The Age Old Question

[BenderBends]

-we are planning to move in over next month ... slowly ... as we will still have our current apartment til november 4th.

-We will be in block 25.

some questions for PI residents:
1. What's on the island outside of the gated community? I mean i see a street that wraps around a bit, and a bunch of duplexes, but is there shops in those duplexes? is there restaurants or anything like that outside the area?


2. Is there any trails for hiking around the island?


3. How good is the park and shop? is it one of the big ones that has all your western needs (like salami, sloppy joe mix, pancake stuff, fresh breads, ricotta cheese, etc) <- sounds like a great meal


4. do any of you travel to WanChai or TST during rush hour (like around 8 AM) or back to PI from those places during evening rush hour? I am just curious as to how long the actual commute will take, and what the best route to take is.

For me - going to TST - I can either take:
PI Ferry / Star Ferry / 8A (KMB) / Walk 1 min
or
Shuttle bus to Tsing Yi / MTR to Kowloon / 6 (GMB) / Walk 1 min
or
Shuttle bus to KwaiFung / MTR to TST / Walk for 10 mins

For my G/F - going to WanChai:
PI Ferry / 2 (CB) / Walk 1 min
or
Shuttle bus to Tsing Yi / MTR to Central / transfer lines / MTR to Wanchai / Walk 5 min
or
Shuttle bus to KwaiFung / MTR to Central / transfer lines / MTR to Wanchai / Walk 5 mins


5. Where is the closest place with good shopping?


6. Does the pool / gym area get crowded? When is it empty? How late is it open?


7. We wanted to get bikes to ride around island. Where do people keep their bikes - in apartment? or is there a safe outdoor place to lock up? Also, i saw signs around the apartment complexes saying "no bikes" does this mean you cant ride bikes anywhere there?


8. Is broadbandNOW there? we have a contract for TV and internet with them...and need to relocate it there.


9. Any recommendations on cheap movers? We don't have much. Just some boxes of clothes, some boxes of dishes and such / and 1 large "L" sofa (splits into 2).

[KnowItAll]

Matt : there is a seperate park island thread ... you'll get better answers there.

[BenderBends]

no link...i hate searchin :P

[sunniefaith]

1. What's on the island outside of the gated community? I mean i see a street that wraps around a bit, and a bunch of duplexes, but is there shops in those duplexes? is there restaurants or anything like that outside the area?

There's a laundry shop, I send my laundry there and they deliver them to you when its ready. A couple of restaurants and a few shops too. The seafood and Jap restaurants are worth a try.

2. Is there any trails for hiking around the island?
Not sure...I'm not an outdoor person....

3. How good is the park and shop? is it one of the big ones that has all your western needs (like salami, sloppy joe mix, pancake stuff, fresh breads, ricotta cheese, etc) <- sounds like a great meal
Park and Shop to be honest is only good for simple stuff. You can forget about sashimi and the western stuff. I get some of my western stuff from City Super if I'm taking the ferry from Central. If not, Taste at Tung Chung is great. They have everything there. A good cheese selection too.

4. do any of you travel to WanChai or TST during rush hour (like around 8 AM) or back to PI from those places during evening rush hour? I am just curious as to how long the actual commute will take, and what the best route to take is.
I don't leave the island to work so it's hard to comment on that. I came home once around the evening rush hour. The ferry is hardly full and it took about 25 mins. No delays...Don't think there's traffic out at sea. Anyway, in the mornings, ferry comes around every 15 mins and evenings, around 20 mins. The shuttle buses can be packed though. I see the lines at the bus stop every morning.
By the way, there's a bus to Tsuen Wan as well. Not sure if that's going to help with your commute time


5. Where is the closest place with good shopping?
What kind of shopping are you looking for? Tung Chung has pretty alright outlet shopping along with a good supermarket. Tsingyi, is not too bad and neither is Kwai Fong as well.

6. Does the pool / gym area get crowded? When is it empty? How late is it open?

Gym is always empty..Except for like 1 hr of peak time, maybe around 7 to 8. Oh, I checked, its HK120 for a month pass.

7. We wanted to get bikes to ride around island. Where do people keep their bikes - in apartment? or is there a safe outdoor place to lock up? Also, i saw signs around the apartment complexes saying "no bikes" does this mean you cant ride bikes anywhere there?
You can ride your bikes around. There are parking spaces for your bikes at the bottom of all blocks. Just ask the door person where they are

8. Is broadbandNOW there? we have a contract for TV and internet with them...and need to relocate it there.
I'm with Now TV and broadband as well. Not a prob with that.

9. Any recommendations on cheap movers? We don't have much. Just some boxes of clothes, some boxes of dishes and such / and 1 large "L" sofa (splits into 2).[/QUOTE]
Sorry, can't help on this....

Hope this is all helpful for you!