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TheBus #2 from Waikiki drops you at Hotel and Bishop streets, in front
of the gleaming high-tech Executive Center in downtown Honolulu. Just
five minutes' walk away down Hotel Street, the faded green-clapboard
storefronts of Chinatown seem like another world. Traditionally the
city's red-light district, the narrow streets leading down to the
Nuuanu Stream are still characterized by pool halls, massage parlors
and heavy-duty bars.
It's well worth delving into a few of Chinatown's inconspicuous
alleyways. Some of its old walled courtyards are now modern malls, but
the businesses remain much the same as ever, and you can still find
herbalists weighing out dried leaves in front of vast arrays of
bottles. Pig snouts and salmon heads are among the food specialties at Oahu Market
, on N King and Kekaulike streets.
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