USS Arizona Visit

Memorable and Moving:
Honolulu and a visit to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

After dropping my bags off with my sister at the ship, I got breakfast at McDonald's (they serve Spam!). While eating, I walked north to catch a west-bound bus to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. While I was in Honolulu, buses were VERY crowded! It was hard to get on or off, as all the seats were full, and the aisles were filled with standing riders. It was exciting to see public transportation being used by locals and tourists! The bus dropped us right off at the memorial.
	At every national park, I have to get a photo of the sign : ) I wasn't able to get myself with it this time, though.
I arrived at the memorial at 9:20 am. Admission is free by timed ticket; I received a ticket for an 11:00 am tour. To pass the time, I walked around. From the waiting area, there was a beautiful view of the memorial and the U.S.S. Missouri.
	At 11:00 am, my group (tour #14) went in to view the short film (narrated by Stockard Channing) about the attack. Due to jet lag, I fell asleep during the film : ) When the film was over, we got on a Grand Cayman-style ferry/tender to go out to the memorial.
The ride to the memorial was short and smooth. As we arrived, the previous group left. They told us the average visit at the memorial is 13 minutes. While it was a brief time, it was enough.
	This is a view of the memorial with my back to the wall of heroes. The architechture is simple but powerful. It was warm and sunny during my visit.
It was very moving to see the names of all those who lost their lives on the Arizona on December 7, 1941.
	This sign clearly shows the position of the memorial over the remains of the ship.
Much of the remains of the ship is still visible just below the memorial. The drops of oil I had read about were also visible.
	Seeing the American flag flying over the memorial was a special sight.
We knew our visit was coming to an end when the next ferry was spotted in the distance. Pearl Harbor is a beautiful, natural harbor. It was overcast much of the day, but it only sprinkled on and off.
	We left the memorial somberly. At so many sites I have visited, the visitors don't follow the requests of the guides. Here, we were asked to stay fairly quiet and somber during our visit, and everyone did. It was refreshing.
The anchor of the Arizona is on display as you leave the memorial. [Yes, I know I should have a human next to it for scale!]
	From the Arizona memorial, I took the bus to the giant Ala Moana Shopping Center. It is huge! They also have a Sanrio store with Hawai'ian Hello Kitty items : ) I bought Greer two packs of pop at the Foodland store and headed back to the ship to check in. The shopping center had tons of Chinese dragon dance troupes performing throughout the complex. They were colorful, exciting, but very, very LOUD.