"Glory Days"

Most tourists are eager to see that which they ought to see in the first several days (given they have the luxury of time that I have in Hong Kong.) Guidebooks understand this and customarily outline the first 48 hours in detail (lunch here, shop there, ogle at this, be sure to see that, etc.)

New York? The Statue of Liberty.

Boston? Old North Church.

Hong Kong? The Peak.

Delving more deeply into a guidebook, hotel concierge, and in my case family, tourists next want to know where the locals hang out. Where do they eat/shop/do local stuff? Where can I go to see locals doing what ever it is that locals do so that I might better understand the fabric of the place?

Hong Kong is all about money, so it is easy to spot a local financial type bursting out of an enormous office building, yakking on his cell phone, sucking down a cigarette in two drags, while knowing that civilization itself may hinge on his next deal. In fact, given the state of the U.S financial market this week and its impact internationally, for once he may be right.

Hong Kong is also about eating. There are more restaurants per capita here than anywhere else in the world. Getting to them is another matter. The early evening streets and intersections in the more popular destinations are unimaginably clogged with people. As in Tokyo, cars drive on the left. People are encouraged to move in the same fashion (IE., 'up' escalators are always on the left.) Left to their own devices, however, pedestrians walk wherever they please on whatever side they want. There is no right side, so to speak. Pedestrian traffic is chaos everywhere - all the time.

My first look at locals hanging out occurred during my walk through Victoria Park on Sunday. Sunday is nanny's day off. Most of the nannies are either Philippino or Indonesian. The Philippinos flock to the Catholic churches. The Indonesians, on the other hand, flood to Victoria Park. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Along every pathway, in every nook there were clusters of a dozen or so brightly-clad, head-covered Muslim women on plastic sheets reading, praying, laughing, talking on cell phones, and eating volumes of exotic (to my eye) foods of all colors from every imaginable kind of container. Were such clusters spotted in an American park, the Homeland Security level would instantly go to red.

Yesterday, with Margaret's help (you knew I'd work her in somehow,) we took the #25 bus up the hill to see where the locals go to school. Coincidentally, her mother also teaches there. It was a win-win deal for Margaret and me. She got a mid-morning feeding and I had a chance to burst with pride as I walked around Sarah's (empty - remember the flu) classroom. It expressed the energy and excitement of a vital 5th grade class. Her creativity and style oozed from every corner. On the hall wall, just outside of her door there is a plaque with her name written in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Father-wise, it does not get any better than that!

The most popular local spot that I have identified to date is the Hong Kong Central Public Library. This morning, I arrived 30 minutes prior to opening. What I saw when I escalated to the plaza, were about 800 people (really, I counted) waiting eagerly in a line that wrapped around and through the plaza in a manner reminiscent of the security operation at LaGuardia Airport on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving.

Officials patrolled the scene to be certain that order was maintained. When the doors opened, people poured in as though it were festival seating at a Springstein concert. Half shot for the three elevators and the rest to the escalators. My goal was a window cube overlooking the harbor on the 9th floor. The elevator was chancy, the escalator a sure thing. I joined the throng tearing up the escalator steps two and three at a time. When I arrived, I got the last spot - the others already comfortably occupied by the more seasoned elevator people.

There is nothing particularly special about the 9th floor. There are probably 1,000 working cubicles in the library and each has power and an Internet connection. By 11am all were filled and, based on past experience, will remain that way until closing time at 10pm.

There is no mention of the Hong Kong Central Public Library in my Fodor's guidbook, and yet here may lie a clue about that in which the locals are engaged.

Where can I go to see locals doing what ever it is that locals do so that I might better understand the fabric of the place?

The Hong Kong Central Public Library is such a place and serious learning, education, and self improvment are the activities.

Thank you for visiting.

Jack