The Cab Phone @ Aloha Tower

This phone skips coins entirely.

Before cell phones ruled the world, Hawaii kept its pay phones – and still does. Near the Art Deco Aloha Tower, which greeted ocean liners as Hawaii’s tallest building from 1926 until the 1960s, sits a phone that can take you places; literally. Pick up the receiver and you’re connected straight to TheCAB dispatcher at 422-2222. The lei-adorned booth is a relic of practical hospitality: no quarters needed, just lift and ride.

The location is fitting. For nearly a century, Aloha Tower has served as Hawaii’s greeter, welcoming millions of passengers arriving by sea. When ships docked during the era of ocean travel, entire crowds gathered for festive “Boat Day” celebrations, greeting newcomers with music, leis, and a spirit of aloha that could bring Honolulu to a standstill. Built in 1926, the 184-foot tower was Hawaii’s first true skyscraper, its four clock faces visible for miles across land and sea. It even stood watch over Honolulu Harbor during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, witnessing one of the most consequential days in Hawaiian history.

Today, while ocean liners no longer define island arrivals, this free taxi phone carries on the same tradition: making sure visitors receive a warm Hawaiian welcome from the moment they arrive.