View from the Weekend, Disney Aulani
Just a view from this Memorial Day weekend spent at the Disney Aulani.
Yes, it did rain but not as bad as elsewhere on-island.
Life
Changes to Starbucks at Ala Moana Macy’s
Thanks to @yoda808, we got word of the renovation and initial views of the Starbucks inside of Macy’s Ala Moana. I finally made my first visit to this remodeled location and noticed a few other changes.
The Doors Moved
When this location was carved out of Macy’s, the existing glass entries were retained for lots of foot traffic into Liberty House Macy’s. Unfortunately, the location for these entrances didn’t make sense for Starbucks. There were at least two sets of doors “in the middle” and walking through them put you right in the middle of the long queue to order or face to face with a display stand. On either side, you’d be squished by tables of patrons. Not a good placement. After the renovation, this is no longer the case with these doors removed. Now there’s the one set of doors near the Macy’s connection point and the original set leading to the outdoor seating area.
Clark Little Photography
Like the Waikiki Park Shore Hotel location, this Starbucks also features a mural from Clark Little Photography. Very nice but too bad it’s on a wall that’s hard to see.
Socks from Paradise Soccer Club
I saw the letters “PSC” on a retail storefront in Kailua and wondered what that store is. PSC stands for Paradise Soccer Club, and if you’re a soccer fiend, this place is for you. PSC just doesn’t feature soccer gear and equipment but promotes a lifestyle influenced by soccer with a modern trend. It’s a cool spot.
I know kicks but not soccer kicks, and these Nike Mercurials look serious.
The Mercurials not your thing? I’m sure you can find something from their wall of shoes (custom made display too).
Need a break to think about your PSC purchase? Play some foosball or check out their soccer-themed LEGO sets behind the counter.
If nothing else, pickup a pair of quality Stance socks, especially the Aloha Hawaii line. Where else are you going to find a camo pattern comprised of shakas?
Kailua Safeway Progress
One scant week ago, I noticed the main Safeway in Kailua was getting remodeled. A few days later, there’s been some progress but more prep work done. Older shelving is being cleared for removal and some newer shelving are starting to show up.
More of the new flooring is installed.
There are more temporary, popup displays.
There’s odd placement of stuff like the poke bar and greeting cards.
Greeting cards, cheese puffs, and the bakery goods.
And candy themed after The Hunger Games: Catching Fire?!?
Better than Sex Cake
Not just that but this is the second version of the recipe.
Yes, it was good. Not sure if it lived up to its namesake but still good.
Update 5/14/14: How selfish of me! I forgot to share the link for the Better than Sex Cake. Find it on allrecipes.com. Have you experienced this dessert delight? Was it good for you?
ASICS Gel Cumulus 15 Running Shoes on Sale
Right now, you can find the ASICS Gel Cumulus 15 running shoes at Sports Authority at 30% off. Normally, these cost $115 but are available at $80. Even better, you can find a 15% off coupon online and apply that for extra savings. Although the Cumulus 16 is now available, the Cumulus 15 was named Runner’s World Editor’s Choice in June 2013. Here’s their review.
Only colors available are white/blue and green/white in normal or wide sizes.
LEGO Simpsons in Hawaii
A little late reporting this, but the LEGO minifigure set featuring the Simpsons released May 1. I had no doubt the LEGO store in Ala Moana would have the new minifigs, but I was surprised to see this at Walmart. Only one box but still surprising.
Delighted with Nespresso
There I was, delighted with the service of Hansgrohe, when I saw something else in the kitchen that didn’t look right.
What’s that on the bottom of my water tank of my Nespresso U? That looks like rust! Yuck.
Yup, sadly it is rust, and Google reveals others with the same problem. Not even a year old, I was bummed by this discovery. Then I saw this post on Facebook. So I followed suit and mentioned my problem, providing my Nespresso Club membership number to validate my recent Nespresso purchase.
Look what showed up at my doorstep this week…
And even better, no charge for the fast delivery.
Free and fast – wow! And more amazing, completely done via social media channels. I never actually spoke to anyone for this incident. Truthfully, the original water tank is still usable since the rusted metal is actually on the outside of the water reservoir, but it looks so unappealing.
Thanks for the delightful service Nespresso!
Kailua Safeway Gettin’ Lifestyled
Finally. With the impending arrival of neighboring Target, the main Safeway location in Kailua is getting a much needed facelift. I’m not sure if it’s getting the whole “lifestyle” treatment as I describe the Kaneohe and Hawaii Kai renovations from years back or just cosmetic changes.
From the looks of the amount of incoming hardware, the changes seem significant.
Sample of new hardware.
Floor stripped to concrete.
Old and new flooring.
New flooring closeup.
For posterity sakes, remember the old.
I gotta check back in a week to see how much has progressed.
Kim Kardashian and Kim Jong Il
Two voice Tuesday on Hammertime brought a mashup of Kim “Mrs. Yeezy” Kardashian and Korea’s own Kim Jong Il. Sorry, I cannot translate and don’t mind the non-sequitur image. SoundCloud’s integration with Instagram isn’t working for all my images.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/148475782″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Delighted with Hansgrohe
Back in 2011, we did a kitchen and bathroom remodel and chose Hansgrohe hardware for the faucets and showers. To me, their products embody interesting aesthetics and solid workmanship. What I didn’t realize about Hansgrohe hardware is the extent of their limited lifetime warranty.
My Talis S kitchen faucet sprung a slow leak that I traced to a faulty flexible water hose. After looking for a replacement online, I read that this hose could be covered under warranty. I called Hansgrohe customer support, explained my problem, and was ensured this was indeed under warranty, especially given its fairly recent installation. I had to email in pictures of my faucet and about a week later, a replacement was delivered to my door!
Since this worked out well, I also asked about my hand shower that started to drip, and you guessed it, a replacement was provided free of charge! Thanks for the great service Hansgrohe!
Comfort Mats on Sale
If you missed previous sales on anti-fatigue comfort mats, Amazon’s Gold Deal has them again. Select Imprint Comfort Mat