Yesterday’s business meeting was held in a room that looked out on the indigo and aqua Pacific. The water was filled with surfers, swimmers, para-sailors, catamarans and windsurfers. Shifting your gaze slightly gave you an unobstructed view of Diamond Head and then length of Waikiki Beach. Distracting: a bit (although the meeting only ran over by about 30 minutes, which was the amount of time the group spent out on the lanai marveling at the view). Would I have traded it for a view of the gritty, slushy streets of Philadelphia: not on your life.

Observations about Waikiki Beach - the last time I was here was 20 years ago. Although I'm sure there has been construction and renovation since then, it looks much the same as it did in the mid-80s. Some of the hotels have changed hands, and there are a few more upscale stores on the main street, but overall it has the aura of another time. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is the same salmon pink shade, there is still an ABC store on every street corner (and in the middle of most blocks as well), the waves are gentle but the sharp rocks still lie just under the surface, Ala Moana Park is filled with joggers and the homeless.

The hotel we're in is frozen in a 1960s timewarp of what a Hawaiian hotel should look like. Tacky sculptures that look vaguely beach-ish line the lobby and the areas around the elevators. The halls are narrow and poorly lit. Our room has a breathtaking view, but also sports worn, stained carpet and about 7 different styles of mismatched furniture that appears to have been picked up at a yard sale. Sheraton would do well to invest some money in refurbishing this old place. Of course, the same could be said for any of us who have reached a certain age.