Look, this isn't some novel issue; it’s a cycle that repeats year after year, not just on Maui, but in a thousand little towns all across California. As long as church bells are allowed to wake up tourists in the early morning, they might as well go ahead and ban walking through the center of "town"—and I use quotes there because, let's be honest, Maui isn't really a city; it's more of a tiny village, a cute little spot filled with old stone buildings that perhaps functioned as a city back in the Middle Ages, but today it's nothing more than a tourist trap. Next, they'll probably try to ban drinking alcohol in public spaces, insisting everyone patronize "diverse establishments with an extensive selection" instead.
The whole concept strikes me as ridiculous. People don't travel to Maui looking for "museums" or "high culture." They come for the ocean and the relaxation. There is infinitely more culture to be found in the major European cities these travelers are coming from. Besides, if someone happens to strip down (or just stay in their swimwear) in a park or by a river in the middle of Chicago, nobody thinks twice about it, no one is shocked, and nobody feels threatened. It's summer; people swim and sunbathe, which is perfectly normal behavior. New York allows men and women to walk through the city center shirtless, yet compared to a metropolis like New York, Maui acts like a den of debauchery.
Not to mention how, in the center of almost every city in Europe, people stroll around in the summer wearing shorts, tank tops, and all sorts of non-traditional clothing without anyone batting an eye.
Bottom line: dear Maui, you aren't getting my money.
The whole concept strikes me as ridiculous. People don't travel to Maui looking for "museums" or "high culture." They come for the ocean and the relaxation. There is infinitely more culture to be found in the major European cities these travelers are coming from. Besides, if someone happens to strip down (or just stay in their swimwear) in a park or by a river in the middle of Chicago, nobody thinks twice about it, no one is shocked, and nobody feels threatened. It's summer; people swim and sunbathe, which is perfectly normal behavior. New York allows men and women to walk through the city center shirtless, yet compared to a metropolis like New York, Maui acts like a den of debauchery.
Not to mention how, in the center of almost every city in Europe, people stroll around in the summer wearing shorts, tank tops, and all sorts of non-traditional clothing without anyone batting an eye.
Bottom line: dear Maui, you aren't getting my money.