Airport.ca the travel blog

MAR

The Top 18 Skylines In The World

Lists are always fun, and Luigi Di Serio has compiled one for the top skylines in the world. Toronto lands #7 on the list while being described as "downtown Canada". Vancouver was snubbed completely.

Hong Kong earned top spot and would be well represented on many lists like this one. If a high-energy, high cost getaway appeals to you the Island Shangri-La Hotel is situated on a footprint in the heart of the Central District on Pacific Place's 5-million square foot downtown development. You are literally on the doorstep of one of the most unique urban playgrounds on Earth. Overlooking the harbour, the views from this 56-story hotel are pretty stunning.

Hong Kong's size and activity have their benefits, but there are downsides. Hong Kong's factories are major polluters and air quality in Hong Kong is becoming an increasingly visible issue. When travelling to Hong Kong, if you are an occasional asthmatic, it may be wise to pack that Ventolin.

Hong Kong's air is consistently more polluted than cities such as Bangkok, Paris and Taipei, and most of the grime floats over the border from China, an expert said on Thursday. By analysing satellite images, scientists at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have monitored the level of aerosols, or atmospheric particles, in the air in Hong Kong and the neighbouring region of southern China since October. Compared with aerosol levels in various other cities around the globe, the picture is grim.

Pollution in Hong Kong has been worsening, with the number of clear days dropping, respiratory problems on the rise and worries also increasing that the deteriorating environment is starting to affect the economy.

It's one thing to visit a big city like Hong Kong, but living in one is an animal unto itself. Meanderings blogger Eric Stone lived in Hong Kong and then subsequently moved to California. Not surprisingly, he notes how shopping 'is' culture in Hong Kong.

One of the things I didn't like about living here is that the launch of a new designer wristwatch is (mis)taken for a cultural event. The introduction of a new-style Rolls Royce is the Hong Kong equivalent of one of those blockbuster art museum shows - like the greatest hits of Van Gogh.

Who needs art when the city itself is one giant conceptual work in progress. It's a strange place. It's solid. All those buildings and crowds are not figments of anybody's imagination. But increasingly, Hong Kong is more of an idea than a reality. And to me, it's beginning to feel dated.

Economically Hong Kong is one huge shopping mall in which nearly everyone sells stuff to everyone else. The guy who runs the Rolex shop sells watches to the guy who runs the Guy Laroche shop next door who sells his clothes to the watch guy. It's not unlike the Eskimo potlatches I studied in college anthropology class. Everyone brings everything they've got to the party and then they trade it to each other. Here they use money to facilitate the exchanges, but it's pretty much the same thing.

So the bottom line with Hong Kong is this...don't leave home without your credit card, and it doesn't matter what it is, they will take it. Or, the shirt off your back will do.

Here is a video that showcases the top-10 things to do in Hong Kong.

Second Impressions of Hong Kong [Eric Stone]
The Top 18 Skylines in the World [Things You Don't See Everyday]
Hong Kong Air Pollution Higher Than Most, Comes From China [Planet Ark]

TAGS: china downtown hong kong shopping urban