BY SUSAN R. POLLACK

ake one pale young suburban
Detroiter who chokes and sputters
at his first salty taste of the Pacific
Ocean on Oahu and begs to be
taken back to the hotel pool.
Flash forward one week to the same
tanned 10-year-old squealing with delight as
he rides a boogie-board in the waves of
palm-fringed Waikiki Beach.
"I live for the sea," crows the erst-
while landlubber as we literally
drag him and his 8-year-old sis-
ter from the seductive surf and
proceed to rush, reluctantly,
to catch a plane back home
to snowy Detroit.
It's the only time we rush
during a leisurely winter

getaway with the kids in
"no worry, no hurry"
Hawaii. Saving our holo-
holo — island hopping —
for another trip, we planted
ourselves in Honolulu, like
many first-time visitors,
because there's so much to see
and do on Oahu.
Though the tug of the sea is strong
for children and grown-ups alike, fami-
lies won't regret prying themselves away
from the beach long enough to explore the
island's history, culture and myriad attractions,
natural and manmade. Besides, with 125 miles
worth of beaches, you're never far from a dip.

The perfect cold remedy
for shivering Michiganders?
Hawaii, of course!

Photography by Susan R. Pollack

Center: As the sun sets on Oahu, there's time
for one last sand sculpture.
Top to bottom: Diamond Head hovers
over Waikiki Beach.
The colors of paradise.
Kids are intrigued by World War II history at
the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

