The Avenue of Stars

I think it's pretty cliche to have dinner and a romantic walk along the waterfront, but it is nice to do cliche once in awhile.  

Over the weekend, my husband and I found ourselves in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) on Granville Road.  We decided on having pizza for the night because it was fast, there were seats, and it was a guaranteed satisfactory meal.

We headed into Paisanos:

12 Granville Road

Tsim Sha Tsui

Open Mondays - Thursdays from 9 am - midnight

Open Fridays - Sundays from 9 am - 1 am

I got the Godfather and my husband got the Classic Paisano's slice.

Paisan's reminds me of the pizza joints that I used to hit up back in college.  Open late, simple, and inexpensive.  For dessert, we walked down Granville Road and headed into Hui Lau Shan Healthy Dessert.

These dessert houses are found all over Hong Kong.  They're my favorite places to go when I want a mango smoothie on a hot summer's day.

We shared a mango, pomelo and sago drink that was delicious!  This place is great because you can either order out or dine in.   I'd definitely suggest taking your order out because these dessert houses get pretty crowded to where people are looming above you…waiting for you to leave!

We meandered through the streets and walked through the 1881 Heritage Building area.  They had a beautiful afternoon tea set displayed in the main courtyard.  One of the benefits of heading down to TST every so often is looking forward to the change of displays at the 1881 Heritage Building.

It was at the 1881 Heritage Building that we started to see laser lights in the buildings above.  Realizing the Symphony of Lights had started, we rushed over to the TST Promenade to catch what we could of the light show.

***Pictures of the Symphony of Lights from the TST Promenade***

You can sort of see how the buildings around Victoria Harbour are lit up in an array of rainbow colors. My camera just can't do night images justice!

Looking out towards Central

Looking over towards Wan Chai

***Pictures of the TST Promenade and Avenue of Stars***

What is the Avenue of Stars?

I think of it as the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Th Avenue of Stars is a strip of the TST Promenade that pays homage to Hong Kong's film industry.  It is also one of the top tourist attractions in the TST area.  Here you can find people walking along the boardwalk taking photos besides the handprints of Jackie Chan or Wong Kar Wai.

A star in honor of Bruce Lee

Jackie Chan's star with his handprints and signature

Jet Li's star with his handprints and signature

Maggie Cheung's star with her handprints and signature

Aaron Kwok's star with his handprints and signature

Leon Lai's star with his handprints and signature

Louis Koo's star with his handprints and signature

I must admit, it is quite fun placing my hands in the handprints of famous Hong Kong actors.  It's also quite fun being apart of the tourist crowd.  Everyone is sharing the same excitement, even if they don't know who these film stars are!

This weekend reminded me just how nice it is to be a tourist in my own city!

***A bit from the Symphony of Lights***

Christmas in TST

Some of my favorite spots to enjoy the City decorations are in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).  There are two really popular spots to do some really fun candid family Christmas shots:

1.  1881 Heritage Building

2.  Harbour City

The 1881 Heritage Building's theme was called "Enchanted Festive Forest."  Basically, there was one incredibly massive candle in the Grand Piazza that was surrounded with beautifully decorated Christmas trees.  Dispersed throughout the Piazza and even on the upper levels of the Heritage Building were fairies, which was my favorite part. 

Over at Harbour City (which sits just across the street from the 1881 Heritage Building), the theme of the season was "Starry Christmas."  It's quite reminiscent of a Harry Potter sort of world, where we have a big train sitting in front of the Harbour and little faux shops running along side it.

If you are into trains, this might be a great place to check out, especially at night.

Inside of Harbour City's main entryway, there is a lovely tree that stands off to the left.  It's definitely pretty and goes along with the "Starry Christmas" theme outside.

In the Gateway Arcade section of Harbour City, the sweetest thing in the world will sneak up on you.  Right along the ground floor are dozens of sheep.  They are of all different colors and just standing with eyes wide open at you.  These sheep eventually lead to the "Shaun the Sheep Love Christmas" display (pictured below), which is hosting workshops for kids on various days.  The proceeds of these activities are going to the Hong Kong Blood Cancer Foundation.

There are so many Christmas decorations to see around the City.  It makes the gloomy weather seem so much brighter!

Hulett House and 1881 Heritage Building

I've been trying to find spots in Hong Kong that my parents would enjoy seeing.  They have visited a number of times already and each time I have tried to show them something new.  This time, I was thinking of taking them on an "Old Hong Kong" tour.  And one of the first things that came to mind was visiting Hulett House and the 1881 Heritage Building down in Tsim Sha Tsui.

I had the afternoon off, so I called the hotel and arranged a mini tour for myself to learn a bit of the history of the buildings.

Hulett House was once the headquarters for the Hong Kong Marine Police.  The building was then renovated to become a hotel and shopping complex.

The tour began at the Mariners' Rest.  My tour guide told me that this pub was once the reporting room and holding chamber for criminals.  There was also a trap door near the fireplace that she said is thought to have been an escape route leading to Kowloon Park.  There were three jail cells in the back, which my tour guide joked, "We call them the First Class, Business, and Economy cells."  The First Class cell had a window and toilet, the Business class had light from the first cell's window and no toilet, and the Economy cell had no window or toilet.

The second stop on the tour was the 50 Pigeon's Courtyard, so named because it was home to 50 messenger pigeons that resided there.

Pigeon coup

Another stop on the tour was the stable area, which has since been converted to the Stables Grill.  My wonderful guide said that up to four horses were kept there at a time, while the rooms above the stables were used as lodging for the stable workers.  The stables were also home of Hong Kong's first flushing toilet.  When we went to see the flushing toilet...I realized it was just a "toilet" where you would have to pour a bucket of water down to drain!

Old stable doors

These were the highlights of the tour, but we also walked the grounds.  We checked out the Signal Tower, the Indian Constables Office, and the landscaping.  Right in front of the stables was a palm tree that was relocated here from Egypt.  She told me that sailors who would bring plants from overseas would get a free round of drinks and accommodations for the night.  That was another little story that I loved to hear about!

Besides being able to tour the grounds, Hulett House is also home to one of the most highly acclaimed afternoon tea experiences on the Kowloon side.  Afternoon tea at The Parlour runs at just under $400 HKD for a party of two!  So, a walking tour of Old Colonial Hong Kong and a relaxing afternoon tea...what more can I ask for...a perfect afternoon!