Downtown nooks

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

Customers pick up a plate lunch from the street-front Krung Thai restaurant in downtown Honolulu, then head to the back, where covered picnic tables overlook a kukui nut tree and a koa-tree shaded courtyard overflowing with scent of mock orange and alive with the chatter of birds. Krung Thai is at 1028 Nu'uanu Ave. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Sometimes you want to scream. Sometimes you wonder how you can escape.

That's why we've compiled a list of favorite places to get away from the rush. These are secret (and sometimes not-so-secret) places that offer a bit of tranquility in a downtown area that all too often seems to be running on full-throttle. Call them 16 places to get away for 15 minutes.

A word of caution, though. Many of these are semi-private, rarely visited places that could close their doors if too many unruly visitors descend on them. Walk lightly, talk quietly and always act with respect. Then savor the peaceful moment. All too soon it will be time to get back to the hustle-and-bustle world of the real downtown.

Courtyards

Once Honolulu overflowed with Chinese-style courtyards. They were places to turn your back on the world and look inward for peace and knowledge. Most of them have long since been locked up, fenced in or paved over, but we found two that are still accessible to the public.

1. Krung Thai restaurant. Grab a plate lunch at this street-front eatery, then head to the back, where covered picnic tables overlook a kukui nut tree and a ko-tree shaded courtyard that overflows with the scent of mock orange and is alive with the chatter of birds. 1028 Nu'uanu Ave.

2. Behind a sometimes locked iron gate next to the Double Eight Chinese restaurant sits a courtyard filled with gardenias, palms, ginger, a small pond and a sculpture garden. There's another entrance next to the Ramsay gallery on Smith Street. 1109 Maunakea St.

Sanctuaries

Once, religious sites provided sanctuaries from war, politics and man's cruelty to his fellow man. They still do. If it's asylum from the masses you need, try these two spots.

3. Izumo Taishakyo Mission. On the fringe of Chinatown, this second-story Japanese shrine comes complete with its own prayer suggestion: "To god, the spirit of happiness, and to god, the spirit of well-being, we pray for thy protection and we ask for deliverance of happiness and well-being." 215 N. Kukui St.

4. Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. The Roman Catholic cathedral, the oldest building in Honolulu, provides a place of prayer and reflection amid the hubbub of Fort Street Mall. Study the stained glass window stories or look through clear ones to see plantings of bird of paradise outside. 1184 Bishop St.

Pause that refreshes

"What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea," the 19th-century essayist Sydney Smith wrote. Coffee shops are a dime a dozen downtown, but you have to hunt a little more to find a good cup of tea.

5. Inside the upscale Michelle Henry's dress shop, afternoon tea is served amid fine fashion and elegant stylings. The mood is Victorian England. 1026 Nu'uanu Ave.

6. The Mission Houses Museum gift shop also serves afternoon tea with a view of Kawaiaha'o Church. The mood is 19th-century American missionary. 553 S. King St.

Wet your whistle

Sometimes you need something a little stronger than tea. No shame! A shot with beer chaser (or two) is just the thing to get you through an afternoon meeting with the bean counters. There's no shortage of drinking establishments downtown, but you can't beat these two for atmosphere.

7. Hanks Cafe. Reasonable prices, live music and a welcoming crowd of afternoon regulars. Of course, the danger is that you won't want to go back to work. 1038 Nu'uanu Ave.

8. Smith's Union bar. This place has been serving patrons in the same location for more than 100 years. And some of the patrons look like they've been there almost as long. The atmosphere is dark and cool; the jukebox is filled with jazz favorites (Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington) and the memories are written on the faces of the patrons. 19 N. Hotel St.

Take a load off

Downtown is definitely not a sitting-friendly place; many establishments are designed to discourage parking yourself for a few moments. Here are a couple of places to defeat the forces that would rather you keep moving.

9. Hawaii Times Building. Down one circular flight of stairs in Hono-lulu's first fire-proof building, there's a resting place next to a gurgling fountain and a blue tile, red brick and black lava rock pool. Above, there's a great view of the historic buildings across the street and passing clouds. 928 Nu'uanu Ave.

10. Stangenwald Building. For some reason, no one actually sits in the welcoming settee opposite the original elevator in Honolulu's first high-rise. Someone put it there; make use of it. 119 Merchant St.

11. State Library courtyard. Here's one place where you definitely won't get rousted. Grab a book from the stacks, settle into one of the wooden tables in the fresh air and spend the whole afternoon if you like. 478 S. King St.

A bit of greenery

It's not really all concrete; it just seems that way. There are patches of greenery and open space here and there.

12. Amfac Japanese Garden. The best kept horticulture secret in Honolulu. On top of the Amfac parking garage is a well-kept Japanese landscape with winding, wooden paths, stone benches, wooden arbors and great views of Honolulu Harbor and beyond. Take the parking elevators to the sixth floor and walk up one flight of stairs to discover the secret. 700 Bishop St.

13. The Alan Davis park at Kamehameha V Post Office is one of those places where the sun never shines. Surrounded on all sides by high-rises, it's dark, damp and not all that inviting. All the more reasons to sit down with your back to the parking garage and contemplate the half-dozen royal palms planted in 1843 on the site of Honolulu's first custom house. 46 Merchant St.

This and that

Downtown Honolulu is full of surprises. You never know what you're going to find, if you keep your eyes and your mind open. There are little dramas, concerts and stories going on every day. These are some of our favorite discoveries:

14. On Bishop Square, on the mauka side of Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, there's a large tree stump with its own historical marker. The tree is said to be the first algaroba or acacia tree (planted in 1828, no word on when it was cut down), and it's said to be the father of all kiawe plants in Hawai'i. Some legacy. 1184 Bishop St.

15. Zen Care, tucked away in a covered alley between Merchant and Beretania streets, offers $1-a-minute massage for those really on the run. This is get-to-the-point massage, the kind that grabs your muscles hard and literally tries to pull the problems right out of your body. Maybe the best buy in all of downtown. 212 Merchant St.

16. The pedestrian bridge over Nu'uanu Stream. In Eastern philosophy, bridges are places of transition from one world to another. If you're trying to escape one place, you need a bridge to the next. A spot in the middle of the bridge offers the best chance for open space in all of Honolulu. There are sweeping views of the mountains and Honolulu Harbor, and a great chance to turn your back on downtown. River Street, between Beretania and Kukui streets.