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Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Ready to make plans for the weekend? Aloha State Daily compiled a list of 10 ways to spend the weekend on Oʻahu. From the final days of the 

 to a convention focused on a cappella and barbershop music, there are lots of ways to spend this Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 11.

, a children’s hula competition, will take place on Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, at Kamehameha Schools Maui. Or head to Hawaiʻi Island and catch the 

No plans to travel? ASD has you covered with these events happening across Oʻahu. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Friday, Oct. 9"}]

Honolulu Orchid Society Show and Plant Sale. 

Looking to adopt an orchid? Or just want to see the variety of plants that exist? Go to the Washington Middle School Cafeteria, and catch the Honolulu Orchid Society Show and Plant Sale. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10. Free. 

Feast the Flavors of Waikīkī Restaurant Week. 

More than a dozen Waikīkī restaurants are featuring specials and prix fixe menus as part of this new, 11-day Flavors of Waikīkī Restaurant Week, which runs Oct. 1 through Oct. 11. Monkeypod Kitchen Waikīkī offers drink and breakfast specials, while Ruth’s Chris Steak House lists a four-course meal from $75+ and Roy’s Waikīkī offers a three-course meal for $72. 

Chorus and quartet singers from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the West Coast will gather on Oʻahu for the Pan Pacific Harmony Convention, which focuses on a cappella and barbershop music and will convene at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Waikīkī Beach Resort, and more this week. Events run Tuesday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 11. Tickets are $80 for adults, $40 for youth, and $30 for keiki. 

Brian Culbertson’s Hawaiʻi Jazz Getaway. 

Join the award-winning jazz fusion artist Brian Culbertson for two nights of music at Hawaiʻi Theatre. The getaway starts with a VIP Welcome Reception with Brian Culbertson and special guests on Thursday, Oct. 8. The following night, on Friday, Oct. 9, catch Brian Culbertson & Band, featuring David Benoit and Paul Taylor, at Hawaiʻi Theatre. On Saturday, Oct. 10, catch Brian Culbertson & Band along with Candy Dulfer and Keiko Matsui

 at the same location. There is an additional VIP luncheon on Sunday, Oct. 11. 

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Bring a book that made an impact on you and trade it for another thoughtfully chosen read at Fort Street Mall. The curated book exchange, which runs from noon until 6 p.m., also includes ambient beats from local musicians and a chance to shop a market of local vendors. Free. There will be single-origin coffee and ceremonial grade matcha available for purchase. 

. Celebrate Hawaiʻi’s 34th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, which falls during Hispanic Heritage Month. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, pop-up booths, crafts, cultural and art displays, and a classic and vintage car show, plus activities for keiki. The festival also has a beer garden for attendees who are at least 21 years old. The event runs from noon until 10 p.m. at AMVETS West Oʻahu. Tickets are $10, if purchased in advance. 

Halloween is on the way and locations across Oʻahu are hosting themed events for Spooky Season.

 with prizes, while the Children’s Discovery Center is hosting a 

, where keiki can explore hands-on experiments with Halloween magic on Saturday, Oct. 10. 

 with opportunities to get food and drinks, plus visit a pumpkin patch.

Sample local beers from Hana Koa Brewing Co., Honolulu Beerworks, Kona Brewing Co., Lanikai Brewing Co., Maui Brewing Co. and more inside a historic hanger at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. There will be live music and food. The event runs from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tickets start at $50, plus fees. There are also $20 tickets for designated drivers, which include food, soft drinks and activities. 

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More than Pink by Susan G. Komen Hawaiʻi. 

Join about 3,000 walkers and runners in this fundraiser sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which provides resources to those dealing with breast cancer and supports research for more effective cures. So far, about $143,000 has been raised for the event’s $200,000 goal. The walk starts and ends at the finish line for the Honolulu Marathon, near the bandstand at Kapiʻolani Regional Park. The opening ceremony starts at 8 a.m. 

 ʻIolani Palace will host a kōnane tournament at the upcoming Kamaʻāina Sunday. Check-in for the tournament starts at 9 a.m. and the competition is open to players who are at least 12 years old. While the tournament is limited to 16 competitors, others can play kōnane casually in Hale Koa, which is also known as ʻIolani Barracks. Kawika Lum-Nelmida will also lead cultural workshops, including one for a hulu hairpin and another for a hulu brooch at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. Complimentary self-led audio tours are available to the first 500 visitors. Free. 

Kamaʻāina Sunday workshops

<title>Spooky season, jazz and more: what to do on Oʻahu this weekend</title>

Aloha State Daily rounded up 10 ways you can spend the weekend. From a pumpkin patch visit at Waimānalo Country Farms to a craft beer event inside a hanger at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, there are lots of events happening on Oʻahu this weekend. ʻIolani Palace will also host its Kamaʻāina Sunday this weekend, which includes a kōnane tournament.

Spooky season, jazz and more: what to do on Oʻahu this weekend

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Business & Tourism

The votes have been cast and counted, and the best hotels and resorts across the Islands have been ranked in 

Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach

General Manager Mike Kass said in an announcement Tuesday that the recognition is a reflection of the "passion, dedication and genuine care demonstrated every day by our ladies and gentlemen."

 that is set to bring the Parisian pâtisserie, known for its macarons, to Hawai‘i for the first time; a collection of guest experiences will culminate with the debut of a pop-up Ladurée cafe on Dec. 4. 

Rounding out the top 10 hotels in Hawai‘i are 

The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikīkī

Kōloa Landing Resort at Po'ipū, Autograph Collection

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection

Top 25 Destination Spa Resorts in the United States

Best Spa Resorts in the U.S. and Around the World

Hawai‘i's four major islands were all ranked on the list of 

, with Maui at No. 3, O‘ahu at No. 4, Lāna‘i at No. 6, Hawai‘i Island at No. 10, Kaua‘i at No. 11 in the U.S.

Hundreds of thousands of people submitted their ratings between April 1 and June 30, and the results were tabulated by Condé Nast. Read more about the methodology 

A number of Hawai‘i hotels and resorts were recently ranked among the best in the U.S. in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Read more about those 

HNLRR Exterior HERO 2022

<title>These Hawai‘i hotels, resorts recognized by Condé Nast Traveler</title>

Hundreds of thousands of people voted between April 1 and June 30 to find the best hotels, resorts, cruise lines, spas, cities and more around the world, including the top hotels and resorts in Hawai‘i, which were ranked in the magazine's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards.

These Hawai‘i hotels, resorts recognized by Condé Nast Traveler

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

, is not, in fact, a specialty pickle shop. The business, located next door to the husband-and-wife team’s ice cream shop, 

, just celebrated its grand opening on Saturday.

“‘Little Pickle’ is actually a nickname for our 7-year-old son,” Kyle explains. “We call our five-year-old son ‘cornichon,’ so he’s the mini version of little pickle.”

While the biz does sell pickles — “We love pickles, and we serve local pickles from Ho Farms,” 

— its primary specialty is gourmet hot dogs.

[{"type":"text","text":"These aren’t your typical Costco food court hot dogs, Kyle notes."}]

“They’re all-beef, pasture-raised hot dogs with no hormones and no antibiotics,” he says. “Nowadays, a lot of people are health conscious and don’t want to put ultra-processed meats in their body. This (what we’re serving) is a super high-quality hot dog; we hunted down the perfect bun, as well.

“It took us months,” Kyle adds. “It’s so hard to find buns that don’t have preservatives. We found a local baker who could do them, and they were perfect. It was a journey to get there.”

The journey began before the couple got the space next to their ice cream shop. While they do love hot dogs, Kyle and Josephine say they were trying to come up with a savory concept that was both affordable and family friendly.

“We love food, but we love community more than food,” Kyle says. “We wanted to do something amazing next door to our ice cream shop, to keep building community and invite more people in. This spot opened up — it was supposed to be a bakery, but the couple that was doing it had to pull out for personal reasons — and it became available. It was open for a while; we decided to go for it.”

He says that if they didn’t settle on hot dogs, the space could have been a pizza, hamburger, dumplings or sandwich shop.

“We want to make places and experiences for the neighborhood,” Josephine says. “We always consider ourselves a family party that the whole neighborhood is invited to. I guess that can be manifested and expressed in many ways.

“It’s expensive to eat out in Kailua — you can’t really grab and go for anything less than $30 — and we were like, ‘What can we do?’” she adds. “There aren’t a lot of hot dogs on the Island. We really challenged ourselves to find a relatively healthy hot dog with no nitrates.”

The couple officially got the space last December, but say the build out and sourcing for their products took longer than expected.

Little Pickle’s opening menu features six specialty hot dogs ($12 each); flavors will rotate every month or two, according to Kyle. Customers can choose from Chicago, Seattle, nori, chili cheese, tropickle and L.A. Dirty dogs.

“They’re all kind of different and unique; they all have sweet and savory flavors,” Kyle says. “Jo is from L.A., so for her, the L.A. Dirty Dog is kind of like a homecoming. The chili cheese dog is my favorite — just savory and delicious; you put cheese and onions on top of that, I won’t say ‘no.’”

The business’s Chicago dog features an all-beef, premium hot dog with yellow mustard, sweet relish, chopped white onions, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, poppy seeds, celery salt and a dill pickle spear. Meanwhile, the Seattle dog features a schmear of whipped cream cheese, housemade yellow onion jam, a sliced jalapeno and Sriracha zig zag.

“We didn’t even know what a Seattle dog was, initially,” Kyle says. “Somebody came in and was like, ‘You should do a Seattle dog.’ We looked it up; apparently, it’s a whole thing to put cream cheese and jalapenos. The nori dog is for people who love kewpie mayo; it has Japanese flavors.”

For customers who want something unique, Kyle recommends the tropickle dog, which comes with lilikoʻi mustard and pineapple-mango salsa. Josephine says the biz will eventually offer a vegan and vegetarian option.

He says the flavors will keep rotating — with the exception of the Chicago dog and chili cheese dog, which will likely stay on the menu — to give customers new options to try. He says they also want to do chef partnerships and collaborate with different chefs to create a specialty hog dog.

“We’ll create something really special (with them),” he says. “We’re also going to have fun and maybe do meatball sandwiches, oysters on the half shell and fun things that we rotate in to keep it exciting.”

Besides its gourmet hot dogs, Little Pickle also offers side dishes — ranging from kale yuzu salad ($9) to chili cheese fritos ($8) — and drinks.

“We make our own agua frescas ($5),” Josephine says. “We do a liliko

i iced tea and yuzu lemonade. We do a pickled Coke ($6), which features salty, dill pickle brine. Since we have the ice cream shop next door, we’ll have root beer floats (with Please Come Again’s vanilla ice cream) as well.”

While the business will start by opening from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays, Josephine says the shop’s goal is to eventually open from 8 a.m.

“We’ll start serving breakfast sandwiches,” she says. “Then, as soon as we can, we’ll open more days. We’ll probably always be closed on Mondays.”

“We just wanted to have fun (with this new concept); accessibility, quality and affordability are important to us,” Kyle adds. “We just want to give people a high-quality option that doesn’t break the bank; something they can pick up on the way home from the beach.”

Open 12 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays, closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Parking available in the surrounding municipal lots 

Little Pickle owners 100226

<title>Little Pickle is a new specialty hot dog shop in Kailua</title>

Located next to Please Come Again Ice Cream, Little Pickle celebrated its grand opening this past Saturday. The biz specializes in all-beef, pasture-raised hot dogs made with no hormones, nitrates or antibiotics. Choose from a rotating selection of flavors, ranging from the Chicago dog and chili cheese dog to the Japanese-inspired nori dog.

Little Pickle is a new specialty hot dog shop in Kailua

There’s a new local-style Korean plate lunch spot on Oʻahu.

Miss Kimchi Korean Barbecue opened last month in ‘Ewa Beach Shopping Center. It’s in the former space of Elim Korean Barbeque, according to Miss Kimchi Korean Barbecue operations manager Joni Yoon, who says that eatery was open for around 20 years.

The restaurant’s interior has been renovated, and the business prides itself on featuring housemade recipes and generous portions.

The restaurant’s name is inspired by Yoon’s mother, who helped build up Y’Kele Korean Barbecue in the Waikele community.

“She came out of retirement to teach me how to build a restaurant around a community in ‘Ewa Beach,” Yoon says.

The eatery, which features local-style Korean plates, offers a variety of entrees — ranging from kalbi and spicy pork to barbecue beef and meat jun — and combo plates. Combo plates come with a choice of four vegetables, two pieces of mandoo and two scoops of rice.  

The Mama’s special ($16.79) — comprising kalbi, meat jun and chicken — is the most popular combo plate, according to Yoon. Other customer favorites include the ‘Ewa Beach special ($26.79) — with kalbi, beef and chicken — and the seafood special ($25.79). The latter includes fish jun, fish katsu and shrimp tempura.

The eatery’s meat jun and kalbi plates are bestselling singular entrees.

Customers can substitute the rice for an extra veggie option. Choose from homemade banchan like kimchi, cucumber kimchi, choy sum, japchae, and shoyu potatoes.  

The business is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; customers can order for dine-in or takeout.

“Our customers are literally the best — the most fun, the most kind, and most loving,” Yoon says. “They’re what makes me get up and come in every day.”

91-919 Fort Weaver Road No. 102-A, ‘Ewa Beach

Miss Kimchi Korean Barbecue meat jun 081326

<title>Miss Kimchi Korean Barbecue is now open in ʻEwa Beach</title>

The local-style Korean plate lunch spot is open in the former place of Elim Korean Barbeque. Choose from popular plates like Mama’s special, kalbi plate and seafood special.

Miss Kimchi Korean Barbecue is now open in ʻEwa Beach

<title>My Favorite Local Saying</title>

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ASD Staff

ASD's Christian Shimabuku shares his favorite expression — "No shame" — which can be used in social settings and at work.

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My Favorite Local Saying: 'No shame, take the last malasada.'

Nancy Partika shares her favorite saying from "small-kid time."

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My favorite local saying: When 'Wot da frick!' skirts the swear jar

You're welcome for this handy information from @cjs_life3.

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My favorite local saying: Hammer vs. Hammah

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Hawai’i is a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, languages, religions, and even foods, varying to some degree island-by-island. With “My Favorite Local Sayings,” we’re eager to learn what words or phrases you grew up with that you still use today. The goal is to share part of what makes our Isle home so special.

Taro 2021

Reader Submissions: Share your ‘favorite local saying’ at Aloha State Daily

Aloha State Daily visited Bishop Museum over the summer for a hōʻike celebrating Hawaiian land snail conservation and research, where students of all ages presented their final projects. Psalm Handley, a sophomore at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, shared how the summer internship program enhanced her passion for biology, Hawaiian culture and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

My Favorite Local Saying

Follow these steps to get your saying featured at Aloha State Daily:

Wot da frick!

HAMMAH *flexes muscles

My favorite local saying is “Shoots!” or if I want to get cute with it, “Shootsies!” I like how casual and versatile it is in different situations. Do I agree with you? “Shoots!” Does the plan sound good? “Shoooots!” Do I have to go but want to see you again? “Shooootsies!”

My Favorite Local Saying

Follow these steps to get your saying featured at Aloha State Daily:

Featured Sayings

Wot da frick!

HAMMAH *flexes muscles

My favorite local saying is “Shoots!” or if I want to get cute with it, “Shootsies!” I like how casual and versatile it is in different situations. Do I agree with you? “Shoots!” Does the plan sound good? “Shoooots!” Do I have to go but want to see you again? “Shooootsies!”