Dinner
"Every year, we go to the Marriott Luau. My kids have been since
they were 8 years old; they're now 15 and 14. The
food is good:
kalua pig and, if you're game enough, some poi. You have a full
spread of Hawaiian beef, fruit, and, of course, the mai tais. The
show is kind of a combination of native Hawaiian dancing and a
little bit of history. They have a half-dozen women who change
their costumes about eight times. I don't know how they do it so
fast. And the guys, too: the Tonga warriors and the Samoan
warriors. Everyone is so genuinely giving and happy there. They
don't seem to just be catering to the tourists."
SUNDAY
Whale Watching
"Get up early Sunday morning and go on a whale watch on the Gemini,
one of many boats that leave from the Westin. They take you out to
where they know the whales are giving birth and raising their
babies, between the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. You can
have your doughnuts and your juice, but you're out there looking
for whales. In winter, the whales are all over. By law, you can get
within about a hundred yards of them. But if they shut off the
motors, the whales sometimes come right up to and under the boat.
You'll see Hawaiian spinner dolphins, everything. It's only about a
two-hour tour and you're right in the middle of it."
ONE SPECIAL DAY
"I ran into Bob Seger one day. We had met 10 years before. I was in
the pool at the Westin swimming with my daughter, Meredith, who was
3 or 4. Bob came walking by and said, 'Chris?' I looked up and
said, 'Bob?' And I had to say to him, 'Bob, you're still the same,'
which is, of course, one of his songs. Big laugh. We talked for
about a half-hour and then went to Chez Paul with our wives the
next night. He's a big sports fan, and I'm a big rock-and-roll fan.
It was a long night, talking rock-and-roll and sports. One of his
big songs is 'Katmandu.' That night, he said, 'Believe it or not,
I'm supposed to fly to Katmandu tomorrow to do some TV charity.'
Well, I can guarantee you that there's no way he made that plane.
We had everything from mai tais to Blue Hawaiis to good old
whiskey. It was just a riotous night. To me, rock-and-roll, sports,
and Maui are a pretty good triangle."