No fireworks in downtown Vancouver for New Year's Eve or the rest of 2026

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-fireworks-2026-new-years-eve-nye 

While Vancouver hasn't been able to get most other cities across Canada and around the world to stop, ban or cancel their NY Eve fireworks, strange Vancouver will retain this part of its NO FUN CITY mentality and agenda. 

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/fireworks-banned-halloween-vancouver-fire-department-9726922 Why just ban them in October and January, when you can ban them throughout the year? 

https://www.ehnewspaper.ca/articles/third-year-of-vancouvers-fireworks-ban

For some strange reason, backwards Vancouver hasn't been able to get other cities around the world to adopt the same bizarre idiosyncrasies.  

Officially, there isn't supposed to be a Vancouver+Mind+Virus, but the backwards city is so stunted and strange. Other cities in a scenic setting such as Sydney, Auckland, San_Francisco and Seattle are able to have wider bridges in or close to their city centers. 

Despite warm and scenic Honolulu having some very short bridges, they are still wider than what extremely restrictive Vancouver allows. These two short bridges in Honolulu provide 4 lanes each way. Thus, they form an 8 lane crossing and they aren't even part of a freeway.  

There is also a very short 6 lane bridge in Honolulu. In addition to its 6 lanes, there is a turning lane and a one lane wide median, which makes it equivalent to being 8 lanes wide. Plus, there are 2 wide sidewalks, which are wider than the original sidewalks on the Granville Bridge in Vancouver. In other words, no bridge in Vancouver is allowed to be as wide as it. Despite regional population growth, the Granville Bridge was reduced from 8 lanes to 6 lanes. 

Considering how Vancouver has such a narrow road system, one would think that a regional network of bus and bike bridges would be essential. Of course the backwards city and greater urban region is too cheap to fund such infrastructure and rather opted for a congestive transportation approach.

In contrast, The+Helix+Bridge in Singapore is fine example of what backwards Vancouver refuses to build. No lanes had to be removed from the 6 lane Bayfront+Bridge or the 10 lane Benjamin+Sheares+Bridge. Stubborn Vancouver could really benefit from something like the Helix Bridge. 

While Vancouver went backwards after Expo 86, Brisbane really took of after Expo 88. The Kangaroo_Point_Green_Bridge, Goodwill_Bridge, Kurilpa_Bridge, Jack_Pesch_Bridge and the Go_Between_Bridge are all great examples of what strange Vancouver refuses to build. What's really amazing from a backwater Vancouver perspective is that those bike and foot bridges in Brisbane never required any lanes to be removed from the cities road bridges. 

In comparison, Vancouver removed 2 lanes from the Burrard Bridge, 1 lane from the Cambie Bridge and 2 lanes from the Granville Bridge. If urban planning in Vancouver was wise and the city never got rid of its trams or streetcars, perhaps something like the Tilikum_Crossing could have been built across False_Creek.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=fireworks

Multi-Car Crash Snarls H-1 Zipper Lane Near Honolulu Airport

 https://hoodline.com/2025/10/multi-car-crash-snarls-h-1-zipper-lane-near-honolulu-airport 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=H-1

Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast vs. Waikiki, Honolulu

 https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g255337-i929-k3344251-How_does_Surfers_Paradise_Gold_Coast_compare_to_Waikiki-Gold_Coast_Queensland.html 

https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/as-a-first-time-visitor-to-hawaii-one-thing-surprised-me-most-20250701-p5mbjg.html

https://www.racq.com.au/articles/holidays/2018/8/hang-loose-in-hawaii

https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldCoast/comments/zw8k7x/why_is_there_so_much_hate_on_surfers_paradise/ 

https://www.redbull.com/mk-mk/best-places-to-surf-in-the-world

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Waikiki%2C_Honolulu_Panorama_%2816191692896%29.jpg/960px-Waikiki%2C_Honolulu_Panorama_%2816191692896%29.jpg 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waikiki , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=421&searchname=timeline

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Waikiki_As_Seen_From_Departing_Aircraft.jpg/960px-Waikiki_As_Seen_From_Departing_Aircraft.jpg 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Rainbow_Tower_Waikiki_%2816178632002%29.jpg/960px-Rainbow_Tower_Waikiki_%2816178632002%29.jpg , https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=20388 , https://hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/stay/rainbow-tower , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_Hawaiian_Village 3,386 rooms https://hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/resort-map

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=H-1

Honolulu’s Skyline Rail Expands to West Honolulu, and to a New Airport Station

 https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/honolulus-skyline-rail-expands-to-west-honolulu-bringing-faster-more-sustainable-public-transit-to-oahu-with-a-new-airport-station 

Even if the widest parts of the H-1 could be 10 or 12 lanes, it would still get plugged up. Nevertheless, being from Vancouver, it's quite impressive to see such a wide H-1 by the airport. If you visit Vancouver from Hawaii, you might think that Vancouver is a big city like Sydney, SF or Seattle. Then you discover that the roads & bridges are much narrower than what's in those cities. The real big surprise is that Vancouver not only has shorter trains than Sydney, SF & Seattle, but even Edmonton. Fortunately, the Skyline to the airport isn't a 2 car joke of a train like Vancouver's airport line is.

https://honolulutransit.org/about/route-map , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Route

https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline

The Airport Segment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_2:_Airport 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lelepaua_station If only Vancouver's line to the airport could have opened with 4 car trains, then with Selective_door_operation, eventually 6 car trains. Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver has been stuck with a 2 car YVR train since 2009, but it has the potential to become a 2.5 car joke of a train, someday.  

Downtown Honolulu.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Segment_3:_City_Center 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Ala_Moana_extension 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock "The line uses 256 ft (78 m) four-car train sets, each with the capacity to carry nearly 800 passengers..."  "Each car is 64 ft (20 m) long, weighs 72,000 lb (33,000 kg), and has 36 seats with a listed total capacity of 195 people, and sits on standard-gauge (1,435 mm) rails." 

While the Skyline cars are similar in length to the YVR-Canada-Line cars, they are of a heavier construction. Plus, the trains are twice as long as any on the embarrassingly short Canada+Line trains.

While it took a long time to get the Skyline to the airport, at least the stations were all initially built to accommodate 4 car trains. Unfortunatly, the joke that is the SkyTrain-Canada+Line is still only running 2 car trains and wasn't designed to eventually have 5 car trains. Its difficult to understand why the joke-line stations are only designed to accommodate a 2.5 car train, someday.

Honolulu like Brisbane, are very far away from the Vancouver Mind Virus (VMV) and much warmer. Thus, they are able to have longer trains to the airport, because they can build on a proper big city scale.  

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Brisbane+Airport+Railway+Line 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=the+airport+train

Honolulu

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_H-1 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/view-of-interstate-h-1-highway-in-honolulu-royalty-free-image/1362667810?phrase=building

https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/special-use-lanes/ 

https://www.honolulupd.org/information/traffic-information-page/

https://www.wa-rock.com/project/oahu-h-1-freeway/ 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/view-of-interstate-h-1-highway-in-honolulu-royalty-free-image/1362880016

https://www.civilbeat.org/2015/04/honolulu-traffic-jam-a-perfect-storm-of-everything-falling-apart/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_County,_Hawaii Land Area 601 sq mi (1,560 km2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O'ahu 596.7 sq mi (1,545 km2)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Geography 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Transportation 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu#Public_transit 

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=H-1

The second Segment of the Honolulu Skyline just opened in mid October

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8feC5Eabeyw 

airport station

Honolulu's Driverless Metro Line Just Got a Lot Better

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezr1WM2bw-Y Starting with 4 car trains, there should be a potential to eventually have 6 car trains, if the demand warrants it.

As Skyline hits phase 2 HART director looks at future to UH, Waikiki, and West Kapolei

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB35i1HoHw4 

Honolulu's rail system grows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkAtoON5V7M

Skyline (Honolulu)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Route  

https://honolulutransit.org/about/stations/#:~:text=The%20Honolulu%20rail%20system%20will,the%20area's%20history%20and%20culture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock "The line uses 256 ft (78 m) four-car train sets, each with the capacity to carry nearly 800 passengers,^[229] similar in weight to heavy rail systems elsewhere in the United States (such as the Chicago 'L' in Chicago, Illinois)." 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi_Rail_Italy_Driverless_Metro#Rolling_stock  

Heavy and light rail train stations should always have the potential to be extended in order to accommodate longer trains. 

Unfortunatly, backwards Vancouver did its damndest to not build long stations.

Skyline debuts 4 new stops, making its way into the heart of Honolulu

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg1u21dnckg

ICE Is Moving Immigrants Arrested On The US Mainland To Honolulu

 https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/07/ice-moving-immigrants-arrested-mainland-to-honolulu/

As the world becomes more digitized, various countries could take more of a rounding-up approach towards undocumented people & illegal residents and visitors. While wearable_technology could be useful to better identify and monitor the human herd, it could easily become like something out of a dystopian Sci-Fi story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearable_technology#Use_in_surveillance 

A more interconnected world means that most people will be almost instantaneous trackable.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ice-may-deport-migrants-countries-other-than-their-own-with-just-six-hours-2025-07-13/

Skyline (Honolulu) Rapid Transit

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu) Only 4 car trains? At least it's not a 2 - 2.5 car joke of a train that is the Canada embarrassment Line in backwards Vancouver.

Fortunately, it's a walkthrough train and with SDO, it could eventually become a 6 car train, if there is ever a need to increase capacity by 50%.

https://honolulutransit.org/about/route-map , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wq3THzQZr0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock

https://www.honolulu.gov/dts/skyline/home/

Hawaii's $10BN Railway Nightmare Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xnrhm1KcB4

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Selective+Door+Operation

Metro Vancouver beaches with E.coli advisories

 https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/interactive-map-vancouver-beaches-e-coli-advisories-2024-9130797

Despite Vancouver being cold, depressing & damp for half of the year, the urban beaches should be in better shape. Plus, there should be a lot more hotel rooms in the metropolitan region.

Fortunately, other urban beaches around the world realize that it hurts their tourism business if they have crappy beaches.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise,_Queensland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise,_Queensland#Sport_and_recreation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfers_Paradise,_Queensland#Transport

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Beach,_Florida

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Isles_Beach,_Florida

https://www.miamiandbeaches.com/things-to-do/beaches

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waik%C4%ABk%C4%AB

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheraton_Waikiki_Hotel This hotel isn't 64 stories, it only has 32, but it has over 1600 rooms. Vancouver has been very reluctant to have wide buildings like this.

Number of rooms	1636
Number of suites	131
Number of restaurants	2

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Sheraton_Waikiki_from_Waikiki_Beach.jpg In Vancouver, its tough enough just to have a hotel with 700 rooms.

https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/united-states/honolulu/hyatt-regency-waikiki-resort---spa Over 1200 rooms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_Seattle 1260 rooms.

It's been very difficult for Vancouver to think, plan & build on a big scale. Especially, with some of the most restrictive building limits around.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Regency_Vancouver 650 rooms. Despite not being close to a beach, there should have been a provision to have a 2nd tower next to the Hyatt_Regency_Vancouver. Or, enough space to double the width of the existing building. Or, add about 20 floors to the single hotel tower. If the Royal_Centre complex was always going to just consist of 2 towers, then the office tower & the hotel tower should have been designed to eventually add another 20 stories. Not a problem for Seattle or Calgary, because they are allowed to be proper big cities.

https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-hotels/en-US/yvrph-hyatt-vancouver-downtown-alberni Only about a quarter of Vancouver's tallest building is a hotel.

Cleaner beaches and more support for tourism would be of great benefit to Vancouver & BC. Especially, for taller & wider hotels, but that's what a big city would do. Vancouver is still a small-minded city that occasionally likes to pretend that its grown up.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Metro+Vancouver+beaches

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=hotel+rooms

Why Doesn't Honolulu, Hawaii Have A Single Skyscraper?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EPPl_nfWz_c&t=23

Honolulu is really the only practical place in the state to have semi-tall buildings. Honolulu City and County is the most populated part of the state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Honolulu

https://www.de-simone.com/projects/project/ko_olani-tower 47 stories.

50-60 story towers still haven't been allowed.

https://kakaakoproperties.com/project-build-tallest-building-hawaii-still-limbo

https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/690-pohukaina/13269

https://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/2015/01/forest-citys-plans-for-kakaakos-690-pohukaina-may.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Honolulu#Tallest_buildings_approved_or_under_construction

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Honolulu

Short Trains and Stations 40-100m

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitachi_Rail_Italy_Driverless_Metro#Rolling_stock

The line uses 256 ft (78 m) four-car train sets, each with the capacity to carry nearly 800 passengers,^[213] similar in weight to heavy rail systems elsewhere in the United States (such as the Chicago 'L' in Chicago, Illinois). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_(Honolulu)#Rolling_stock

The articulated, four-car trains are 50 metres (160 ft) long. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki_Metro#Stations,_depot_and_rolling_stock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Light_Rail#Current_fleet LRT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetroLink_(St._Louis)#Rolling_stock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley#Fleet

Hawaii Has the Highest-Earning Hotels of All 50 States

 https://www.globest.com/2022/10/17/hawaii-has-the-highest-earning-hotels-of-all-50-states/?slreturn=20250220184514

https://beatofhawaii.com/its-the-rip-off-honolulu-hotels-that-are-killing-us/

Luxurious accommodations always have their high-end market, but having enough basic and mid-quality hotels, are just as important.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hotels_in_Honolulu

https://www.de-simone.com/projects/project/ko_olani-tower Resedential tower with the most floors in Hawaii.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=hotels

Honolulu vs. Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Honolulu%2C+HI&country2=Brazil&city2=Rio+de+Janeiro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Hawaiian_Center At a height of 429 feet (131 m) with 30 floors, is the tallest office tower in the state. However, several other Hawaiian buildings have more floors, but aren't taller in height, except for The_Central_Ala_Moana tower.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Honolulu

Honolulu vs Barcelona vs Rio de Janeiro... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Y_bun9STk

https://www.city-data.com/forum/world/1833866-rio-de-janeiro-vs-miami-vs-2.html

Cape+Town is much bigger than Honolulu and Rio+de+Janeiro is more vast than either of them.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Honolulu

Two new Marriott hotels with 457 rooms to open next to Capstan SkyTrain station

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/marriott-hotels-pinnacle-capstan-station-richmond

Unlike Honolulu, Greater Vancouver has been slow to get many more hotels built. Unfortunatly, Vancouver is only warm for half of the year, bust still usually not as cold as the rest of Canada during the other half of the year.

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=hotels

A 22-storey rental housing tower proposed next to Whole Foods Kitsilano

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/2268-2294-west-3rd-avenue-1902-1912-vine-street-vancouver-tower

22 not 44 or 66 floors. They are allowed to build so much taller in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane, because they don't have such restrictive Vancouver zoning restrictions to deal with. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth are not only warmer than Vancouver, but just as scenic in their own ways.

Unlike Singapore, Honolulu still prevents 50-60 story buildings. Today there are still no buildings with a 50th floor on Oahu. 

https://www.de-simone.com/projects/project/ko_olani-tower 47 stories.

San Diego County, CA vs. Honolulu County, HI

 https://www.city-data.com/compare/San-Diego-CA-vs-Urban-Honolulu-HI

https://www.bestplaces.net/compare-cities/san_diego_ca/urban_honolulu_hi/overview

https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/compare/san-diego-vs-honolulu-5391811-5856195

No 45-50 story office tower has been permitted in San Diego, because of the airport.

https://alohatower.com/index.html No 40 story office tower has ever been allowed in Honolulu. 

For some reason, someone wanted to digitally insert some San Francisco size buildings upon the short Honolulu skyline. Thus, this PHOTO only depicts what some tall buildings would be like in Honolulu.

https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/new-hotel-strikes-in-the-us-spread-across-major-cities-what-travelers-to-honolulu-san-francisco-and-san-diego-need-to-know/

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Honolulu