Hong Kong style, that is.  The owner of the apartment I rented has an outdoor cafe, Café De Fontaine, in the South Seas Centre, not far from the waterfront and the Avenue of the Stars.  As I arrived, they had just had their Christmas lighting ceremony.  I’ll still take the Wanamakers Christmas Light Show.

This escalator, called the Central-Mid Levels, is the longest outdoor escalator in the world – over 800 metres (over 2600 feet).  It is on Hong Kong Island as the streets rise above each other.  Oh, it only goes up so the way down is walking.

This one is above the Elements mall:

I had heard that seeing a movie in Hong Kong is a great experience.  Aside from the fact that it is so much cheaper than in LA, going to the movies does bring a bit of the “wow” factor.  You always have an assigned a seat and can choose where you want. The AMC Pacific Place has the most comfortable leather (French leather, of course) chairs I’ve ever sat in in a movie theatre.

I saw the French fantasy (in English and Chinese subtitles), The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, which was silly, charming, and a lot of fun.

Then there is The Grand at the newest mall in Hong Kong, Elements.  The mall itself is pretty cool in that it is divided into sections that are based on the elements of fire, wood, earth, water, and metal.  For example, most jewelry stores are in the metal section.  Because it was in one of the larger theatres and I wanted the best experience, I saw Unstoppable.  Not knowing much about it, I was surprised how engaging and exciting it was.  But the sound was the most pristine sound I’ve ever heard in a movie theatre.  And so realistic that the theatre and your seat vibrates with from the louder sounds in the movie.  It’s a strange sensation at first, like a subwoofer for a seat, but it’s pretty cool.

At the top of the cable car is a little village with outdoor entertainment, nice souvenir shops (not the standard souvenir shop crap), cafes, a multi-media history of Buddha, a monestary, a roaming animal or two and what is believed to be the highest Buddha statue in the world.  There are also walking trails.  Plenty to do for a nice day out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

While Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are the two main islands, the outer islands also provide interesting tourist destinations.  Lantau Island is actually the largest and is where the airport is located.  For sightseeing, Ngong Ping 360 offers yet another spectacular view.  An easy subway ride takes you to the cable car entrance, which is right near…wait for it…another mall!  Now we aren’t talking a run-of-the-mill cable car.  We’re talking a 25 minute ride way up into the mountains.  In fact, at the bottom you can’t even see the end of the ride, it’s so far away and high up.  For a few extra dollars, I rode the “crystal cab,” which is a glass bottom cable car.  I was a little concerned about motion sickness, but all was fine.

As I’ve mentioned, there are no shortage of skyscrapers.  This creates an endless diversion for anyone who loves modern architecture.  Some more examples.

The Peak is one of Hong Kong’s most popular destinations.  Because of mountainous terrain, most of Hong Kong Island is not inhabited.  However, there are some insanely huge mansions built into the hillsides and at the top is known as The Peak, one of the highest lookout points in Hong Kong, with (what else?) shopping malls, restaurants and walking trails.  The views are spectacular.