Another day with the cousins/nephews/nieces, this time went over to the Legoland Discovery Centre which is part of the K11 Musea mega mall down by Victoria Dockside.
But first, on the hunt for some coffee and breakfast. On the way there spotted this Lamborghini Huracan hard parked outside the 7-Eleven just around the corner. 7-Eleven is very popular in Hong Kong.
Nice Christmas color combo
One of many climbing Santa Claus decorations sprinkled throughout the city. As I mentioned before, HK is very festive for the holidays, even more so than here in the Bay Area
Nice R35 GT-R
More 7-Eleven, they're everywhere but always crowded
Passed on this place
Settled on this one for coffee/breakfast. Next to Tim Ho Wan (affordable Michelin star dim sum place), which will show up again later. These are both at the ground level of the K11 Art Mall, which is inside the 64 floor The Masterpiece, which also contains the Hyatt Regency hotel
It has a chill, relaxed vibe
Fueling up for the day
Got their shakshuka which was actually quite good!
After breakfast, went down to the TST Promenade and Avenue of Stars where there's a fun little waterfront area with interesting art and seating areas
Fantastic views of the Central skyline
Iconic
Hong Kong Film Awards statue
Some impressive Lego creations inside the Discovery Centre
Grabbing ramen for lunch (Takano Ramen inside K11 Musea)
Creatively placed elevator buttons
Walking off lunch with an afternoon stroll along the TST Promenade
Nice place to relax and update the social media feed! Little Red Book 小紅書 aka Xiaohongshu is the most popular one here, as well as Instagram
小紅的士
Some of the roads can be quite wide, so there are pedestrian overpasses typically. In this case, this was a subterranean passageway underneath Salisbury Road, connecting the Promenade to Chatham Road. It was very clean and safe.
P1 entrance to East TST MTR station, there's an underground passageway that connects it to TST MTR station as well, which I'll show later on. Super convenient!
More Christmas decorations
Interesting colour on this E46 M3 convertible
Stumbled across a fun little local coffee shop
Outside K11 Art Mall
Looking up at The Masterpiece
The urbanism in HK just hits different
Beautiful R8 parked outside a packed restaurant
Slay
The Huracan was still parked here in the afternoon
And now had a parking ticket! $320 HKD isn't that bad though (~$41 USD), especially for a guy owning a Lamborghini in HK of all places, that's pennies for him
Quiet side streets but still vibrant with activity and ground floor retail
The urban core of Kowloon is relatively flat especially compared to Hong Kong Island, but there are some occasional hills and stairs
Oh? What's that?
Just a casually parked McLaren 720S outside the local Catholic school
And a climbing Santa Claus
Headed back over to the K11 Art Mall to get some Tim Ho Wan for dinner. Green Huracan still there. They already "paid" for parking.. might as well get their money's worth!
FK8 Civic Type R with a HK taxi on the go
Tim Ho Wan 添好運 10/10 recommend.. whole meal for under $20 USD — insane value
Great pics and updates! I recognize a lot of these places from our trip earlier this year as we walked from our hotel (on Nathan Rd near Jordan MTR station) down to the waterfront through TST on numerous occasions instead of taking the train. I actually got a beer to go from the 7-11 with the Huracan parked outside!
__________________
Check out my pics of Johannesburg
Great pics and updates! I recognize a lot of these places from our trip earlier this year as we walked from our hotel (on Nathan Rd near Jordan MTR station) down to the waterfront through TST on numerous occasions instead of taking the train. I actually got a beer to go from the 7-11 with the Huracan parked outside!
Very cool that you stayed in a similar area and recognize a lot of the places! The Yau Ma Tei 油麻地 / Tsim Sha Tsui 尖沙咀 area is an excellent home base and launching pad to start off HK explorations. I used the Jordan MTR station as the starting point of most of my trips (will be shown in later posts as I continue to go through my photos).
Lovely photos! Hong Kong is such an amazing city. Now if only the smog could improve it would be perfect!
Definitely saw a decent amount of haze (mixed with fog) most days while I was there. Unfortunately not sure what they can do about it. As one of the densest urban environments in the world, where space is at a premium, the only solution is to build higher and higher. Construction dust (in HK there's construction everywhere; very different from here. In HK it doesn't settle for stagnancy and slow down for you) and container terminals, as well as water and road transportation account for the majority of the particulates.
a porsche cayman is definitely not high-end in hk and equals to toyota in the us
I don't think that's quite it. Riding public transport would be more of the lower-middle class equivalent to what Toyota in the US represents.
Most people actually dont drive a car in HK because public transport is faster and cheaper. People who can afford to drive a car usually are "too rich" (HK has very high wealth inequality) so they drive representative luxury cars such as Porsches. Therefore, there is a relatively small amount of cars of the street, of which a decent amount are fancy cars. It doesn't mean that the Porsche is a high volume, relatively low cost car option for the masses.
Mostly hung out with local family members today, but prior to that, started off with breakfast. On the way there, ducked into the local grocery store for some quick essentials. Casually parked right outside was this bright orange Lamborghini Huracan.
Meanwhile, the other brightly coloured Huracan from the previous day that had received a ticket was still there, just moved across the street. Together, they provided such a stark contrast to the lived in residences in the background, their pastel facades faded by decades of sun and rain, windows draped with laundry lines swaying in the morning air.
This bright blue Cayman GT4 decided to make an appearance as well, cold start exhaust note reverberating through the these narrow, dense canyons
Despite the quietness of the streets, a steady stream of 的士 hummed along in their usual no nonsense fashion
For breakfast, I went all in on the classics: 粥 (congee), 蝦腸粉 (shrimp rice rolls), 油條 (fried Chinese donut), and a steaming 熱奶茶 (hot milk tea). It was the kind of breakfast that reminded me why Hong Kong congee culture is unmatched — hearty, silky, warming in a way that hits deeper than just the stomach.
From there, I wandered into the Mira Place mall to grab some souvenirs from the Starbucks inside, their "You Are Here/Been There" city specific mugs.
Some workers at this other coffee shop inside getting ready to open for the day
Customers starting to trickle in
A popular bus line connecting Tseung Kwan O and Tsim Sha Tsui East
In 2017, Toyota discontinued production of Comfort and LPG Comfort, and started producing the new JPN Taxi. The JPN Taxi was introduced in Hong Kong as the Comfort Hybrid and they entered service in 2018.
Still quite a bit of the OG Crown Comforts around though
After a brief stop at Mira Place, strolled down Nathan Road to the K11 Art Mall on the hunt for some more caffeine. There's an extremely popular (it's all over 小紅書 and TikTok) mainland Chinese milk tea chain called 霸王茶姬 (Chagee). It is based on the traditional Chinese opera 霸王别姬 (The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell), with the logo based on a 花旦 (huadan) opera actor.
On the way, I wandered into a cha chaan teng with a no-nonsense bakery spilling onto the street, trays of fresh buns practically calling you in. I grabbed a HK classic, a piping hot 雞蛋仔 (egg waffle), crisp and fragrant. Simple unbeatable.
I was steps away from Chagee, but got stopped in my tracks by this stunningly preserved E24 BMW M6.
After completing a full walkaround and wiping off my drool, I was able to collect myself and stagger towards Chagee. It was still early in the day so the line was barely forming, but there was still a steady stream of customers happily sipping their milk tea and posting to their social media(s) of choice.
Next door to it was another popular mainland Chinese milk tea chain called 喜茶 (Heytea). It's been around for quite a bit longer but has still maintained its popularity.
Shifting focus back to Chagee. Their packaging is quite nice. Went back to this spot quite a bit this trip.
The mall as its name implies is scattered with various art installations
Booked an appointment for a haircut and on the way there saw this nice Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon in a gorgeous shade of red.
Some local street art
Met up with the relatives at a nearby dim sum place. We ordered a spread of dim sum classics: 鮮蝦腐⽪卷 (shrimp beancurd roll), 蝦餃 (ha gow), 燒賣 (siu mai), 鳳爪 (chicken feet), 蝦腸 (shrimp rice rolls), 流沙包 (egg custard lava buns), 豉汁排⾻煲仔飯 (claypot rice with pork ribs in black bean sauce). Dishes landed quickly, chopsticks flew.
After lunch, we got ready to take a short MTR hop to 朗豪坊 (Langham Place) over in 旺角 (Mong Kok) to do some shopping. Descended into the 佐敦 (Jordan) MTR station, which is on the on the Tsuen Wan line. It has dark green and light green livery and was one of the first stations in the MTR network to be retrofitted with platform screen doors. And par for the course for many large Asian cities, the main concourse is lined with small shops for food and convenience.
Two stops later, we were at 旺角 (Mong Kok) MTR station, with its classic red livery. Just like the dishes hitting the tables at the cha chaan tengs, the stations filled with people as quickly as they emptied, in under 60 seconds flat. With each changing tide, a handful of tourists would linger like grains of rice left on a plate, to take photos with the red tiled columns, eager to catch vibes and share these living symbols of Hong Kong, carrying an energy and rhythm. All the while, locals used to the routine of weaving through these human obstacles, went about their daily business, altogether forming an organized chaos. This pattern repeated itself every 3 minutes, perfectly coinciding with the arrival of each train.
旺角 (Mong Kok) MTR station conveniently has 15 different station entrances/exits, tied with East Tsim Sha Tsui station as stations with most exits in MTR. Naturally, I selected C3, 朗豪坊 (Langham Place). The wayfinding signage is done to perfection, plentiful, large and legible, and easy to comprehend. So simple, yet informative.
Langham Place is a massive vertical shopping space anchored by the “Xpresscalators,” soaring escalators that went over a dozen floors up seeming to defy gravity.
Looking out onto 上海街 (Shanghai Street)
After doing some shopping and enjoying some afternoon desserts, we went down to the street level to walk to dinner. Immediately, I felt the city’s pulse hit me full force. The sheer density of shops, stalls, neon signs, and foot traffic was electric. Every corner seemed alive, each street layered with vendors, voices, and color. Raw and chaotic, the sidewalk energy is unmatched with anywhere else I've ever been. I intentionally didn't take any photos. I just marinated in the moment; messy, dense, and unfiltered in a way that resonated deeply with me.
On the way we passed rows of ⼩巴 (red and green minibuses) lined up at their stops, engines humming
Saw this neat row of clocks in the lobby of the hotel where the restaurant was, a 海鮮酒家 (classic Cantonese seafood banquet place) ideal for large family gatherings. Exceptionally fresh seafood, each dish cooked to perfection. Very reminiscent of the food back home, which isn't too surprising given the Bay is home to the largest HK born population (both by number and per capita) in the US. A lot of the Chinese restaurants here are run by HK immigrants, in addition to 廣東 (Guangdong). After dinner, walked less than 5 minutes over to the 太子 (Prince Edward) MTR station to head back to the Airbnb. On the walk back from 佐敦 (Jordan) MTR station, popped into a local dessert shop for some late night 楊枝甘露 (mango pomelo sago).
Spent the day with local family members again, mainly in TST, where the parents could get some shopping done and the nieces and nephews could play at some of the local playgrounds. Surprisingly, there were a decent amount of children, which was nice to see, since they aren't very common in HK these days unfortunately. HK is experiencing a significant demographic shift with a declining birth rate and a surging pet industry. Particularly the younger generation are opting for fur babies over children due to high living costs, delayed marriage, while filling the need for emotional companionship. Many HKers find raising pets less expensive, easier, and a better source of comfort than raising children in a high-pressure, fast-paced society.
Fun fact: A worker was installing an automated vehicular gate on this driveway. Here he was building the concrete formwork to prepare a concrete pad foundation for the gate mechanism. I had walked through this area a couple times in the following day or so, and the whole thing was already completed. Pretty amazing how quickly things get done over there.
A popular children's playground atop one of the terraces at the K11 Musea mega mall, highlighted by the Colourful Peacock
A nice little park, nestled amongst glass and steel rising all around. Banyan trees arching over brick paths, it felt like a breathing space in the middle of Kowloon’s concrete intensity.
Views of The Peak from across the Harbour
These elevated parks offer fantastic vantage points. Here the skyline unfurls beyond the trees — across the harbour, apartment towers stacked like dominoes against the green ridges
Mister Softee is an iconic, nostalgic Hong Kong institution operating red, white, and blue ice cream trucks since 1970. Renowned for their creamy vanilla soft serve cones, these mobile vendors are commonly found in high-traffic spots like Tsim Sha Tsui (near the Star Ferry), Central, and Mong Kok, playing "The Blue Danube" waltz.
It's now been 20! years since the last time I was in HK (my favorite city). Maybe time to venture. I've really enjoyed this thread.
20 years is way too long, my man! Especially if it's your favorite city (it's one of mine too). I'd recommend trying to go at least every 3-4 years. In some ways, it's the same as it ever was, but in many ways, it's changing rapidly, especially following the 2020 imposition of the National Security Law (NSL). Lots less political freedom, tightened censorship all around, use of Mandarin has increased significantly especially in schools as there is an influx of mainland Chinese immigrants, while Cantonese is getting phased out. You (and anyone else following this thread) should go before the HK identity and culture continues to be diluted.
Went over to China Hong Kong City Mall, which is also where the Royal Pacific Hotel and China Ferry Terminal are.
The China Ferry Terminal is one of three cross-border ferry terminals in Hong Kong and provides ferry services to Macau and mainland China.
From here, you can get a great view of the West Kowloon skyline, which is punctuated by the 108-storey ICC (International Commerce Centre) at 484 meters, or 1,588 ft tall. This is HK's tallest building, and it also houses the Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Other notable buildings in this complex include The Arch, an 81-storey, 231 meter, or 758 ft tall residential building joined on the 62nd floor and above to form its namesake arch.
And the Hong Kong West Kowloon station which is the southern terminus of and the only station on the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link, or Guangshengang XRL. The station connects to China's HSR network. Above the station is the futuristic looking Zaha Hadid designed IGC (International Gateway Centre), two pairs of interconnected office towers with a network of public gardens, rooftop parks, and landscaped plazas.
Stunning views of Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour
There was some sort of event going on so I decided to stumble upon it. Turns out it was a "Car Boot Christmas Market", a little pop up market featuring various local independent fashion labels, handmade accessories, vintage finds, and car displays.
Went down to the TST Promenade to watch the Symphony of Lights. If you ever get a chance, absolutely must see at night. The Victoria Harbour shimmers like a film set timelessly. Neon reflects off the water, the skyline glows in layers of color, and ferries glide across the Harbour in absolute cinema, an experience that sears itself into memory like none other.
After the light show, went across the street to check out some of the decorations at The Peninsula and the neighboring 香港文化中心 (Hong Kong Cultural Centre), a performing arts center with concert hall, theatres, and exhibition galleries.
Prev
Linear Mode
