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Used Towels and Souvenir Shops: Waikiki at Night
My brother and his best friend—who’s also mine—visited for Thanksgiving and stayed in Waikiki. When they come, I get to play tourist for a few days: bar-hop, overeat, take Ubers, and see Hawai‘i through their eyes, as a bright, carefree playground. But at night, I always notice that the mood shifts, and a quiet sadness settles in.
I’m not anti-tourism, or a Waikiki hater. In fact, there’s nowhere on this planet I’d rather photograph. But I hope these images capture the peculiar melancholy I feel when I wander around with my camera as everything starts to wind down. When the waitstaff look drained from hearing the same stories, when wet sand is tracked across the pavement, when even the pigeons seem tired. When used towels cling to lawn chairs and souvenir shops empty out, about to close for the night.
Note: Asterik indicates photographic print in exhibit at Downtown Art Center