Station/Boat Location~
USCGC RUSH (378')
Date there~
Oct 2000 - Dec 2003
Weather~
If you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes, the trade winds will bring you something else! Late May - mid September hot, 90's. Oct. & November mid 70's - low 80's. Dec - Feb. 70's, nights are cooler (60's), rains more, humidity can be high. Mar - May 70's - low 80's.
Military facilities~
Everything is within an easy drive, from housing: Pearl Harbor 10 min., Hickam AFB 10 min., Ft. Shafter 10 min., Schofield Barracks 20 min., Kaneohe MCB 15 min., ISC Honolulu 15 minutes (with traffic about 25 - 35 min), COMSTA 20 min, Barber's Point 20 min, MSO 15- 30 minutes depending on traffic.
Medical~
Tripler Army Medical Center, TAMC & Makalapa Branch Naval Medical Clinic. Both are about 10 minutes away from housing. I found Makalapa more convenient and user friendly: appts. were easier to obtain (same day or next day - convenient if you have that 3 year old prone to ear infections!), parking is right next to the building, no interns (some Nurse Praticioners), will refer you to TAMC if necessary. Tripler can be a pain to get to (some days it can be a 1/2hr wait to get past the sentry guards), parking is in a garage 1/4 mile away and then you get to hike uphill to get to your appt., the hospital is a maze and some clinics are on the oceanside or mountainside, one may be on the 4th floor in the C Wing, but another could be on the 6th floor of the D wing (there isn't a 4th floor on the D wing??), you get stuck with interns A LOT (especially with same day appts - if you even lucky to get one!), OB dept. was pretty good (there isn't one at Makalapa), they just remodeled the maternity ward (larger rooms with jacuzzi - of course it was after I gave birth!)
Dental: I used Dr. Vivian Aniya in Aiea (about 5 minutes from housing). She's really good, her staff is very friendly and they take United Concordia. We looking for a ped dentist, but there is supposed to be a good one from near the NEX that my old daycare provider recommended (and she was local).
Housing~
If you could afford it, I'd recommend going out on the economy. We live in a garage. It's cinder blocks with cement floors (very hard on the ankles, legs, & knees when your doing housework barefoot a lot). No carpeting, no A/C's, some yards don't have fences in the back (housing said you'd have to put that in yourself you need it because of a pet). Some units have large yards, others have hardly any (it's the luck of the draw - we have neighbors that told housing they had a large dog and they still ended up with a place with a small yard). They have so many empty units that there are a lot of single people from the boats that live here, so it's not just families. Our courtyard was pretty full when we got here and our neighbors have made this a great courtyard. We have courtyard pot lucks, we watch out for each other's kids, it's all friendly. But now (at the end of transfer season) we are half full, nobody wants to live here (unless you're an officer or chief and can move into Point Welcome Place (newer housing with A/C). There isn't a lot of storage especially if you have kids, there isn't enough space to store everything (closets are small). Kitchen is nice and wide and long, plenty of cabinet space. If you live in Phase 2 (the AMR - Army- side of housing your close to the shoppette, Burger King, gas, Army CDC and youth center. If you live in Phase 1, your close to the Community Center, pool, CG shoppette, gas, and self help. Community Center offers hula classes, jazz, tap, ballet, & aerobic classes. Every Mon the Armed Services YMCA come out for a 2 hour play morning (games, reading, tons of toys, arts & crafts). The pool hours vary depending on the season. They offer swim lessons in the summer and offer water aerobics throughout most of the year.
Shopping~
Lots of shopping here, but not a lot available when you need/want it and there aren't some of the Dept. stores here that you'd find on the mainland. The closest mall in Aiea has Sears, Macy's, Payless Shoe Source, The Gap, Gymboree (clothes & play center), Disney Store, Kaybee Toys R' Us. The exchanges are great here. The new Mall at Pearl Harbor (I worked there so I'm kind of biased!) is wonderful. They have a beautiful Wyland store, wonderful Aloha selection and prices, excellent Audio dept, Barber & Beauty Shop, Dry cleaning, flower shop, optical shop, video rental, and the new Commissary is there too! One stop shopping! The Hickam BX is pretty good too, but they don't have the same selection and their service is horrible. CG Exchange is small, but has some nice items. Kaneohe MC Exchange is small, but nice too. The island offers: Costco, Sam's Club, K-mart, Walmart, Old Navy, Sears, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and plenty more. They don't have a JCPenny store anymore, but you can still order from the catalog. I found furniture to be the toughest thing to buy here. It's really expensive and selection isn't that great unless you want to special order and wait 4 months, plus you really "pay" for it.
Child Care/Schools~
Child care is tough. As soon as you know you're coming out, get on the waiting list. AMR CDC is 2 minutes away from CG housing and I have found them to be wonderful. They have preschool (part & full), toddler, infant, hourly care, and offer "Parent's Night Out". When my son was young (15 mo) I went with Navy Inhome Daycare (they have centers, 3, also. It can be difficult to find a good one, but if you do it really pays off. Although it costs about $130 per week (12 mo and younger is $150), the Navy subsidizes if you work or go to school full time (we ended paying $83 a week!). There is also a state run program that I just applied for and they supposedly pay even more (it goes by income for both so not everybody qualifies). AMR was actually cheaper, but if you want more one on one and more of a "home" environment it's great. When they are ready for structure they are plenty of centers, but with long waiting lists. AMR, Navy, and Hickam all have centers and inhome daycare. CG does have inhome, but it's pretty limited. My kids aren't school age, but I have neighbors that do. The elementary school is Red Hill Elementary school. I haven't heard too many complaints, but the schools here do have a bad rep. The High School is Radford, but I haven't heard anything about it.
Adult Schools~
Hawaii Pacific University, University of Hawaii, Chaminade, Leeward Community College, and other trade/business colleges as well. Both the Navy & Hickam have an education center where you can take classes through the UH. There's plenty of resources here.
Fun Activities~
The beach, duh? There are plenty of great beaches besides the "tourist" trap Waikiki. North Shore and Waimea can be really busy too especially in the summer. Hickam has a nice beach for kids with pavilions that you can reserve for parties with a table and BBQ stand. Bellows is one of my favorite, it's the kind of beaches you see in pictures of Hawaii. Can be be windy over there and the waves can be a little too rough sometimes for young kids, but fine for grade schoolers. There are also some really nice man made lagoons at Ko'Olina (a Marriot resort) that are open to the public, but go early. They have 5 lagoons with nice grass areas with shade and a nice beach area with hardly any wave action. It's perfect for young kids and not too crowded. Of course if you get a chance visit one of the other islands. We loved Maui best, but a lot people like the Big Island too (I haven't been there yet). You have to hit all of the tourist stuff when you're hear too: Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, Waikiki, Waimea Falls Park and see the cliff divers, Sea Life Park and swim with the dolphins, North Shore and see all of the surfers (or join them) and take a drive around the island it's beautiful (but then you'll realize just how small it really is!)
Additional Info~
It can be rough being an ocean away from family. I thought if we moved here, everybody would come and visit, but it always seemed a like it was bad time, so we only had 3 visits within 4 years! You'll find most items are more expensive out here so it helps if you can afford to live out here comfortably. There is so much to do out here (and the ITT office has some great discounts!), but it adds up. And some stuff is really hard to with young kids especially with no family to watch them for the weekend or even an evening! You have to do it at least once!
Homeport HI
USCGC RUSH (378')
Date there~
Oct 2000 - Dec 2003
Weather~
If you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes, the trade winds will bring you something else! Late May - mid September hot, 90's. Oct. & November mid 70's - low 80's. Dec - Feb. 70's, nights are cooler (60's), rains more, humidity can be high. Mar - May 70's - low 80's.
Military facilities~
Everything is within an easy drive, from housing: Pearl Harbor 10 min., Hickam AFB 10 min., Ft. Shafter 10 min., Schofield Barracks 20 min., Kaneohe MCB 15 min., ISC Honolulu 15 minutes (with traffic about 25 - 35 min), COMSTA 20 min, Barber's Point 20 min, MSO 15- 30 minutes depending on traffic.
Medical~
Tripler Army Medical Center, TAMC & Makalapa Branch Naval Medical Clinic. Both are about 10 minutes away from housing. I found Makalapa more convenient and user friendly: appts. were easier to obtain (same day or next day - convenient if you have that 3 year old prone to ear infections!), parking is right next to the building, no interns (some Nurse Praticioners), will refer you to TAMC if necessary. Tripler can be a pain to get to (some days it can be a 1/2hr wait to get past the sentry guards), parking is in a garage 1/4 mile away and then you get to hike uphill to get to your appt., the hospital is a maze and some clinics are on the oceanside or mountainside, one may be on the 4th floor in the C Wing, but another could be on the 6th floor of the D wing (there isn't a 4th floor on the D wing??), you get stuck with interns A LOT (especially with same day appts - if you even lucky to get one!), OB dept. was pretty good (there isn't one at Makalapa), they just remodeled the maternity ward (larger rooms with jacuzzi - of course it was after I gave birth!)
Dental: I used Dr. Vivian Aniya in Aiea (about 5 minutes from housing). She's really good, her staff is very friendly and they take United Concordia. We looking for a ped dentist, but there is supposed to be a good one from near the NEX that my old daycare provider recommended (and she was local).
Housing~
If you could afford it, I'd recommend going out on the economy. We live in a garage. It's cinder blocks with cement floors (very hard on the ankles, legs, & knees when your doing housework barefoot a lot). No carpeting, no A/C's, some yards don't have fences in the back (housing said you'd have to put that in yourself you need it because of a pet). Some units have large yards, others have hardly any (it's the luck of the draw - we have neighbors that told housing they had a large dog and they still ended up with a place with a small yard). They have so many empty units that there are a lot of single people from the boats that live here, so it's not just families. Our courtyard was pretty full when we got here and our neighbors have made this a great courtyard. We have courtyard pot lucks, we watch out for each other's kids, it's all friendly. But now (at the end of transfer season) we are half full, nobody wants to live here (unless you're an officer or chief and can move into Point Welcome Place (newer housing with A/C). There isn't a lot of storage especially if you have kids, there isn't enough space to store everything (closets are small). Kitchen is nice and wide and long, plenty of cabinet space. If you live in Phase 2 (the AMR - Army- side of housing your close to the shoppette, Burger King, gas, Army CDC and youth center. If you live in Phase 1, your close to the Community Center, pool, CG shoppette, gas, and self help. Community Center offers hula classes, jazz, tap, ballet, & aerobic classes. Every Mon the Armed Services YMCA come out for a 2 hour play morning (games, reading, tons of toys, arts & crafts). The pool hours vary depending on the season. They offer swim lessons in the summer and offer water aerobics throughout most of the year.
Shopping~
Lots of shopping here, but not a lot available when you need/want it and there aren't some of the Dept. stores here that you'd find on the mainland. The closest mall in Aiea has Sears, Macy's, Payless Shoe Source, The Gap, Gymboree (clothes & play center), Disney Store, Kaybee Toys R' Us. The exchanges are great here. The new Mall at Pearl Harbor (I worked there so I'm kind of biased!) is wonderful. They have a beautiful Wyland store, wonderful Aloha selection and prices, excellent Audio dept, Barber & Beauty Shop, Dry cleaning, flower shop, optical shop, video rental, and the new Commissary is there too! One stop shopping! The Hickam BX is pretty good too, but they don't have the same selection and their service is horrible. CG Exchange is small, but has some nice items. Kaneohe MC Exchange is small, but nice too. The island offers: Costco, Sam's Club, K-mart, Walmart, Old Navy, Sears, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and plenty more. They don't have a JCPenny store anymore, but you can still order from the catalog. I found furniture to be the toughest thing to buy here. It's really expensive and selection isn't that great unless you want to special order and wait 4 months, plus you really "pay" for it.
Child Care/Schools~
Child care is tough. As soon as you know you're coming out, get on the waiting list. AMR CDC is 2 minutes away from CG housing and I have found them to be wonderful. They have preschool (part & full), toddler, infant, hourly care, and offer "Parent's Night Out". When my son was young (15 mo) I went with Navy Inhome Daycare (they have centers, 3, also. It can be difficult to find a good one, but if you do it really pays off. Although it costs about $130 per week (12 mo and younger is $150), the Navy subsidizes if you work or go to school full time (we ended paying $83 a week!). There is also a state run program that I just applied for and they supposedly pay even more (it goes by income for both so not everybody qualifies). AMR was actually cheaper, but if you want more one on one and more of a "home" environment it's great. When they are ready for structure they are plenty of centers, but with long waiting lists. AMR, Navy, and Hickam all have centers and inhome daycare. CG does have inhome, but it's pretty limited. My kids aren't school age, but I have neighbors that do. The elementary school is Red Hill Elementary school. I haven't heard too many complaints, but the schools here do have a bad rep. The High School is Radford, but I haven't heard anything about it.
Adult Schools~
Hawaii Pacific University, University of Hawaii, Chaminade, Leeward Community College, and other trade/business colleges as well. Both the Navy & Hickam have an education center where you can take classes through the UH. There's plenty of resources here.
Fun Activities~
The beach, duh? There are plenty of great beaches besides the "tourist" trap Waikiki. North Shore and Waimea can be really busy too especially in the summer. Hickam has a nice beach for kids with pavilions that you can reserve for parties with a table and BBQ stand. Bellows is one of my favorite, it's the kind of beaches you see in pictures of Hawaii. Can be be windy over there and the waves can be a little too rough sometimes for young kids, but fine for grade schoolers. There are also some really nice man made lagoons at Ko'Olina (a Marriot resort) that are open to the public, but go early. They have 5 lagoons with nice grass areas with shade and a nice beach area with hardly any wave action. It's perfect for young kids and not too crowded. Of course if you get a chance visit one of the other islands. We loved Maui best, but a lot people like the Big Island too (I haven't been there yet). You have to hit all of the tourist stuff when you're hear too: Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, Waikiki, Waimea Falls Park and see the cliff divers, Sea Life Park and swim with the dolphins, North Shore and see all of the surfers (or join them) and take a drive around the island it's beautiful (but then you'll realize just how small it really is!)
Additional Info~
It can be rough being an ocean away from family. I thought if we moved here, everybody would come and visit, but it always seemed a like it was bad time, so we only had 3 visits within 4 years! You'll find most items are more expensive out here so it helps if you can afford to live out here comfortably. There is so much to do out here (and the ITT office has some great discounts!), but it adds up. And some stuff is really hard to with young kids especially with no family to watch them for the weekend or even an evening! You have to do it at least once!
Homeport HI
