Most of Hong Kong's iconic skyline is actually near Admiralty Station. A little bit down the way is where you'll find a greater density of structures and a much livelier downtown area.
The trams are really amazing to me - very narrow and tall. They look like they'd tip over with just a slight push! I would like to ride the line from end to end in the future.
The buildings are much closer together here, and many of the alleyways and narrower streets are lined with stalls and shops.
While some shops clearly cater to tourists, others are there for residents.
There are plenty of smaller markets selling herbs, produce, and meat.
For the tourists or for the locals, the shops are all fun to look at.
Not being a "seafood" guy, I don't know what a lot of the food is. Then again, it might not be seafood.
The elevation change in the area allows a good view of the upper floors of some buildings. It was interesting to see all the air conditioning units attached outside. I wonder if it would be cheaper and more efficient overall to have a single system for the whole building.
After browsing around a little bit I finally got to the escalators themselves. But not before seeing this cool mural wrapping around a building.
The escalators themselves are exactly what you'd think they are. A total of 20 escalators and three inclined moving walkways make up the 800 meter route. It travels along Cochrane Street and then Shelley Street.
The system runs above street level making it very easy to quickly get from one end to the other without worrying about cross traffic. There are entrances and exits at each cross street, sometimes on both sides of the street.
The system runs downhill from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning, then uphill from 10:30 to midnight. The escalators and walkways are wide enough for people to stand on one side and walk on the other. It takes 20 minutes to go the entire route, though most people walk to shorten the transit time.
The streets it travels along have lots of shops and restaurants, and the escalators themselves have become a tourist attraction too. As a transportation fan, I know this will be another area I will want to look at more in detail on a future trip!
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