Hi Rizzo,
I lived on O'ahu for four years. I would highly recommend getting a car, it is not that hard to drive on the other side, lots of the streets are one way anyways. The bus will take forever, and taxis are pretty damn expensive. ($40-50 to get from the airport to Waikiki)
Hanama bay is for snorkeling, the east side of the island has awesome jungles and good beaches with campgrounds, the north side has beaches and waves, it is possible people will be mean to you on the west side, the middle is for pineapples and the marines. West and east are called windard and leward and I don't remember which is which. Hawaiian culture is different than "American" It's Hawaiian, Phillipino, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, American and etc. They have American fast food and junk but it is all lots more expensive and slightly more shitty. The "alternative" culture is not obvious or easy to find, I'm not sure they even get together in public places ever. Here's a record store:
http://www.hungryear.com/, but if you don't get a car and try to go a bunch of places, then you will spend a large chunk of your time on a bus and walking. It is hot when you walk, you can get a sunburn.The music is shit. There are a lot of stupid ukaleles in Hawaii, people play top40, smooth hip-hop whatever, the radio plays that remake of somewhere over the rainbow/wonderful world from the end of Meet Joe Black every 45 minutes and kids are excited when Jimmy Buffet comes to town. Jim, pina coladas are shit. ...Although sometimes they play that "In the Jungle" Lion King song on the radio and you can go "woah, I AM in the jungle" and get your aweembowat on.
It is really fun to hang out at the beach, go hiking in the jungly parts and go to local restaurants. If you don't get a car, and you are staying in Honolulu, you can go on guided hikes/surfing/kayaking through the
college, they will drive you there. Usually the guide or someone with you on the tour can give you good suggestions about what else you might like to do, or maybe you will meet someone who will drive you around if you flirt with them or buy them beer and/or weed. Just rent a car. Let me know if you want to know anything I know about Hawaii. Wear sunscreen. Pineapples are awesome. Being called haole is usually an insult. ABC stores in Waikiki sell bus passes.There are geckos at night. Lemon juice is good on papaya. Don't eat shrimp from a food truck on the North Shore.
The International Marketplace and the
Aloha stadium swap meet sell souvenirs.