3.09.2010

Urban Critique - Study of Festival Walk (3)


About the issue of finding a seat in Festival Walk, I think Festival Walk is better than some other shopping mall, it has benches everywhere, although the benches are always occupied by people, sitting for a time. Then I went to food court (named Food Fest)which is located in the top floor. It is not easy to get a seat in Food Fest, unless you have been staying there since the morning. I've never get a seat in there, every time I have my lunch in Food Fest, I need to buy take-away, sat on the auditorium of the skating rink.

延續上上回未完的話題。今天午飯時間,我又走到又一城,相比其他商場,它算是比較人道(這是誇張手法,不要問我Definition of 人道。),長椅到處都有,看得出那並不是一個只叫人走路逛街消消費的場所,亦有顧念一下現今社會人們乏力軟弱的雙腿,但始終呢,長椅的數目不多,而且大都讓公公婆婆佔用。(連公公婆婆對空間也有很大的渴求啊。)我又走到最頂層的Food Fest,我從來沒有坐過Food Fest裡提供的座椅,那根本是不可能的事,除非我從早餐時間開始坐著。我每次到又一城吃午飯,都是坐在下一層,觀看溜冰場的長梯級上的,而那些長梯級,比food court的座椅好,如果12:20下課,能在12:25前去到,應該有得坐。


It makes me think the habit of having meal in Festival Walk, what if a person want to have a meal with a dining table, what if KFC and McDonalds are full of people, what if he doesn't want to leave Festival Walk, what choice will he have? We can take a look of the Dining Guide---

我猜想,這個迷你的food court,究竟想人們吃一頓怎樣的飯?如果一個人希望吃飯時有張飯桌使用的話,他斷不會坐在溜冰場觀眾席上,如果旁邊的KFC和M記都擠滿了人,而同時他又很想很想很想在又一城午膳的話,他最後會選什麼呢?我們可以看看又一城提供的Dining Guide---

For me, Dining Guide doesn't work, I only go to Food Fest when I'm in Festival Walk, and Food Fest is the last one on the Dining Guide, what about others?

又一城的Dining Guide,十分強調其國際多樣性,務求將整個世界擠進這個商場,非常International Style。對於我這種「去又一城食飯 = 去food court」的人是不管用的,Food Fest的介紹在leaflet的最後位置,其他呢,讓我列舉出來:

(順序)
WESTERN WONDERS
Amaroni's Little Italy
Cova
Dan Ruan's Chicago Grill
PIZZAEXPRESS
Queen's Cafe

ASIAN MIX
EXP
Festive China
House of Canton
Ichikawa
Itamae Sushi
Jasmine
King's Palace Congee & Noodle Bar
Lanna Thai Cuisine
Rice Paper
Sesson Kushiyaki
Wang Jia Sha

CAFE CHIC
Agnes b. le pain grille
Bistro Delifrance
McCafe
Oliver's Super Sandwiches
Pacific Coffee Company
Page One Cafe
Queen's Konditorei
Simplylife Bakery Cafe
Starbucks Coffee



You may have meal in other restaurants, there are thousands of choices, why don't you go to Rice Paper or EXP? I think that, people are first being besieged in Festival Walk, and then they would feel hungry, but at the same time Food Fest is full of people, then they might move to EXP or somewhere else, since paying $40 in Korea House is similar to pay $70 in EXP.

人家會告訴你,你可是有很多選擇,food court只是Dining Guide的滄海一粟,去Rice Paper不好嗎,去EXP也可以,我覺得那個細到死的food court,是先讓人困在又一城,然後就覺得好肚餓哦,沒位子怎麼辦呢,好啦,就去EXP啦,反正我吃一個韓國屋要40蚊,去EXP埋單都係七十幾……


唔打喇,上堂再講。


(順帶一提,點解leaflet o的 copywriting 質素低到咁樣樣呢,佢咁樣形容「藍納泰」:「藍納泰創造了一個享受非凡的泰式美饌宮殿,讓皇者氣派與高雅氣息共融,令泰菜神髓及創意特色互動。」大量無內容既形容詞,兼且唔係完整句子,都可以出到街,依家連文字都可以挑起消費慾,咩係泰式神髓?互動乜野?共融乜野?我睇完真係棟左響度)

Urban Critique - Study of Festival Walk (2)

I took two leaflets in Festival Walk, one is 'Special Offer from Car Park and Shops', another one is 'Shopping Guide and Dining Guide'. Festival Walk is obviously set to be a place 'for dining and shopping', otherwise the leaflet would not be named like this.

我在又一城拿了兩張leaflet,一張是泊車優惠,一張是Dining Guide and Shopping Guide,可見又一城是一個怎樣的地方呢,就是a place for dining and shopping.

先看Shopping Guide,又一城的商戶分為以下數個類型:

MAJOR STORES  (別巨之選) (不知道有什麼準則)
BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE (個人護理)
BANKS & SERVICES (銀行/服務)
BOOKS & GIFTS (書籍禮品)
CAUSAL WEAR (流行便服)
CHILDREN'S FASHION & TOYS (童裝/玩具)
FASHION ACCESSORIES (時尚配飾)
HOUSE & HOME / AUDIO VISUAL (家居生活/影音)
JEWELLERY & WATCHES (鐘錶珠寶)
LADIES'S FASHION (時尚女裝)
MEN'S FASHION (男裝系列)
SPORTS WEAR & EQUIPMENT (運動系列)

除了童裝集中於L2,超過一半男女裝位於LG2外,基本上又一城每一層都有不同類型的商戶。我猜想是因為帶著小朋友不好到處走動嗎?這是我想到的唯一一個解釋。而又一城所引入的商舖,是比較國際化的,我平日去的大型書店,有商務、三聯、中華……甚少去Page One;如果讓我惠康和Taste中間選,我會選惠康;去專門店買化妝品護膚品可是很有壓力的(對我來說),我當然日SASA執平貨(仲要係outlet o個隻),買櫃買傢俬,我家會去實惠和宜家,我敢肯定我媽沒聽過Franc Franc,又一城的形象十分突出。我自然不敢代表香港人,但我處於香港人口最多階層裡,多多少少都代表到這個階層的購物習慣(掛?)。觀察在又一城裡閒逛的人,以學生妹/哥為例,大多都是window shopping,昨天我跟著兩個學生妹逛街,她們入去IZZUE,左翻翻右揭揭,門口沒有任何ON SALE的牌,大家都是摸摸衣角,「呢件幾靚喎,」,然後心裡那句「等on sale 2 折買先!」沒說出口,懷著對On sale的期望和fantasy離開,再向另一間店舖進發。


夠鐘上堂,停停先

(to be continued)

3.08.2010

Urban Critique - Study of Festival Walk (1)


it is difficult to find a seat in a shopping mall, this is not only for describing Festival Walk, but ALL Shopping Mall in HK. That day I wanted to find a seat in Pacific Coffee, had an Iced Chocolate and worked on my novel. Pacific Coffee was full of people - they were not having meal, but had their documents spread out on the table, reading newspaper, or even did nothing, I thought they would not leave before dinner time. There are cubicles for study, many students revised in there. How can Pacific Coffee earn money from keeping customers staying in the cafe for such a long time?

其實不只是又一城,天下商場都一樣,不付錢的話休想得到一個能坐下的空間。那天我欲在又一城Pacific Coffee找到位子寫點什麼,那時大約下午二時多,整間店子都坐滿人,他們全都一副賴著不走的樣子,把工作/溫習的文件攤滿桌子,不用工作的,就在看報紙雜誌,甚至有人光坐著什麼都不做;杯子空空的,顯然坐了好一段時間。店子最盡頭還有自修室一樣的間隔,連店子也容讓客人在這裡賴上數小時嗎?若然不是連鎖集團就不能這樣做吧。


I could not find a seat there, I wanted large red velvet sofa especially. Page One has Cafe as well, fewer people were there, they did what the Pacific Coffee guys did. We all thirst for space.

我還是想找到位子靜靜坐著,我覷覦Pacific Coffee的大沙發全被人佔用,便走到那一層的另一盡頭,Page One也有Cafe,那裡比較少人,裡面的人都在做著跟Pacific Coffee的人沒兩樣的事吧,我們對空間是如此的渴求。


I did not get in since this menu was not shown, I didn't know how much an Iced Chocolate cost, I only knew that a cake costs $40, that's why I was back to CityU finally, there are sofa also. CityU is supposed to be a space opened for all, why the people didn't go to CityU Canteen? Or they only want the large red velvet sofa?

我沒有進去,因為它沒有列出一杯朱古力的價錢,一件切件蛋糕要四十元,我情願向CityU屈服,坐podium的沙發罷了。CityU是一個向外開放的空間(但常有保安驅趕非學生及教職員離開),尤其是canteen,為何他們不選擇City Canteen?難道是因為Pacific Coffee的沙發?



It reminds me that I have followed a shooting crew of RTHK in summer, a rich man experience the poor live for 5 days. One day, he came to Festival Walk to take a rest, he prefer Pacific Coffee but not CityU Canteen. Even enough he didn't spend any money, just sat in there, and people might look down on him, he still felt conformable for the 3-hour long rest. What does it mean?

暑假時的港台intern,有一天要跟著有錢人做窮人,他下班後走到又一城涼冷氣,他選了Pacific Coffee 而非City Canteen,即使三小時裡他沒有用過一分一毫,大搖大擺的在沙發上睡覺,不怕別人白眼(或者根本沒有人留意他),他仍是選了Pacific Coffee 而非City Canteen,那又是什麼原因?



The most valuable thing in shopping mall is not the high-end product, but a free seat for rest.