Hawaii

I moved into a penthouse in Hawaii with 19 strangers. Co-living helped me form friendships as an adult.

Published

2 years ago

January 26, 2024

I moved into a penthouse in Hawaii with 19 strangers. Co-living helped me form friendships as an adult.

Last fall, I took a leap of faith and traded the concrete jungle of New York City for the tranquil shores of Honolulu.

After six months of living in NYC, the winter blues finally caught up to me and I began to seek a different way of living.

I stumbled upon Surfbreak HNL, a penthouse where co-living and coworking come together for digital nomads.

The home is located on the entire top floor of a high-rise, where the walls were knocked down and rebuilt to form 20 rooms in a circle surrounding a common space, almost like a college-dorm floor.

The penthouse is a 10-minute walk from Waikiki Beach, and the private rooms range from smaller spaces with a twin to corner suites with king beds. A room costs between $1,500 and $2,850 a month, depending on the size.

After speaking to a previous resident of the house, I applied to live in it.

From application to move-in, I didn’t know what to expect

The Surfbreak rooms vary in size.

Kaitlyn Cheung

After sending in my application online, I had a 30-minute interview and virtual tour of the space with the property manager.

During it, we discussed my goals for moving to Honolulu, my hobbies, and my personality.

A week later, I received an email telling me I was accepted into the house. Since I originally planned to stay for two months, I packed only one suitcase and hopped on a one-way flight.

As I toured the floor, current residents whizzed by, some cooking in the kitchen or heads-down on their corporate laptops, others clad in their swimwear heading to the beach.

Each room is furnished with the basics, including fresh bed linens and a desk because most people in the house are remote workers.

The kitchen was stocked with basic ingredients, and we shared things like dishware, cookware, and communal camping gear.

Living with 19 other people was a lifestyle adjustment

For someone who was learning to deal with uncertainty, moving to Honolulu knowing no one was a personal challenge.

As soon as I met my 19 roommates, the experience was a whirlwind of excitement and perpetual busyness. There was never a dull moment.

During a typical week, we would go out to dance and surf after work, then hike on the weekends.

As an introvert, staying sane in a house full of active people was challenging. I’d often find myself escaping the chaos by walking to Waikiki Beach, ordering an acai bowl at Sunrise Shack, and watching the sunset.

Although I loved the constant activity, I also found it important to keep my priorities clear and carve out time to rest and recharge.

I loved connecting with my fellow residents, who were remarkably open

I formed lifelong friendships while living in Hawaii.

Kaitlyn Cheung

Unlike many of my friends on the continental mainland, everyone at Surfbreak seemed genuinely excited about exploring new places.

It can be difficult as an adult to break the barrier of small talk and get to know someone on a deeper level, but when you see the same people 24/7, vulnerability comes easy.

I noticed most of my conversations with others focused on the human experience of living, not where we went to school or where we worked.

I made close friends in the house and enjoyed getting to know my housemates on such a deep level.

Many people find that forming close friends as adults is hard but co-living effortlessly and quickly breaks down barriers to forming adult friendships like time, distance, and vulnerability.

Although I no longer live in the house, I still have a friend group from when I did. And, to this day, I connect with other Surfbreakers who have lived in the house before or after me.

Surfbreak provided an amazing experience, but it doesn’t reflect what it’s actually like for many folks living in Hawaii

Living in the Surfbreak house for a few months gave me a glimpse into exciting expatriate life in Hawaii, but not what living in Hawaii as a local is really like.

It’s important for expats to appreciate the history and culture of the islands, which is something we visitors don’t always do well.

After all, Hawaii has a rich heritage, and temporary residents are responsible for respecting and protecting it.

I encourage anyone else who chooses to live in Hawaii temporarily or for the long haul to do their research, support local businesses and artisans, and participate in cultural activities with respect and humility.

By doing so, we can ensure that our presence in Hawaii is not just a personal adventure, but also a positive and respectful contribution to the community and the land we’ve come to love.

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Hawaii

NJ’s Jake Thistle to be featured on ‘American Idol’ Hawaii episode

Published

28 minutes ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

NJ’s Jake Thistle to be featured on ‘American Idol’ Hawaii episode

Aloha, New Jersey.

Asbury Park rocker Jake Thistle will be featured on the Monday, March 9 episode of “American Idol.” It’s the ‘Ohana Round episode, which will have the Top 30 hopefuls performing for industry tastemakers as well as peers, family members and friends at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii.

Jacquie Lee of Colts Neck is also in the Top 30.

The tastemakers include social media personalities Kaniyia Brown and Terry McCaskill; dancer Sasha Farber; musician Anthony Gargiula; actress Loren Gray; singer Cheryl Porter; Grand Ole Opry announcer Kelly Sutton; and Rolling Stone editor Shirley Halperin, an East Brunswick native.

Thistle sang an earnest and soulful version of Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under” on the Thursday, Feb. 23 Hollywood Week episode.

Lionel Richie said “I like him” after he pumped his fist during the rendition.

“You’re so ready for this,” said Luke Bryan of Thistle.

Music legends Lyle Lovett with John Hiatt are also fans of Thistle, a Paramus native.

“We’ve know Jake since he was a youngster and we’ve watched him grow and if you ever get a chance to hear Jake thistle play you will be glad you did,” said Lovett Wednesday, Match 4 from the stage of the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

Thistle thanked the music stars on social media.

“Both of them have been hugely important to my development as a songwriter and musician, and I was honored they took the time!” Thistle said.

The 21-year old has been a regular on Asbury Park stages and Bruce Springsteen-related shows in the area. Thistle has even shared the same stage as the Boss.

“American Idol” airs 8 p.m. Mondays on ABC and subsequently streams on Hulu.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com

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Hawaii

Hawaii Foodbank Kauai provides help for TSA workers – The Garden Island

Published

13 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii Foodbank Kauai provides help for TSA workers – The Garden Island

The Hawaii Foodbank Kauai rolled out its recently dedicated Mobile Pantry refrigerated transporter to provide more than 150 emergency food packages for local Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Coast Guard workers caught up in a partial government shutdown.

The two agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security, whose budget is frozen by congressional concerns over controversial actions by two other DHS agencies, ICE and CBP. Workers will not be paid until the budget is approved, although many are still required to work in essential positions.

In the meantime, some Kauai workers are struggling to keep their families fed without a full paycheck, and amid uncertainty as to how long the shutdown will last.

To help out, Hawaii Foodbank Kauai vehicles rolled up to the TSA administrative offices in Lihue, equipped to provide more than 150 emergency food packages. The packages included fresh milk, eggs, bread and produce, including apples, oranges, eggplants and cucumber. There was also frozen chicken and an assortment of canned goods.

“With the current socioeconomic landscape, many families are still struggling to make ends meet,” stated the 2024 Hunger Report that was released by the Hawaii Foodbank on Wednesday, coinciding with the launch of the statewide food drive by Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke.”Hawaii has seen an increase of roughly 25 percent in prices for food at home — making it more difficult for families to access nourishing meals.”

The Hunger Report said during the last fiscal year, an average of more than 154,000 people on Oahu and Kauai turned to Hawaii Foodbank for help each month.

Tisha Remigio, the Hawaii Foodbank Kauai assistant manager who was helping with the emergency food distribution, was uncertain if there would be more food distributions for TSA workers and the USCG team.

“It’s up to them,” Remigio said.

For more information on the services available, and to donate to the Hawaii Foodbank, visit the website at www.hawaiifoodbank.org.

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Hawaii

Kay’s Crackseed: The Manoa shop preserving Hawaii’s favorite childhood snack

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Kay’s Crackseed: The Manoa shop preserving Hawaii’s favorite childhood snack

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – If you grew up in Hawaii, a visit to your local Crackseed shop is likely a core childhood memory.

Let’s go holoholo to one of the oldest shops in Honolulu, Kay’s Crackseed.

Any time Lanette Mahelona of Kaneohe is in Manoa, a stop at Kay’s Crackseed is a must!

“I stop by here, and I always grab two pounds of this seedless creamy ume because it’s hard to find on our end of the island, Kaneohe,” said Mahelona.

Kay’s Crackseed sits in a four-hundred-square-foot shop at Manoa Marketplace.

The original owner, Kay, opened the shop in 1978 and ran it for 18 years.

Mei Chang now runs the shop. Her family took it over in 1996. They’ve been selling an assortment of crack seed and products, which Mei says is a healthy snack in the eyes of the Chinese.

“Yeah, so like the ginger, the Chinese always say it’s Chinese medicine, so they help your motion sickness, the stomach, and even the kumquat,” said Chang. “It’s like honey lime ball, if you catch a cold, sore throat, they help a lot.”

Customers are encouraged to sample the different treats.

Now working in a crack seed shop isn’t anything new for Chang.

She said these kinds of shops are in common in Taiwan that her grandparents used to sell different kinds of li hing mui.

Chang lived right above her grandparents’ shop and was in the second grade when she started helping them with the business.

“Every day when I finish school first thing open a jar,” said Chang. “I really like the football seed, so every day I eat a football seed for my snack.”

And talk about a full circle moment, her daughter would also help around the Manoa shop.

Through Kay’s Crackseed, Chang hopes to carry on traditional recipes she learned from her grandparents.

“Crack seed for us is not only the snack, but it’s like childhood memory, yeah, the happiness, so we try to keep doing the tradition. So, all the juice we make here is from our grandpa and grandma’s recipe,” said Chang. “So, a special yeah, secret sauce, so we have some customers that live far away, the other side of the island, drive so far to come here to get the li hing one. The wet li hing mui, the rock salt palm, is really popular.”

“The li hing mui ones are not as sweet, sweet as other places, and it’s soft,” said Crystal Kaluna of Kauai.

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