Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village Honolulu, HI

The neighborhood of Salt Lake, also known as Aliamanu after a nearby crater, was developed in the 1960s when the Governor of Hawaii called for a modernization project. He chose this particular spot for its spectacular view of Downtown Honolulu and the sugarcane plantations.

The most popular historical landmark to visit in this area has to be the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites with many different individual museums. You can visit the USS Arizona Memorial and learn about the day that "will live in infamy," The Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine museum and park, and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

The Pearl Harbor Historic sites hold many seasonal and annual events to honor veterans of the war and their families. Furthermore, visitors encounter fantastic art displays detailing the war when browsing through the museums.

Residents have their choice of many different fast food chains such as McDonald's and Subway as well as chain diners such as Ruby Tuesday. There are a few mom and pop eateries as well, which are frequented due to the rarity of establishments.

Once such restaurant, Salt Lake Chinese Restaurant, offers a broad menu of Chinese dishes from different regions served in a relaxed environment. There are a variety of tasty dishes ranging from pork hash, tenderloin steak with black pepper, and spareribs, all the way to chicken lettuce wraps, egg foo young, and the lobster or crab with ginger and green onion.

The nightlife in Downtown Honolulu is rather lively but more relaxed in the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village area; residents love local sports bars. Henry Loui's Restaurant continues to be a local hangout as a casual sports bar with an eclectic menu; be sure to order the prime rib. On the north side of the neighborhood is Brandy's Bar & Grill, another sports bar with an easygoing ambiance featuring a basic menu, televisions, pool tables and darts.

The most common way to get around the neighborhood is by driving. The primary form of public transportation remains the bus system. If you plan to rely on this, be sure to choose a residence near a stop, or you could find yourself walking long distances to get to one. Uber can be a viable option as well.

Public parking continues to be free and widespread throughout the neighborhood, and access to highways remains a breeze as H1 and H201 nearly wrap around the town. The area is walkable, however stick to the neighborhoods and hiking trails, as the main streets are primarily made for vehicles.

Hoaloha Park continues to be the largest state reserve in the area. To the west, you will come across Salt Lake and the prestigious Honolulu Country Club. This area is packed with plenty of amenities including the community Salt Lake swimming pool, and Ala Puumalu Community Park on the far west side. Many locals take a weekend afternoon to spend the say swimming and have a picnic in the beautiful parks.

Just north of the H201 and H3 intersection lies Halawa District Park, which has been known as a great place to play basketball, a fun game of flag football, or to hold baseball practices. For a little piece of history, just head east of the H201 to Moanalua Gardens where rare aged monkeypod shade the perfectly landscaped lawns, two streams, a taro patch, a carp pond, and a series of ancient petroglyphs that occupy the pristine property. The serene park that preserves native culture continues to be a peaceful 24-acre park known for an annual hula festival.

Hawaii, in general, remains much more expensive than the majority of areas in the United States since most everything needs to be imported to the islands. The cost of living in the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village area remains higher than the city average; expect to pay well over $1,000 for a decent one bedroom residence. The price of gas in Honolulu is 18.4% higher than the national average and pint of beer will put you back about $10.

One major retail area in the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village area is the Moanalua Shopping Center, at the H1 bend at Pearl Harbor, providing an array of chain clothing stores, restaurants, and other services. For a more expansive, high-end mall, take a drive south of Downtown to the Ala Moana Center, the four-level shopping mall with upscale department stores, boutiques, a large food court, and restaurants.

Specialty stores mainly reside in Downtown Honolulu. The House of Aria Downtown is a small shop that sells trendy attire for women, from casual dresses to rompers to lingerie. In the same area, Loco Boutique remains the place to go for everything to do with swim attire from swimsuits for women & kids to casual clothing and accessories. The consignment store, Catherine's Closet Vintage Boutique buys and sells vintage apparel, purses, hats, shoes, and jewelry; there's always something new here.

Safeway services the neighborhood in terms of groceries, although you can always find smaller ethnic markets in the Downtown area as well, such as Marukai Wholesale Mart. Similar to Costco, the Japanese member-only supermarket, offers a variety of Japanese groceries and sake.

When satisfying your fresh fruits and vegetable cravings, head on over to the Honolulu Farmer's Market every Wednesday from 4:00pm-7:00pm in front of Concert Hall on the corner of Ward Avenue and King Street.