Now I get it.

Took me a bit, but now I get it. Based on my first visit, I sure thought Hong Kong was awfully vertical and both architecturally impressive and decrepit at the same time. But I never understood comments about how this place was STUNNINGLY beautiful; I just didn't see it. But that altogether changed for me tonight.

I decided to (melt) head out into the day to catch some sights -- with my sights set on Kowloon such as to see this allegedly amazing skyline. I had read up on Kowloon in that it was a shopping and touristy area; the former slapped me upside the head as it was all of the high-end shops you could imagine (Gucci, Tod's, Prada, Dior, Fendi, Miu Miu, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and more. Oh, and smack in the middle was the best store on the planet: H&M (I so got a killer hat and linen pants); the latter wasn't as pervasive in the form of tchotchke shops, but I was offered "copy watch" and other adult services we dare not mention (this is a PG crowd afterall, come on!).

I made my way to the waterfront and was impressed from the first glimpse. The Avenue of the Stars -- an ode to Hollywood's Sunset Strip -- was a bit over the top, but I parked for a while and simply stared across the water. I also hung around long enough to catch the nightly light show with laser beams flying all over Victoria Harbour. The city was the star tonight (even if this guy tried to steal the spot), as she is every night. I just hadn't yet seen her all done up.

Avid Reader, she impressed. I now have a whole new appreciation for what Hong Kong brings to the table. I feel like Keith from Some Kind of Wonderful -- I never knew the treasure right under my nose until I looked through different eyes. And Hong Kong was all Watts -- pun intended. And she's so nice, I leave you with her twice: