Ala Moana Beach Park is just across the street from (naturally) Ala Moana Shopping Center. Just a few minutes by car from Friend Don's Date Street apartment, it became a sort of 'last chance' beach for us, capping off a day of shopping or island touring. We even managed to hit Ala Mo's a couple of evenings after we had been at other beaches all day.

Ala Moana Beach gets fewer tourists than the beaches just down the road at Waikiki. During the day, the beach is almost deserted, but in the late afternoon, the park fills up with local families, couples, and singles seeking the last rays of the day. There are two quite large grassy areas that attract the sunset picnic crowd, as well as a long sidewalk, running the length of the mile-long beach, that draws walkers, joggers and roller bladers. But the big attraction for the Kariya kids is the water -- warm, shallow, clean, and wet.

 The end of another perfect day. Starbuck coffee in hand, sunset off the beach.