Category: Life

Sometimes it pays to be old.

You’ve lived it, you’ve seen it, you’ve done it.

Life means a keg load of memories.

I turned 80 today. You read that right. The Eighty is Weighty Club.

So what if the body aches are constant; that it requires effort to get off the sofa; that the hair, if still there, has whitened. All part of aging.

So what? You have fond memories. Try these on for sighs…an alphabetical compilation of people, places and things, from A to Z, to tingle the memory bell:

A – Arakawa’s. The picturesque department store in the sugar cane town of Waipahu. Its shopping bag, replicating the blue palaka print, was a treasure.

B—Brothers Cazimero. One of the founding members of the renaissance of Hawaiian music. Robert still carries on the tradition of preserving and performing the music; bro Roland has gone on to a heavenly career and presence.

C—Char Hung Sut. Known for its char siu bao and chow fun. Shut down for good. Auwe.

D — Drive-in theaters. Yeah, dating-time destination. Even with those awful audio gizmos you had to hang on the car window.

E—Escalators. Sears Roebuck, on Beretania St., had the first moving stairs.

F—Foodland. When there was only one, well before the advent of Foodland Farms.

G—Gabby Pahihui. The first God of slack key guitar. Think “Hi‘ilawe.”

H—“Hawaii Aloha.” The anthem of choice to close an event, with hands-upon-hands and voices in union. A unifier.

I—Israel Kamakawiwio‘ole, when he was a member of The Makaha Sons of Niihau. Before “Over the Rainbow.”

J—Jack in the box. When it was mostly a toy, with “Jack” jumping out of a music box you cranked.

K—Kress stores. The foremost five-and-dime outlet. Debatable: Was Woolworth’s the dime store fave?

L—Lurline. The flagship that brought visitors from the mainland to Hawaii, when sailing preceded air flights for the wealthy.

M—Movies.  With Cinemascope and Surround Sound. And remember 3-D?  And movie palaces, like the original Waikiki, Kuhio, and Princess Theatres?

N—“No ka oi.” The useful Hawaiian term to designate “the best.” Worked the; still works today.

O—Olomana. The duo named after a mountain, with pioneering musicians Jerry Santos and Robert Beaumont; the latter died far too early.

P — Phones, with cords and rotary dials; later, in booths, providing Superman a space to change costumes. The booth vanished with the invention of cellular phones.

Q—Queen’s Hospital. When it was a modest facility in pretty much the area where its stellar medical campus is located.

R—Roadshows, movie films with anticipated long runs, with premium, reserved seating, intermissions. Think: “Cleopatra,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Bridge Over the River Kwai. Add: powerhouse movies that ran for months, with long lines before mall theaters and stadium seating: “Sound of Music,” “Jaws,” “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

S—Shaka. The thumb and pinkie finger that say many things for many moments. The simple definition: “Right on.” Thanks, Lippy Espinda, who popularized the signal.

T—Typewriters. The tool that enabled you to insert paper and spool of ribbon, and learn the rhythm of the keyboard, to “write” your term papers.

U—University of Hawaii. It enabled many of us to get college degrees without trekking to the mainland; its agricultural roots have grown to embrace a medical school and a very healthy travel-industry school.

V—Videotape. The early way to film, tape shows on TV, before the arrival of DVRs and iPhones.

W—Waikiki. Love it or loathe it, there wouldn’t be an industry that welcomes visitors without Waikiki. Think Moana Hotel, the first lodging for tourists on now the fabled Kalakaua Avenue.

X—Xerox machines. Consequently, messy mimeograph devices and carbon paper became outdated.

Y—Yasai man. The peddler-on-wheels who visited communities to sell produce, meat, milk and other needs for daily lives.

Z—Zippy’s. When there was only one, on King Street. Now, there two dozen, with Las Vegas becoming home for Zip-Min, Zip-Pac and fried chicken, too.