Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Last year I missed the Chinese New Year market in Victoria Park. This year, I was back again with a vengeance, making the trip two nights in a row.

Stepping out of the MTR station on the first night, the streets were literally overflowing with people. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Causeway Bay more crowded.

Jumping into the fray, I cut a path straight towards Victoria Park, the site of the yearly market.

What’s the attraction? Why is it worth visiting? Why go back every year? (more…)

Every year at exactly the same time something changes on the city’s streets. Just past New Year’s Eve, taxis, normally everywhere, suddenly become scarce commodities (or at least pretend to be!)

What happens next? (more…)

Standing at the top of Lan Kwai Fong, watching the wind whip the rain down the famous nightlife street. Believe it or not, a few places were still open, as was Tsui Wah in Causeway Bay!

For a year or two, I sort of put this out of my mind. Scooting up the escalator, it no longer makes my blood boil as it once did when it was first installed around five years ago. But that doesn’t mean I don’t catch a glimpse every now and then that doesn’t re-ignite my fury.

Yesterday was one of those days! (more…)

the scene last Friday in the Drum N Bass room at Cliq

For years we’ve endured smokey clubs until the wee hours of the morning and the collateral damage – second hand smoke, smelly clothes, and smokey hair. But July marked the end of smoking (at least legally,) inside Hong Kong’s bars and nightclubs. On behalf of our lungs, hair and clothes – thank you!

Now the question is – will it be enforced? (more…)

When Hong Kong supermarket chain Wellcome began offering a rewards program tied to a shopper’s Octopus card, things got a little weird. (more…)

There are a few cool cut-away views along the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator that make for interesting photos. I was walking down the pathway yesterday when I looked to my left, somewhere between Wellington Street and Queens Road.

The alley below contains outdoor food stalls, but all you can see is a patchwork of colors from the ramshackle umbrellas they use to protect their tables. Having just rained, the view was particularly vibrant and stunning. As far as the eye can see you have a collection of different awnings and tarps strung together.

Hong Kong is filled with such scenes of unintentional beauty. (more…)

Are we talking about the same city here? Sunday afternoon I stopped by the first Living Room Crafts Market held at Sense 99, a lounge on Wellington Street in Central. What I saw when I arrived totally caught me by surprise! (more…)

Most people associate Chinese New Year with spending time with family, visiting relatives and catching up with close friends. But every year, part of the fun occurs when these normal home gatherings get transformed into make-shift casinos! (more…)

Last Wednesday I attended a traditional Chinese New Year dinner organized by fashion designer William Tang. The celebration, which he hosts every year, takes place in the Tang family ancestral hall that dates back 700 years! (more…)