HONG KONG TOUR: DAY
3
If Kowloon offers insight into the traditional Chinese character of HK, then the Central District and the surrounding areas of Hong Kong Island are a commentary on the favorite modern pastimes of the locals here: consumption and innovation. Ever-flowing traffic, muscular buildings and scads of shops are encountered at every turn.
The Central District, where the Star Ferry alights, is close to the waterfront and houses many hotels (the Mandarin and Landmark Mandarin among them), shopping malls (the posh IFC), department stores (Lane Crawford) and alleys that teem with small shops (Shanghai Tang, Blanc de Chine). It’s worth spending the first part of the morning poking around this area. By foot is the best way to go—this allows for lots of opportunities to gaze at the buildings. Landmarks include I.M. Pei’s geometric Bank of China, Sir Norman Foster’s robotic HSBC Building, the porthole-strewn Jardine House and what is now the tallest building in Hong Kong, the soaring International Financial Center by Cesar Pelli of the U.S.
Moving away from the water, follow Queen’s Road until it hits the escalator—an impossible to miss landmark that ferries locals up the steep, San Francisco-like hills that slant toward the Peak above. Poke around the side streets here in the area known as Mid-Levels. Old tea houses, dusty antique shops and Sino-influenced fashion boutiques rub shoulders with eateries specializing in egg noodles with pork and dumplings, roasted goose and the like. Dim sum fanatics can point, choose and try to elicit smiles from the gruff wait staff at the stuck-in-the-70s-and-charming-for-it Luk Yu Tea House.
Wander a block over to Wellington Street and follow it down until you hit a market. Lychees, morning glory, star garoupa, cockles, frogs, orchids—you can get it all here. The same roads which house the market are also famous for noodle and dumpling houses, and the best strategy for a non-native speaker is to always follow the crowds. Density is to your advantage, and if you alight in the right store you could sample Beijing-style dumplings with pork and cabbage or fish balls lashed with orange zest and thickly ground black pepper in broth.
Hollywood Road links the Mid-Levels area with Hong Kong’s version of SoHo—South of Hollywood Road. This neighborhood is chock-a-block full with creative fashion, high-end art, jazzy cafés and urbane martini bars. Sight-seeing enters the picture in the form of the slightly dank, red and gold-hued Man Mo Temple, dating back to 1840 and thick with sandalwood incense. The temple also links up to the former Cat Street (the name comes from the brothels once here), now called Upper Lascar Row, where vendors hawk old photos, Mao memorabilia, antique furniture and lots of Sino-kitsch. Check out The Green Lantern for Oriental reproductions and housewares then squeeze into Buttonhole for women’s vintage inspired style. Leather aficionados should bypass the big name brands to collect handcrafted handbags and wallets in a rainbow of vibrant hues from Lianca then nip into Spy Henry Lau, a local boy known for his outrageous style. If you are in the market for art, it is worth trawling the area galleries. Top stops include Schoeni, Plum Blossoms and Grotto.
Hungry? These parts house some of the best modern Chinese dining in the world. Yellow Door is a former “private” restaurant where poet and critic Lau Kin Wai serves home-style Cantonese and Szechuan. If you book ahead or make friends with a concierge, you can gain entry to Da Ping Huo, an industrial-sleek bolthole with incendiary Szechuan food and a chef-owner who sings opera after dinner. Finally, Bistro Manchu is a bona fide Sino-bistro with a lusty menu full of Northern Chinese specialties like stir-fried lamb with cumin and chiles.
Next head eastward, to an area equal parts downtown Tokyo, old New York Times Square and timeless Hong Kong. Causeway Bay is a boiling pot of consumer madness just several quick MRT stops from any major hotel. (The MRT is HK’s very useful and convenient underground system.) The area is rich in things old, new, commercial and cultural and takes some footwork to explore, but fashion forward visitors especially will delight in seeing Hong Kong’s street fashion in action, starting at Delay No Mall where the cutting edge is revealed over three ever-changing floors of clothing, frothy cappuccinos and rap star worthy bling. Irreverent innovators keep things creative and not too serious at local home wares brand G.O.D. where Hong Kong goes to find quirky kitchen items and wacky wallets. Across the street, you’ll find Japan’s Muji, as notable for their pre-packaged Asian treats like sweet potato chips as for classic tote bags, functional yet chic office supplies and casual wear for men and women. Teen visitors to Hong Kong will delight in the discoveries that await them inside Island Beverly a multistory warren of itsy-bitsy boutiques where local designers interpret catwalk trends. Anyone who can stand more of the same will love heading just next door to the equally intimate boutiques of Fashion Island.
For
more information on Hong
Kong,
contact the Hong Kong Tourism Board, www.discoverhongkong.com.
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HONG KONG INFORMATION |
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All images courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
(Updated: 12/23/11 BLS) |
