Experiencing The Cat Cafe.

For the past two years, the apartment building we live in does not allow us to have pets (which I'm actually thankful for since I've heard of other people complaining about barking dogs on their floor). However, my animal loving daughter sure misses not having a pet in our home. 

For her birthday, we figured we'd surprise her with a trip to the Cat Cafe here in Hong Kong. I made sure that we ate before the restaurant, simply because I worry about cat hair and other germs in a place that allows the cats to climb everywhere in the restaurant. My daughter was indeed surprised and was able to enjoy a couple hours of petting cats, We did order a couple cat themed drinks for the kids and the husband. 

Hong Kong Loves Dogs.

The residents of Hong Kong definitely have a soft spot for dogs. You see them being walked in all shapes and sizes. All different exotic breeds and sometimes three at a time. I always wonder when I see a maid walking three large dogs at one time where they have the space to put all of them considering the size of apartments here in the city. We were in Causeway Bay and we came upon this cute little puppy with the owner selling newspapers on the corner of the street. Too adorable. 

Ichiran Noodle Shop.

I learned about this restaurant via Instagram and I knew I wanted to check it out. So one cold rainy Hong Kong evening, we made our way over to Causeway Bay and were seated at our own individual cubicles. We ordered off the menu, much like one would order sushi, by ticking squares beside each food item we wanted added to our bowl of noodles. Once we were ready, we pushed a buzzer/bell and the staff came and took away our order. It was a fun experience, although we didn't care as much for the noodles as we had anticipated, but that was on no one's fault except our own since we had ticked the wrong combination of boxes. 

Victoria Park For CNY.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, we met up with some friends at Victoria Park and experienced the festival that the park had put on. The crowd was thick, and although there were bright bold signs directly traffic flow, people were walking in any direction that they chose, adding to the chaos and confusion of the large crowd. Our kids were excited when they saw a tang-hular and got to sample one. They had read about them in the book "Little Pear". 

Although we live next to the Flower Market in Prince Edward, we walked through the pop up flower shops that were in Victoria Park specifically for the CNY holiday. There were plenty of lucky orange trees, lucky bamboo, orchids, and other brightly colored flowers for sale. 

Hong Kong Got Cold.

Hong Kong saw record lows in the temperature this past weekend, but that didn't stop my favorite girl and I from venturing out for a shopping date in Causeway Bay on Saturday. We put on our toques and wore our Uggs, and were warm enough without a coat. A fun stop for coffee at Corridor Cafe and then we were off to shop till we dropped at the stores in Causeway Bay. I love these times of one-on-one bonding with my kids. 

A Life Filled With Star Wars.

I've got two boys that I live with who are Star Wars fanatics. With all the hype of the latest movie coming out, we reserved theatre tickets at a VIP movie theatre here in Hong Kong. The night before our movie date, we came across the latest Star Wars Lego display in Times Square, so the kids had a fun time taking pictures with the different characters and checking out the different Lego creations. 

The movie was a fun experience. Black leather reclining chairs and unlimited popcorn and drinks made for an extra special treat. My six year old daughter spent all of her time in either my lap or my husband's lap. At one point we walked out when it was a little too scary for her and got a refill on popcorn. As an impassive Star Wars fan, I really just enjoyed seeing my family members excited and having a great time. 

A Day To Myself.

Recently I realized that I am constantly surrounded by people, which is something I love and typically thrive from. However, as a homeschooling parent who is with her children 24 hours a day, I do need the break. But the break from my children usually means meeting up with friends for a girl's dinner out or coffee with other friends. I haven't been completely alone for some time, which is also something I love and thoroughly enjoy. The kind of day where I do not have to answer to anyone but do the things that I enjoy doing. A day that I can work with my own time schedule instead of balancing someone else's. That is a good day. 

So I skipped church and went to see an early movie, bought a chai tea latte from Starbucks, walked down to the Butcher's Club in Wan Chai for a burger with duck fat fries, and took the tram to Causeway Bay for a two hour massage. Pure indulgence. Even with all that alone time, I ended up calling a really good friend and we met up for coffee and a picnic on Victoria Harbour in the evening. As much as I love my time alone, I still crave community and relationships. 

Cutest Ice Cream Cones.

From the Hello Kitty themed restaurant to a Snoopy themed restaurant, Hong Kong has some of the cutest food we've eaten! We stopped for a sweet treat at Tai Parfait which specializes in frozen yogurt with the most darling fish shaped cones. 

The Force Is Strong In Hong Kong.

With three members of my family loving Star Wars, I knew I had to take them down to Times Square in Causeway Bay to show them what was happening there. Currently, there is a large display in honor of the upcoming movie. The kids and my husband all enjoyed browsing the different items that were on display and taking pictures with the different characters. You know we'll be watching the new movie when it comes out! 

Urban Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival.

Sunday evening we headed over to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay so we could experience the Urban Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival. It was beautiful to watch the park transform as the sky got darker and the lights glowed brighter. There were many state of the art lanterns to look at and admire.

This holiday is all about lanterns and the moon, so we made sure to pick up a few of our own glow-in-the-dark accessories. Kids were out carrying glow sticks, throwing around balls that were glowing, and holding anything that lit up. My daughter used her personal money that she had made from doing chores around our home, to purchase an airplane that lit up and could be "flown" around in the air. We saw a number of other children with the same type of plane "driving" it around the park. 

On our walk home toward the metro train station, we got sidetracked by the path that the dragon parade would take place on. We found ourselves walking toward the beat of drums that are the distinctive sounds of a dragon dance taking place. We discovered that the dragon dance would not be passing by us until 10:00 that evening, so we decided to head on home instead of waiting the two hours for it to get to us. There were plenty of people with a spot already staked out, but it was not to be for us this year.

Restaurants With Characters.

Since we took our daughter to the {Hello Kitty restaurant} back in May, we figured we would take our son to a Pokemon themed restaurant. It seems Hong Kong loves their cartoon characters and love to recreate them through their food as well. 

This particular restaurant is in Causeway Bay, and their character themes change on a regular basis. I discovered this restaurant one evening when I went to get massages with some girl friends. I knew I needed to bring my son here before the theme changed again. 

Both of my two children were super excited to eat their Pokemon themed food! 

Jamie's Italian.

With friends telling us about two hour wait times and booking three months in advance to eat at this restaurant, we were fortunate to be able to book online and get in a couple hours later. We waited in the bar for fifteen minutes before our table was ready and all enjoyed several mocktails. One difference between Hong Kong and the United States of America, is that here children are allowed to sit up at the bar and no one blinks an eye. 

Our service was excellent when we sat down at our table. The kids each got a special menu and a cup of crayons that they could use to color. We did not have to wait too long for our food once we placed our order. A friend of ours had just eaten there the same week and wasn't impressed with the lamb lollipops so we stuck to ordering pasta. The pasta is made on sight, and was very tasty. We definitely enjoyed our meal!

Times Square In Hong Kong.

For a while, I was not aware that Hong Kong had their own Times Square and that Times Square in New York City was not the only one with the name. Having been to Times Square in New York City many times, Times Square in Hong Kong doesn't even compare. 

Times Square in Hong Kong is now a major shopping district with nine stories of mall to shop from. In previous history, it was once used as the tram depot and today trams headed to Happy Valley and Shau Kei Wan drop passengers off near it. The area is always full of foot traffic with pedestrians walking around. There are plenty of great restaurants nearby as well for a person to eat at. Monday's post will feature our experience of eating at Jamie Oliver's restaurant which is located one street over from Time's Square.