The city is approximately 12 miles wide and 26 miles long, running east to west, roughly between Diamond Head and Pearl Harbor. Within the city are Seven hills laced by seven streams. Within the city, the Mamala Bay area is surrounded by the quiet suburbs of Hawaii Kai to Kama'aina neighborhoods like Manoa. The western downtown of Honolulu is a compact district dominated by the Asian community, who settled here as far back as in the 1850s.
Opting to be merchants rather than workers, the Asian community established its own businesses and created a thriving district known as Chinatown. Chinatown was destroyed by fire in both 1886 and 1900 but the residents rebuilt the area. Tourists visit this area to experience the vibrant atmosphere, the scent of spices and flowers, and the exotic items displayed in open-air markets.
When you visit, make sure to explore the Cultural Plaza and the Maunakea Marketplace. This is also very famous for being home to the University of Hawaii. The Lyon Arboretum is admired for its natural beauty; the Manoa Marketplace is the most popular marketplace and plays host to a number of great restaurants and specialty shops.
The North Shore offers all sorts of outdoor recreations, from hiking to scuba diving, para sailing to horseback riding. The town of Haleiwa is most often equated with the North Shore, the area stretches across the top of Oahu, from western Kaena Point to Waimea Bay and east to Laie - best known for its tourist trade. For visitors who crave social activity, whether on the beach or in the bars, it's the ultimate destination.
Ala Moana is a great beach as well as a famous shopping mall and is the retail and transportation heart of Honolulu, a place where you can both shop and suntan in one afternoon. Flanked by the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges, the hot, sun-baked Ewa Plains run up and down the center of Oahu. The west coast of Oahu is a hot and dry place of sand beaches bordering the deep blue ocean, steep verdant green cliffs, and miles of Mother Nature's wildness.
