BY EMILY HARRISON / KALAMALAMA STAFF WRITER
I know places! Need a new place to study outside of school? Try these new places! New environments can lead to new motivation.
I find it hard to study in my room, let alone on campus, so I try to venture out and find something that will inspire me to actually get some work done.
These four places are not only inviting, but they are a great way to take you mind off of campus stress!
1. Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island
Why come to Hawaii and not see the kind of views that make your friends back home jealous? Better yet, why not do that and get some schoolwork done? Two birds, one stone — am I right?
Ala Moana Beach is nice, yes, but there is little shade lots of noise, and lots of sand. The actual park, however, has lots of opportunities for students to enjoy their visit and be productive.
It’s true, there is no internet, but, to make up for that, there are plenty of picnic tables, benches, places for hammocks, and shady spots for towels or blankets! The mall is right across the road if you were to get hungry or thirsty.
You could also make a day of it. Bring some friends and some lunches and you have the best study group ever! And there are public restrooms as well.
Magic Island is bordered by the ocean, and many turtles swim up through the cove. It’s the perfect place to study and spend a day outdoors! Ala Moana Beach Park is about 25 minutes walking distance from Waterfront Plaza.
2. Kakaako Waterfront Park
Now, for you lazier students who don’t want to walk the 25 minutes to get to Ala Moana, this is a bit closer, this is about 13 minutes from waterfront (walking), and it has a bit of a different feel than Ala Moana.
There are still plenty of tables and places to sit in the grass, and there are shady spots and awnings to hide under, but it is not as big as Ala Moana. Which might be more comfortable for some of you.
There are public restrooms here as well! This is also close to a Starbucks if you so desire.
Along the back of the park there are concrete barriers separating the stony shores from the sidewalks, and they are decently wide. These ledges are a nice place to sit and read on. Now beware, this ledge is indeed very windy, take loose papers at your own risk.
I have spent many hours throughout this park. It is quite a calming place to spend your day and see a beautiful sunset!
3. FROST Kailua
Now, I’m not endorsing anything, after all I’m just a student.
I know most of us are broke college students, but I thought I would include a place that’s close for Loa campus students as well, even though your ENTIRE campus is what I just described for the parks…but moving on.
This is a very chill place. Get it, cause of the name. I’m hilarious. Anyway, Frost is a frozen yogurt shop that also serves shaved ice- which is amazing by the way. They have multiple flavors of both shaved ice and frozen yogurt, along with several types of toppings, from gummies, to syrups, to cookies, to boba, to baked goods, etc.
They also have tables both inside and out; you can get some food and do some studying!
I’ve stayed there for about an hour, and I did not get kicked out or any hateful looks. The people who work here are usually college kids themselves, so they aren’t bothered by your presence, or at least not enough to do anything about it.
They also have a couch area where you can put on a movie, for those of you that can watch a movie and be progressive. It’s near the main part of Kailua, so it’s safe and welcoming.
4. Ala Moana mall
I’ll be honest, this is not the place for me, lots of people are not my thing. I do know, however, that some students do better in a social place, and why not the mall?
For some students who have never been here, some context: this mall has about four floors to it. This is the biggest mall in the Hawaiian islands- it is huge.
There are so many places where you can set up shop and study, whether you’d prefer coffee shops, bakeries, food courts, outside in the common areas, or other places you may find helpful to study at.
They do have public WIFI, and it crashes, yes, but still, it’s there.
They have lots of areas decorated with trees and plants, which is a calmer, more inspiring, atmosphere.
There are also lots of good views outside the mall. You can overlook the Ala Moana Beach Park, the towering skyscrapers, or even the streets! I’m kidding, but the views of the ocean are very pretty.
On weekends the mall also has performers (Dancers) on the first floor! That may be enough to get you to out of the house itself.
Some of us find comfort in staying inside where we feel safe, but we’re in Hawaii, and in college, and we need to take a step out of that comfort zone.
As a bit of an introvert myself, I know how awful that sounds, and I know most of you will indeed ignore me. For those of you who are willing to take the chance, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Something as simple as getting some fresh air and some steps in your system may make the semester feel less heavy. So, go get out of the woods my fellow students!
