There was a time, oh, maybe forty or fifty years ago that someone relocating to Los Angeles from the Hawaiian Islands would be considered a lost native within this metropolis. Too many endlessly long streets stretched as far as one could see, and at night, the street lights of La Cienega could take a local boy's breath away when gazing down from Sunset Boulevard. And, the beaches were too long a drive to get to, not to mention the crazy freeways that had to be navigated to get there.
And where were all the good food places? Oh, how the thought of a bowl of saimin could weigh so heavily after closing that bar at 2:00 AM in North Hollywood.
The long play vinyl albums of some Hawaiian music by Marlene Sai, Don Ho and the Aliis, or Kui Lee all kept those early Hawaiian settlers company on too many nostalgic nights spent talking on the phone on long distance calls back home to friends and family.
The ability to assimilate the culture and the environment was key to whether a local person would remain here or return home after a while. Maybe, the willingness to fit in with the new culture and mixture of races that was Los Angeles was more important than ability. For everyone who braved this new world, there was another who headed back to the comfort and familiarity of the islands.
Today, forty or fifty years later, with the age of the Internet, the attrition rate back to the islands has been influenced tremendously by websites such as: www.AlohaWorld.com. Anyone who wants to mingle, meet, sing along with, and dine or grind with locals from the islands can find that information at AlohaWorld.
Want to know where to get Hawaiian style foods? There's a link at the website that lists all the "ono plate lunch" restaurants in Southern California. Miss Hawaiian music? Check out the events calendar for your city or area, and you'll see all the luaus, hoikes, ho'olaule'as and musical groups and dancers performing in your vicinity.
No need to feel like you're the only one from the islands, anymore. There are hordes of Hawaiians and local activities.
Just get out your laptop, or check out your local library's computer and go to the AlohaWorld website.
No need go home, anymore. It's all here, at your fingertips!
Stick around, braddah!
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