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What I wish I knew before going to Hong Kong

1. The MTR Song
2. Get an MTR/Octopus Card at arrival using your Credit Card, add HK$50 of cash value to it so you can use it in 7-Eleven and Wellcome (sic) for water and snacks. HK$50 is about US$7. Mastercard, Visa are preferred over Amex at most places.
3. Grab a copy of all the station exit maps here. Keep them in your PDA so you know which of up to 15 exits to take out of the MTR headed in the direction you need to go. This is especially important for Tsim Sha Tsui station. It is HUGE and near many attractions.
4. You can get cash from almost any ATM at a reasonable conversion rate. You hardly ever need cash, but having HK$100-400 in your pocket for unexpected items is useful. MTR stations have well lit ATMs. Cash is provided by individual banks, not the government so each note may look a little different. Nobody seems to care which bank the note was issued by. I understand that the government is going to be issuing legal tender in the future.
5. Credit Cards are welcome almost everywhere – except 7-Eleven and Wellcome or for charges under HK$100.
6. If your hotel doesn’t include free internet service, get a PCCW wifi account, but don’t expect it to work in your hotel. I don’t know why wifi doesn’t work, just that it doesn’t. There are a few free internet sites that may work for some travelers. I’m a internet whore.
7. Currently, the Lonely Planet HK Guidebook seems to be the best for Hong Kong. Macau – basically, none of the guidebooks cover it that you can trust. There doesn’t seem to be an accurate map of Macau made by anyone.
8. TV sucks, but you won’t care. Don’t expect an alarm clock in your room
9. Hotel rooms will be 25-50% smaller than in the US for a similar cost – think New York City. The Eaton had tiny rooms.
10. Learn 20-40 Cantonese phrases, but almost everyone speaks English or Engrish. I wish I knew how to count in Cantonese, really.
11. Be prepared to walk a lot. You’ll be walking up and down stairs constantly. Yes, the MTR stations have escalators, but you’ll probably choose the wrong way or they won’t be on the exit/entrance you need. If you have a PDA, preload all the MTR exit information into it. Wikipedia MTR is a good ref, but so does the MTR website. Here’s the ideal map per station.
12. Learn the MTR and plan your day trips by the section of the island and island that you plan to be on. Try to avoid going back to your hotel until after dinner.
13. Expect to eat real Chinese food, which most westerners will have trouble eating. I’m over 40 and it appears that I’ve never been to a real Chinese restaurant in the USA before this trip. Well, once in San Francisco with Lui Wang – but he ordered all the food and I thought it was nasty. There’s something about a live eel writhing in pain on a hot plate while it cooks itself that just isn’t appetizing to me, even now.
14. I knew not to drink the water or have any ice. Good advice. Towards the end of the trip, I did have ice in my alcoholic drinks and didn’t get sick. The WHO (World health org) says HK water is safe to drink provided the entire piping system hasn’t been compromised. I have no way to determine that and many locals drink bottled water there too.
15. 7 days aren’t enough to do all that I wanted to do in Hong Kong, much less Macau or outer islands. 14 day’s was just about right. By the end, my feet and legs hurt, and I could sleep at any point in the day from exhaustion.
16. Bathrooms – nothing to worry about.
17. Candy – the 3/4" tube candy is good. It is sour covered with gummy inside. Perhaps I can find it here?
18. There are lots of pretty girls. There is also lots of acne.
19. Bring ear plugs for you and your traveling companion. You both snore. Get over it.
20. Places to eat that I can recommend
    1. Gunga din’s in Soho – Indian food, spicy, tasty, yummy. RECOMMENDED Next trip, I’ll be going back.
    2. Fat Angelo’s anywhere – Americanized Italian food. Only if I’m desperate for non-Chinese food. It wasn’t bad, but there are certainly better options around the corner. Avoid the pizza. Salads and bread are good.
    3. Any packed Chinese Restaurant that has good looking food.
    4. Bangkok Thai near Tin Hau – Fantastic! I’ll eat there again. RECOMMENDED
    5. Peninsula Hotel HK – we ate breakfast here. French toast and an Omelet for me. Bangers, eggs, potatoes , Grape Nuts and Fruit for Jim. It was over US$70 for both of us, but perhaps the best meal I had in Hong Kong. RECOMMENDED
    6. Biergarten in Soho – Their Schnitzel was good. Appetizer good. The Bier selections were better. Jim had Wurst and liked it. If you’re in the area, go. Not worth hunting down, IMHO.
    7. Etshu Sushi in Tin Hau – eh – the food was good, but very expensive. I’ll never go back.
    8. KFC outside the Tung Chung MTR station – it was filling and cheap. I don’t think there was a better choice available at the time.
    9. Bulldog’s in soho – eh, if you need English food, I guess it is ok. We went only because they had a Superbowl watching party at 7am on a Monday morning. I had the biggest breakfast they had and it was good, but I barely ate the day before.
    10. Bali Restaurant in Kowloon – RECOMMENDED; it looks like a dump 1/2 a block off Nathan’s Rd. We were the only diners at the time. I was tempted to eat there again when we moved to the Eaton since it is just a few blocks away towards the closest MTR station. We walked by it 2+ times a day the last 3 days.
    11. Ruby Tuesday in Tai Koo – Avoid Jim got sick. My fajitas were less than tasty. This was an expensive meal when compared to others we ate.
    12. Times Square Mall food court – Yes, we ate in the food court and it was tasty. RECOMMENDED Just learning the method to order, pay for and pick up your food was a learning experience. Be certain you know Cantonese enough to recognize your number. If you don’t, you may not eat.
    13. Ho Choi Seafood Restaurant in central (I think) – RECOMMENDED; we ate here on Chinese New Years Day and had Dim sum. The bill was less than KH$100 or US$13. I’ll go back next visit.
    14. Krispy Kreme in Soho – it was just what I needed after Jim tricked me into walking up all the mid-level steps a few blocks away from the escalators. It was there when I needed it, but I doubt I’ll return.
    15. McDonald’s Tin hau – We needed a quick dinner before heading out to the parade. It tastes like you expect, which is good.
    16. Jim’s Big Wieners Version 1, “Version 2”:
    17. This restaurant (don’t know the name) – RECOMMENDED Purely Chinese food. Most dishes were tasty seafood, bbq pork , soup, beans but I found the crab dish that I ordered too small and too much trouble to eat.
    18. Maxine’s in Hung Hom station – it was food and quick. Nothing to write about here.
    19. Oliver’s Super Sandwiches in Tai Wai – linguine eh. Jim’s sandwich reported as good.

In short, go to Hong Kong. You will be fine and have an eye opening experience.