The Second Happiest State in America - Hawaii

I've never been to Hawaii, but I think when most people hear the word "Hawaii" they have nothing but positive or happy images - sunshine, beautiful beaches, Hula dancers, surfers, palm trees, Tiki bars, Hawaiian shirts, tropical drinks served in Tiki mugs or coconuts with paper umbrellas tucked into the top...

Who couldn't love Hawaii? Even those of us who have never been there love it already!

I'm a burner, so I need the highest SPF lotion there is, the kind babies wear. Although I can't wear coconut scented suntan oil, I love the smell of it when other people are wearing it. In fact, sometimes I smell a bottle at the grocery store just to inhale the smell of what I imagine all of Hawaii to smell like - coconut in a bottle. Instantly, I am transported to Hawaii right there in the grocery store.

Since Hawaii has such a long standing reputation as a state filled with happiness, I wanted to find a restaurant or bar in Hawaii that has been there for many years. If it could bring people happiness for many years, in a state that is already known for being happy in the first place, wouldn't that make the place DOUBLE happy? One would assume that any restaurant or bar would always stay in business in a state that is overflowing with happiness, but as you will learn in the video, that is sadly not the case. There is indeed some sadness in this state that we like to imagine is a perfect paradise. 

It seems that La Mariana Sailing Club in Honolulu has figured out how to make it work all these years. They've kept their customers happy, they've kept them coming back, and they've continued to attract new customers. It's an original Tiki Bar / restaurant that originally opened in the 1950's. It still has ORIGINAL, VINTAGE Tiki decor!  This place is a Polynesian pop paradise within the paradise of Hawaii. The original owner, Annette La Mariana Nahinu (seen in the video), passed away of natural causes in 2008 at age 93. But, as you can see in the video, she didn't believe in retirement. According to her obituary, she once said, "This is my hobby, my life, my goal, my everything." Why would she want to give up that simply to retire? Where would she retire to? The very place she'd dreamed and built - La Mariana Sailing Club. She was already living her dream.

To read her obituary and to read more about La Mariana, click here: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/08/05/news/story14.html

Thank you to jjjjjjjj8 for posting this video on YouTube. From what I have read, her family has kept La Mariana just the same, and I give them a Retropolis high-five for that.

This month, Retropolis is exploring some of the happiest states in America, according to this article in USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-12-18-happiest-states_N.htm