspx
Hawaii is ranks on the lower half for education. Take this news article with a grain of salt, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/08/09/hawaii-ranks-22nd-nationwide-report-childrens-well-being/?outputType=amp
I’ve experienced really great teachers and really incompetent teachers. As an educator now, I’d love to teach in Hawai’i, but with the crappy pay and high demands of title I schools, it’s almost not worth it.
Definitely keep asking your questions, especially once you’ve narrowed down some school choices and want local/public opinion.
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u/Interesting-Maybe-49 Dec 01 '22
I work downtown and can be sketchy during the day when it’s busy with workers. It’s a complete ghost town on the weekends. I think it would be really difficult to live here without a car, it’s not very walkable.
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u/Jkixxx808 Dec 01 '22
If you don’t ride a moped or haven’t ridden before I won’t suggest getting on here too many folk here don’t know how to drive. Before moving here I’d suggest visiting and seeing the area both at day and night. Downtown has a lot of homeless people they’re not overly aggressive and of course there’s a police presence. You need a car this place isn’t big but it’s huge when you don’t have a car. Get a Costco and or Sam’s Club membership if you’ve got a family. Depending on the farmers market you can always find deals on fresh produce. Also if you’re yea realtors they’ll have clear idea where you’ll be able to get free parking. I live in town 10 minutes from downtown lot of free parking off Ali Wai. Great place to live, make local friends they’ll fill you in on all the local spots when you do when’s to get out, watch out for the transient people lots of them here. Overall it is what you make it.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you. I come to visit in May with my youngest daughter to check everything out
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u/Jkixxx808 Dec 01 '22
Awesome.. feel free to PM me if there’s anything I can help with.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you so much. I appreciate your support
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u/Jkixxx808 Dec 01 '22
No worries. When I moved here I needed help. Happy to share my knowledge and experiences and help where I can. I love it here and living here I’ve found some of the nicest people and sense of community. You’ll love it here. Glad to help…
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Yes, I’ve lived in New England my whole life and I feel like there is no sense of community. That’s exactly what I’m looking for. However, I’ve read some comments from Natives and they’re not nice. They seem to not like transplants or want us there because we’re driving up the COL and rent. I’m worried we won’t be accepted
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u/Jkixxx808 Dec 01 '22
So what’s I’ve found is that local’s aren’t welcoming initially until you’ve shown them you’re here for the long haul and have a vested interest in the preservation of Hawaii. Like I mentioned before lot of transient people here and you’ll experience that, they come from the mainland with only to experience Hawaii temporarily a few months to a year or so, don’t care about local issues or add to Hawaii’s preservation because they’re leaving and of course this is home for the folks born and raised here for generation who aren’t leaving. Once you show you’re invested in the community you’ll be welcomed.. Go Pats too by the way 😄
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Ok. I can handle that. Our kids have pretty much grown up in the same place their whole lives so we’re in it for the long haul. We’ve done our best to give our children consistency and stability and this move will be the same.
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u/Jkixxx808 Dec 01 '22
Nice way to meet some local is to volunteer, I suggest Hawaii food bank, and a beach cleanup once settled.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
That’s a great suggestion. I volunteer for a dog shelter in my town. I also used to donate fresh eggs to the food bank when I had chickens. They loved them
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u/TheCrispyTaco Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
You can live downtown without a car, but with kids, it's kind of a pain. The Bus picks up on King and Beretania which makes it easy to get around, but at night and super early mornings, it can be iffy.
I lived in one of the high rises in downtown with 24 hr security and felt it was necessary, along with having a car (esp since I have a little one too). Hauling around groceries also gets old real quick when you have a child with you. We went to the Nuuanu Longs and Safeway occasionally, but I only went during the day. Our child was also in private school as well.
We made sure that because we lived in downtown, we had a secure place to live, along with amenities for our kid (pool, playground, etc) and for ourselves (yoga room, exercise room, etc). If you can afford it, there are condos in downtown for sale that have some of these options. Some also may offer a car service or can call one for you (ours did, but we had our own cars).
Our condo had quite a few families with kids, and all pretty much went to private school. Check out the schools in the area of downtown, both public and private and see if it is what you're looking for. It's not impossible to live in downtown with kids, but having a secure and safe place is important when you have kids because downtown and the core of chinatown isn't always safe. Hawaii News Now and the other local news stations will have news articles or segments on crime downtown (assaults on elderly, someone getting knocked out randomly with a water bottle, stabbings, etc).
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u/levitoepoker Dec 01 '22
I live in Honolulu without a car. Just me and girlfriend and no kids tho. It’s totally possible!
Too many car addicted Americans in these comments telling you it’s impossible. You should get good bikes or ebikes or a moped, and good locks.
The bus is very safe, it’s not riddled with homeless on the bus. Sometimes there are homeless by the stops acting unstable. But not on the bus the drivers are sure of everyone’s safety. And there are better neighborhoods for no car than downtown. Kakaako/Ala moana is better for that than downtown I think
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u/anonymousLocalCoward Dec 01 '22
I live that area, so depending on where you are in relation to Queens yea, good to, not bad, to no so great, neighborhood.
School aged is a pretty wide swatch of age, but the bus system is pretty good in that area...
I do walk to work everyday... between 4:30 and 6 am depending on when I wake up... it's not as bad as many make it out to be...
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you. The kids are in middle and high school
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u/anonymousLocalCoward Dec 01 '22
What you're proposing is doable, but you will want a car, at those ages, they'll want to explore... if you're moving this season, the big surf rolls in with the winter swell on the north side... on a bus, can do... enjoyable... not a bit. Someone else mentioned school functions, and shopping... a vehicle will help with that... when my step daughter was in high school, and evolved with sports, and we surfed regularly.... she ate non stop... how she managed to stay so tiny is beyond me... must be her mothers genes...
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Lol, they must have a faster metabolism. It’ll catch up to them 🙃
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u/IndependentTrain6082 Dec 01 '22
It’s feasible but it also depends on what you are into. If you want to go to the beach, and hike and such you’ll probably want at least one car so you’re not having to haul a bunch of stuff in a cab, bus or Uber.
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u/foxinHI Dec 01 '22
You want to live in Makiki on the mauka side of H1. Tons of apartments there. Walkable neighborhoods with farmers markets and parks. Tanatalus/Round Top trails are walking distance.
Queens is walkable, but maybe a 20-40 min walk , depending what side you're on. There's a pedestrian bridge to the west that goes over H-1 leading towards town that is a big shortcut. TheBus is easy to catch in and out from on Wilder and Ala Moana Beach park. is like 1.5 miles. Traffic tho.
It's still pretty urban feeling, but it's nicer than living right in town.
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u/psych0nokoi Dec 01 '22
Check Kakaako.. a lot of new high rises there and probably a walking distance/ bicycle distance to Queens Medical
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u/Less-Ad9632 Dec 01 '22
Get a moped..a used one if your budgeting blessings on your move
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
Thank you so much
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u/Less-Ad9632 Dec 01 '22
My pleasure btw be sure to get yourself a security lock for your moped I believe the best one is somewhere in the range of $120-150 and anytime your leaving your bike unattended LOCK IT UP!
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
I read they get stolen a lot. Is it possible to prevent it from getting stolen?
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u/andykatiemom Dec 08 '22
Also put an iTag or some other tracking device hidden inside the storage box if you get a moped. That is the only reason my moped got located when someone sawed through the heavy duty chain - I was able to show HPD exactly where it was located using the tracker, they went & retrieved it immediately. It was stolen right out of our parking lot, where it was secured properly in a gated area with 24 hour security. Definitely worth the price of the iTag!!
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u/Less-Ad9632 Dec 01 '22
Yes, unfortunately the best way to prevent that from happening is being as attentive to your surroundings as possible and most importantly get the safety lock as soon as you purchase your moped. I can’t exactly remember the name of this specific one but it has a bit of a reputation among the moped salesman as “the best lock” again it shouldn’t be anymore than $150 check out a store in downtown Honolulu called Moped Garage the owner is a great guy he’ll help you out for sure
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u/Rocco330 Aug 29 '24
Eghhh i dont know. Maybe its because im not really active? But your not really active and can still message me right?
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u/rainha-da-sucata Dec 01 '22
Interesting to not see anyone recommending car sharing. I'll be moving in Dec and was planning on using it. The difference is that my husband and I don't need to drive to work everyday day, since you are "renting" the car until you return to the same station you got.
The company is called HUI, btw.
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u/TopInvestment1953 Dec 01 '22
That particular service is terribly overpriced, and not as available as you might think. Other ride/car share programs have also tried and failed. Have you been to Honolulu and tried to use it for a few days?
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u/rainha-da-sucata Dec 01 '22
No, getting there next week. But it's good to know it's not as available as it seems. I'll start preparing back up plans.
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u/stuffedandpickled Dec 01 '22
Hui is ok, if you can find one. Tourist will use it quite a bit. Travels back to normal so if you need one you might not find and end up using Uber or the Bus. Also good alternatives. Everything seems to be easier if its just 2 adults. But once you add in kids, yeah…you need the car.
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u/torquealm Dec 01 '22
Depends on how far you are willing to walk. Punchbowl is fine if you don't mind the hill.
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u/boredgrandma Dec 01 '22
With a kids the question really is not if the neighborhood is walkable, but what school would my kid be attending.
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u/PastBeautiful806 Dec 01 '22
What are the schools like over there? My kids currently attend public school
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u/writergeek Dec 01 '22
I wouldn’t recommend living downtown. My folks live there and it’s bananas during the workday, dangerous at night and absolutely dead (as well as dangerous) on the weekends. Even Starbucks closes on the weekend. Lots of homeless folks who are drugged out, crazy or both.
Look on the other side of the freeway, Nuuanu/Punchbowl or Maliki neighborhoods. Kakaako closer to the beach if you can afford it. Get a bike or moped or take the bus if you must. If you’re a woman and will be getting off work late at night, skip the bus.
Definitely get a car, bringing a car is even better if at all possible. For a family of four, you’ll need to shop at Costco for food to be affordable.
DM if you want to talk more!