Times Square happens to be a luxury brand mall in HKG, not an iconic spot like NUC. The mall is…read morehuge, over 8 floors of luxury and high end brands, electronic store, food court and few other variety of stores. The inside of the mall looks absolutely stunning, all slick and clean, modern design integrated across all the floors. We explored the mall over half an hour, floor by floor. Since we were not looking to purchase anything expensive, we were just enjoying the walk and view of the mall. Few stores we went in, staff were very friendly and willing to assist with any question.

It was our young daughters' first international trip and I had to solo parent for two days. For one…read moreof those days, I brought the girls to this mall because they have Blooms Coffee, Lego Store, and City Super. With jet lag and solo parenting, caffeine is undeniably a top priority and I had the pleasure of trying the tiramisu latte from Blooms Coffee. It definitely gave me a strong kickstart and without too much sugar. And then we took off to exploring the different floors - being amazed with the Zootopia 2 decorations and display, visiting the Lego Store, finding souvenirs to buy at City Super, and making a Christmas wish list at the Lane Crawford store. We easily spent three hours in this mall. It's spacious and clean. The staff were helpful and friendly. I would definitely revisit the next time we are in town!

While wandering around Wan Chai, I came across the Blue House and the Hong Kong House of Stories…read more The Hong Kong House of Stories (香港故事館) is a tiny museum that is packed with nostalgic old items from Hong Kong's past, giving you a quick glimpse into the city's history and how much it has changed over the years. The space is small, so it doesn't take long to explore, but it was fun to poke around the exhibits and appreciate the effort that went into curating them. I also liked that there were some handmade souvenirs that I could pick up! It was a charming and worthwhile stop, especially if you're in the area already.

This is an old restored building with a little shop in the bottom floor. The shop keeper tells the…read morestory of the history of the building, which was cool to hear, as well as sells different handmade items from the shop (technically they are for donation). The shop also has other strange and curious things to browse through.

Pottinger Street / Central (Hong Kong) -- Even though this wasn't my first trip to Hong Kong, I…read moremust've conveniently forgotten how steep the hills can get to elevation-challenged tourists like myself, especially the steep inclines to be found in the Central district on Hong Kong Island. That's why there are helpful automatic walkways and escalators under long canopies over certain roadways. That was definitely a smart urban renewal move built back in the '90's, but Pottinger Street has been left intact. This atmospheric walkway consists of a series of steps and inclines on terra firma and retains its vintage Hong Kong charm with seemingly random stone slabs that connect Connaught Road Central up to Hollywood Road. Souvenir kiosks line the street on both sides, and they apparently change depending on the holiday season. Jamie W and I were here too early to see Christmas trinkets and decorations, but we saw stall after stall of local tchotchkes and T-shirts. It's worth the stroll in either direction. RELATED - Exploring Hong Kong? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AGgadg

A touristy three or four block sloping street made up of granite slabs that aren't quite stairs…read more Its official name is Pottinger Street, named in 1858 after Henry Pottinger, the first Governor of Hong Kong, serving from 1843 to 1844. Fun fact was that in the early days in HK, Chinese and European residents used to live separately in different neighborhoods. Pottinger street once acts as a rough boundary between the two groups. The Chinese used to mainly live west of the street and westerners to the east. Today there are various vendors selling trinkets and services such as caricature painting on the street. Many blockbuster HK movies have had iconic scenes filmed here including "Lust Caution", "October Besieged City", "Infernal Affairs III", and "Dragon and Phoenix Fight".

The Peak (aka Victoria Peak) is a popular tourist attraction and one of the best way to see the…read morestunning Hong Kong skyline. There are several ways to get there. If you like outdoors and able to tolerate the humidity, I suggest walking up (takes about an hour) and take the tram down. Taxi/car is another option. If you're lazy like me, we took the tram up and down. We also didn't buy tickets in advance or Edge Observation Deck since my schedule was ever changing. It does get crowded on the weekend and during sunset hours. The tram ride is about 10 minute or so. It was quick. There are a bunch of shops, and restaurants. We were happy to see another Bakehouse up there and grab some pastries. We walked around, took lots of pictures and spent about 30-60 min here. Highly recommended.

Only had 3 full days in HK and this was one of the items on my to do list. A wee bit confusing…read moregetting from my accommodations to the Peak Tram but eventually made it. Definitely a great way to get to The Peak. Lucked out with the weather and it only started to rain after I had descended. Great views from the Lions pavilion. Walked a bit around Lugard road then started the walk down. There are very steep sections on the Old Peak Road and was probably not the best idea to do this descent in sandals...but I made it. It was a very positive experience.

Temple Street Market is a must-visit in Hong Kong. The vendors are incredibly friendly and clearly…read morelove to bargain, which makes the experience fun and engaging. There's an endless variety of merchandise to browse, along with plenty of food stalls offering tempting local eats. The area felt safe, lively, and was very easy to get to with a quick Grab ride. A great spot to soak in the energy of the city.

Temple Street Night Market / Kowloon (Hong Kong) -- By the time Jamie W and I made it here on our…read morevacation, we visited two legendary night markets in relatively quick succession, Raohe Street in Taipei (review: https://yelp.to/iQFcRkmz6h) and Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur (review: https://yelp.to/5ShCfX6Vhg). Both were bustling cultural microcosms full of a wide and diverse variety of culinary delights. My expectations were set high. This is my roundabout way of saying I found this market to be on the meh side. Even though Temple Street might be the most organized of night markets, it came down to a lack of enthusiastic energy on the part of the thirty-plus hawkers and purveyors here. They didn't help motivate us as much to try anything that looked appetizing beyond one grilled octopus skewer (photo: https://yelp.to/ZmGraLPefh). It was pretty good for what it was. The food stalls took up just the first block of Temple Street. The rest of the market consisted of tents and stalls where they sold gadgets, toys, electronics, cheap souvenirs, and T-shirts of which Jamie bought a couple from an enterprising senior (photo: https://yelp.to/caewEJ9-pR). I've read that lingering COVID restrictions may have caused a change in the dynamics of the market. If true, the impact apparently snuffed out much of the unique character it might have had. RELATED - Exploring Hong Kong? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AGgadg

I went to Hong Kong for the first time last month. I know nothing about Hong Kong comics or comic…read morecharacters. I didn't even know this magical place existed. I was just wandering around Kowloon, trying to figure out what to do for breakfast, then I got distracted by the entrance for the Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars in Kowloon Park. There are statues of comic characters from Hong Kong comics and Hong Kong comic artists. It's fun, and cheesy, and cool. If you're like me and have no knowledge of any of these characters there are little plaques (in English and Cantonese) that tell you some information about these characters and the artists who created them. The attraction is free to check out, and it's fun to pose for selfies with statues of penguins and super spies. Kowloon Park itself is really nice and is definitely worth checking out. Kowloon Park is a short walk from the Jordan MTR Station. The Tsim Sha Shui Station is close by as well. I went here 3 times in 5 days. That's how much I loved it. Maybe I'm just a nerd, but this is a fun place to visit and worth seeing if you're in Hong Kong.

Stumbled upon the Avenue of Comic Stars walking around Kowloon Park…read more I love the huge cartoon characters. Very fun and colorful. I had no idea who any of the characters were but it was still cool. The stairwell exiting was pretty awesome. The super hero pig was my favorite! My pose when I pig out! If you are at Kowloon Park, stop by here and check it out!

Contemporary urban art may not be everybody's cup of tea. Most of the time, it goes right over my…read morehead but every now and then, I would get an inkling of the artist's message. What I find interesting about Oi! is that it is not your conventional art gallery. Oi! is not big. It sits on the corner of Oil Street and Electric Road in Fortress Hill on the island. A century ago, the waterfront was right outside this property. It was logical for the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club to set up base here and operate until the government took over thirty years later in the 1930s. The historic brick buildings are specimens of the post-Victorian Arts and Crafts Architectural Movement. On the day of my visit, the theme was to stimulate our audio, visual, and tactile senses. The artists encouraged people to actually touch their creations. I like when art can be approached from more than one dimension. There was one exhibition room that was stark empty except for a porthole in the floor; and another one in which I had to duck my head because a block TV set was hanging from the ceiling. I also got to interact with other eclectic and obscure art pieces. Unexpectedly, the co-op kitchen was offering visitors complimentary miso soup on site. I guess if wine and hors d'oeuvres are served at the traditional art openings, why not offer hot soup at Oi! The idea was "they cook, you clean" so people had to do the little chore of washing the bowls they had used. I thought that was pretty neat. Everything was cool. Before heading out, I decided to use the restroom. I really wish I hadn't. They were either understaffed or negligent to have left the facility in a ghastly state. It might have been the visitors. What a shame to end my visit this way. For me, Oi! was an experience. I enjoyed the history aspect. I didn't have a full grasp of the pieces I saw but art is subjective. New exhibits rotate in periodically. Maybe next time I'll make a connection with one of them. 3.5

As we were simply walking by, I knew that this was clearly an old set of buildings that had been…read morerestored, but I was not sure what this space was exactly. With the kind staff at the customer service booth that went the extra mile to show me key parts of the facility and pointed out the specifics of the art installation spaces and the Social Gastronomy experiment space, I think I am a bit of a fan of this place. Once an old boat yard and covered mostly by water, this is a perfect example of Hong Kong recycling, reusing and re-purposing public building space. Part museum (with two installations currently: North Point Dream Properties Limited and 7-Paperholic), part social experiment on food with XCHANGE (turning leftovers and seasonal ingredients from participants and neighborhood markets into mouthwatering dishes), part community service/social hub (with talks, lectures, workshops, etc), part historical venue (Oi! is a Grade 2 Historic Building and they provide daily tours at 2:30pm, 4:45pm and 6:30pm daily). Art is really the driving factor for me with Oi!, but clearly their aim is really to connect with the community on a socially conscious level much greater than just art. But if you are not driven by social matters, note that admission to Oi! is free. The space is not large, but there is intellectually a lot going on to absorb at Oi! Although I did not have time to really understand all pieces of this space, I took a Oi! newspaper to go and have visited their website to sign up for news and events going on here. I will absolutely return to discover a bit more.