Dining on Dim Sum: A great way to start your day, nothing conveys a sense of Chinese life more vividly than a visit to a crowded, lively Cantonese restaurant for breakfast or lunch, where trolleys of dim sum in bamboo steamers are wheeled from customer to customer. Simply peer into the passing bamboo baskets and choose what appears the most tempting.

Getting Up Early to Watch Tai Chi: Before breakfast, head to one of Hong Kong's many parks to watch people going through the slow, graceful motions of tai chi, or shadowboxing. For the best viewing, go to Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park, Victoria Park, or the Zoological and Botanical Gardens. You can even participate in free practice sessions, held 2 mornings a week on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade.

Riding the Star Ferry: To reacquaint myself with the city, one of the first things I do on each return trip is to hop aboard the Star Ferry for one of the most dramatic--and cheapest--5-minute boat rides in the world. Hong Kong's harbor is one of the world's busiest, and beyond it rises one of earth's most breathtaking skylines.

Taking a Tram: Take a double-decker tram ride from one end of Hong Kong Island to the other for an unparalleled view of life in the crowded city as you pass skyscrapers, street markets, traditional Chinese shops, and department stores.

Gazing upon Hong Kong from Victoria Peak: You don't know Hong Kong until you've seen it from here. Take the tram to Victoria Peak, famous for its views of Central, the harbor, Kowloon, and undulating hills beyond, followed by a 1-hour circular hike and a meal with a view. Don't miss the nighttime view, one of the most spectacular and romantic in the world.

Visiting a Tailor: Nothing beats the thrill of having something custom-made to fit you perfectly. If this is your dream, make a trek to a tailor one of your first priorities, so that you'll have time for several fittings.

Bargain-Hunting in Stanley: Stall after stall of casual wear, silk clothing, bathing suits, tennis shoes, accessories, and souvenirs and crafts imported from China makes this a shopper's paradise. And after a day of bargaining, I like to recuperate in one of Stanley's trendy yet casual restaurants.

Window-Shopping on Nathan Road: Open-fronted clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, camera shops, tailors, tourists from around the world, international cuisine, huge neon signs, and whirling traffic combine to make this boulevard Hong Kong's most famous shopping street.

Shopping at Shanghai Tang: This 1930s-style Chinese department store is oh-so-chic, with lime-green- or fuchsia-colored jackets, Mao watches, 1930s reproduction home decor, and more. The shopping bag that comes with your purchase is a bonus--just way too cool--and the shop's free postcards are also pretty fab.

Browsing for Chinese Souvenirs: In addition to Shanghai Tang and Stanley Market, many Chinese emporiums sell vases, vase stands, porcelain figurines, chinaware, calligraphy brushes, birdcages, jade, silk jackets, and various Chinese crafts and products.

Strolling Tsim Sha Tsui's Waterfront: There's a pedestrian promenade that stretches from the Star Ferry eastward along Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East, providing close-up views of the harbor and Hong Kong Island with its skyscrapers. After dark, this is a wonderful romantic stroll, with the lights of Hong Kong Island shimmering across the water.

Hearing the Birds Sing at Yuen Po Street Bird Garden: See pampered birds at this unusual garden, brought by their owners so they can sing and communicate with other birds on their daily outing. Vendors sell wooden birdcages, porcelain bird dishes, and other paraphernalia.

Paying Respects at the Big Buddha: Laze on the open aft deck during the 50-minute ferry ride to Lantau island (and enjoy great views of the harbor and skyline along the way), followed by a bus ride over lush hills to see the world's largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha, located at the Po Lin Monastery. Complete your pilgrimage with a vegetarian meal at the monastery.

Hiking Across Lamma: An excursion to this outlying island will do your soul good. Start with the 35-minute ferry trip, followed by a 90-minute hike across the island, perhaps some swimming at a beach, and finally a meal of fresh seafood at an open-air waterfront restaurant.

Expanding Your Cultural Horizons at the Hong Kong Museum of Art: Hong Kong's most important art museum is a must-see for its vast collection of Chinese antiquities, including ceramics, jade, and lacquerware, as well as its gallery of old paintings depicting Hong Kong through the ages and its changing exhibition of contemporary Hong Kong art--all against the dramatic backdrop of Hong Kong's harbor outside its windows.

Reliving the Past at the Hong Kong Museum of History: For a quick 101 course on Hong Kong history, make a visit to the new Hong Kong Museum of History one of your first priorities. A life-size diorama of a Neolithic settlement, replicas of fishing boats and traditional houses, ethnic clothing, re-created street scenes, displays of colorful festivals, and the Chinese take on the opium wars are just some of the visual feasts awaiting visitors. If you see only one museum during your stay, this should be it.

Having Your Fortune Told: Want to know about your future love life, marriage, family, or career? Consult one of Hong Kong's many fortune-tellers; those that speak English can be found at Wong Tai Sin temple and the Tin Hau Temple near the Temple Street Night Market.

Exploring the Western District: Produce, bolts of cloth, live snakes, ginseng, dried seafood, Chinese herbs and medicines, a historic temple, a museum dedicated to Chinese and Western medicine, and antiques and collectibles are just some of the things you'll see while strolling through one of Hong Kong's most fascinating neighborhoods.

Browsing Antiques Shops on Hollywood Road: Whether you have several thousand dollars to spend on Ming dynasty heirlooms or just a couple of bucks for a snuff bottle, there's something for everyone in the dozens of antiques shops lining this famous Hong Kong Island road and from outdoor vendor stalls on nearby Cat Street. A sightseeing bonus is Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong's oldest temple, on Hollywood Road.

Meeting the People: Learn about Chinese medicine, fung shui (geomancy), tai chi (shadow boxing), and other cultural traditions on free, 1-hour tours and lectures given by local experts. Stop by the Hong Kong Tourist Board for its Meet the People brochure.

Taking High Tea at The Peninsula Hotel: The British rulers may be gone, but their legacy lives on in The Peninsula's afternoon tea. Virtually all upper-class hotels offer afternoon tea, but none can compare with the experience in the lobby of Hong Kong's most venerable hotel, long a favored people-watching spot. Come for afternoon tea, listen to live classical music, and gaze away.

Betting on the Horses: Join thousands of spectators (between Sept and May) at Hong Kong's favorite sporting event. The city boasts two sophisticated racing tracks, and if you need help in wagering bets, consider joining a special tour of the races offered by the Hong Kong Tourist Board.

Regressing to Childhood at Ocean Park: Southeast Asia's largest oceanarium and fun park boasts one of the world's longest and fastest roller coasters among its many thrill rides; a great cable-car ride with breathtaking views of the South China Sea; playgrounds just for kids; and a theater with seats that move with the action on the screen. If it's wildlife you're after, you'll find the world's largest reef aquarium, a shark tank with an underwater pedestrian tunnel, a fascinating collection of weird and wonderful goldfish, an aviary and butterfly dome, panda bears, and a dolphin and killer-whale show. A must for kids of all ages.

Imbibing at Happy Hour at a British Pub: End a busy day of sightseeing and shopping by rubbing elbows with Hong Kong's working population as they take advantage of happy-hour prices in British pubs throughout the city. Most pubs and bars offer a happy hour that can stretch on for hours, with two drinks for the price of one, or drinks at reduced prices.

Celebrating Sundown with a Cocktail: Many hotel lounges offer spectacular views of the city as well as live music. As the sun disappears, watch the city explode in neon.

Stuffing Yourself at a Buffet Spread: If you have a big appetite or like variety in your meal, there's no better bargain than Hong Kong's countless all-you-can-eat buffet spreads. Almost all hotels now offer buffet lunches and dinners; other restaurants may feature buffets for lunch. Many offer international cuisine, from Japanese sushi and Chinese dishes to pasta and carveries.

Relaxing at an Open-Air Seafood Restaurant: Get rid of stress by relaxing over a meal of fresh seafood at one of Hong Kong's rural waterfront seafood restaurants. Favorite places include Lamma island and Sai Kung in the New Territories.

Eating Your Way Through China: There's no better place in the world to sample regional Chinese cuisine than Hong Kong, where you can eat everything from the ubiquitous Cantonese food to Szechuan, Shanghainese, Hunanese, Beijing, Chiu Chow, and Pekingese dishes.

Dining with a View: Enjoy Chinese or Continental cuisine at one of Hong Kong's many restaurants that offer spectacular views of either Kowloon (with its glowing neon lights) or Hong Kong Island (with its skyscrapers and Victoria Peak). In fact, Hong Kong boasts so many restaurants with views, the dilemma will be in the choosing. The absolute winners? Those atop Victoria Peak.

Spending Time at the Temple Street Night Market: Highlights include shopping for casual clothing, music, toys, and accessories; enjoying a meal at a dai pai dong (roadside food stall); watching amateur street musicians; and having your fortune told.

Listening to the World's Largest Professional Chinese Orchestra: Established more than 25 years ago, the 80-member Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is the world's largest, playing traditional and modern Chinese instruments in orchestrations that combine Chinese and Western musical elements.

Partying Till Dawn at Lan Kwai Fong: It's standing-room only at bars and pubs in Central's most famous nightlife district, where the action spills out onto the street and continues till dawn. Other burgeoning nightlife districts include SoHo and Wan Chai.

Zipping Over to Macau: Macau, a Portuguese colony until it was handed back to the Chinese in 1999, is just an hour away by jetfoil and offers a fascinating blend of Chinese and Mediterranean lifestyles, evident in its spicy cuisine, colorful architecture, temples, churches, and handful of special-interest museums. Although you can "do" Macau in a day, I strongly urge you to spend at least a couple days in this tiny outpost. You'll save money doing so, too--Macau's hotels and restaurants cost a fraction of their Hong Kong counterparts.