City Hall Satellite Office

19 years ago it was just a small retail space tucked in the basement of Ala Moana Shopping Center. There was so little foot traffic that the City of Honolulu sold T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other tchotchkes to attract passersby.

Yesterday I had to make an in-person tax payment and walked by it, thinking it was a popular restaurant; there was a lady behind a maitre d' stand who appeared to be taking reservations. At the end of the sidewalk was Macy's, so I back-tracked and took another look.

The Honolulu City Hall Satellite Office has grown from its humble confines to a space equal to the major banks. In fact, it looks like a bank with eight (8) teller stations behind bullet proof glass.

After my business concluded efficiently, I asked the appointment lady where I could buy a City of Honolulu cap. Sorry, we don't sell those things any more. That's progress.