Retro Hong Kong and the ’60s

My wife, Pam, and I love to spend happy hour on Friday nights at the Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd., corner Wyndham, 852-2521-752. It reminds us of San Francisco in the late 1960s, early 1970s where there were lots of places like the Fringe Club where people could experiment with drama, art, music, philosophy, etc. The club has a rooftop bar which is wonderful this time of year because it’s so wonderfully cool.

In spite of its reputation as a “business only” city, Hong Kong does have a small but very active counter-culture. There’s the New Age Shop on Old Bailey St. in SoHo. In addition to their stock of esoterica, they often have visiting lecturers, psychics, and spiritualists.

The vegetarian Life Restaurant in SoHo next to the escalator at 10 Shelley St. not only offers incredibly appetizing food to eat there or take away, they also have lectures, poetry readings and other new age type events on the weekends.

I’m sure there are other locations, I am unaware of. If you know of any, please add a comment.

Today is also the 25th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. Thinking about him and the Beatles sure takes me back to my days, living in San Francisco, when the perfectibility of Society seemed possible. No more, I’m afraid. I still think, though, we should, “Give Peace a Chance.”