Hong Kong Part III

Bless you if you’re still following along with my Hong Kong travelogue. This day was jam-packed with exploring all over Hong Kong Island and riding the double-decker trams back and forth for $.29. Krystle and I also purchased tickets to visit the top of Victoria Peak in the afternoon. When I visited Hong Kong in 2007, it was far too cloudy and hazy to justify making the trip up the mountain, and I was so hopeful that I’d get to see a sunny view of the harbour this time around. Overcast skies most of the day had me feeling pretty worried, but by the time we made it to the top, the sun had broken through the clouds, and the view was everything I had hoped it would be.

You can check out Part I, Part II, Part IV, and Part V here.

Hong Kong Part II

There are so many reasons to love Hong Kong, and their public transportation has to be a big one. Their subways are incredibly clean, run frequently, and are very easy to navigate. (Have no fear—English is one of three official languages in Hong Kong, and English signage is abundant!) We hopped aboard the train for a ride out to Lantau Island so that we could take a glass-bottomed gondola up to Ngong Ping and see the giant Buddha. (Fun fact: we ran into two couples who were also traveling from Michigan!)

After the Buddha (and a ride back down the mountain wherein we had our own private gondola…yes, we had an international dance party), we found a bus and rode out to the historic Tai O fishing village with its amazing seafood and stilt houses. It was an amazing day, and I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t all just a beautiful dream.

You can check out Part I, Part III, Part IV, and Part V here.

Hong Kong Part I (or, Happy Thanksgiving!)

I've stopped and started this post so many times, and I'm not sure that I can accurately describe just what it meant for me to travel to Hong Kong one year ago with my best friend Krystle. In 2007, I toured southeast China with a small group of Calvin College students and our beloved professor Larry, and our final destination was Hong Kong. 36-ish hours is not enough time to do this special administrative region justice, and I knew I wanted to visit again someday. My opportunity came ten years later—the same year I turned 30—and my return to Hong Kong was every bit as lovely and wonderful as I had hoped. On Thanksgiving, let it be known that I am infinitely grateful for this great big world and getting the chance to see a tiny little sliver of it.

True to form, I took too many photos to condense into a single post, so I’m breaking things up. I’m starting with our first days of travel (let it be known that flying from Chicago to Hong Kong is no joke—15+ hours is a long time to spend on a plane—but having only one flight to tackle was truly a gift). Our trip focused on exploring different neighborhoods, and we started by tracking down the flower district, the Yuen Po bird markets, and the goldfish district (yes, that’s totally a thing). My favorite quality of Hong Kong is all the color: the weathered pastel buildings, the bright neon signs, the tropical vegetation. These images are my love letter to a place that’s very dear to my heart; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

You can check out Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V here.

ArtPrize

Happy ArtPrize! Today marks the opening day of ArtPrize Eight, which I'm celebrating by sharing some of my favorite images from last year's competition. As a fan of both art and people-watching, you can bet I'll be spending plenty of time downtown over the next few weeks. There are so many great spaces to visit! I'm always impressed by Kendall's show at the Fed Galleries, and Calvin's 106 Gallery definitely qualifies as a must-see. Tell me, which venue is on your can't-miss list?

Arts & Eats

If things seem a little quiet around here, it might have something to do with the fact that I'm preparing to be a part of Arts & Eats this coming October! Early this spring, Christine Weber, the founder of and creative genius behind Hilltop Designs, encouraged me to apply to Arts & Eats and graciously volunteered to share her space with me should I get accepted. Fast forward a few months, and I'm excited to announce that I will be selling a variety of prints and paper goods during the tour!

Arts & Eats will take place October 17 and 18 from 10AM - 5PM. I'll be greeting customers at 1009 West Allegan Street in downtown Martin 109 128th Street in downtown Hopkins, which happens to be the new retail and shipping location for Hilltop Designs. You can take a peek at Hilltop's Etsy store to get a preview of the amazing soaps and personal care products that will be available for sale. As an extra bonus, the grand opening celebrations for this brand new store will coincide with Arts & Eats.

If there are any specific prints or products that you'd like to see me carry, send me an email or drop me a line through the contact form. October will be here in the blink of an eye, so be sure to save the date!