[HONG KONG TRAVEL 8] EATS, PLAY 2016: CENTRAL-MID-LEVEL ESCALATORS & PMQ

by - Wednesday, May 25, 2016






[HONG KONG TRAVEL 6]EATS, PLAY 2016: NGONG PING ( TIAN TAN BUDDHA, PO LIN MONASTERY, WISDOM PATH)& TAI O

[HONG KONG TRAVEL 7]EATS, PLAY 2016: GUDETAMA 
CAFE BY IZUMI CURRY

Want to know where this photo was taken?
Read On!

MID-LEVEL Escalator
Mid-level escalator in Hong Kong belongs to the world’s longest escalator linking Des Voeux Road, Queen's Road in Central to Conduit Road in Mid-Level. Being there felt surreal as you travel along the 800m long escalator with a vertical height of about 135 meters, witnessing the intertwining of new and old.
 New facades are the bars and shops popping around the area. Old representations are the faces of the elderly living at the residential districts of Mid-Level, as they go about in their daily routine around the escalator.

Traveling along transports you to another part of Hong Kong- the steep and narrow terrain of the Western District.

I suggest you to slow down and enjoy the view and Hong Kong sub-culture.
We started our journey from IFC MALL and there are signs and indications along the way to where it starts.


MTR Fare Saver!
This machine in the middle of the journey, shortly after departing from Queen's Road, sees many tapping their Octopus Card to gain a $2 off on your next MTR ride around the Central/ Sheung Wan/ Hong Kong stn on same day.  Did it work? We forgot to check but let's give it the benefit of doubt, since so many locals did that as well. =)
This is the first only only time we spot such a machine in Hong Kong!
 Have you seen it elsewhere too ? 


Look behind this fare saver and you can spot a quirky tailor - out of nowhere from the adjacent nearby building, with a clear window and a tailor at work- no doubt in a smart westernized setup. I would not have noticed if there were not so  many people were snapping photos of the tailor.

Up Or Down?
During morning rush hour from 6am -10am, the escalator runs downhill to ferry mid-
level residents from their homes to work and from 1030am till midnight, runs uphill.
There are several exit points along the way such as the one below. 
 One way journey all the way up takes about 30 mins. 
(credits:jiehui)

"Treacherous Slopes"
And there were many.
The slopes turn steeper as you ascend. Especially when I began to notice  many elderly making their way down the slope. with their walking cane no less! Think of the strain of walking on such clobbered paths, at such slant, at such an age. 

  All the more difficult for seniors who only have to balance themselves but having to repeat this routine everyday ( well, unless they don’t leave the house)? I marvelled and yet felt sorry for these seniors who have to make their way downhill on foot any time after 10am. Even young people like us find it a challenge to walk up and down the slope, how about the older folks? 
Maybe they have gotten used to it? Still….
There are no public transportation as you go further up as roads get narrower. From what we noticed, only cabs can meander the intersecting roads. 


SOHO
On the way up, cut through the bustling Soho filled with western bars and restaurants, located between Queen’s Central and Hollywood road. You won’t miss this if you travel all the way up on the escalator. The change in scenery is so vast, you will notice the disparity immediately- a sudden pop up of bars,
Think East meets West. 


 Apartment Shopping? 
Due to the inconvenience, many residents and their younger offspring have since moved away, left with mainly the elderly who still have reminiscence for the Mid-Level. Huge disparity comes from the skyscrapers sticking all the way at the high tops, mainly rebuilt as swanky apartments with great view ( and prices) to boot.
Mainly in attracting expats, many housing agencies line up the Mid-Level if you ever want to find an apartment in this area.

Some of the older estates. 


Journey Down Down Down
The slope is steep and no joke... though there are steps on the side to make it "easier"? 

Look at these cars jammed  perched of the slanted, crowded slope?

PMQ 元創方


PMQ 元創方

If you ever, ever need a motivation to reach the top, PMQ might just be the answer. Of course there are other ways up, but if Mid-Level Escalator is on your agenda, why not put this place as one of the pit-stop?
PMQ-  Police Married Quarters as it stands for, is simply put, a former living quarter for police officers and their family members offered as a form of policeman recruitment incentive in the 1950s. Fast forward to the millennium and the PMQ is put under heritage conservation by Hong Kong government and in 2014 started operating as a creative hippy hangout, frequent by youngsters. 
(credit: Jiehui)

Entrance


A public space converted and revamped, PMQ now hosts art events and pop-up stores, with dining spaces too. There was a TOMS event then. 

A pair of TOMS please. 

Quirky, Indie Pop-Ups!
Visit them all! Being here reminds me very much of being at 99 Beach Road for Singaplural 2016 in Singapore. Only difference the PMQ was a former living quarter and Singapore's 99 Beach Road was a Former Police Station- Beach Road Police Station!
However there were so many of these gems stores it took us over 2 hours to just roam one side of the PMQ. We left with the other side untouched, sadly. 
Definitely love to return! 





Feathers for your next store front?

Or take a peek into some pop-up exhibitions, if shopping is not your cup of team~

There are many of such colorfully painted staircases in the premises. Take a hunt for all of them! 



(credit: jiehui)






If you love appreciating art and support art forms, PMQ is a fantastic place to lose yourself in for hours, spurring your creativity and thoughts in the process.

www.pmq.org.hk
No. 35, Aberdeen Street, Central
Opening: 7am- 11pm

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