Tripping on life

brooklyn yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh man I am so ready to come home.

I still have a lot to consider about moving to HK for a couple of years. A lot of it has to do with culture that's holding me back. Language barrier - not as much of an issue, I'm giving greater thought to taking mandarin classes next semester (yes sometimes I still go by semesters)

Pros -
It's cheap. Everything is cheap relative to NY. I really should stop comparing it to NY but I can't help it.
Rent - for a 2 bedroom flat (small but hey gotta live somewhere) it'll be approx $1000 or more USD. Pretty damn good in my opinion. More expensive depending on where you live of course... my first preference would have to be in Soho, next is TST or Mongkok.
Food - oh man so cheap.
Transportation - pro and con. Super easy to get around. But it's very expensive bc no free transfers and the price goes by distance. Further you want to go the more you have to pay. And there are no unlimited passes, it's completely pay as you go. Also subway isn't as extensive (stupid green mountains). I hate buses.

Clothes - holy crap the clothes. One problem is that although it is cheap, the quality of it isn't as great. You get what you pay for right? To be in style is one thing, but to have great quality that'll last you years? Pony up the dough...

Cons
It's crowded. Yes NY is crowded, but at least you can find streets to walk down and not get shoved every which way.
Parks -seriously lacking. No green fields to play pickup disc in... forget it
Quiet - sigh. no
Sweet brownstones. Nope, every apt building is a high rise of at least 50 stories... This city is constantly building and growing. Because there is so few spaces to build upon (think MOnacao) the demand for land is intense and they have to make every use of it that they can...hence high rise apt buildings. You want a house? Shell out at least 3-4 million USD, minimum.
Diversity - uh, it's Hong Kong.
Socializing - well, since I spent this vacation with family I have a pretty jaded view of it. Outside of LanKwanFong - there seem to be very few places where hipster 20-somethings cna just chill afterwork. Forget union hall and bocce courts.
Air - it's so dirty here! The streets are incredibly clean. But the air is horrible. You'll see when i show you my pictures. All the pollution from mainland blows down into Hong Kong and just settles into the valley between islands. They haven't had clear skies in 10 years... it's no wonder everyone wears masks.

Money wise - it seems super smart to move here. Culturally, I dont' think it's for me...not yet.

Oh how i miss brooklyn!
brunches, Q train, prospect park, frisbee, quiet, my bed, my friends, wide streets, clean air....

posted by ilennovy @ 7:10 AM