Triangle Trip

As a frequent visitor of Hong Kong, below is quick read on what to do there. Hong Kong Island is probably half the size of Manhattan and you can probably explore it in less than four days. It has great public transportation, especially the modern subway. Traveling by train is probably the best way to avoid traffic congestion on buses.

Central – The central business district. Lots of people. Lots of shopping – probably the most Chanel, LV, Armani, etc. store per capita in the world. There’s a building called IFC2 by the pier. It has lots of food and hip bar: Isola, Red, etc. IFC2 has a ferry terminal that can take passengers to Kowloon Island – the Star Ferry.

Lan Kwai Fong (LFK) – located in Central. It’s got a lot of historical houses built on slopes. It’s a place where Westerners go for happy hour. Tons of hip restaurants and bars. Very diverse crowd.

Soho – a 10 minute walk from LFK (more like elevator ride). It’s got more restaurants. More trendy…

Victoria Peak – Located in Central. Take the cable car up to the top of the mountain and get a panoramic view of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Causeway Bay – probably the busiest intersection in Asia. Causeway Bay has a Time Square. It’s the area where locals and foreigners shop.

Aberdeen – located on the other side of HK island (HK is separated by a large mountain). Arberdeen has great seafood.

Repulse Bay – a resort like area near Aberdeen. It’s got a nice beach and very quiet. It’s where the locals go to get away form City life. You can take a bus from Admiralty or Central to get to Repulse Bay. It is also on the way to Stanley.

Stanley Market – a walking flea market where you can pick up local art work and enjoy local food. It’s also off the beach. The Murray Building is one of the landmarks – old government building that was moved from Central. Not too far from Repulse Bay.

Kowloon Island is located across the channel from Hong Kong Island. I highly recommend taking the Star Ferry (US$2 or less) which takes you from Wai Chai or Central (IFC2) to Kowloon. At one point, the ferry was the only way to go from one island to another. While in Kowloon, check out:

Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade – the Star Ferry will drop you off at the Promenade. There are museums and shops along the Promenade. It also offers a great view of the Hong Kong skyline, especially at night. There’s also the Kowloon Walk of Fame (not quite Hollywood).

The Old Railway Tower – a landmark of Hong Kong is also located along the Promenade. It is also a concert hall and great place to get a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island.

Tsim Sha Tsui – perpendicular to the promenade are filed with shops – from brand names to local designers. The top floor of the Peninsula Hotel offers a great view of HK at night. They serve drinks and dinner up there. Felix and Aqua (on One Peking Road building) is good spot for drinks and view.

Temple Street Market or Mong Kok Market – it’s a flea market worth checking out. It has pretty good street food as well.

Tian Tan Buddha – located on Lantau Island (by the airport) would be a good hiking experience. You’ll have to take the ferry from HK to get there.

Amusement parks: HK Disney, Ocean Park.

As a frequent flyer of United in and out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Terminal 3, here are some hot tips for you:

1.  When flying on a domestic flight out of Terminal 3, you should always go through TSA security checkpoint near Gate 74 and 75. Gate 74 and 75 is located between the domestic and international terminals. It is called out “Boarding Areas” (the bottom red dot) if you refer to the map below.

The Gate 74 and 75 checkpoint is to the left of the Ticketing area, opposite side of the regular boarding area. No one is aware of this security checkpoint as it is geared towards travelers coming from the international terminal or BART. Lines here are always shorter than the Premier lines.

2.  When you are in transit through SFO from domestic to international terminal, the best approach is via the bus interlink. The bus is located near the Yankee Pier restaurant or Gate 72. Referring to the map above, it is the 2nd red dot from the top. You will need to go through a door near the information booth, then down the stairs to the waiting area. The bus comes every 15 minutes or so. Going by bus means you will be able to avoid going out of Terminal 3, taking the Airtrain, and go through security screening at the International terminal.

Try these two tips and let us know your thoughts.

I experienced Clear for the first time last night and thought it was quite valuable if the airport is packed. I was at JFK last night (Sunday night) and it was a zoo. As a Clear member, you actually get to skip the line – even bypassing people with status.

The Clear process is as follows:

1. Show your Clear membership card at the Clear station. A Clear representative will look at your card and make you identify yourself via your finger print (thumb, index finger, etc.) or retina scan.
2. Once you have been verified by the Clear representative, he/she will assist you with the removal of your shoes, belt, laptop, liquid items, etc.
3. The Clear representative then takes you from the Clear station directly to the front of the line of a security scanning machine.

My experience was extremely pleasant and efficient as I was a seasoned traveler. I can see how the $199 per year fee can help some of the novices/rookies running late to airports. The jury is still out if Clear is actually worth me giving up my personal data + $199 per year. The limited airports with Clear machines still baffles me. You can find more insight on the registration process from my December post.

Finally I would like to let everyone who considers joining to know that they actually will only get 11 months of service vs. 12 months if they decide to sign up. It took Clear a four weeks to get me my card. Here was the entire process:

1. Registered online:  around December 15
2. Registered at Clear kiosk:  December 30
3. Received Clear card:  January 21

Hope this article helps… Happy Lunar New Year!!  May the year of the Ox bring prosperity to all my fans.