Fort Street Mall

Fort Street Mall is a street that consists of Hawaii Pacific University on one side of the mall to financial main branches on the other end of the mall. In between the two ends are offices, take out food establishments, and even a small gym.
If a person needs school or office supplies there’s Fisher Hawaii located on Hotel Street. Ross Dress For Less for clothing and Long’s for everyday essential needs are located on Hotel Street as well. WalMart for clothing or household items is located closer to King Street.
If a person is hungry there are bunch of eateries to try out for the first time or stick to the mainland chains like Subway and McDonald’s. A person is lucky to visit the farmers market on the day it’s open on Fort Street Mall.
As far as I know of… the only allowed vehicles are the maintenance workers and probably emergency vehicles.
Busy times at Fort Street Mall would be during the daylight hours and around lunch time. Night time be aware because of some homeless individuals may roam around the area.
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I nice array of different cultures, class’s, food, n masonry.

There’s something for everyone here on Fort Street Mall. A pedestrian walkway parallel to Bishop Street, this mall is home to many eateries, shops, a farmer’s market, banks and HPU.
There are so many choices when you’re hungry — McDonalds to Marukame, Fort Street Café to Doner Shack and Thang’s for bubble tea to the Plaza Club. There’s Fisher Hawaii, Longs Drug, Ross’ and Walmart opened too! Tuesdays and Fridays are busy with a Farmer’s Market too!
Hidden beneath the mall is a Satellite City Hall. You can get your vehicle registrations and other transactions done here without having to lose your parking spot at work.
If you’re in the downtown area, check it out!

Fort Street Mall is not a shopping mall. It’s a pedestrian mall with restaurants and retail storefronts. It’s also the downtown anchor for Hawaii Pacific University so on weekdays during the fall and spring semesters it gets busy. On the weekends, the mall is a ghost town. HPD should set up a police station in one of the empty storefronts like the arcade at Pauahi Street.

Since becoming unemployed, I’ve been finding myself here more often during the normal work week. And why do I find myself here? Well, my bus conveniently stops a block away and it’s easy to walk to. No cars can drive on here. Well, unless you’re a cop or the trash guy then you can, but it’s mainly a pedestrian walkway. And it runs the length of downtown Honolulu proper.
So while I look for a job or hopefully run into people I know, I take advantage of the benches to sit at. Fortunately, there are a lot of benches to sit at. I’ve noticed along certain parts of Fort Street Mall, groups of people would gather around looking at their electronic devices. Those are the areas with free or unprotected wifi. So if you have a device that doesn’t already have data and needs wifi, look for those group of people. You can’t miss them.
Another great thing is that there are water fountains and trash receptacles for your use. While I haven’t used the drinking fountains, I’ve seen thirsty people taking a drink. Mind you, it’s not homeless people drinking the water. It kind of reminds me of Rome where there is just water flowing and you people fill their bottles up. Or that’s what I like to think it reminds me of anyway. Ok, honestly, I’m a little bit cautious to use the water fountains, but since I’ve seen business people stop and take a drink, it can’t all be that bad!
There are various shops that line Fort Street Mall. I like to walk down the Mall and window shop or just peak in. Ok, who am I kidding, I’m unemployed and that’s all I can afford to do, just look at stuff. Actually the best thing to do on Fort Street Mall, is just hang out and people watch. The buildings and the various trees provide enough shade, so you don’t get too uncomfortable.
The other thing I like about Fort Street Mall is that if you are walking thru downtown late at night, this is prolly one of the safer routes to take. The Lady of Peace Cathedral is at the top and walking makai (ocean bound) most buildings have security patrolling Fort Street Mall side. I mean I wouldn’t make it a habit to walk thru downtown at odd hours, but if you do, take Fort Street Mall.
So while I am unemployed, look for me on Fort Street Mall. If I start looking a little crazy, could you let me know? I would really appreciate it.

The place to be on the weekdays during the lunch hours.

Every time I walk down Fort Street Mall, I remember my college days. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was running around trying to find my classes in downtown Honolulu.
While this place is called a ‘mall’, it is certainly not your typical mall. I think of it more like a marketplace. A lot of vendors to check out and a lot of people walking around.
Fort Street Mall is busiest when HPU is in session since all the students are around. There is a sense of hustle-​and-​bustle during those times.
Most of the shops in this mall are eateries. They are pretty good (and affordable) eateries too! Some of my favorite spots:
Le Crêpe Café
Fort Street Café (good garlic chicken)
Aloha Sushi
1132 Café and Catering

Always a sight to see, not the shops, but the people that are within the vicinity. Lots of food places to choose from. Quick bites to full meals with a great range of prices, none too expensive. Lunch can get hectic but most of the vendors are capable of handling the rush.

Interesting open market. Most of the produce vendors are a bit pricey here on the «bourgoisie» end of Chinatown lol… not astronomical, mind you… but I can spend about 30% less for the same items down by Kekaulike Plaza…
Baked goods, fresh produce, bananas, jewelry, Polynesian stuffs, Avon, orchids, peanuts, handbags… a nice variety. Even prepared sandwiches and salads or bentos for lunch!
The Bale bakery tent is always a hit… and I like being able to get nice fresh breads in small quantities.
I’d be a bigger fan if the prices were better… and if I found more stuff that I wanted to actually buy. Scored a cute pair of butterfly earrings today tho… and that was good!
belated ²²⁄₃₁ Unilocal Challenge

I love fort street mall! Yes, I live block away so I find it very convenient. But there’s so much more places to go beside McDonald. Theres variety of food places that meets your taste bud. Need a quick shopping therapy? There’s Ross and Macy. Got some errands? Theres UPS and Longs. My recent discovery is Satellite Hall. Sweet!

There’s so much going on in this area ²⁴⁄₇ whether it is in the day or whether it is in the night. You actually might find more activity in the night more so than the day if you know what I mean. You see peoples of all walks of life from the homeless, to the semi-​homeless, to business peoples, college students, common folk, shoppers, teachers, and many more just doing their business down here with whatever they got going on. This place is also like the «Campus Center» for HPU where it’s the area where the students hang out the most if they are in this downtown campus area. HPU holds annual events doing in this area such as the Club Carnival and Intercultural Day. Other than HPU, there are also many shops and eateries around the strip mall area. Further down going down hotel street, there’s more places where you’ll hit LnL, McDonald’s, Subway, and many other diverse/​ethnic/​Asian/​local food eateries around. The food court area is very diverse. If you are in the area for lunch, there are many selections to choose from. You are not satisfied with the selections, you pretty much have the whole downtown area to work with and there’s also Chinatown a couple blocks down the road. The Catholic Church, Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is also a well known landmark within the Fort Street Mall area.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #290/​365

Fort Street Mall seems to be one of those downtown, earthly cul de sac places where you just seem to just lose yourself in the urban setting. Fort Street Mall is those urban shops that just seems to be inundated with people who don’t seem to have anywhere else to go during the work day. Sure there are people who shop and stuff, but there are others who just sit there, smoke, and talk to their friends in the vicinity. There are homeless people who do frequent the area, but alot of times, I just pass through here, since I live in Kaimuki and work in Kalihi. While I don’t really come here to shop, it’s one of those areas where you can just tolerate since you live here and not be too grossed out by all the homeless people who would just pee on the street and don’t care.
There’s plenty of food stores here, including McDonald’s and Subway, but I probably would not hang out here too long. I’m sure alot of craziness comes through here late at night, which would explain all the news reports in China town of the crime and junk in this area. No parking much to speak about.
Get in, get out, get on with your life.
C–

Broad daylight. 2 p.m. Homeless guy urinating on the wall by the Catholic Church. His girlfriend yelling at him to hurry up so he can give her his bus pass so she can sell it to buy beer. Security guard watching the whole thing talking story with his friend.
Shocked?
Take your people watching skills to the next level.
Mix the most people from Northern Europe you’ll see concentrated on one square block in Hawai’i, add psych patients coming out of their social worker appointment, add oxycontin freaks waiting for the next score, top it off with high powered attorneys.
You will never pay for entertainment ever again.
When I visit cities like San Francisco and Rome, I lament that Hawai’i does not have such a freak factor. Then I come here to Fort Street Mall and realize that ours is better.
Get a coffee, find a seat, and wait for the show. Not a minute will go by when you don’t see something that makes you wish you had a faster camera phone app.
Theres the scary. Schizophrenia patient who has not taken his meds for months.
Theres the funny. Guy juggling recycle bin contents.
Theres the sad. Lady going through trash can.
Theres the WTF. WTF!!!
I wouldn’t recommend this place if you like to feel safe and are easily offended. But if you are bored or early for your PO appointment, this place will never disappoint – only make you question your own reality.

Oy, Fort Street Mall, where do I even begin… The nicest words I can think of to describe it are «interesting» and «diverse.»
Hawaii Pacific University is one of the best things happening here, simply because the result is that the ratio of people here to legitimately conduct business (study, eat, shop) is raised significantly. There is a homeless population here, and there are always multiple people carrying on conversations with themselves, often at the top of their lungs. You have to pay attention to what’s going on around you when coming here. People watchers and amateur sociologists will get a kick out of visiting here.
During the weekday, FSM is a busy place, with plenty of people passing through. The variety of reasonably priced restaurants/​food stands is great, as you would expect given its proximity to a university. Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cathedral is also located here, a beautiful historic building that offers an oasis of peace among the craziness and chaos. At night, FSM is not a place I would spend my time.
FSM is a pedestrian-​only mall, so parking is an issue. Street parking is difficult to come by. There are garages in the area, but take care to park in the ones offering municipal rates, like Ali’i Place, Harbor Court, or China Gateway Plaza, lest you unwittingly choose a private lot with sky-​high rates. If you choose to shop at Macy’s, they validate when using their private garage so long as you spend at least $ 50.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #060/​365

Never knew there were so many stores/​restaurants in here. Mix that with a bunch of crazy ass people, it makes for an entertaining afternoon.

I noticed there are a lot of people talking[1] to themselves here. To address this issue, I want to start a program to distribute free bluetooth headsets[2] to those individuals. With a headset on, they will look like they are having a conversation with someone on their cellphone and not yelling profanities at a trash can.
1. More like random ranting.
2. Fake units with a blue light that is always on. I’ve applied for a patent.

CBS News — 60 Minutes
Tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic …
A Few Minutes with Val Y.
Ever wonder when Fort Street turned into the Fort Street Mall? I’m that kind of curious guy and found out that in 1968 the Fort Street Mall was open to pedestrian traffic only. I think this was kind of a good idea, but not a great idea. I mean wouldn’t it have been better to put a mall where the people are; instead of building a mall and try to attract people to the mall? Wouldn’t it have been better to build a mall between alot of high rises? The Bishop Street Mall would have been better for pedestrian traffic. Tic, tic, tic… think about it!
Do you really believe that the success of the mall today was because of good city planning? Have you seen the mall during HPU semester breaks? I’m one that believes that someone in government stepped on dog shit and got lucky when he (she) conceptualized the mall. If not for Hawaii Pacific University, which opened on the Mall in 1968; the Fort Street Mall would be RIP. The gold on the mall is not the Golden Arches on the corner of the Fort Street Mall and Hotel but the H and the P and the U at the top of the mall at Beretania.
Have you been inside of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace? You don’t know what you are missing. The architecture is secular spectacular. And from a historic point of view, it is the oldest Cathedral on Oahu. The Cathedral was built in 1843 and a gift of Kamehameha III. Did you know that you don’t have to be Catholic to walk inside a Catholic church? Anyone is welcome to walk in to admire the magnificence of the architecture? I admit, I’m Buddhist but can feel the presence of a western God in this church. Who knows, one day I may walk in and actually pray!
I think it is great to have different food options for lunch. Have you ever thought about the food diversity that is on the Mall. McDonald’s, Smoothie and Acai bowl at Vita Juice, Mexican food at La Taco de Ramio, Filipino food, Vietnamese food at Fort Street Café, Bad Ass Coffee, Korean food at 2 Go Bar-​BQ, Japanese food at Ahi and Vegetable, Subway, local food at Dreamer’s Home Style Café and Hole in the Wall, Chinese food at Mandarin Express, Indian food at Govindaji, Cookie Corner, sushi, scones, piroshki’s; so many places and foods to eat. All are located away from the major high rises; most located away from where most of the people are. This mall could be as busy as the Ala Moana Shopping Center food court during weekdays; but somehow we do things ass backwards in Hawaii. Planners and government try to make things difficult for the restaurant businesses and like to see them struggle to survive.
Have you wondered about the old metal gate and cannon in the small park on the ewa side of Topa Financial Center? The HH and C stand for «Heinrich Hackeld and Company».
The gate and cannon have been there since 1899. A cannon that is aimed at Aloha Tower make no sense to me. I have to pass through a metal detector and they make me take off my shoes before I catch a plane. Let me get this straight! It’s OK to point a cannon at one of our most treasured landmarks of Honolulu!!! Yes! I know the cannon can’t be fired but if they are cunning enough to hijack Boeing 767’s, they can switch cannon’s overnight… tic, tic, tic.
Have you ever wondered about the open market on the mall. The open markets were a brain child of former Mayor Frank Fasi and the open market on the mall is open for business on Tuesday’s and Friday’s, all year round. The Bale breads are great and the orchids are so damn cheap, I’m thinking of increasing my number of girlfriends I have from one to three.
Have you seen the homeless people on the mall. It is sad and I feel for them when Mall security chases them away. They end up in front of the courthouse on Hotel or erecting tents along the fence on Beretania across from Aala Park. Tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic… Oahu’s homeless problem is a ticking time bomb tic, tic, tic…
P. S. To my Unilocal friend Deanna M., thanks for the tic, tic, tic…
P. P. S. Sad to say that one of the homeless on the mall is one of my high school classmates.

For well over the past five years, I’ve been working at an office located along FSM. I’ve been witness to the most odd /​gross /​darkly humorous /​stupid situations everrrr.
Things I’ve seen or heard about:
Random people walking by, seeing me smoking and asking for a cigarette. Sometimes this can happen several times a day. It gets annoying.
Cop cars parked in the strip, usually either around Ross/Fisher’s or Yogen Fruz/​McDonalds, on either side of the crosswalk (Hotel Street). They normally do this whenever it’s that time of the month to hand out tickets to jaywalkers, or to follow up on some random crime happening in the area.
The occasional half-​dressed /​barely dressed /​bizarrely dressed vagrant, transsexual, transvestite or drug addict.
The chaos that ensues whenever FSM has their open market. It makes it truly difficult to walk from one side of the mall to the other, especially during the peak lunch hour. So although I enjoy buying boiled peanuts for $ 2.50 a bag, I would give this up if it meant the market would move either farther up or farther down FSM, or perhaps do their thing at Bishop Square.
A lot of ambulances. Oh… and dead people sprawled on the ground. ‘Nuff said.
Places I’ve shopped at:
Macy’s:
Not much of a selection here, if you compare it to the Ala Moana branch. I suppose it depends what you’re looking for, though. This store has actually been a lifesaver on a few occasions when I needed to find a gift that needed to be given on the same day, to a coworker.
Ross Stores:
Pretty much like every other Ross store on the island — you just don’t know what you’re going to get until you go there. Sometimes there’s good finds and sometimes there’s not much. I’ve purchased everything from shoes, clothes, housewares and gifts at this location.
Fisher Hawaii:
This is my one-​stop shop whenever I need office supplies, craft supplies or technological accessories. If they don’t have what you want in stock, they’ll usually call up the Cooke Street branch to locate it for you (and sometimes even have it transferred over to the Fort Street branch). Soda at Fisher’s is cheaper than buying at Longs, BTW. I’ve also noticed that whenever a cashier line has three or more customers waiting in it, they open up another checkout line.
Places I’ve eaten at:
McDonald’s:
A certain «clique» of transients loiter inside and right outside. Most of them are quite «odorous» and loud. A few of them are cracked out. All of them like to cut in line to refill their coffee with 100 cream and 100 sugar every morning.
Fort Street Café:
Cramped space and extremely long lines during lunch, but affordable as well as yummy food. I’ve had the breakfast plate, shrimp fried rice, garlic chicken (their signature item) and shrimp/​tuna rolls. Phone in your order before you get there to expedite the process.
Aloha Sushi:
I like their selection and prices, but I don’t like having to spend a minimum $ 10 in order to use a card as a payment. The few times I did this, I had to waste food because I was already full before finishing it all.
Rada’s Piroshki:
I only go here for the calamari — they give a good portion in a bag for just a few bucks. I usually buy a few bags and a small bowl of rice to make a decent lunch.
Subway:
Ridiculously crowded during lunch. It’s probably because they’re included in the HPU Off-​Campus Meal Plan (also applies to Fort Street Café). I find it difficult to communicate with the sandwich makers at this branch, most of them don’t speak English as their primary language.
Yogen Fruz:
This is where I go when I want to treat myself to something relatively healthy. I don’t do it often because of the prices — the portions are good though, I usually get full after eating from a medium sized cup. I highly recommend trying the Strawberry Cheesecake.
L&L Drive-​Inn:
Pretty typical of all L&L’s on the island. I usually order either the garlic shrimp, the chicken katsu and/​or the french fries. I think the fries here are far superior to McDonald’s (fresher and hotter). On a few occasions, I’ve ordered from the breakfast menu, which I also think tastes much more «fresh» than McDonald’s but seems to be oilier. Sometimes orders can take a while to receive.
Ahi & Vegetable:
My favorite, I’ve recently written a Unilocal review.
All in all… two stars to account for location (proximity to the bus stop — it’s just around the corner, right before Longs Drugs) and the variety of choices to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Basically, this is the place to be if you want to experiment with food — or just to be desensitized to the harsh realities of life.

This place seriously has the good, bad and the ugly.
For one, they have AMAZING ma & pa stores with really friendly people. You will definitely find great food here.
Two, EVERYTHING is here. If you have a puka in your pants you can hit up Ross. If your slippah stay broke you can go to Payless. Possibilities are endless.
Three, it’s just entertaining. The druggies, mokes, lunatic birds that have no problem eating off your place even though you just finished, you see everyone here. My friends and I like to rate people who walk along the mall.
Nice selection of bars as well!
Don’t be surprised if you see a drug deal going on.

Crazy people all the time. However, i do love the security guards :) They’re always fun to talk story with.
smoking area is always a good thing — just watch out for the smoking tree. crazy people and birds are gonna bomb you.
i like sitting outside between my classes at HPU and just people watch. it entertains my friends and i for HOURS!
besides the homeless people and the crazy birds, i like fort street mall. you see the same people all the time. i specifically like the older gentleman that walks his standard poodle :)