hkskyline
March 2nd, 2005, 05:33 PM
Kowloon's 'glamour' district gets a new gem in its crown
Nick Gentle
02 March 2005
South China Morning Post
Tsim Sha Tsui's bid to reclaim some of its lost glamour from Causeway Bay and Central received a boost yesterday with the opening of a boutique hotel on Minden Avenue.
Dubbed "Kowloon's Lan Kwai Fong" by its developers, Minden Avenue, which is sandwiched between Nathan and Chatham roads, is now host to a number of upmarket bars and restaurants as well as the new hotel, called The Minden.
"We want to turn this street into Kowloon's Lan Kwai Fong," said The Minden's chairman, Robert Wang Wei-hang. "We believe the street is taking shape and heading in the right direction and the opening of this hotel is an important step towards enhancing the status of a new and vibrant part of Hong Kong."
Also planned for Minden Avenue is an open-air auditorium where telecasts and concerts can be staged in the street.
Mr Wang said such events would probably be broadcast via radio to headsets worn by people in the street to minimise noise.
"In Hong Kong, we live in a very close environment and noise pollution over the long run may annoy local residents," he said. "The government likes the [headset] idea ... and is considering adopting the headsets for the West Kowloon development."
However, a government spokeswoman last night denied that any such proposal was being considered for the West Kowloon development.
Mr Wang said complaints that Hong Kong's bar scene was already saturated were misguided.
"It is a business decision - we are creating a new population and that population is coming from underground with the KCR and MTR stations [nearby]," he said.
"Whether or not it is viable for a bar owner to set up here or elsewhere is a question for him. I am sure they are not stupid."
Also planned is an effort to help beautify Hong Kong's towering concrete edifices with the creation of vertical gardens, spilling greenery down the walls of some of the area's least attractive buildings.
Artist Pauline Courtney, for whom The Minden's fifth-floor lounge will be named, is hoping the idea will catch on once people see how beautiful it looks.
"We want to make this area an oasis and an example to ugly Hong Kong," she said.
Nick Gentle
02 March 2005
South China Morning Post
Tsim Sha Tsui's bid to reclaim some of its lost glamour from Causeway Bay and Central received a boost yesterday with the opening of a boutique hotel on Minden Avenue.
Dubbed "Kowloon's Lan Kwai Fong" by its developers, Minden Avenue, which is sandwiched between Nathan and Chatham roads, is now host to a number of upmarket bars and restaurants as well as the new hotel, called The Minden.
"We want to turn this street into Kowloon's Lan Kwai Fong," said The Minden's chairman, Robert Wang Wei-hang. "We believe the street is taking shape and heading in the right direction and the opening of this hotel is an important step towards enhancing the status of a new and vibrant part of Hong Kong."
Also planned for Minden Avenue is an open-air auditorium where telecasts and concerts can be staged in the street.
Mr Wang said such events would probably be broadcast via radio to headsets worn by people in the street to minimise noise.
"In Hong Kong, we live in a very close environment and noise pollution over the long run may annoy local residents," he said. "The government likes the [headset] idea ... and is considering adopting the headsets for the West Kowloon development."
However, a government spokeswoman last night denied that any such proposal was being considered for the West Kowloon development.
Mr Wang said complaints that Hong Kong's bar scene was already saturated were misguided.
"It is a business decision - we are creating a new population and that population is coming from underground with the KCR and MTR stations [nearby]," he said.
"Whether or not it is viable for a bar owner to set up here or elsewhere is a question for him. I am sure they are not stupid."
Also planned is an effort to help beautify Hong Kong's towering concrete edifices with the creation of vertical gardens, spilling greenery down the walls of some of the area's least attractive buildings.
Artist Pauline Courtney, for whom The Minden's fifth-floor lounge will be named, is hoping the idea will catch on once people see how beautiful it looks.
"We want to make this area an oasis and an example to ugly Hong Kong," she said.