The personal website of Grace and Jason Rhee
Grace and I escaped from the Peninsula on Saturday to celebrate Euni’s birthday. Eric did a great job of planning and keeping it a secret. We enjoyed meeting their family, friends, and dogs, and seeing their recently renovated new home. The whole gang was there.
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Arthur and I have been observing focus groups in some pretty uninteresting places (no offense to anyone with ties to St. Louis or Houston). My lodging in St. Louis put everything back into perspective. Houston was better in every way. The only trip to which I was looking forward was the day we spent in LA. Luckily, we had time for lunch in Manhattan Beach. Some pictures before we braved the traffic.
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Brian recently picked up golf and has been playing every weekend for the past month. We played for the first time together on Saturday with Aaron and Todd. It was also my first time playing at Harding Park since the renovation. Afterwards, we went straight to Lisa and Brian’s for a BBQ, where we were joined by Grace and several other friends. Most of the old Sugar Media crew were there – it was nice to get the band back together to celebrate Brian’s birthday. I made a big mistake of taking pictures of neither the golf nor the BBQ. Here are some of Brian’s. Good times.
Although Grace and I lived in Chicago at the same time, this past weekend was the first time we’ve traveled there together. The occasion was my 5-year Kellogg reunion. It really is hard to believe it has been five years, but I guess a lot has happened during that time. It was fun showing Grace around Evanston and I was also happy to have her meet many of my classmates who do not live in the Bay Area. By the end of the weekend, I’m sure Grace heard enough of our old stories (mostly made up ones about so-and-so chasing undergrads), but it was good for her to see how worthwhile my Kellogg experience was, especially because she’ll be helping me pay for it for many years to come. Thanks, Grace!
Aside from catching up with many old friends, highlights included:
Grace and I recently returned from 10 incredible days in Hawaii for our honeymoon. Although we both enjoyed recounting the memories of our wedding weekend throughout our trip, we were also very relieved to have the wedding behind us and we both needed to rest. So, early on Monday after the wedding we departed LAX for Kauai. Three flights later (through Kona and Honolulu – unfortunate logistics) and a short drive towards Hanalei Bay, and we arrived at the wonderful Princeville Resort.
All we really intended to do in Kauai was relax and the island and the resort were perfect for it. The first day was spent in our oceanview suite and consisted mostly of sleeping and room service. On the second day, we enjoyed massages, which were a thoughtful surprise from Jea and Eddie. Afterwards, we drove over to the other side of the island to check out Poipu Bay and some of the resorts there, including the Hyatt, which was also very nice. We had dinner at Roy’s before heading back.
Our main activity on the third day was an incredible helicopter ride over, around, and in Kauai. This was the first helicopter ride for both of us and I enjoyed it immediately, especially the g-forces, which were a new sensation. Our pilot, Billy, was knowledgable and fun. Ultimately, the most stunning aspect of the ride were the views. One could not even imagine the diverse and scenic terrain that exists across the island unless viewed from a helicopter. Especially notable were the many waterfalls and the Na Pali coast, much of which is virtually inaccessible except by air or boat. Amazing.
By our last full day in Kauai, we were ready for some real activity, so we golfed 18 holes at the Prince course at the resort. The course was as challenging as it was scenic, but we both enjoyed ourselves and the company of our two singles playing partners. It was another great way to see the resort and the beautful coastline. Aside from some rain (heavy at times), it was a great day.
Overall, our stay at the Princeville was just what we wanted: quiet, scenic, and relaxing. But, by the fifth day, we were ready to move on, so we flew back to Kona (through Honolulu again) and were greeted immediately by someone from the Four Seasons, who then retrieved our luggage for us while we fetched the rental car.
In Kauai, we were lucky in that our full-size rental ended up being a Ford Explorer. In Kona, we were not so fortunate, as we found a Pontiac Aztek in our stall. At the rental counter, they jokingly asked us why we didn’t want the Aztek and I explained that even though we were from Detroit, we were a little embarrased by the product (no offense to Elie Sessine, who drives one proudly). I told them I hoped they got a good deal on them. Given that I didn’t expect us to ever want to leave the resort (which was 15 minutes from the airport), I would have been fine with the standard Taurus, but a Jaguar S-Type had caught Grace’s eye in the lot. Grace was in her “it’s our honeymoon” mode, so who was I to argue?
Okay, I know i may have a warped sense of luxury accomodations given my assessment of the Savoy. The Shangri-La set the bar high and I loved staying at the St. Regis for the wedding (even though I barely spent any time in our suite there). And, I very much enjoyed the Four Seasons Aviara and Fairmont in Santa Monica during our engagement weekend. Oh, and the Princeville was wonderful. However, the Four Seasons Hualalai is hands-down the best place I’ve been – simply paradise. The service was the best ever, without being stuffy. The room and views were amazing and the food was spectacular. One other surprise upon our arrival were the chocolate covered strawberries that Liz and Jeff sent – that was very thoughtful.
You wouldn’t have thought we would have noticed all of these things, especially during our first full three days there. We made the most of our golf package and golfed 36 holes the first two days and 18 the last. The golf staff thought we were insane. I think Grace beat me almost every round. She was great off the tee the whole time, whereas my driving is officially broken. The course was just right – certainly challenging, but not so hard that it wasn’t fun. Plus, we got to play by ourselves every round. Fast play allowed us to get all those holes in, even with a relaxing lunch at the pool between rounds. On the last day, we only played 18 holes because Grace insisted I join her for a couples massage. All I can say is that I think I was in worse shape after the massage than before – it could have been my last.
We set aside the next day to see the island, and in particular, the active volcano, Kilauea. It was expected to be a full-day trip. After a somewhat late start (we couldn’t miss the killer breakfast), we got on the road. We made several stops along the way, as suggested by the concierge. We stopped at some vistas, waterfalls, and even a Subway, for lunch (it’s no Quizno’s). We finally made it to the park by about 2pm, where the ranger said it would be a 6-hour round trip to see lava flows – damn. But, we had come that far, so we were going to do it. The trip included a 45-minute drive around the crater and down the volcano. From there, it was about a 3/4-mile walk down a road, which disappeared under old lava flows – it was amazing. After that, it was about a 2 1/2-mile walk across lava rock, which seemingly went on forever. It was not so much treacherous as it was tedious. We moved as quickly as possible, but you really had to watch almost every step. After we passed the five “markers” across the expanse of lava rock, flows were still nowhere in sight and we saw several people still far ahead. Soon, you could feel the heat beneath us and see it off in the horizon. After much more hiking, we ran into some people who seemed to be observing the ground – then we saw it – lava flows! Upon closer inspection of the old flows on which we were standing, you could see a glowing red in the cracks beneath the rocks! Further observations made it clear that lava flows look a lot like solid lava rock, so you really had to watch where you stepped. I took some video of the moving lava. Afterwards, Grace really wanted to get out of there. It was still a long walk back – the only help being the wind at our backs. We finally got back to the car around 7pm. Dusk brought out many more visitors than we had seen earlier and the darkness highlighted much larger flows higher up on the mountain. Though tiring, it was totally worthwhile.
Afterwards, all we wanted to do was get back, but it was clear we couldn’t wait for dinner, so McDonalds it was. As an aside, this was the day I was hoping to get our money’s worth out of the Jag. Although it is a beautiful, luxurious car, I just couldn’t get comfortable in it (horrible seats). However, like the only other Jaguar I had driven before, it is much more nimble than you would imagine, though this one was a little underpowered (V6). The whole time I was thinking it was a very well-dressed Taurus. In reality, it’s a well-dressed Lincoln LS. In any case, I would have liked the extra 2 cylinders, especially because gas was still cheaper in Hawaii than it is at home – go figure. We made it back by 11pm – a full day indeed.
Our last day began as every other, with a delicious ocean-side breakfast buffet. If I had to bulk up to play, let’s say, the fat, old Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, this is where I would get the job done. But, we were just on vacation, so our only excuse was gluttony. Though we were denied the late checkout, we were planning to spend by the pool before boarding our red-eye back to LA anyway. They afforded us the use of either the golf or spa locker rooms, which were both as nice as our room – so no worries.
The only other thing to note was that shortly after we settled into our cabana for the day, Matthew McConaughey sat down right next to us. Shortly after that, his new girlfriend, Penelope Cruz, also joined us. They were very nice and respected our privacy – didn’t bother us at all. Incidentally, Richard Gere also left us alone.
We had an incredible time from beginning to end and the only thing we regretted was coming home. I would recommend both resorts, though I don’t think we’ll return to the Princeville anytime soon. We’re already planning a return to the Four Seasons Hualalai – the only thing is that it might not be until our silver anniversary. In any case, it would be worth the wait.
Click any of the photo links above to see the albums. The video is still in production, but should be fun. Stay tuned…
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Before I post our photos and video from our honeymoon, I thought it was important to mention my new camera. Almost all of the pictures posted on this site were taken with my Canon S230 (3 MP point-and-shoot), which was given to me by Grace’s family for Christmas in 2002. Since then, I have taken about 7200 photos with that trusty tank of a camera. Sadly, it has rendered my treasured Leica Minilux virtually obsolete (this was my 30th birthday present from my parents). Many of the pre-2003 photos on the site were taken with that camera, along with a very old Canon A1 SLR.
Unfortunately, the S230 has only been operating at about 80% since last year’s Rose Bowl. Apparently, it fell out of my pocket during some post-touchdown celebrations. Worse, it appears that it ended up on the bench in front of us, where some fellow Michigan fans celebrated by jumping up and down on it. Several plays later, Grace said “hey, is that your camera?” Though the thick case was only slightly dented, there was severe damage to the shutter button. I fixed it as best as I could, but it hasn’t been the same since.
I really wanted a new camera for the wedding. Incidentally, some of the recent digital photos were also taken with a Nikon D70, which is a great digital SLR I borrowed from work. This inspired me to get an SLR of my own. However, once Grace forbid me from taking my own pictures during the wedding, I realized an SLR wasn’t practical. Impulsively, I bought a Canon S500 (5 MP version of my S230) online. Almost immediately, I had buyers remorse as I did my typical search-to-the-end-of-the-internet research after my purchase and realized there was a brand new camera that was THE camera to get. In the days leading up to the wedding, I searched all over SoCal looking for this little guy. Circuit City said it would arrive in the store on the day of the wedding. I had my family looking all over for it – no luck.
Finally, on Sunday after the wedding, I found it at Best Buy, where it probably was all along. So, with the generous birthday money Grace’s parents gave me, I bought myself a new Canon SD500 and a 1GB SD card. That little “D” makes all the difference. This camera is hot – main features: 7.1 MP, 2″ LCD screen, DIGIC II (new chip that is much faster – my biggest complaint about the digital point-and-shoot), and it shoots 640×480 video at 30 fps. All of this in a beautiful little case that is smaller than the S500, but not too small.
On the honeymoon alone, I took over 500 pictures and many video clips and am truly impressed. Comparatively, I don’t think you’ll notice much of a difference in photo quality. The true limit of these little cameras is the lens, which is small compared to an SLR or even larger point-and-shoot. And, the 7.1 MP is more than I need. Because I rarely make prints anymore (and even if I did, they would be 4″x6″) and most of my photos are viewed and shared on a computer screen, a good 2 MP camera would be sufficient (which would exceed most screen resolutions). However, even though the 7.1 MP photos just end up making bigger files, it’s nice knowing the pixels are there if I ever need them. Additionally, storage is less than a $1 per GB and getting cheaper every day.
The bottom line is that Canon makes some of the best digital cameras out there and they got it all right in the SD500. I still want the Canon 20D SLR, but fear I would lug it to few places and therefore may miss many shots. I also like the idea of the Leica Digilux 2, which truly would render the Minilux a titanium paperweight.
