I've been coming to Hong Kong for OVER 23 years. Both Hong Kong side and Kowloon side are a couple…read moreof my favourite places on earth. Knutsford Terrace is atypical of Kowloon. Tons of unsavoury types from around the world hang out here, the sidewalks are filthy, littered with smelly garbage bins and you are badgered as you walk the "gauntlet" past restaurants by their staff outside badgering you for your patronage. Why this rates as highly as it does is a mystery to me. We take a short cut through here en route to our hotel. Although this is a row of several restaurant/bars, I have never seen anyone eating at any of these establishments. Grotty dive bars in Toronto are classy compared.

It is rather hard to believe that Hong Kong as such a tiny city, has so many big party districts…read more On the Hong Kong Island you may go to Wan Chai or Lan Kwai Fong; on the New Territories side you may go to Fo Tan; on the Kowloon side, it has got Knutsford Terrace. Thanks to the Miramar Shopping Centre, there is another way to go to Knutsford Terrace without hitting those horrendous stairs. While you may find seventy percent of people in LKF or Wan Chai are tourists or expats, here in Tsim Sha Tsui definitely has more locals hanging out here. On the entire street, if I remember correctly, there is only one bar that has a dance floor inside; as for the rest, they are mainly bars and strictly for people chilling and chatting. If you are not a fan of drinks, there are still quite a number of nice restaurants that offer great variety of cuisine including Spanish, Turkish, Indian and even Russian. Yet, the only thing I do not like about Knutsford Terrace is the transportation accessibility after mid night. Since it is located on Kowloon side instead of the Hong Kong side, people definitely have lesser options to go back to the same side (or that would take forever). Most people end up spending few hundreds on taxis in the end. Therefore, for me, I always try to leave before twelve, or else it might take me more than two hours to get back home.

The Flower Market is filled with so many beautiful plants. Fresh cut blooms. Bonsai trees. Exotic…read moreplants. Citrus trees. And beautiful bouquets. Orchids, roses, bougainvilleas, sunflowers. Such a treat to see and smell so many fragrant blooms. Interesting to also learn about the "Good Fortune Plants." The Lucky Bamboo arrangements are a popular gift. So many Bonsai trees. The miniature trees have been part of local culture for generations. Mandarin trees are a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. Lucky Bamboo is for a happy and peaceful home. Orchids are a symbol of nobility. Peonies represent prosperity and peace. Daffodils are for good luck. Definitely worth a stroll to enjoy the beautiful blooms at the Flower Market in Kowloon.

A great place to visit for plant and flower lovers. The…read morestreet and side streets is full of stores selling all varieties of plants and flowers. Beautiful orchids and many colors adorn each store. A great area for a leisurely walk through a bonanza of flowers.

Same ol cheap souvenir goods one stall to the next. They say haggle is normal. Start at 50% of…read moreasking. Walk away as there is another seller a few stalls down selling the same thing. Note that you can find good value (low price) stuff. If you know what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. Buyer beware! Example is designer hand bags. Great looking knock offs for sure. But if you don't need the real thing. This place is a gold mine! The vendors set up and take down the stalls every night it seems. Crazy ton of work but once set up the market is quite busy and worth at least a stroll one evening. Another hidden gem are the brick and mortar stores and restaurants behind the night stalls. Plenty of food and misc businesses back there that are concealed by the night market stalls Don't expect much customer service. Bargain and be confident. Have fun!

This is well known especially if you have read about it in guides online or if you so happens to be…read moreChinese. It is the place for cheap knockoffs. Backpacks, both men's and women's wear, purses, shoes, towels, toys etc. There are several blocks so I would take your time visiting each one to get a feel for it. Don't immediately give in especially the first vendor you visit. Could be selling for too much. Though after a while, do start hassling. If it is too high then move on to the next one and the next one. However if they pull you back, then listen to them. Perhaps it's a good deal. It really depends on the particular vendor. Eventually I did an excellent deal. I recommend it going even once. Just follow the people heading that way. Or when you see it, you know you're in the right place.

Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. For two MTR Stations' distance, there is a…read morefamous Toy Street named Tai Yuen Street in Wan Chai. No matter how old we are, Tai Yuen Street can evoke our happy childhood memories. It is because every toy from the latest marvel heroes' figures, limited edition Japanese figures to Tin Toy are available there. Apart from toys, there is also a great place to pick up seasonal decorations. In the weeks before Chinese New Year, Halloween and Christmas, they sell festival decorations, party outfits, and accessories. In addition, many people in Hong Kong believe that good Feng Shui can attract prosperity and ward off bad luck. Feng Shui decorating can be found there. Honestly, there are just less than 10 toy stores in Tai Yuen Street, even it is known as a famous toy street. For someone who has a tight schedule during a business trip in Hong Kong Island, the location is perfect.

See, there are many things that I love about Hong Kong - all that density makes up for a diverse…read morescenery, and all that commerce means everyone is at each other's throats for your business. If you are a savvy shopper, you pretty much know where to go for certain things. I know that if you want remote control cars or airsoft guns, you hit Kwong Wa street (廣華街) - if you want Legos, you hit In's Point (現時點). If you want a crap-ton of Japanese figurines, you hit Richmond Shopping Arcade (皆旺商場) or Sino Centre (信和中心). If you like diecast display planes, you hit West Main trading (西幹線玩具) near Prince Edwards MTR. If you want diecast buses, that's 80M bus shop, which has multiple locations in the territory. If you got the money you can try hitting the spiral at Langham Place (朗豪坊) if you want to check out the latest fashion accessories from Shinjuku or Seoul. Me, I like collectibles - stuff like Rement food kits, F-Toys trade models, little double decker buses like the stuff that TinyHK (微影) put together. I enjoy collecting stuff like that for the display cabinet back in New York. Now, normally, you can hit Wonderland Superstores (奇趣天地) all over Hong Kong, but you could end up paying a lot, and their selection is often meh. That brings us to Tai Yuen street (太原街). If you know your Hong Kong history, you would know that Lee Tung Street (利東街) used to be right next door - it's a 3 block long street of little print shops and stores that were the go-to spot for doing wedding invitations. The Urban Renewal Authority of Hong Kong (市建局) tore that entire street down and replaced it with a shopping mall, which gentrified the place but also killed a crapload of those little businesses. The URA is not known for being nice and understanding to the little shop owners, and none of them were invited back. Basically, Tai Yuen is a peek at what that area looked like in the past, and frankly, the place is a freaking jewel. Just wait until past noon if you want to see stuff bloom here. First, check out the intersection with Johnson Road (where the Tramways run), the stalls in the middle sells all sorts of stuff like the Japanese fortune kitties. One of the stallkeepers there also has a really nice diorama of a Hong Kong Dai Pai Dong and a couple of buses, so thats cool. Then there's the toy stores. Well, there's really only, like 6, but if you have to choose one, check out Hung Hing Toys (鴻興玩具), which spans 2 storefronts and has nearly everything, from Gashopons, to Giant Robo figurines, to Legos, and to TinyHK/F-Toys/Rement figurines that I like so much. The others are still rather nice, but not as extensive as Hung Hing. You also got stalls with trinklets, bags, and stuff like that. Note that the usual crapload of cheap gaudy ugly Mainland products (ala Lady's night market) are kept to a minimum here. Next, continue down the block - wanna try some snake soup? Se Wong Sun (蛇王燊) makes a decent meal out of them. Now, if you continue on down, you'll hit the market area on Cross Street - keep an eye out for a classically Hong Kong treat - Smith's Orange Jelly candy (史蜜夫鮮橙花軟糖), which is made by Smith's Candy company (史蜜夫糖果廠) out in the New Territories. It's the flavor that most Honkers grew up with, and there are usually at leas one candy peddler with bags of candies and a scale. They sell them by the pound, and you can mix and match. Smith's makes an Orange jelly, a Melon jelly, and the classic nougat. Keep an eye out for the produce markets nearby. If you want a real Hong Kong treat, hit Cross Street until you get to Spring Garden Lane, and then look for Kam Fung (41 Spring Garden Lane) - it's a decent with fresh out-the-door Bolo and Cocktail buns, and one of the best pre-blended iced milk tea in the Central district. I hope you took photos, because this is probably as good as it can get in terms of outdoor markets. This is also about as good as Hong Kong can get.

Taking the MTR from Wan Chai to Shau Kei Wan was a deeply emotional and special trip for my family…read more This is the neighborhood where I grew up, and though I have shown it to my husband on a previous visit, this was the very first time my daughters got to see it in person. After hearing me talk about my childhood memories and my old primary school for years, it felt so dreamlike that they were finally standing there seeing it all with their own eyes. It was incredibly special to actually walk over and visit my old elementary school together, bringing all those stories to life for them. Shau Kei Wan Main Street East has really earned its reputation as a "foodie street" because it is completely packed with incredible eateries and delicious local food. I was so excited to take everyone to my absolute favorite spot, On Lee Beef Brisket Noodle, but we were all still way too full from our huge dim sum lunch earlier in the day. We couldn't leave empty-handed though, so we picked up some Hokkaido cheesecakes in both the classic and matcha flavors, which turned out to be absolutely delicious. The weather that afternoon was a bit adventurous since Typhoon Signal No. 3 was up, but luckily the rain held off completely while we walked around. The neighborhood still has that wonderful, warm charm, and the people living and working there are just so friendly. Another major highlight of the walk was taking my family up to my old apartment building and showing my girls the exact elevator I got trapped in when I was a kid. It was an incredibly nostalgic moment that I will cherish forever. To wrap up a perfect afternoon of time travel, we walked over to the Shau Kei Wan Tram Terminus and caught a classic tram over to Quarry Bay. I will always love Main Street East, and sharing its history with my daughters was unforgettable.

I have relatives living in the area so usually when I visit HK, we're on the Shau Kei Wan Main…read moreStreet East quite often. There's so much food here, it's insane!!! You'll find the most delicious home-made- simple noodle dishes, the hands down BEST egg waffles, awesome dessert stops, some candy/snack shops, some pretty good seafood/sushi, etc. The list can go on. You can eat every night here on your trip and have something different. There's something for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love the hustle and bustle of the street here. It's not so much working people as you'd see if you're over in Kowloon per se, but it's the busy street life. People on their days off, kids wandering around, seniors taking a stroll. And many people grew up in this neighboorhood together and raised their families here over the last few decades, so you see a lot of people who have known each other forever. It's so friendly of an environment. It's also a very very short walk over to the MTR and bus routes. Most of HK is fairly accessible.

This was the fourth year that I attended the VIP Preview of Art Basel Hong Kong as a guest of my…read moredaughter, who's a VIP of the world-class exhibition since it was launched in 2013.  She was invited to the VIP Preview and could bring 1 guest with her.  We had also been to Art Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and twice to Art Basel Miami.  Art Basel HK is as good as all the Art Basel shows, if not better.  It had successfully propelled Hong Kong into an art capital of Asia. Art Basel HK 2026 featured 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific.  The exhibition took place on Level 1 and 3 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and was truly huge.  If you like modern or contemporary art, this is the show for you.  It is also a perfect place for people-watching, as some attendees are very fashion-forward or very innovative with what they wear.  No matter what you wear, remember to wear comfortable shoes, as people usually spend 3 to 4 hours walking through the entire 2 levels of show. This year we were also invited to the Opening Reception celebrating the launch of the Ray-Ban Lounge in the foyer of the Collectors Lounge.  There was a live performance by artist Kwonny painting on the mural of her artwork. There were passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne.  The friendly hostesses who checked us in were amazed that we'd come all the way from the US! Food and drinks inside Art Basel are pricy as expected. We didn't buy anything this year as we attended the Ray-Ban opening reception, but we had made purchases each year in the past inside the exhibition hall or in the collectors lounge. Expect street food like egg tarts and egg waffles to be like 3 times the price outside, so was bubbles, wine and other drinks. If you would like to go to Art Basel Hong Kong, please plan ahead and purchase tickets well ahead of time.  If you book an Uber ride, make sure that you get dropped off or picked up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center HKCEC Phase 1 Entrance. I enjoyed the exhibition and would like to return again.

Art Basel has become one of the biggest annual art exhibitions in town for quite some years now…read more Are people in Hong Kong passionate about Art Basel? Hell yeah. Are poeople in Hong Kong passionate about art? Oh well, it really depends on how do you define it. It is a Facebook/Instagram heaven for a lot of us. And bigger, shinier, fancier arts are the ones usually get more attention. It's like where you go to a fashion show and the models who dress least will get most pictures taken. Nothing wrong with that, really, whatever floats your boat I guess. Art Basel is a collective exhibition of a lot of art galleries, art dealers, individual artists and all. So it is not quite as organized as you go to an art museum. The good part is you never know what you'd expect, and never get bored walking around two / three floors of arts. If you really want to appreciate closely, you need a solid 4 hours time at least. I'll see a bit of Impressionism like Sisley or Monet, and then a bit of Cezanne, Picasso, and then mostly the modern arts with Warhol, Miro, Magritte, Dali, Calder, Nam June Paik, etc.. and a bunch of Chinese / Asian artists that I don't recognize. If you like taking pictures of arts and having a healthy annual dose of arts, then Art Basel is your perfect place. If you are an art lover, you may find it a bit repetitive after a few years, because the it is not only about exhibition, but also a platform for galleries / dealers trying to sell similar arts over and over.