Wood Craft
BILL CLINTON, filmmaker Spike Lee, Yankees star Derek jeter and Ben Wood all hit New York's gridlocked Times Square June 28. Guess which one was pickpocketed. Yep, the rube from the islands. No streetwise "Broadway" Ben he. I was victimized after watching a matinee of "Chicago," a great musical, at the Shubert Theater. After the show, I bought a ticket for "Fosse," another fabulous musical. Walking up 45th street after the matinee, I bought fruit from a vendor. That's the last I saw of my wallet containing Visa and Neiman marcus cards, my drivers license, about $400, three blank checks, etc. Officer Stuart Schub of the 77th Precinct spoke warmly of Jack Lord as he took my complaint ... Bob and Ray save the day
Burns has Italy project
After being pickpocketed away from home, you need a friend. So I called Ray Bickson, G.M. of the Mark Hotel, whose parents I have known for years. Ray came through like a champ. He provided me with cash and invited me to dinner at his hotel, a jewel in Georg Rafael's group. The Mark's master sommelier isformer islander Richard Dean. The next night, I went to "Fosse" and ran into Robert "Bob" Burns in the men's room. Bob, who turned 70 July 5, is one of the top hotel men in the world. he put the Kahala Hilton on the map before founding Regent International Hotels, which he sold for a bundle. He was also in charge of rebuilding and opening the "new" halekulani. Bob said he saw me enter the theater but lost me in the crowd and looked all over for me before going to the john. He invited me for dinner after the show and again the following night with Ray and Ray's assistant manager, Birgit Zorniger, and Janice Lam. We had cocktails at Bob's 5th Avenue apartment, which takes up the entire floor of one of New York's most prestigious addresses across from Central park. A CD by Irmgard Aluli and Puamana was playing as Bob talked of his latest project. He's turning a villa where mussolini lived for a time at Italy's Lake Garda into an ultra luxurious hotel. bob, smiling, said, "It will just be place to invite old pals to sit back, drink wine and eat fish from the lake." Bob praised Ray, who had worked for the Regent chain, saying, "I think you've done a fantastic job. I'm so proud of you." He also spoke of old Kahala hands such as Alicia Antonio, Kay Ahearn, Charlie Goodness, Martin Wyss, Danny Kaleikini and Sue Fujii Hill, among others, and Patty Tam , G.M. of the Halekulani, whom he hired there. He said Wes Park and Bob Midkiff were recent visitors ...
I SAW former isle P.R. women Babs Harrison and Darian Robin in San Francisco. Babs still represents Sheila Donnelly's firm and Darian is a USA Today advertising exec based in L.A. I reached ex-islanders Anne Holt and Vern "Bully" Windrath by phone. Anne said Don Timbie, who supervised the restoration of the Moana and S.F.'s Palace hotels and managed the Palace until recently, is now G.M. of the Argent in S.F.
Big Kahuna's in town
on Wednesday, Big Kahuna and the Copa Cat pack start dishing up Hawaiian swing at Tropics at the hilton. The big Kahuna is Matt Catingub, who has a groovy band of cats and one gal singer, Ginai. Matt is awesome. He plays a mean piano, wails on the sax and sings swing, jazz and blues. I flipped over his "Kahuna" CD. "Blue Hawaii," "Pearly Shells" "I'll Remember You," "Hukilau," "The Blues" and "At the Copa" are favorites. Believe me, Tropics is going to jump ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com