The neighborhoods!
I began to write this post in earnest, but as a nod to Labor Day, in which we honor this nation’s Protestant work ethic by veging and lamenting the passing of summer, I ended up just basically cutting n’ pasting the following directly from this helpful link from Frommer’s.
Added editorial commentary where appropriate below.
Hong Kong Island
Central District
This is where the story of Hong Kong all began, when a small port and community were established on the north end of the island by the British in the 1840s. Named “Victoria” in honor of the British queen, the community quickly grew into one of Asia’s most important financial and business districts, with godowns (waterfront warehouses) lining the harbor. Today the area known as the Central District but usually referred to simply as “Central” remains Hong Kong’s nerve center for banking, business, and administration. If there is a heart of Hong Kong, it surely lies here, but there are few traces remaining of its colonial past.
The Central District boasts glass and steel high-rises representing some of Hong Kong’s most innovative architecture, some of the city’s most posh hotels, expensive shopping centers filled with designer shops, office buildings, and restaurants and bars catering to Hong Kong’s white-collar workers, primarily in the nightlife districts known as Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo. Although hotel choices in Central are limited to upper-range hotels, staying here makes you feel like a resident yourself, as you rub elbows with the well-dressed professional crowds who work in Central’s office buildings. Banks are so important to the Central District that their impact is highly visible — the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, designed by British architect Norman Foster, and the Bank of China Tower, designed by I. M. Pei, are just two examples of modern architecture that dramatically transformed the Central District’s skyline in the 1980s. Hong Kong’s tallest building is the 88-story International Finance Centre, which towers above Hong Kong Station and the ifc mall shopping complex near the Central Ferry Piers.
Yet Central is also packed with traditional Chinese restaurants, outdoor markets, and the neon signs of family-run businesses. Trams — certainly one of Hong Kong’s most endearing sights — chug their way straight through Central. There are also oases of greenery at Chater Garden — popular with office workers for a lunchtime break — the Botanical Gardens, and Hong Kong Park with its museum of teaware, housed in Hong Kong’s oldest colonial-age building.
[Note: Central is where all the celebrity skyscrapers — like IM Pei's Bank of China Tower and Sir Norman Foster's HSBC Main Building — sit]
Lan Kwai Fong
Named after an L-shaped street in Central, this is Hong Kong’s premier nightlife and entertainment district, occupying not only Lan Kwai Fong but also neighboring streets like D’Aguilar, Wyndham, and other hillside streets. Filled with restaurants and bars in all price categories but popular mostly with people in their 20s and 30s, it’s a fun place to spend an evening.
[Note: LKF is the expat playground for all the British and American banker-types in HK, full of alfresco bars and pubs. OK, you have been warned!]
Victoria Peak
Hong Kong’s most famous mountaintop, Victoria Peak has long been Hong Kong’s most exclusive address. Cooler than the steamy streets of Central below, Victoria Peak, often called simply The Peak, was the exclusive domain of the British and other Europeans — even nannies had to have the governor’s permission to go there, and the only way up was by sedan carried by coolies or by hiking. Today, Victoria Peak is much more easily reached by the Peak Tram and affords Hong Kong’s best views of Central, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon. In fact, the view is nothing short of stunning. Also on The Peak are shops, restaurants, and multimillion-dollar mansions, glimpses of which can be had on a circular 1-hour walk around The Peak.
[Note: To be enjoyed solely for the view of Victoria Harbour on one side, and the South China Sea on the other — otherwise, it is a tourist trap with dodgy food options]
Mid-Levels
Located above Central on the slope of Victoria Peak, the Mid-Levels has long been a popular residential area for Hong Kong’s yuppies and expatriate community. Though not as posh as the villas on The Peak, its swank apartment buildings, grand sweeping views, lush vegetation, and slightly cooler temperatures make it a much-sought-after address. To serve the army of white-collar workers who commute down to Central every day, the world’s longest escalator links the Mid-Levels with Central, an ambitious project with 20-some escalators and moving sidewalks (all free) stretching a half-mile (you can board and exit as you wish).
[Note: The Mid-Levels is indeed where the bougie upper-middle class of HK live. The winding set of escalators that take you up from Central are worth exploring if you have some time (be aware that they are directed downhill during the morning rush hour, and flip uphill midway thru the day), but note that there's not a whole to do once you get all the way to the top except to walk back down]
SoHo
This relatively new dining and nightlife district, flanking the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator that connects Central with the Mid-Levels, is popular with area residents and those seeking a quieter, saner alternative to the crowds of Lan Kwai Fong. Dubbed SoHo for the region “south of Hollywood Road,” it has since blossomed into an ever-growing neighborhood of cafe-bars and intimate restaurants specializing in ethnic and innovative cuisine, making SoHo one of the most exciting destinations in Hong Kong’s culinary and nightlife map. Most establishments center on Elgin, Shelley, and Staunton streets.
[Note: An expat hideaway like Lan Kwai Fong, but less boozy and a little more sophisticated, esp. in terms of food]
Western District
Located west of the bustling Central District, the Western District is a fascinating neighborhood of Chinese shops and enterprises and is one of the oldest, most traditional areas on Hong Kong Island. Since it’s one of my personal favorites, I’ve spent days wandering its narrow streets and inspecting shops selling traditional herbs, ginseng, medicines, dried fish, antiques, and other Chinese products. The Western District is also famous for Hollywood Road, long popular for its many antiques and curio shops, and for Man Mo Temple, one of Hong Kong’s oldest temples. Unfortunately, modernization has taken its toll, and more of the old Western District seems to have vanished every time I visit, replaced by new high-rises and other projects.
[Note: Also known as Sheung Wan; it's filled with curio and antique shops selling ivory sculptures and imperial furniture and housewares, this is the place to score some serious Chinese tchotchke]
Admiralty
Actually part of the Central District, Admiralty is located just below Hong Kong Park, centered around an MTR subway station of the same name. It consists primarily of tall office buildings and Pacific Place, a classy shopping complex flanked by three deluxe hotels.
[Note: Kinda boring]
Wan Chai
Located east of Central, few places in Hong Kong have changed as dramatically or noticeably as Wan Chai. It became notorious after World War II for its sleazy bars, easy women, tattoo parlors, and sailors on shore leave looking for a good time. Richard Mason’s 1957 novel The World of Suzie Wong describes this bygone era of Wan Chai; during the Vietnam War, it also served as a popular destination for American servicemen on R & R. Although a somewhat raunchy nightlife remains along Lockhart, Jaffe, and Luard roads, most of Wan Chai has slowly become respectable (and almost unrecognizable) the past few decades with the addition of mostly business-style hotels, more high-rises, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Academy for Performing Arts, and the huge Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a familiar sight on the Wan Chai waterfront with its curved roof and glass facade. Near the convention center is Star Ferry service to Tsim Sha Tsui.
[Note: Many of Wong Kar Wai's films romanticize the narrow stairsteps, smokey alleyways and red-light doorways of Wan Chai district, now sadly mostly extinct. More likely you'll be passing through increasingly generic Wan Chai, perhaps grabbing a Starbucks espresso, on your way to Causeway Bay, located just to the east beyond the Canal Road Flyover]
Causeway Bay
Just east of Wan Chai, Causeway Bay is popular as a shopping destination, since shops stay open late and several department stores have branches here. The whole area was once a bay until land reclamation turned the water into soil several decades ago. Now it’s a busy area of Japanese department stores; clothing, shoe, and accessory boutiques; street markets; the Times Square shopping complex; and restaurants. On its eastern perimeter is the large Victoria Park.
[Note: Fashionistas and shopaholics — this dense, pedestrian-friendly area is where the best threads, kicks and accessories are to be found in HK. More in a later post about where to find some of our favorite chains, boutiques and emporiums]
Happy Valley
Once a swampland, Happy Valley’s main claim to fame is its racetrack, built in 1846 — the oldest racetrack in Asia outside of China.
Aberdeen
On the south side of Hong Kong Island, Aberdeen was once a fishing village but is now studded with high-rises and housing projects. However, it is still known for its hundreds of sampans, junks, boat people, and huge floating restaurant. Just to the east, in Deep Water Bay, is Ocean Park, with its impressive aquarium and amusement rides.
[Note: Aberdeen is to HK as Long Island is the NYC, though considerably easier to get to — through a series of mountain tunnels, it's a mere 15 minute cab ride from Causeway Bay. The pace here is much slower, and there's an overall maritime feel. Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant, the multilevel, multicuisine megastructure anchored in the harbour, can be seen in all its decadent glory in the Stephen Chow classic 'The God of Cookery']
Stanley
Once a fishing village, Stanley is now a lively center for discount markets selling everything from silk suits to name-brand shoes, casual wear, and souvenirs. It’s located on the quiet south side of Hong Kong Island and boasts a popular public beach, a residential area popular with Chinese and foreigners alike, and, most recently, a growing number of trendy restaurants strung along a waterfront promenade.
[Note: Pretty!]
Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon
North of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour, is the Kowloon Peninsula. Kowloon gets its name from Gau Lung, which means “nine dragons.” Legend has it that about 800 years ago, a boy emperor named Ping counted eight hills here and remarked that there must be eight resident dragons, since dragons were known to inhabit hills. (The ninth “dragon” was the emperor himself.)
Today the hills of Kowloon provide a dramatic backdrop for one of the world’s most stunning cityscapes. Kowloon Peninsula is generally considered the area south of these hills, which means it also encompasses a very small part of the New Territories. However, “Kowloon” is most often used to describe its southernmost tip, the 12 sq. km (4 2/3 sq. miles) that were ceded to Britain “in perpetuity” in 1860. Its northern border is Boundary Street, which separates it from the New Territories; included in this area are the districts Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Yau Ma Tei, and Mong Kok. Once open countryside, Kowloon has practically disappeared under the dense spread of hotels, shops, restaurants, and housing and industrial projects. It has also grown due to relentless land reclamation.
Tsim Sha Tsui
At the southern tip of Kowloon Peninsula is Tsim Sha Tsui (also spelled “Tsimshatsui”), which, after Central, rates as Hong Kong’s most important area. This is where most tourists stay and spend their money, since it has the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, and shops in Hong Kong. In fact, some of my acquaintances living in Hong Kong avoid Tsim Sha Tsui like the plague, calling it the “tourist ghetto.” On the other hand, Tsim Sha Tsui does boast the a cultural center for the performing arts, a great art museum, Kowloon Park, one of the world’s largest shopping malls, a nice selection of international restaurants, a jumping nightlife, and Nathan Road, appropriately nicknamed the “golden mile of shopping.” Although you’d be foolish to spend all your time in Tsim Sha Tsui, you’d also be foolish to miss it.
[Note: TST is the most open, uncongested and luxurious part of gritty Kowloon. The Avenue of Stars (sort of Hong Kong movie industry's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame) along the reclaimed waterfront promenade is an intoxicating way to take in HK's skyline. From a choice vantage point here, at 8pm every night, you can enjoy/be appalled by the daily laser light show — aka the Symphony of Lights — that unfolds over the city across the harbour. For other strolling/shopping needs in TST, walk up and down Nathan Road, which forms the major north-south spine of Kowloon]
Tsim Sha Tsui East
Not surprisingly, this neighborhood is east of Tsim Sha Tsui. Built entirely on reclaimed land, the area has become increasingly important, home to a rash of expensive hotels, shopping and restaurant complexes, science and history museums, and the KCR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, providing direct train service to mainland China and connected to the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station via underground pedestrian passageway. A hover-ferry service also connects Tsim Sha Tsui East with Central.
Yau Ma Tei
If you get on the subway in Tsim Sha Tsui and ride two stations to the north (or walk for about 25 min. straight up Nathan Rd.), you’ll reach the Yau Ma Tei district (also spelled “Yaumatei”), located on Kowloon Peninsula just north of Tsim Sha Tsui. Like the Western District, Yau Ma Tei is very Chinese, with an interesting produce market, a jade market, and the fascinating Temple Street Night Market. There are also several modestly priced hotels here, making this a good alternative to tourist-oriented Tsim Sha Tsui.
[Note: While less expansive and lively than their analogues in Taiwan, the Temple Street Night Market here is a worthwhile experience in kitschy, nocturnal abundance not found much in the West]
Mong Kok
On Kowloon Peninsula north of Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok is a residential and industrial area, home of the Bird Market, the Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street, and countless shops catering to Chinese. Its northern border, Boundary Street, marks the beginning of the New Territories.
[Note: Several stops north of TST in Kowloon, on the edge of the New Territories beyond, Mong Kok was a mostly seedy area that's since become gentrified with the HK staples of high-rise condos and high-end retail. For the hedz, check out the CTMA Centre, though; it's a shopping center devoted to vinyl toys and collectibles, and is home to the famous Superman Toys]
), and our pathological addiction to the Olympics.
