Nice little read about the history of Hawaii from the travel section of the NYT’s…

“Gathered around their radios, our grandfathers listened to Webley Edwards and his long-running show, ”Hawaii Calls.” They heard Bing Crosby crooning ”Sweet Leilani.” They sailed west, some of them, on the luxurious Matson liner Lurline; here they discovered the charms of the ukulele, the lei and the muumuu, and the unfamiliar flavors of fresh coconut and pineapple. They bought Asian objets d’art at Gump’s, Honolulu’s emporium deluxe, now replaced, sadly, by yet another Louis Vuitton boutique.

The handsome Duke Kahanamoku won Olympic gold medals in swimming, and later introduced the world to surfing, which he learned on the beach at Waikiki, where his statue stands today.”

NYT – Pacific Crossroads, Deep in Hibiscus and History | Print version