Tripler Questions

[Slevin]

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So I'm headed to Hawaii for residency this summer and I have two questions to think of right off the bat.

1) Any advice on housing? Where to live, how much it should cost etc. I'm going to be renting and looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath at the minimum.

2) Cell phone service, which network works the best in the hospital? Verizon or AT&T?

3) Transportation. I'm not going to bring my car with me, I was planning on getting rid of it anyway after school ended since it's getting on in years, so what do people do for transportation on the island do they lease a car, buy a new one? Etc?


I'll probably have more questions as time goes on but that's the first few that I have for now

 

[colbgw02]

So I'm headed to Hawaii for residency this summer and I have two questions to think of right off the bat.

1) Any advice on housing? Where to live, how much it should cost etc. I'm going to be renting and looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath at the minimum.

2) Cell phone service, which network works the best in the hospital? Verizon or AT&T?

3) Transportation. I'm not going to bring my car with me, I was planning on getting rid of it anyway after school ended since it's getting on in years, so what do people do for transportation on the island do they lease a car, buy a new one? Etc?


I'll probably have more questions as time goes on but that's the first few that I have for now

1) I had a pretty extensive post on housing for Tripler folks about 18 months ago. You can try searching my posts if you'd like.

2) If you're happy with what you have now, then the difference isn't significant enough to merit a change. You will probably not get good cell phone reception in the hospital anyway. In general, people seemed happier with Verizon when not at TAMC.

3) Hopefully you realize there is a significant mark-up on cars purchased in Hawai'i. If you're going to buy a new car, then you'll almost certainly save money by buying it before you move and then shipping it on the government's dime. I never leased a car while there, so I don't know if the mark-up applies, but if you decide to lease before you PCS, make sure you're allowed to ship.

Overall, most people did not have good experiences when dealing with O'ahu car dealerships. At most, there will be two or three dealerships for any given make, and if it's a nicer car, then there will be only one. That means the dealerships aren't as inclined to provide good customer service, whether you're buying or having a car serviced, because you have few - if any - options. Sadly, I think this is true of many businesses out there, and it's yet another reason why I think it's advantageous to buy and then ship a vehicle.

 

[Slevin]

Thanks for the response. Now would you know of any good online places to start hunting to places to live? I tried all the standard ones like apartments.com and such and didn't have much luck with them

 

[Apollyon]

Colb is on target with his post. I am civilian and live/work (until tonight) here. The only thing I can add is about the car - $2000 is the breakpoint, as that is what it cost to transport a vehicle here. If your car is worth more than that, ship it. Otherwise, sell it.

Cars last a long time here. As an example, I had an accident in December 2009. My 2001 BMW hit a 1997 Honda, which then hit a 1991 Nissan.

 

[colbgw02]

Thanks for the response. Now would you know of any good online places to start hunting to places to live? I tried all the standard ones like apartments.com and such and didn't have much luck with them

Unfortunately, I don't. I don't think the traditional websites are reliable for Hawaii. More so than many other cities, I think it's difficult to understand the divisions and relationships between different neighborhoods and towns in Honolulu and Oahu without actually laying eyes-on. You may want to consider using an apartment finding service, usually available at no cost to you. Better yet, find a place for just a few months until you get the lay of the land before deciding on a more permanent residence. I was given this same advice when in your shoes. I didn't listen and it cost me dearly, most of all in the wallet.

 

[notdeadyet]

Don't bring a car. You're best off buying an older used car there. Cars run a long time and you're much better off buying an old used beater than buying one new and paying a huge mark-up or paying $2K for shipping something over there that will be a target for thieves.

As for housing, colbgw02 is right for getting the lay of the land before you sign anything for a year. Oahu has very different neighborhoods that you'll have a real visceral reaction to and you need to get a feel for the place before making a decision. Also, although craigslist has taken off in a big way, a lot of stuff in Oahu happens informally and via word of mouth. Trying to sort something out from the mainland means you'll inevitably pay a lot more to get a lot less.

 

[colbgw02]

Don't bring a car. You're best off buying an older used car there. Cars run a long time and you're much better off buying an old used beater than buying one new and paying a huge mark-up or paying $2K for shipping something over there that will be a target for thieves.

The government will ship one vehicle free of charge. Even if he buys a used car, he will still probably come out ahead doing so on the mainland because there is still a local market price increase for used cars. It isn't as significant as with new cars, but it's still there. Besides if he's going to buy an island beater, then he's better off just shipping the car he has.

 

[notdeadyet]

Ah, didn't realize he gets one shipped for free. Scratch that. Take the one you've got.

 

[chemist157]

So I'm headed to Hawaii for residency this summer and I have two questions to think of right off the bat.

1) Any advice on housing? Where to live, how much it should cost etc. I'm going to be renting and looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath at the minimum.

Kailua and Kaneohe have a better commute. Often it's still 30 minutes but it's wide open and not spent sitting in stop-and-go traffic. Housing is more expensive here. I'm in a one br one bath condo for 2k (a bit much b/c the view) but on the Leeward side (makakilo, kapolei) you can get a 3 br house for 2300. However, the commute from there can be very bad. Not terrible if you leave by 6am but terrible on the way home (H1 west) from 4-7. Terrible. 40-60 minutes in standstill traffic often. I had to move it was so bad. It's not worth sitting in traffic for 1.5-2 hours a day when you spend so much time at work.

Leeward is more suburban, windward is older places in Kailua and more townhouses in Kaneohe.

Salt lake and Aiea are closer to Tripler and there are nice places to be found in each with a great commute. Usually apts or townhouses. Some of the houses are dumpy here.

2) Cell phone service, which network works the best in the hospital? Verizon or AT&T?

Verizon. But not by a huge margin. I've had both.

3) Transportation. I'm not going to bring my car with me, I was planning on getting rid of it anyway after school ended since it's getting on in years, so what do people do for transportation on the island do they lease a car, buy a new one? Etc?
If it's reliable, let the gov't pay to ship it then dump it or sell it cheap when you leave island. Do whatever costs less because they will only pay 1K to ship it to/from one of (i think) 5 locations. If you are outside of that you will pay another 1K unless you road trip and drive it yourself to that port.

I'll probably have more questions as time goes on but that's the first few that I have for now

 

[colbgw02]

Do whatever costs less because they will only pay 1K to ship it to/from one of (i think) 5 locations. If you are outside of that you will pay another 1K unless you road trip and drive it yourself to that port.

This was not the case as of last summer. They will pay the cost to ship it between two VPCs regardless of their locations around the world, assuming that's what your orders call for. I have even known people ship from the Honolulu VPC and pick up in Germany.

It is true that it's up to you to get the vehicle to the VPC and then from the VPC to your duty station. In Hawaii, that's relatively easy, because the VPC is in Honolulu (Sand Island). On the mainland, it's more difficult, but there are 13 VPCs in the continental U.S. (not five). You can also claim the mileage to the VPC on your travel voucher once you sign in, assuming that it's above a threshold, which is exactly what I did for my last PCS. Like many things vis-a-vis PCSing, you will have to front the cost, but it should eventually be reimbursed to you.

 

[Apollyon]

Not terrible if you leave by 6am but terrible on the way home (H1 west) from 4-7.

Until I lost my job yesterday (hospital closed down), when I worked days, I got on at exit 5, and went downtown (past Tripler). If I left at 0610, I made it fine. If I left at 0615, I was stuck in morning traffic. It was that tight. Go figure.

 

[colbgw02]

Until I lost my job yesterday (hospital closed down), when I worked days, I got on at exit 5, and went downtown (past Tripler). If I left at 0610, I made it fine. If I left at 0615, I was stuck in morning traffic. It was that tight. Go figure.

Which hospital, if you don't mind me asking? Was it HMC West/St. Francis West?

 

[Apollyon]

Which hospital, if you don't mind me asking? Was it HMC West/St. Francis West?

Hawaii Medical Center went down, so it was East and West. The whole kit and caboodle went in the dumper.

 

[colbgw02]

Hawaii Medical Center went down, so it was East and West. The whole kit and caboodle went in the dumper.

Sorry to hear about that. Was this a long time coming, or did they hit you with it out of the blue? It seems like with the growth in the Kapolei area that there would still be a niche for people not wanting to drive into Aiea or town.

Very non-sequitur of me, but I remember a few years ago when ATA Airlines folded with, quite literally, no warning. There were passengers at the gate at HNL expecting to get on flights, boarding passes in hand, when they were told the airline no longer existed.

 

[Apollyon]

Sorry to hear about that. Was this a long time coming, or did they hit you with it out of the blue? It seems like with the growth in the Kapolei area that there would still be a niche for people not wanting to drive into Aiea or town.

Very non-sequitur of me, but I remember a few years ago when ATA Airlines folded with, quite literally, no warning. There were passengers at the gate at HNL expecting to get on flights, boarding passes in hand, when they were told the airline no longer existed.

The president of the group never told any applicants in the past nearly 3 years that the hospitals were bankrupt. The wind-down was supposed to be ED last; instead, the EDs were shut down first. Then I see the group president on the TV news at an Urgent Care, stating "we'd like to help" (without any indication that she was on the other side; seemed a bit shifty). There's talk of HPH (Straub, Kap, Pali Momi and Wilcox) buying West. Transplant is moving to Queen's, and they're asking for expedited federal approval.

"It's not show friends, it's show business" - except just, somehow, take "show" out of it.

 

[chemist157]

This was not the case as of last summer. They will pay the cost to ship it between two VPCs regardless of their locations around the world, assuming that's what your orders call for. I have even known people ship from the Honolulu VPC and pick up in Germany.

It is true that it's up to you to get the vehicle to the VPC and then from the VPC to your duty station. In Hawaii, that's relatively easy, because the VPC is in Honolulu (Sand Island). On the mainland, it's more difficult, but there are 13 VPCs in the continental U.S. (not five). You can also claim the mileage to the VPC on your travel voucher once you sign in, assuming that it's above a threshold, which is exactly what I did for my last PCS. Like many things vis-a-vis PCSing, you will have to front the cost, but it should eventually be reimbursed to you.

I stand corrected. I know for my move, I was coming from the midwest and had to drive 10 hours to St. Louis (that was the closest). I was reimbursed for mileage and such but I shipped early so I wouldn't have to wait for my vehicle and get a rental car in Honolulu for a month and had to pay for a night's stay at a hotel and my flight back home. I don't believe they reimburse for any of these extra expenses (rental car at home or honolulu, hotel, etc).

 

[colbgw02]

I stand corrected. I know for my move, I was coming from the midwest and had to drive 10 hours to St. Louis (that was the closest). I was reimbursed for mileage and such but I shipped early so I wouldn't have to wait for my vehicle and get a rental car in Honolulu for a month and had to pay for a night's stay at a hotel and my flight back home. I don't believe they reimburse for any of these extra expenses (rental car at home or honolulu, hotel, etc).

Did you claim those expenses on your travel voucher? I had an expensive taxi ride from the airport to the VPC for my last PCS, and I was able to get that reimbursed. Besides, even if they don't explicitly pay for those expenses, they should have given you a dislocation allowance, which is designed to cover such costs. I agree that it's a tremendous pain in the butt, though. Tremendous.

FWIW, if you're PCSing to Hawaii - for example - Carlson Wagonlit is supposed to cut your plane tickets from one of two places: either your current duty station or from your designated VPC. In theory, you could have arranged it so that you drove your car to St. Louis and then got on a plane to go to your OCONUS duty station. You're also typically allowed to drive your POV to any VPC that is considered closer to your new duty assignment. For instance, if moving to Hawaii, you could have opted to drive to the Los Angeles VPC. This is a difficult process to coordinate, so sometimes it's nice to know all of the options.

BTW, all of this applies if you're already on active duty. I'm not sure if they have special rules for people coming onto AD.

 

[a1qwerty55]

So I'm headed to Hawaii for residency this summer and I have two questions to think of right off the bat.

1) Any advice on housing? Where to live, how much it should cost etc. I'm going to be renting and looking for a 2 bedroom 2 bath at the minimum.

2) Cell phone service, which network works the best in the hospital? Verizon or AT&T?

3) Transportation. I'm not going to bring my car with me, I was planning on getting rid of it anyway after school ended since it's getting on in years, so what do people do for transportation on the island do they lease a car, buy a new one? Etc?


I'll probably have more questions as time goes on but that's the first few that I have for now

1. Housing - choose the neighborhood over amenities - don't be coaxed into living out west because you get more house, and then dealing with the commute among other problems. If single - condos downtown honolulu are nice, if married, look at the windward side (even if you have to live in a shack) - it is Hawaii after all so what is wrong with a "little grass shack". On post isn't bad either since you get a ready made community and the commute isn't usually an issue.

2. Cell phones - none work reliably in the hospital.

3. Ditch the car if it is a beater and buy or lease - some are talking about how expensive cars are... not sure I agree - ignore the island mark up, it is usually pretty easily negotiated away - if you don't believe me, select a car - fax the Edmund's price you are willing to pay before moving out and see if they will sell you one... odds are they will.

Good luck - I have a lot of friends at Tripler who are happy.

Lastly, rumor has it that you can ship a second car Space - A, I have no personal experience with that but I think if you push the travel people who don't like to share this info, it can be done. You can ship a boat as well interestingly.....

 

[Slevin]

Thanks for all the great responses. If you have any other advice on living in Hawaii, please let me know.

 

[bleeker10]

Thanks for all the great responses. If you have any other advice on living in Hawaii, please let me know.

You probably don't need to keep your ice scraper if you get a new car........haha just giving ya a hard time. Congrats again on matching there

 

[Slevin]

You probably don't need to keep your ice scraper if you get a new car........haha just giving ya a hard time. Congrats again on matching there

Let me rephrase that, I appreciate more helpful information

 

[colbgw02]

3. Ditch the car if it is a beater and buy or lease - some are talking about how expensive cars are... not sure I agree - ignore the island mark up, it is usually pretty easily negotiated away - if you don't believe me, select a car - fax the Edmund's price you are willing to pay before moving out and see if they will sell you one... odds are they will.

It's true that the dealers are quick to forego the local mark-up, but that's also part of the problem. They use that as a chip in the game, so it's harder for you to get them to budge on other negotiating points. It's as if you're playing 5-card draw, but they get to have 6 cards just because of where they're located. I'll admit that I'm not the best at negotiating of car buying, so I'm sure others have gotten much better deals than I did.

 

[Bornforcutting]

I am interested in 2 bedrooms Condo in Honolulu area/downtown. Can you guy recommend apartment names or temp. lease apartment for a month or two before I enter full lease. what about Apts in Ala Moana? Should I use relator or drive around myself to find apts? Thanks

 

[DD214_DOC]

Trust the advice you get here. I initially settled in Ewa Beach (Leeward). It was nice when I was off, but the commute sucked so bad I got out of the lease. Utilities on the leeward side are also insane; I was paying $300 - $450 per month in electric alone and that's while keeping my A/C set to 79. I was at my BAH for a 1300 sq ft 4 BR 2.5 BA with a 1-1.5 hr commute each way every day.

The windward side is more expensive, but you don't need your A/C over there. If you're white, you should avoid living anywhere that begins with a, "W". Also, Kailua is probably the most Haole town on the island.

One piece of advice; do not ignore base housing. The Army built a lot of brand-new housing in AMR and Fort Shafter that's actually pretty nice. I moved into one and it's a steal considering what I paid in Ewa. Nearly twice the size and I can keep my A/C on 73.

 

[Apollyon]

If you're white, you should avoid living anywhere that begins with a, "W".

My N=1, but I live in Waipahu. I am in Little Manila, have Micronesians living next to me, and it is docile. I've been here 2 1/2 years. I worked in Wai'anae for 9 months, and never got any abuse - AT ALL. Never.

Only once have I been verbally abused for being white - and that was by drunk US Marines, in town at the Aloha Tower.

 

[DD214_DOC]

My N=1, but I live in Waipahu. I am in Little Manila, have Micronesians living next to me, and it is docile. I've been here 2 1/2 years. I worked in Wai'anae for 9 months, and never got any abuse - AT ALL. Never.

Only once have I been verbally abused for being white - and that was by drunk US Marines, in town at the Aloha Tower.

Well, this was advice given to me. The only thing ever to happen to me was some 12 year old local kid tell me that the L&L Drive-In was, "for Asians only" as I was about to walk in; all I did was ignore him and go in anyway. In retrospect, maybe it was just good advice because the food was terrible.

It seems as long as you don't try to act local, people will leave you alone.

As for cars, we bought a brand-new vehicle a few months ago. We paid about what you'd pay on the mainland. I suck at negotiating so I have no idea if it was a good deal or not. In all honesty, my next vehicle will probably be a lease if I can time it right; ending the lease around the time you PCS would be awesome.

 

[colbgw02]

Well, this was advice given to me. The only thing ever to happen to me was some 12 year old local kid tell me that the L&L Drive-In was, "for Asians only" as I was about to walk in; all I did was ignore him and go in anyway. In retrospect, maybe it was just good advice because the food was terrible.

I see this person displayed the education that only the Hawaii public school system can provide, since he apparently doesn't know the difference between Asians and Polynesians.

 

[chemist157]

Did you claim those expenses on your travel voucher? I had an expensive taxi ride from the airport to the VPC for my last PCS, and I was able to get that reimbursed. Besides, even if they don't explicitly pay for those expenses, they should have given you a dislocation allowance, which is designed to cover such costs. I agree that it's a tremendous pain in the butt, though. Tremendous.

FWIW, if you're PCSing to Hawaii - for example - Carlson Wagonlit is supposed to cut your plane tickets from one of two places: either your current duty station or from your designated VPC. In theory, you could have arranged it so that you drove your car to St. Louis and then got on a plane to go to your OCONUS duty station. You're also typically allowed to drive your POV to any VPC that is considered closer to your new duty assignment. For instance, if moving to Hawaii, you could have opted to drive to the Los Angeles VPC. This is a difficult process to coordinate, so sometimes it's nice to know all of the options.

BTW, all of this applies if you're already on active duty. I'm not sure if they have special rules for people coming onto AD.

It's a moot point now but I'm curious...I was coming straight off of HPSP so it may have been different. If I had shipped directly from VPC my vehicle would have taken anywhere from 1-2 months to arrive (depending on when they are shipping the lot) to Hawaii. I wouldn't get reimbursed for a rental car in Honolulu for 1-2 months would I? It seemed like the lesser of two less-than-ideal situations to ship early and pay for a plane ticket home and borrow a car for the month before leaving rather than renting for 1-2 mos.

 

[chemist157]

I see this person displayed the education that only the Hawaii public school system can provide, since he apparently doesn't know the difference between Asians and Polynesians.

On an unrelated note (to the general post but related to your post) do you know of any good elementary schools in or by Aiea? I've heard Pearl Ridge is good but Aiea elementary is not.

In retrospect, when I look back on interactions I have had, the closest thing I have encountered that resembles racism is basically aloofness and the unobtrusive "Defend Hawaii" t-shirts with rifles on them (ridiculous). No one has yet to be overtly racist or offensive to me. It's mostly just not being polite, which happens with haoles too. It's subtle enough that I just ignore it. But then again I am cognizant of where I go. I have heard bad things about Waianae. Driving through there on the way to a hike, along the leeward coast, it's shanty town for part of it and tent villiage with "haole go home" spray painted. I'd stay away from there. Waipahu seems pretty decent though and I know a couple of physicians that live there and they like it and have no troubles. I've heard don't go further west than Ko'Olina and you should be fine (as far as local/haole issues go...traffic wise you'll still be screwed).

 

[notdeadyet]

Personally, I saw lot more racism from folks in uniform against the locals than the locals agains the folks in uniform. Things are a lot better than they used to be, largely because the military has done a pretty good job of getting servicemembers to stop treating Oahu as a toilet bowl, which was pretty much the way it was for years. Oahu was viewed and treated as some odd permission zone, as if you were stationed abroad.

 

[colbgw02]

It's a moot point now but I'm curious...I was coming straight off of HPSP so it may have been different. If I had shipped directly from VPC my vehicle would have taken anywhere from 1-2 months to arrive (depending on when they are shipping the lot) to Hawaii. I wouldn't get reimbursed for a rental car in Honolulu for 1-2 months would I? It seemed like the lesser of two less-than-ideal situations to ship early and pay for a plane ticket home and borrow a car for the month before leaving rather than renting for 1-2 mos.

I'm not sure, honestly. It doesn't hurt to ask, i.e. put it on the travel voucher. Hopefully you got the DLA, which is designed to cover PCS expenses not specifically reimbursed.

Hopefully your vehicle shipment didn't take nearly as long as the estimate. The time allotments listed in the paperwork are longer than the length they give you at drop-off, and both of them ended up being appreciably longer than actual transit time both times I shipped.

 

[colbgw02]

On an unrelated note (to the general post but related to your post) do you know of any good elementary schools in or by Aiea? I've heard Pearl Ridge is good but Aiea elementary is not.

I'm sorry; I don't. I lived on the Windward side, so I'm unfamiliar with the schools in that area. The only public school systems I ever heard anyone speak kindly of were in Mililani and Hawaii Kai. Everyone else did private or home school, even as early as preschool.

 

[Slevin]

So if you ship your car do they give you a rental until it arrives or do you need to pay that out of pocket

 

[colbgw02]

So if you ship your car do they give you a rental until it arrives or do you need to pay that out of pocket

Out of pocket. Almost all expenses require you to front the cash and get reimbursed later. That is, if you're reimbursed at all. Keep your receipts.

 

[Slevin]

Got it thanks!

 

[Slevin]

Quick question are non military med students allowed to rotate at Tripler?

 

[DD214_DOC]

Quick question are non military med students allowed to rotate at Tripler?

Yes, I see UH students rotating through IM all the time. There is also some DO school on the mainland with, inexplicably, rotations here as well. None were HPSP