We hate to say it, but the word Kickstarter often makes us roll our eyes. In today’s crowdfund-happy world, every conceivable idea from manufacturing bespoke toothpaste to starting a line of sweaters for alopecia-suffering pandas seems to get an IndieGoGo campaign. So it was with some...
No Butts About it, S...
posted by Vanessa
Smoke BBQ, the former food truck turned chic brick-and-mortar shop, occupies a lofty and modern space on Upper King Street. The former home of the short-lived L.I.F.E. Bar and equally short-lived vegan motorcycle restaurant, Motobar, has come a long way. From industrial tables to exposed...
Apartment A Serves S...
posted by Vanessa
Act I, Scene I. It’s mid-afternoon at Apartment A. As the sun filters through the windows of the 150-year-old building, the soundtrack to pretty much every John Hughes film plays softly overhead. The former dwelling on Coming Street exists squarely in the netherland between restaurant,...
Assessing Charleston...
posted by Vanessa
Well, hello there, sultry summer. It’s the dog days. We’ve reached max oppressive heat, bug bites, sunburns, and summer’s revolving door of visiting friends and family. You know what we’re talking about, whether there’s a bloodline connection or not, family is...
Thai Elephants is th...
posted by Vanessa
If you’re looking to spend a teary 15 minutes humming Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” while being horrified at the behavior of some of your fellow human beings, then by all means google the words “Thai elephants.” If you’re looking to spend a...
A Day of Dining on $...
posted by Vanessa
New to town, reporter Vanessa Wolf attempts to eat three meals with only $10. 8:59 a.m. Arrived in Charleston from the west, long after the first fingers of sunrise had awoken the marshes. The buildings seem to shimmer under the clear skies, vibrant shades of amber, aqua, and salmon. Although...
Fountain Cafe and BB...
posted by Vanessa
What do you get when you mix a 1950s-style soda fountain with some earnest young adults, a Huey Lewis soundtrack, and a heaping helping of pimento cheese? If you guessed 1985’s highest grossing film, Back to the Future, you are darn close. However, if you said, Mt. Pleasant’s...
La Provence: Upcount...
posted by Vanessa
Arguably the most charming part of France, the sun-soaked, Mediterranean-flanked Provence region extends north to the snow-capped mountains of the southern Alps. Quite suitably, Maui’s own little taste of Provence is also quite charming. Nestled on a quiet Kula hillside, the garden-like...
Nick’s Fishmarket Ma...
posted by Vanessa
There’s something fishy in Wailea. Although the name implies a casual corner shop where you might pick up some poke for the beach, saunter into Nick’s Fishmarket Maui in search of some raw mahi mahi filets for the grill and quickly find yourself a fish out of water. Located in the plush...
Maui Brewing Co.’s M...
posted by Vanessa
Ahoy, me hearties. After many a week at sea, we did stumble upon yon shores in search of grub and grog. Good evening. Welcome to Maui Brewing Co. A table for one this evening? Aye. That is, I an’ me first mate, Pepe. We seek the flavors of the New World. That’s two for dinner, then? Pepe is...
Porto Puts Your Mone...
posted by Vanessa
When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he’d reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him. Nights dark beyond darkness and the days more gray each one than what had gone before. Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world. His hand rose and fell...
Splurge on a Romanti...
posted by Vanessa
Maui offers a plethora of opportunities for every type of vacationer. Whether you’re the “go big or go home” Haleakala mountain biking adventure type or more likely to be found sun worshipping on the sand next to a Hawaiian Monk Seal, your Maui vacation is incomplete without at least one...
Bill Maher Talks Shy...
posted by Vanessa
Love him or hate him, outspoken political comedian Bill Maher returns to Maui for his third annual show this January 1, 2014. We caught up with him to chat about his past, politics and pakalolo. Maui Now: The last we met, I had an outstanding view of your rear end as you were running from me...
A Tale of Two Sushi ...
posted by Vanessa
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of yoga studios, it was the age of kombucha, it was the epoch of composting, it was the epoch of GMOs, it was the season of avocados, it was the season of star fruit, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,...