![]() Ala Moana Center was clearly on the cutting edge of display. ![]() It was the place to be seen – just not in the exclusive shops. But I can see the attraction of this shopping center. It was a crowd of shorts and blue jeans no one was dressed up like the manikins in the shops. This crowd wore flip-flops, sneakers, sandals, cowboy boots, ballet slippers, and platform heels, with a few high heeled boots thrown in for good measure. But there were also groups of teens (almost all single sex groups), young couples, young families with babies or toddlers in strollers, and moms with tweens. Yes, there were lots of foreign tourists from around the Pacific Rim, mostly well dressed. It certainly wasn’t the clientele of the shopping center, who looked as ordinary as a crowd in any mall. It was very quiet, just what we needed after our long day of sightseeing. So we opted for a restaurant on one of the levels above. Not only was the human cacophony loud, the fans/air conditioning throbbed even louder. Despite the enticing opportunities to try something new, the crowd was large, it was near impossible to get a table, and the noise level in the food court was beyond bearable. They even had a Poi place called the Ala Moana Poi Bowl. The Pearls were warmed and stayed soft in my iced smoothie, which is good.” Actually, bubbles refer to milk teas popular in Taiwan, due to the froth. I ordered my favorite, Mango Smoothie with Boba (Pearls, Tapioca balls, Bubbles). Original Crystal means Shaved Ice and Pearl Shakes means Boba Smoothies. “Zagu is actually a Philippines based franchise. from Pleasantville, CA, 2009, explained it all: I had to look this one up on Yelp: what the heck are Crystals and Pearl Shakes? But I kept finding reviews I didn’t understand. Some were well-known and familiar places, others were new to me, like Bangga Bangga (seafood), Donburiya Dondon (Japanese noodle and donburi – rice bowl shop), Jollibee (a fast food chain in the Philippines who is expanding overseas – that would be Hawai’i), Yummy Korean BBQ (headquartered in Honolulu), and Zagu Original Crystal and Pearl Shakes. But this place had a food court that took up a good portion of the complex’s street level. It’s convenient when you are hanging out with someone who has different food tastes than you. Now everyone knows what a food court is – half a dozen or more food franchises ringing a central group of tables. Partial view of Ala Moana Center’s food court: 31 vendors.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |