34. Federal Office Building 35. Queen Street View Everything we've seen so far has been on the Diamond Head side of the current center of downtown Honolulu. Just a few blocks Ewa on Queen Steet here and we'll be right in the heart of town and among newer but less interesting buildings. Honolulu, as most people know, is the largest city in Hawaii. Unlike many major cities in the U.S., Honolulu has not seen a major outflux of business to suburban areas. Downtown Honolulu is very active, well-kept, and still the hub of business activity in the State. We'll go just another block and make a right onto Alakea Street. 36. Bluestone Building About a block up on Alakea Street is this old bluestone building now overshadowed and overpowered by the highrise buildings that surround it -- a touch of old Hawaii right in the middle of downtown. 37. Dillingham Transportation Building Toward the bottom of Bishop Street is the old Dillingham Transportation Building that was at one time an important center of American business and commerce in Hawaii. Located almost opposite Aloha Tower, it was strategically located in what was at one time the commercial center of Honolulu. 38. Entering Chinatown After traveling farther west, we approach Chinatown on the Ewa side of the downtown district. Turning toward the mountains we see this scene of the canal on our left. Our best chance of finding a parking place is here on River Street. We'll park and then walk around in Chinatown a little. 39. Chinatown Chinatown covers a 14 square block area at the Ewa end of downtown Honolulu. Something like many others in large cities in the U.S., it is occupied by small markets and shops. Chinese and other Asian merchandise is sold here. There are many restaurants and many food markets. The pictures below show a few things we see as we browse the shops and markets. These are images from the Maunakea Marketplace in Chinatown. Much of the merchandise is outside (#1), and most the shops are open to the courtyard. A clock tower at the side of the courtyard (#2) has a clock with Chinese characters. A statue of Confucius stands at the base. Nearby is the entrance (#3) to a building where vegetables, fish, and other foods are sold in unpartitioned retail spaces. It's typically quite crowded, and the smells and feeling of the place are unique. This is an indoor space that is suitably air conditioned for the types of merchandise (#4) sold here. A few images inside (#5, #6, and #7). 40. Foster Botanical Garden. This is the last stop on our tour. The photo at the right shows the entrance to Foster Garden off of Vineyard Boulevard. The sign is just barely visible on the moss rock (lava rock) wall at the left. Today there are only a few cars in the tree-shaded parking lot. It's a nice sunny day and the shadows are crisp, so the garden should be at it's best. We'll see. The history of the garden dates from 1853 when a German physician named William Hillebrand leased the land from Queen Kalama. Dr. Hillebrand was a botanist as well as a physician, and he planted many of the huge trees that are here today. He later returned to Germany and there in 1888 wrote Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, still today a very important work on local botany. The property was subsequently sold to Capt. Thomas and Mary Foster who continued to develop the 5.5 acre site. When Mrs. Foster died in 1930, the property was left to the City and County of Honolulu for the benefit of the public. In 1931 it was opened to the public and today attracts about 75,000 visitors each year. Thousands of new species of trees and other plants have been added, and through land purchases and gifts, Foster Garden has grown to more than 13.5 acres. More than 100 trees on Oahu have been designated "exceptional trees," and 26 of them are located here. There are some absolutely magnificent Kapok, Quipo, Baobab, Earpod, Cannonball, and other trees in this lush park. The base of the Quipo tree (left) is about 7 feet in diameter. The Baobab (center) from central Africa is worshipped by some Africans, and they bury their dead in the large trunks. Such products as mucilage, rope fiber, gum, paper, cloth, and some medicines are produced from parts of the Boabab. The Banyan (right) is a popular tree in Hawaii. Its hanging roots drop to the ground, take root, and become trunk-like. There is also an orchid garden, information booth, and gallery and bookstore. Click here for five more scenes at Foster Garden. Other botanical gardens on Oahu: Liliuokalani Garden across the freeway from Foster, Wahiawa Garden (soon to be) on the Circle Island Tour, and Koko Crater Garden and Ho'omaluhia Garden both on the Windward Oahu Tour. 41. 1100 Alakea Building Higher still on Alakea Street is the 1100 Alakea Building that's quite similar to the Imperial Plaza that we saw on our way into the downtown area. This of course is not how it appears from the street. This photo was taken from behind the State Capitol a couple of blocks away. We'll turn and go down through the very center of downtown Honolulu, on Bishop Street, the "0" street from where street location numbers begin in the direction of east and west. The street is lined with modern highrise office buildings on both sides. 42. Bishop Street 43. Bishop Square. 44. First Hawaiian Bank Building. Foster Garden concludes our tour of downtown Honolulu. We'll take a short route back, but we've seen the downtown highlights. Thanks for coming along. 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