The New York of Asia? Fuhgeddaboutit!

Hong Kong is often referred to as the "New York of Asia." As with all such expressions, this can mean different things to different people, but I gather that, at the very least this refers to:

1) Hong Kong's standing as a center of international commerce, shipping, and finance
2) Hong Kong's having a similar level of overcrowding to the Big Apple
3) Hong Kong's international flavor
4) Hong Kong's general bustle and energy
5) Hong Kong's status as a "world city", similar to that of New York, London, Tokyo, or Paris

In the spirit of friendly competition, I thought I would compare Hong Kong and New York in a few categories, and see which city comes out ahead. Then, perhaps a little commentary on whether Hong Kong truly deserves the title, "New York of Asia."

1) Subways

New York: Has a poorly planned system (originally built by competing companies) about 100 years old that manages to flood every time there's a sudden downpour, delays passengers due to "police investigations" and "train traffic ahead of us," and could stand a general cleaning from the Bronx to the Battery. On the other hand, the system is the only one in the world that operates 24/7.

Hong Kong: Has a sleek, well-planned modern subway that makes suicides find ways to off themselves that don't inconvenience travellers. Trains arrive every couple of minutes during hours of peration (roughly 6:30 AM to midnight).

Winner: Hong Kong, by a long shot. I would trade 24/7 access in New York any day for a system that didn't require a crystal ball to navigate every weekend, that didn't smell of urine and rat feces, and that had announcement systems that actually gave audible accouncements.

2) Busses and Surface Transit

New York: Trolley systems in Brooklyn and Queens demolished by the mid-1950s, all replaced by busses. Each bus stops about every two feet so that passengers can wait for one little old lady to take 20 minutes getting in or out with her 20 sacks of groceries. On the other hand, maps of the system (at least for whatever borough you're in) are generally readily available from any subway clerk--if you can find one. Busses have the same base fare as the subway, or can be used with an unlimited MetroCard.

Hong Kong: Double-decker busses and trams that stop only at designated stops. I never tried the busses, but my journey by tram (admittedly at night) never involved waiting for one little old lady to get 20 sacks of groceries on board. On the other hand, no one was able to tell me where I could get a map of the whole system, because there really isn't "one system"; busses and trams are run by several different companies. Hong Kong does have an "octopus card" usable on eight different modes of transit (hence the name) but I am unsure whether this applies to all busses and trams. I paid HK$2 (about 25 cents U.S.) to ride all night.

Winner: Draw. Hong Kong's trams and busses are way cool, but the lack of good maps makes them harder for a newcomer to use.

3) Airports and Airport Access

New York: Three hectic airports at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. No direct subway access to any of them; getting to LaGuardia requires transfer to the M60 bus, and while JFK did boast the "Train to the Plane" for a few years, this was really just a (not-very) gussied-up version of the A train that still made various stops en route. My old least favorite train line, the G, was originally planned to connect to LaGuardia, but this construction was halted by pressure from cab drivers.

Hong Kong: One massive airport, recently built. Airport is connected to the city by the Airport Express (HK$100--about US $12.50) that will take you from your plane to the central business district in 23 minutes, with only 5 stops along the way. The train is a marvel of modern comfort and convenience, featuring luggage racks, head rests, and LCD-display television sets that keep passsengers apprised of progress. Advertising along the route claimed, at least, that 72 percent of Airport Express passengers are business executives and other high-ups in the white collar world.

Winner: Again, Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong's Airport Express pretty much proves that it isn't so much that New York can't build these kinds of projects as that it won't.

4) Ferries

New York: Has the Staten Island Ferry, which has the unfortunate tendency to take passengers to Staten Island. New York Waterways seems to be mainly for tourists and Long Island businessmen with too much money.

Hong Kong: Has the Star Ferry operating between Central and Tsim Tsa Shui, as described in a previous post. The trip takes about 8 minutes. There are other ferries operating in the city, as well as TurboJet service to Macau, a gambling destination but also a good place, I'm told, to see Portugese/Spanish architecture.

Winner: Hong Kong. New York may have been built up on a port, but it is lacking in any kind of port/harbor ambience, and its lack of good ferries reflects this.

5) Taxis

New York: Medallion cabs are yellow, and medallions are expensive and difficult to come by. Drivers rarely speak English and do not abide by legal requirements to take you anywhere you want to go within the Five Boroughs. The cab companies manage to extort money from passengers by tacking on a legally mandated $1.00 "Rush Hour fee" (though why they should be entitled to this during the time their business is best is beyond me) and a $0.50 "Night Surcharge." Lights on top of cab indicate availability, but no one ever seems to remember whether lit means available or unavailable.

Hong Kong: Taxis are not limited as to number. They are two-toned, red-bodied with white roofs and doors (though doors are somtimes other colors due to advertising). Drivers speak English in addition to native Chinese (there may be some white drivers in the system, but I did not encounter any). The base fare is HK$15, with no special charges based on time of day. Though I was warned cab drivers would try to take me for all I was worth as a lofan (foreigner), the drivers I dealt with were scrupulously honest and even tried to advise me not to bother with a cab for short distances. Cabs indicate availablility with a red dot in the windshield that says "For Hire", so there's no mistaking it.

Winner: Hong Kong. I no longer have any sympathy for the "night surcharges" and other BS that attends taking a cab in New York.

6) Cleanliness

New York: Um...we won't go there. Even touristy areas like Fifth Avenue and, especially, Times Square are gritty and full of trash.

Hong Kong: Okay, admittedly I've never seen Hong Kong's version of, say, the Grand Concourse. But what I saw of it was spic and spin.

Winner: Hong Kong. Again, the case is clear: a world-class city can keep itself clean. New York just won't.

7) Attitude Toward Tourists

New York: During my CELTA training, I gave a lesson entitled "How to Bitch Like a Real New Yorker," where I asked my students, mostly tourists, whether New Yorkers were helpful. Most replied they were, but I knew this was an unscientific sample. New Yorkers treat tourists like a species of vermin. God forbid we should help the people who make the city's economic lifeblood flow.

Hong Kong: Standing around lost in Central, I was offered help several times by locals. I think this says a lot.

Winner: Hong Kong. I no longer buy the argument that New Yorkers "have to" be so rude to tourists because they are bombarded by things at every turn intruding on their time and attention. Hong Kong's citizens are equally awash in advertising, neon, and general kerfuffle, but they manage to retain their decency and their dignity.

8) Chinese Food

New York: Has a Chinese restaurant on every corner, selling what I now recognize to be wholly ersatz versions of what actual Chinese people eat.

Hong Kong: Has real Chinese food. 'Nuff said.

Winner: New York! Real Chinese food is not all it's cracked up tobe. I want my beef lo mein!


It seems clear from all of the above that Hong Kong has a lot farther to go in its claim to be the New York of Asia. How can a city claim such a title when it shows a complete ability to subject its citizens and visitors to a non-stop barrage of dirt, grime, and rudeness? When it fails miserably at ripping people off at every turn? When it provides cheap, reliable public transit manned by people who don't sound as though they flunked out of cosmetology school? Where are the nail salons? And where the heck are Junior's and the Stage Deli?