Warm Welcome

For travelers seeking a window onto everyday life in Hawaii, Honolulu's Chinatown awaits.

- John Wogan

IN ONE 15-SQUARE-BLOCK swath of this metropolis on the Pacific, you can catch exhibits from cutting-edge contemporary artists, have dinner at one of the country's best Vietnamese restaurants, browse rare books and prints, or shop for one-of-a-kind housewares, fashion, and ephemera at effortlessly cool vintage boutiques-all against a cinematic backdrop of midcentury architecture that feels frozen in time. The neighborhood isn't in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle, though. It's Honolulu's Chinatown, about five miles west of tourist-saturated Waikiki, near the courthouses and government buildings of downtown.

With travelers to the Aloha State making a greater effort to engage with local life beyond the beaches and resorts, many are giving Chinatown, also known as the Chinatown Arts District, a closer look. That's especially important at a time when Chinatowns across America are shrinking or disappearing altogether due to gentrification and rising costs of living. And it's worthwhile in Honolulu because-and I'm speaking as someone who was born in the city-there's absolutely no other place in Hawaii like it. Walk around the neighborhood after a bowl of pho at The Pig and the Lady or dim sum at Fook Lam and you'll encounter the most diverse mix of histories, cultures, and languages-including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog-to be found on the islands.