View from Victoria Peak

Last night we finished our day by taking the tram up to Victoria Peak, then having dinner in a district of Kowloon that reminded me of the streets between Les Halles and the Pompidou Center in Paris. Hong Kong in general reminds me of New York, expecially with how quickly I can spend money here. Our lunch earlier in the day was in a party-district of Hong Kong, all-you-can-eat dim sum. The selection was enourmous, and I only recognized one item, pot stickers.

The view from Victoria Peak was great, and we were there around dusk so we saw both the daytime view and the nightlights view. It surprised me how small Victoria Harbour is, especially being used to San Francisco Bay. The tram itself was climbing at least a 45 % slope. From the peak we could also see some of the places we had toured earlier under the guidance of an urban designer who works for HOK here. Sylvester is a native of Berkeley, with family roots in Hong Kong. He gave us a lot of insight on how western planning interests in preservation help moderate some of the growth-driven plans for China.

In the evening we ate at a typical restaurant in Kowloon, chosen because we were standing next to it when we finally decided to get something to eat. Those of us that had flown in on that day from the US turned in early, and I think the rest may have stayed out until midnight.

There are not a lot of children running around Hong Kong. I don't see (or don't recognize) schools, and many of the children I do see are with tourists. Maybe those with children choose not to live so close to the city center.