HONOLULU Honolulu is famous for golden sand beaches and big waves. But the citys warehouse district, called Kakaako, is famous for a different sort of attraction. You wont find kitschy Hawaiian souvenir shops or hordes of tourists here, but you will find a thriving urban arts scene, with colorful street murals so big they stretch across walls and sometimes entire sides of buildings.

In one mural, a skeleton with a surfboard in tow flashes the shaka, a Hawaiian hand-greeting. In another, a snarling panda ferociously snaps its jaws near a doe-eyed maiden. A third shows a banana in grass skirts dancing a hula with a talking pineapple.

Kakaako sits between Honolulus downtown and the touristy Waikiki. In ancient times, the area was home to a native Hawaiian fishing village.

In the 20th century, the area industrialized, with warehouses, auto repair shops and car dealerships. The neighborhood has declined in recent years as landowners struggled to find ways to utilize its prime real estate, smack in the middle of Honolulu.

It wasnt until 2011 that Honolulu artist Jasper Wong sought to revitalize the area with urban art. Wong created a group called POW!WOW! Hawaii with the goal of beautifying Kakaako and bringing people together through art.

Artists from around the globe participated, painting murals on walls across the decaying neighborhood.

Wong says the art represents a unique local style, mixing the elaborate urban graffiti seen in places like Brooklyn, Miami, Tokyo and London with Hawaiian cultural influences and Asian anime. Its also a far cry from the graffiti-tagging that once plagued the neighborhood.

One of the more powerful murals covers the sides of a building near a popular gym, the UFC Gym at 805 Pohukaina St. The faces of Hawaiian royalty King David Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani appear on the wall in a swirling mist of fantasy, history, and social commentary. It was created by native Hawaiian artists Solomon Enos and John Prime Hina along with mainland artist Gaia.

For vacationers, the neighborhoods edgy vibe and urban art offer an appealing alternative to Oahus better-known attractions sunny days at the beach or trips to historic sites like Pearl Harbor.

Teens may especially relate to the vivid anime themes, while older viewers will appreciate the areas Banksy sensibility yet all the art can be seen outside the confines of a traditional museum.

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Street art, not beaches, in Honolulus Kakaako