Locomotoring

Mid-level escalator

A narrow backalley

Stairs coming down SoHo

Mid-town escalator – a visitor to Hong Kong is expected to get on it. I wish I could say that taking the escalator meant not walking. The world’s longest escalator is really for the working man – it ferries them from home to the financial hub in the morning. After mid-morning, it switches direction and starts going back up to the hills again. So, if you are a visitor, you can either go up or down the escalator and you will have to leg it the other way. If you are an average visitor, you will likely be staying close to the Central’s shopping district and therefore would be going up the escalator and coming down the stairs.

Why should you do it? No 1 – It gives a lovely glimpse of the life and lifestyle in Hong Kong with half the walking. No. 2 – It goes through the SoHo district where you can get a Mexican Tequilla or a Spanish Tapas or Lebanese Kababs or Organic Fair Trade Coffee – a treatment for your withdrawl symptoms – you are afterall expected to be a visitor from anywhere in the world. These eateries have congregated around the landing spots of the escalator – so you can sip your tequilla and then hop on the escalator and land a few flight of stairs for a bermuda onion and ham tart. In between you can catch a glimpse of a Mosque or a terrace garden or laundry drying on the washing line or produce stalls or murals or the backsides of the tall apartment buildings with rows upon rows of air conditioners in a military march.

Right on Cochrane Lane, at the bottom of the stairs is a popular private kitchen called Yellow Door, hidden away on top of a 7-eleven  that was recommended to us by our hotel conceirge (@ Lan Kwai Fong). They serve fixed menu dinner for $290 HKG. Try as I might, I can’t recommend it whole heartedly. More on this later.

Photos from the escalator:

Restaurants of SoHo

Terrace garden

View of a produce shop