Bright Lights, Long Nights

If you know anything about Hong Kong it's that the cuisine, nightlife and foot massages are legendary; especially in that order. My long weekend in Hong Kong started at the Aqua Room in TST with a champagne brunch. Some friends and I kicked it off with unlimited Veuve and sashimi and then some of the best beef cheek I have ever had. The best part about the Aqua Room was the location; I can't imagine there is a better panoramic view of the city anywhere in Kowloon. Several hours later, we moseyed our way back to Central, where I eventually ended up at dragon-i partying until the sun came up. Luckily, my apartment was an escalator ride away, making for a short commute in my five inch heels.

After catching up on sleep, my friend's took me to some traditional dim sum consisting of popular Chinese dishes like chicken feet (which I could not bring myself to try), rice noodles with beef, fish head, and lots and lots of dumplings. Later that evening, we headed over to Stanley Plaza where we had a yummy dinner at The Boathouse and finished the night off with a selection of cheeses at Classified.  

Another place that I managed to grab some grub was Vbest Tea House in Central. I tasted the Shanghai dumplings and Shrimp Vermicelli (pictured below), which were both delicious. A few other restaurants that I tried were Pastis, french cuisine, Monogamous, traditional Chinese, and Ole, spanish. All were yummy, and if you ask one of the servers to teach you how to salsa at Ole, they will do just that.

Last stop before my flight was a super relaxing foot massage! We went in the middle of the work day, so we ended up having the whole place to ourselves. After a long weekend in heels and treking up and down the hills of Hong Kong, this was a much needed repose, which left me nice and refreshed!

Pearl of the Orient

My first meal in Hong Kong was on Gough St. at Kau Kee Restaurant (九記牛腩 ). They are famous for the beef brisket noodles, and for good reason!The place gets a line about 45 minutes before they open, but the wait is well worth it. You and your friends won't be getting a table all to yourself because the owners fill every seat to make sure that they can serve as many people in there as possible. Not a bad system if I do say so myself. Pretty sure the two people we had to share with were calling me an obnoxious gweilo the whole time considering how many pictures I was taking. Luckily, I had my friend Christy to guide the way. She was so great getting me set up in Hong Kong; she hooked me up with an amazing apartment in Central and turned me on to a new company called Handy, which is a must if you are visiting Hong Kong! For about $10 (US) a day you get unlimited 3G and international calling. You can also set up the phone as a WiFi hotspot so you can blog, work, or cruise the internet wherever you are! Each Handy device comes with a built-in city guide, with categories covering restaurants, shops, experiences, bars, and attractions. With just a few clicks, you can pinpoint your exact location on a map, reserve a table at a waterfront restaurant, or navigate your way to the nearest attraction. Genius!

After lunch, one of Christy's friends took me over to Kowloon (or more commonly known in Hong Kong as TST). While he was getting a suit tailored, I walked the Avenue of Stars which is their version of the Walk of Fame. There are a couple of fun statues, but the real treat is the view of the city!

After taking in the views, I grabbed an egg custard (a HK staple) and stook the Star Ferry, which is the oldest form of public transportation in the city, back over to Central. 

Later that night, Christy and her boyfriend, Ben, took me up to the Peak to see one of the best views of the city. After walking around for a bit, we cabbed back down to Duddell's where we shared a few delicious cocktails. 

That first day really set me up to fall in the love with the city. While it's not so big in size, there was so much to explore and experience. Can't wait to share my adventures from the days to follow.

Kick ass view from my apartment (Precinct Serviced Apartments) in Central HK. 

On a separate note, here's to the Red Sox demolishing the first game of the World Series! I was that weird American cheering at 8AM down at the breakfast buffet. It was a little reminder that while I am having a blast on the other side of the world, there are still some things I miss about home. 

Get the Look: Shirt, Joie // Scarf, Old Navy

Hong Kong in Black & White

I really loved my time in Hong Kong. The city was full of color and character. Because it is an amalgamation of so many different cultures, you got the best that every one has to offer. I can't think of another city where you can go from the best dim sum, to the best charcuterie shop, to the best sushi in a couple of metro stops. The city can certainly be a little overwhleming, so instead of my first round of photos in color, I decided to simplify things a little. Photographing in black in white forces you to see the world more graphically; taking in shapes, textures, and in this case, some movement as well. 

Typhoon Tangents

Unfortunately, my last few days in Shanghai I managed to find myself in the midst of a typhoon. While there were some sights that I still wanted to see, I had no intention of soaking through three layers of clothes in the process. So, I resorted to plan B: eat my way through Shanghai. Collin, a friend who I had made earlier that weekend, introduced me to some delicious takeout and probably the best soup dumplings I have ever had in my life. Miraculously, the takeout was delivered by hand in the poruing rain, but I guess to the people of Shanghai, it was just a light drizzle. 

View of Century Park and Shanghai skyline from my hotel in Pudong. 

My last meal was soup dumplings from Jia Jia Tang Bao with Collin.  This is a no frills dumpling house with made to order dumplings of all kinds. I managed to peak my head back into the kitchen to catch a few shots. I don't think I've ever seen fingers move that fast! I'm pretty sure we ended up going through 5 trays of dumplings on our own. And while I had to be practically rolled to the train to get to the airport from how full I was, my taste buds hadn't been that happy all trip. And, besides, I'm sure the dumplings were calorie free...

I ate up until the very last minute before I had to head to the airport, where I took the Maglev, which hits speeds hovering around 400 km/h (roughly 230 mph). I was a little sad to be leaving Shanghai after getting a sneak peak into the city. There are plenty of sights left to see, so I guess there will just have to be a next time. 

Shanghai'd

For my first full day in the city I decided to roam around the Bund, drink an obnoxious amount of tea, and eat lots and lots of street food. That seems reasonable enough, right? 

It was fun just to people watch for a while. Shanghai is so drastically different from my first stop in China. You don't get an overwhelming sense of history, or the Party, like you do in Beijing. I think the youthfulness of the city paired with the modern skyline puts people in a different mindset all together. Everyone is ready to shop, eat, drink, and just have a good time. So, that's what I did.

A quick note on the tea 'ceremonies': agree on a price before you start.
Often they are looking to totally rip you off, so better to be safe than sorry.

 As far as the street food goes, just line up where a lot of locals seem to be going.
 I ended up only paying a whole $0.70 for lunch. Can't go wrong with that!

As a Duck Takes to Water

My overall impression of Beijing is a mixed bag. The city is very spread out and quite difficult to get around. Luckily, cabs are cheap and your hotel will usually write addresses in Chinese to avoid any confusion. Because of this, Beijing is the only city that I never took public transportation. In addition, the Chinese culture is very conservative and reserved and often came off as harsh. That, paired with the polution made for a difficult introduction to the city. But, once properly settled in, the history and cuisine balance out scales. While you might need someone to help translate and a tour guide for the major sights, Beijing is the gateway into the China that still remains somewhat of a mystery to most of us Westerners.

For my last dinner in Beijing, we had some very traditional cuisine at Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant. There are plenty of places to order duck in the city, but according to my sources, this is the very best restaurant to enjoy Peking's signature dish. The duck is carved table side and served with a large assortment of a accouterments including sugar, garlic sauce, and melon. To me, those were some unlikely combinations, but boy, I'm glad I tried every single one. 

Lots of other smaller dishes, with ingredients I have never heard of, were ordered as well. The highlights were a pear and vegetable soup and a traditional preparation of Chinese cabbage.

At the end of the day, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had a friend who works in the city and took time out of his holiday to show me the sights. I think without this, I would have had a tough time appreciating all Beijing has to offer, which is more than meets the eye.