I woke up the other day and realised it was November. It feels like the year just went by without my noticing as I went along for the ride that is 2015. I meant to share this post a lot earlier (before the closure of the Avenue of Stars) but as usual, everything caught up with me and before I knew it, the AOS was closed, I did not find the time to make one last visit and this post is now a farewell to one of my most favourite places in Hong Kong.
(Note: The Avenue of Stars is closed for renovation till the end of 2018. You can read more about this here.)
(Update: The Avenus of Stars has reopened as of January 2019! More details here.)
Call it touristy if you wish, but I have an unabashed love for this promenade and everything that is a part of it. The view of Victoria Harbour, the backdrop of hills, the daily light show, the stretch of promenade featuring Hong Kong’s film industry, the Mobile Softee ice cream van, everything.
The snapshots in this post are actually from last year in December 2014. I thought it was the last time I took a stroll down the Avenue of Stars, but after scrolling through the pictures on my phone, I realised that when my friend visited Hong Kong earlier this year in the spring, we went for an evening stroll here too. My sister and I also popped by sometime in May on a beautiful clear day.
Sunny days, clear skies. ????????⛅️ A photo posted by Kylene Wu (@citygirlcitystories) on
You would think I would get bored or used to this spot after four years in Hong Kong but I don’t! The view is obviously amazing, but it’s not just the view that makes it special to me. I think it has something to do with how I only have good memories associated with it. Take, for example, when the city celebrates a particular holiday, and so many people gather there just to enjoy the spirit of it all. :) [See my post where I spent my first Christmas in Hong Kong here!]
Maybe it has something to do with how this promenade has always been one of the few constant things in the middle of this bustling, ever shifting city. Shops close left and right, new ones open before I even realise the old ones are gone and I watch familiar things like the neighbourhood my university is located in change before my very eyes, from my first year to my graduation to the present moment (where I’m back in school again!).
Maybe it’s also because this promenade is one of the few spots in Hong Kong where I can wander down and no one ever really seems to be in a rush, you’re comfortably surrounded by people enjoying the view or tourists taking cheesy pictures (which always amuses me – in a good way!).
Every single time a friend comes to visit Hong Kong, the Avenue of Stars is something I recommend to them, and if time permits, I take a stroll along with them too.
Every stroll I have taken along this stretch has acted as a reminder to me about how incredible an experience being in Hong Kong has been and still is. It also reminds me how crazy/happy/lucky that I get to spend my 20s (so far) studying, living and working abroad, in the city I was born in but never knew, and discovering it every day.
Of course, I only choose to share the good parts on this blog and life in Hong Kong is not 100% perfect, but which place really is? :)
With all that said, I guess it might explain a little about why this tourist spot is one of my favourite things in this city. Come back soon, Avenue of Stars, I will see you in 2018.
Charlie chan says
Nice stories, keep it up with your good works.
From your dentist Uncle charlie
Kylene Wu says
Hello Uncle Charlie, thank you for coming by my blog and for your kind words! I will keep doing my best. :)