City Tree PSI pollution monitor still not working

Hmm. It’s been a blank screen for two weeks now. Anyone gonna fix it?

Heloooo… 

I went to their website Green City Solutions and saw their marvellously simple concept and site. There was a box labelled Aircare that invited me to click to see how clean the air is around a City Tree.

The default map is Paris….So I type in Wan Chai to see if the readings are being captured centrally despite our screen here not displaying any information whatsoever. This is what I got:

Hmm. I don’t think you need to know any German to understand that the City Tree in that “location has been disabled”.

The question is why??

The chain stores invade Wan Chai

I did my old route of Johnston road and Queens Road East today and noticed that some hoardings were coming down while others had gone up.

First, the Tang Tang Tang Tang shop owned by David Tang. 

Purveying posh home accessories, silk pyjamas, leather printed bags and funky umbrellas, it was the only shop of its kind. It was a shop you could go to for expensive gifts luxuriously wrapped and the receiver would immediately know how much you decided to spend on them. The shop seems to have vacated overnight and large “For Lease” signs have been erected around the pillars. 

Next, the hoardings have come off the Under Armour shop, situated prominently by the Swatow Street Tram Stop. 

Johnston Suites gave up their double height lobby reception area for Under Armour to move in. The shop now has a huge double storied space.

The most disappointing space is the two storied shop house that Hopewell retained as a front, the remnant facing Hopewell Center. A great locale with lots of footfall has been leased to Kee wah bakery. How uninspiring. 

I had high hopes for a nice bar or cafe, perhaps some shop with style with at least unique or interesting items to draw the crowd in. Kee Wah already exists in many locations and it’s quite a boring tenant to have. 

Oh well. Due to increasing rent and the changing residents and neighbourhood, small shops don’t stand much of a chance against the big chain stores with negotiating muscle.

The Economist – Taco Stall

What does a premier financial magazine, the Economist have to do with Taco? 

Not much except that it’s what they think will draw the crowds at lunchtime. The red signs really do stand out. This promotion was taking place between Wu Chung House and Hopewell Center. 

The last time I saw their cart was by the open area next to Burger King, now pseudo Italian leather sofa store Kelvin Giormani near PP3. They were offering ice cream in the height of summer.

Helmed mostly by young ladies touting iPads to get anyone in a suit to take up a subscription. This must be part of their digital media strategy.

Digital subscriptions aren’t exorbitant initially but once they have you on auto-renew you’re probably forever in their clutches. It looks to me that getting an annual digital subscription costs hkd 2250.

At the promo sign up teaser rate for the first 3 months at $300, it’s like buying Tacos for two.

It’s Halloween 2016 in Wanchai!

It’d be nice if there was the haunted house walk again but I don’t see any notices indicating that it’s on…

Hopewell has this display up. There’s a party at Pawn and Ophelia if you’re up for fright night.

Looking for love…

….in all the wrong places

Looking for love in too many faces…

This post related very well to the lyrics in the song by Johnny Lee: Looking for love

A while back I came across an article about a police immigration raid in Wan chai. This was interesting to me as I walk most of the streets in the daytime and have only a faint idea of where the sleazier (grittier as my friend’s husband prefers) stuff happens. 

Between the hours of 9am and 6pm, the shops are open, pavements are full of pedestrians, flyer distribution promoter types, contractors delivering goods and carpenters either smoking or trimming pieces of wood. 

Occasionally I would hear the echoey cluttering mahjong gambling houses in the afternoon, they are mostly empty in the mornings which is when the staff can fling the faux golden doors open for airing. The exterior decor of these gambling halls are quite fancy but one who doesn’t know may think it’s a fancy restaurant or not notice it at all. 

It may not be a surprise then, to discover that within a three minute radius of these gambling houses, stands one of Wanchai’s famous/notorious institutions where the winners/ losers can spend the rest of their money, time and energy. Prostitutes who are working legally (i.e. not being pimped and have their own quarters) have taken up residence in this particular building and ply their trade from small sub divided apartments. Each of these apartments are equipped with its own water and power supply and hence is deemed a legal dwelling.

So to save you wondering what the establishment looks like (yeah yeah..from the outside only ok), I’m going to satisfy your curiosity here.

I’ve walked this street on both sides probably a thousand times but never noticed the entrance. A very narrow corridor between two interior furnishing shops with a lit up sign, though the interior stores have taken great care to ensure their signs are brighter.

I soon realised while strolling past, that this was indeed no ordinary building. I think this must be one of the fanciest stairway entrances on the entire street. White tiled marble with backlit cornices reminiscent of Greek mythology, the effect on men must be similar to an ascent to Olympus. 

The building

A rather tall, washed out pink coloured building with lots of air conditioning units, one wouldn’t think it out of place or unusual in appearance until you study the windows.

Pretty much all the windows have been blocked from prying eyes by window film stickers of various colours. There’s barely any natural light that enters the building. 

It’s supposedly frequented by locals and appeals to the chinese speaking crowd. 

You can put this on your alternate sightseeing map when in Wanchai. If you’re showing guests around based on my blog, all I ask is that you show them this post and write to me with your comments about Wanchai :).

Fuji Building on Lockhart road

Living at the Avenue (Lee Tung Street)

You only have to look through the number of entries I’ve written about the Avenue to know how much of a fan I am of the remodelled street (you can find those posts by searching for Lee Tung Avenue in the search box above). I patronise the shops and often prefer walking through it over the other more chaotic side streets in Wan Chai. 

It’s also a perfect example of how short streets can be pedestrianised to make a neighbourhood much more liveable for families with young children. 

I caught up with a friend who lives in the Avenue and was asking how it was in the newest residential complex in Wanchai. He had mixed feelings about the management of the estate. The issues that he raised were as follow:
1) slow and insufficient lifts for the number of units in each block. Having to wait for two lifts to go by is similar to waiting for two MTR trains to go by before you board. It’s tiring (and boring) standing around in anticipation, especially in an enclosed lift lobby area. 

2) inefficient clearance of rubbish bins. Apparently the bins are often filled to overflowing, causing a bit of a stink after a few days at room temperature. Perhaps the staff assume that not all floors are occupied and skip certain floors…

3) receptionist unable to accept packages. This is usually expected of building reception, especially these days where many people live without extended family (mostly studios and one bedrooms on offer- designed for singles or couples).  It’s very strange that reception can’t or won’t assist with receiving parcels from the postman or simple deliveries if instructed by the resident. 

4) residents need to take two lifts to get to the ground floor of their building. This is the case with many estates in Hong Kong where one has to ascend from mall level up to the podium, then podium up to the apartment. This is just an unfortunate design decision and it’s too bad that the architect didn’t incorporate an escalator or some more rapid and efficient way of accessing the main lobby of the apartments. 

Benefit: If you live on a high-ish floor as my friend does, what you do get is a fantastic view over Wan Chai and marvellous sunsets if you get home early.

Ophelia Bar designer Ashley Sutton expressed this opinion of the Avenue in the SCMP…not the most flattering comment…

Is Wanchai’s City Tree dead? (With update below)

The Wanchai City Tree project has been a disappointment to me so far. After I saw the launch by its Founder and team (flanked by lots of dudes in suits) with lots of snazzy photo taking and media buzz, the City Tree has been mostly ignored since. More ominously a black netting has been wrapped around the tree… it’s a bit unclear if this was to prevent the recent typhoon(s) from ripping out all the plants or whether the plants aren’t quite acclimating well to the environs.

I see the following issues:

1) not very aesthetically pleasing

2) rather exposed seating area

3) no way to know whether it’s working (the screen has been blank for a while now)

Individual plantlets on the City Tree

What the City Tree needs is a big display above the awning indicating what the second to second PSI is, flicking to what the PSI variations are during the day and night. That way, all passersby will be able to see what the traffic contributes during rush hour, how particles decrease after a good thunderstorm or on a public holiday. 

Come on Herr Denes Honus and team, you can do better than that. If you’re struggling with the PSI indicator, please collaborate with Dyson. My Dyson Fan Air Quality Indicator works very well.

Will Wan Chai be filled with City Trees? Replacing any trees that fall during typhoon season with City Trees would be a welcome start though the effect on the landscape isn’t quite the same. See the article below on possible intents…

Vertical gardens that ‘eat’ air pollution and how Hong Kong could use them 

Quick update: the black netting has now been removed. The coverage of plants seem to be a little more extensive but the computer display was definitely not working right.

City Tree Netting is off today

BUT

But computer is faulty

A new meat shop in Wan Chai

If the number of high end meat shops in your neighborhood is an indication of changing tastes and socio-economic affluence, then Spring Garden Lane is a reflection of what residents and visitors to Lee Tung Avenue have become. 

A new meat shop quite obviously and fittingly called “The Meat Shop” has opened along the busy thoroughfare. 

I popped my head in to see what they had on the shelves.

In the freezer on the left of the entrance, beef patties, T bone steaks, ossobucco, lamb racks, iberico pork. All prices for frozen food seemed reasonable.

And then some premium sausages from the UK, frozen tuna sashimi, quite inexpensive frozen chickens.

In the cool fridge beside the freezer, processed meats such as chorizo and wafer thin slices of iberico pork.. Ready to be tossed into a salad, rolled in the a rock melon or draped on a home made pizza.

Then there’s the main display counter featuring the better cuts of chilled imported beef and lamb.

It’s interesting that they had an Australian M6 Wagyu striploin, it looked quite nicely marbled though I think not as evenly as the Japanese versions.

Another deep freezer to the right of the counter had more frozen chickens and assorted meats, mostly to replenish the display when it runs out.

The guys running the shop seemed young but enthusiastic, they didn’t seem to speak much English though and if that’s a requirement for you, you’re better off going to Derek’s Foodies Gourmet. But if you’re right there and know what you need, I’m sure active finger pointing will get the job done. 

Here’s their phone number and address.

There’s already several high end meat shops selling imported frozen or chilled beef in the neighbourhood. Notably, Foodies Gourmet, which sells frozen cuts of U.S. pork, Spanish iberico pork, frozen lamb chops, chilled French chicken and chilled sashimi grade Norwegian salmon. Derek, the owner, can help you select your meat (he will marinate the French chicken upon request) and he’s a trained sashimi chef who will also prepare your salmon sashimi for the dining table. Foodies Gourmet is on Wan Chai road, near Fu Wing fruit stall. The shop generally opens by 10am and shuts around 7/8pm.

Another meat and seafood shop is One Stop Food Supply along Ship Street. Owner Ben will cut, recommend a recipe and cook your meat sous vide for you upon request. Check out their meats and seafood at their Facebook page. 

1563 Live Music Scene in Wan Chai, Hopewell Center

I saw this news article in the SCMP covering the latest live music venue in Wan Chai. It refers to a new joint known as 1563. 

Unfortunately the news article uses google maps to mark the location and this is clearly wrong. 

The venue is at Hopewell Center, not in Sheung Wan.

On google maps and as listed in the article:

WRONG LOCATION

This is where it really is:

And if you’re wondering (as I did) why it’s called 1563 (because that’s definitely not the address..) here’s the rationale!

The menu looks interesting (all day breakfast!!) and they offer a set lunch. I might just have to check it out.

Restaurant to avoid: Yuan Yang Cafe at the Avenue

We had high hopes for this upscale swanky looking Cha chaan Teng that opened brazenly just down the street from Wanchai stalwart Kam Fung. The menu looked appetising and extensive, the prices double that of Kam Fung, but the premium could be justified by similar food in a less squishy and more comfortable environment.

We chose to try it on an off peak hour one Saturday afternoon. 

Yuan Yang Cafe is a place you won’t regret missing. A fusion menu that is confused, quantities of food that do not live up to the menu description and pricing expectation. 

We ordered a few basic items to share and none of it was good. 

The vol-au-vents were small and unfulfilling, it was an expensive starter. 

The chicken curry rice was mediocre… Appearance wise it looked ok but the flavour was flat.. They could have garnished it better. 

The instant noodles were just flat out rubbish. We should’ve gone to Kam Fung for that. The only thing going for this place is the service, which was polite and attentive and the fact that it’s wheelchair friendly with ramp access for a pram. 

Too bad the kitchen was such a let down. They’d be better off streamlining the menu and focus on delivering a few good dishes instead.

We didn’t finish our food. And it wasn’t because the portions were too big. I recall that bill almost came up to almost HKD 400.