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NEIGHBOURHOODS
57
Jun-Jul15
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subject line. Include your name and street, and we’ll be in touch.
WHAT'S THE WORD ON YOUR STREET?
When you walk out of your
place, the first thing you see is:
Cranes and scaffolding peeking
above the brick wall that used to
surround Victoria Prison. The former
Central Police Headquarters just
in front of Chancery Lane is in the
process of being converted into an
arts and retail complex which should
finally open next year.
The closest store to your front
door is:
Lok Man Rare Books – a tranquil
bookworm’s paradise crammed
full of first editions and an eclectic
collection of rare and unusual
tomes on any and every subject
imaginable.
Your neighbours are great, but
you wouldn’t mind a little less:
Construction noise on Saturday
morning when I’m trying to have
a lie in.
The unofficial uniform of your
street is:
Lulu Lemons and yoga mats –
Chancery Lane is basically a
thoroughfare to Pure Yoga.
If a celebrity moves in next
door, it will most likely be:
Someone tiny (the flats are all
shoebox-sized walk-ups along the
street) who likes yoga just as much
as spinning around a dance floor in a
minute pair of gold hotpants. I guess
it’s got to be Kylie.
When you’re in need of a dose
of culture, you:
Scuttle a couple of doors down
the street to 10 Chancery Lane
Gallery – a great little gallery space
that always houses interesting
contemporary exhibitions.
If you’re missing home, you:
Head to M&S just down the hill, on
the escalators. There’s nothing like
some buttered crumpets and a packet
of Percy Pigs to alleviate a dose of
homesickness.
A mandatory stop for taking out-
of-town guests is:
The porcelain shop just around the
corner at 17 Staunton Street. Packed
from floor to ceiling with every variety
of blue and white china, this is the ideal
spot to take visiting friends and family to
stock up on inexpensive crockery. Just
make sure you’re not held responsible
for them going over their luggage limits;
I always come away laden down with
shopping bags.
You’d swap houses in a second
with:
One of the owners of one of the stunning
properties on the Shek O headland.
A common myth about your
neighbourhood is:
That it’s noisy. Sandwiched between
Caine Road and Wyndham Street,
it certainly should be. But, after the
building site packs up for the day, when
you open the window, you can genuinely
hear the birds singing rather than the
rumble of buses and the blare of horns.
If you’re ever woken up at night,
it’s almost always due to:
A stray crew of Lang Kwai Fongers
wandering back up to the Mid-
Levels after a few too may bottles of
Champagne in Dragon-i.
A massive late-night rager on
your street is likely to involve:
A new exhibition at the gallery which
tends to involve a very chic art crowd
spilling out onto the street and sipping
wine well into the night.
THE SCENE