Pottinger Street / Stone Slabs Street

Pottinger Street is a street that runs from Queens Road Central up to Hollywood Road (there is a bit left down in Central but most people don’t care about that bit). What makes it special is that fact that the entire street goes up hill and its cobbled the entire way– instantly you could tell that this is a relic from the colonial days where even the railings and streetlights seem to be quintessentially English (albeit this has not always been the case and there has been quite a lot gentrification as of late).
The lower part of the street is filled with the hustle and bustle of Central, you get small stalls on both sides of the street selling everything from party clothing to sowing lines. These have been adapted slightly in view of Hong Kong’s burgeoning party culture which has created a demand for items as such. Restaurants also line both sides of the street and at lunch time you will always find people queuing up at obscure doorways waiting for a table.
However, once you move yourself past Lyndhurst Terrace, things tend to die down a bit especially during day time when the bars aren’t open yet and most people are at work. There is a certain quietness that words can’t seem to explain, akin to being insulated from the rest of a city in your own little corner. The police station on Hollywood Road also brings back a full picture of what it used to be like.
Night time this place is like anywhere else in Central– bar hoppers treading up and down to their next location, drunk couples argue and the really drunk just drop dead. On the street. If you are in heels then I wish you all the best as I have been told its not a nice thing to do.

You can walk from the bottom of this street as a man dressed for an important business meeting. By the time you reach halfway to the top you’ve suddenly transformed into a vampire nun with nun-​chucks (no pun intended). That is the beauty of Pottinger street.
For those of you that don’t know it yet Pottinger street is where every one rushes to on halloween, rugby sevens weekend, or any other fancy dress party. They sell everything form masks to fake blood, wigs to full blown ironman costumes. If you want to change your identity and run from the cops this is the place to do it. Down the middle of the street are your vendors, they provide the basic stuff — axes, masks, mustaches, and cloaks — behind the vendors are the hardcore shops. These bad boys sell the costumes, the make-​up, and the details that count.
With my lack of organization skills I often find myself crowded somewhere on this street the day of halloween. This, my friends, is not the time to be in Pottinger street, not if you value your sanity, anyway. Obviously I’m not the only looking desperately for a costume. I can barely fit into a store never mind find an outfit that I want, then I suppose that’s all part of the experience. Full body costumes normally go for around $ 300, come halloween the price peaks to $ 500. I usually find a mixture of things in one of the market stalls along the street and creature my own evil monster. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Harry Potter’s evil nurse twin?!