The Mayor's Office of Culture & the Arts sponsored the 2016 Mango Jam here. This Civic Center…read morerefers to a grassy area between City Hall and the tall Municipal Building on the left side of King Street in Honolulu. At Christmas time, the grounds transform into a festive site for Honolulu City Lights with vendors and rides for the keiki. This past July 2016, Angel, her son, her husband, and I happened to come here because the restaurant we wanted to dine at was closed due to Tropical Storm Darby. We had already paid for metered parking on South Street, so we thought - since we're here, let's check it out!! Otherwise, there is free street parking on Sundays. There were all kinds of booths at the Mango Jam (which is similar to Spam Jam in Waikiki, but smaller of a production) with clothing, jewelry, crafts, and food items such as Mango jam in jars! There was an area like a Beer Garden, a stage with cultural music and dancing, and a food truck section. We tried the Mango Chicken which was tasty! We sat on folding chairs and watched the live performances while other people sat on mats/towels on the ground. While we were walking back to our cars, we passed the Sky Gate sculpture and the Liberty Bell of Aloha. We'll probably return for some other festival at this venue - there are different ones year round. All of them have free admission!

Located near the east end of Honolulu's Financial District, this civic center features many Hawai'i…read moreCity and County and State Government buildings. The park is bordered by Punchbowl Street, South King Street, Alapai Street and South Beretania Street. There is a large municipal parking structure to its northeast corner. As I wandered through this civic center, I noticed these Governmental buildings that we, as residents, might have had occasion to take care of some business at. - Honolulu Hale (official seat of Hawai'i City & County and Mayor's chambers) - Mission Memorial (City Hall Annex) & Municipal Reference and Records Center - Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building - Early Education Center above the municipal parking structure - State Kalanimoku Building (Department of Accounting and General Services HQ). Ah, but this park is not "all business". Its manicured landscape also features a paved concrete pathway and several art pieces and memorials interspersed throughout. These are the pieces that I noticed: - LIBERTY BELL OF ALOHA: I'd like to point out that it is HERE where I found the SECOND replica (without its familiar crack) of the Liberty Bell. The replica is located on the front lawn (South King Street) of the Mission Memorial Building. It is called the "Liberty Bell of Aloha" as it was gifted to the people of Honolulu by the Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai of America. The plaque reads in part "This Liberty Bell of Aloha is presented to the people of Honolulu as a symbol of our wish for peace...That there be no more Pearl Harbor, no more Hiroshima and no more war". - SKYGATE: This sculpture was controversial/notorious when famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi installed it. As a piece of public art, most people look at it as an "eyesore" and see it as a sewer line gone amok! But, Isamu Noguchi's sculptures are World-renown for spare aestheticism and organic shapes. It is Hawai'i's SOLE sculpture by Noguchi. At certain times of the day, the shadow from the top organically shaped ring creates a perfect circle around the inner concrete base. - NANA I KE KUMU (LOOK TO THE SOURCE): Sculptor's Michael Wiendenbach's stone sculpture of Indiana limestone of a Hawaiian woman carrying a gourd. The orientation of the sculpture has the figure looking towards Tahiti in recognition of early migrations to Hawaii. Located on the grounds of the Mission Memorial Auditorium. - 9-11 ETERNAL FLAME: This eternal flame honors the victims of the attacks on NYC's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This small memorial sits in front of Honolulu Hale. There is a small dedication plaque next to the base of the flame. Honolulu's Capitol District is full of interesting local history, architectural styles that exhibit our history, memorials and art work. I'm glad that I have taken the time to walk about to enjoy the beauty that surrounds me and to not just look at these places as just normal everyday workplaces.

Synopsis: It is a clinic where you can get your TB shots and immunizations for infants, children,…read moreand Teenagers of 18 years and younger. The place is quite difficult to find, as there is no obvious sign. Inside is enclosed, but since it is an easy in-and-out situation, you will have no problems. Availability: The only thing that sucks about this place is the limited time. For TB it is only Mondays where they give you the test and a follow-up on Wednesdays 2-4 PM. Um..omg, the window of opportunity is soo small. For immunization it is worse. It is from 1-3 PM second and fourth Tuesday of the month. How can anyone get anything done???? However, as a state worker, I can understand as to why this is occurring. It is due to budget cuts...and further budget cuts that may or are occurring for the Department of Health. Environment: Can you spell G-H-E-T-T-O. It isn't very welcoming, however the chairs and some other things were donated by a church. That's nice! People: They are very nice. They invited my staff and I to a coffee hour, in which they displayed numerous local business and farmers' produce. It was god-a-licious good! :D Although, the staffing seemed to only be limited to two people. Parking: It can be difficult since it is shared with WIC, Public Health Nurses, and Welfare. Cost: Free

I've visited the Wahiawa Civic Center to obtain a TB shot for work. They offer FREE TB shots and…read morealso immunizations to infants, keiki's and those under 18 years of ago. It's kind of a tricky place to find. Since I'm familiar with Wahiawa it wasn't hard for me, but if you're not familiar with the area it can be confusing since there are no visible signs of arrows of any kind. Parking is available in the lot, but how you enter the lot is tricky. You can enter from California Ave or you can enter from behind Wahiawa General Hospital (can't remember the name of this street) and this is where I ususally enter. There is more than enough parking in the private lot as well as on this street (it's not street parking but it's actual marked stalls) TB tests are administered every Monday between 2PM-4PM. You just bring your ID, fill out the form in front, and wait in line. Usually there is a group waiting right before 2PM but they are pretty quick to get you in and out. The staff is very friendly! The office itself is small. A small desk where they check you in, and a small area where they administer your shot (s). TB readings are done every Wednesday, again from 2PM-4PM. Just bring your ID again, wait in line, they'll peak at your forearm, and give you your card. It's very quick and easy, and best of all, it's FREE! I'm not familiar with the hours for other immunizations but you can view them on the Department of Health's website. Last year I needed a TB test but because of my work schedule I wasn't able to make it Monday OR Wednesday (only crappy thing is the limited hours), so if you're in need of a TB test, Access Medical Clinic does them for $30.

I like this library because of its size, amount of seating options, ac, and friendly librarian. The…read moredownside is the bathroom seems to always be out of order and once when some adult companions of the library came in, they were loud but it was okay?? My kids even said "I thought we were supposed to use our quiet voices in the library?"

I liked this library. It was pretty huge. Hubby needed to print a label so he can return his…read morepackage. It cost a small change to print out documents. It cost 15 cents per page. The library has computers you can use for a limited time. As you enter, it's like going through security. There's a metal detector at the door which is the only entrance/exit to the library. There's also a lady that sits right next to the metal detector. Feels like you're in prison lol I honestly didn't know it was that ghetto at some libraries. Better safe than sorry right? I still liked this library. The restrooms were near the entrance/exit. To he restrooms were also clean. A major plus. There's metered parking in the front but towards the back is free parking. There's also a security guard inside the building before the library. I can see why people can get lost. Lol

In giving it 4 stars only because of the historic building that the Mayor and City Council presides…read morein, and the surrounding area. Honolulu Hale is a beautiful structure that is in need of repair. Right now they are fixing the men's bathrooms and soon will be working on the women's. Hopefully they'll be doing more upgrades. The grounds are well kept and often used fort different activities such as the City Lights, Vegan Fest and others. Besides Honolulu Hale, there's the HPD memorial, Mission Memorial and the Frank Fasi Municipal Parking and Building. I'm not going to comment on how the city and county is runned cause that would be a novel. And that would have brought the stars down to 1.

The City and County agencies often get mistaken for divisions for the state. However, one of the…read moredivisions that I currently deal with a lot is the Division of Facility Maintenance and City Refuse Division. A lot of these workers are to be commended for the jobs that they undertake. A lot of the employees that I deal with are friendly, knowledgeable and articulate, know the facts and what to do and the job gets done! I am tirelessly working to clean up our area, I see a lot of trash dumping, one call or a post on Honolulu 311, generally gets the job done. Folks, please commend your city workers in these division. Oftentimes they don't get credit where credit is due! Great job people!

East Foster Village Community Center is located in a residential area. There are parking stalls in…read morefront of the building as well as on the side. I entered the East Foster Village Community Center one evening to attend a birthday party for my uncle. As I walked down the hallway I noticed there's an entrance to the community hall as well as the entrance to the swimming pool. The restrooms are towards the left side of the swimming pool. I walked towards the community hall and noticed the tables plus chairs were setup for the party. The kitchen is located towards the left side of one of the entrances. East Foster Village Community Center has party rates for the swimming pool, the community hall, or a combo rate for the hall and pool. After the birthday party the family members cleared out the community hall by putting away the tables and chairs into the storage area. One of the family members even mopped the floor after the tables and chairs were removed from the hall. The pool area shuts down at 6pm since there are no lights available for the pool area. I do know that the children and teenagers enjoyed both the kiddie pool and the adult pool. 75/100

Wanted to thank Ryan Mori For calling me back on a question on installation on Split Air…read moreConditioning for my Townhome, which is considered Commercial Zone, Need a permit. Explain everything on why I needed a permit from the City. Ryan has excellent customer service. Also wanted to thank the Mayor. Called him last week on the Rick Hamada show to ask the question on Permits. He didn't have the answer, I was told someone will call me. I was surprised when I got the call. Thank You Mayor for the follow up! Aloha, Derek

Called ahead to make sure I could get the documents I needed…read more Barbara was very helpful and informative and gave me all the details I needed, how much it would cost, they don't accept ctedit cards, photo ID required by security, even where to park! Great customer service! Woo hoo!

The Aliamanu Community Center is a fitness facility located at AMR. You have to be in the military…read moreor be sponsored to use their facilities. I've been here a few times before for my son's soccer and flag football games. Today is my first time in their gym. My son's team is here for a basketball tournament. The facility is nice, clean, and well maintained. They have a big field, pool, basketball court, and gym.

Be careful when booking the pavilion. They will keep your deposit and claim you're breaking fire…read morecode, even while they are the ones manning the gates and handing out wristbands themselves. Bands does not indicate occupancy, it indicates attendance. Occupancy is where you are sitting or standing. Each area on the property the pavilions, the pool, and the deck has its own occupancy limit. In our case, most guests were in the pool or on the deck, not in the pavilion. The pavilion limit is 88, and well did not have everyone inside at once. Still, they said we were over capacity. But how did they determine we were at max capacity? Did the attendant count the total people occupying the space? I understand if we were at 89 guests in the pavilion we would be in violation but we were not. Staff should be familiar with their own fire codes and apply them correctly, not lump everyone together because each area has its own occupancy. What made this worse is that they themselves allowed outside guests to enter during the event and even let people drop off gifts, but then turned around and accused us of violating rules. Nothing was broken, no actual code was violated, and yet we were treated rudely and embarrassed in front of our guests. They should also know the total occupancy for the pool and pavilions combined. If their reasoning for not letting us book the other pavilion was that it required additional staffing, then technically, there should have been two attendants present already since there was an event and they were also allowing outside residents to come in. The rules need to be enforced fairly and with consistency. As it stands, it feels arbitrary and unprofessional. Will be in contact with the AHJ

Poor communication. Last minute info/followup…read more Long story short. Called last year to give info for a party. Took my number down but never called back so I called back and also went in person. Was told will get called back next day for more info, but I didn't so I called back and was disappointed after a week looking as things were going positive, but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong associates were nice, but how things were handled or organized was messy.