Chilling out by MTR: 5 seriously relaxed stations in Hong Kong

Formula for slowing down the pulse -- cold drink, newspaper and people to watch.

Escaping Hong Kong’s noisy, crowded streets doesn’t require a long trek off the beaten path. Sometimes the most laid-back neighborhoods are just a short hop from the MTR.

Here are five seriously relaxed parts of town less than 10 minutes walk from the MTR.

1. Sheung Wan: Blake Garden

The neighborhood around Blake Garden has emerged from a macabre past to become an offbeat art and design district.

First settled by Chinese migrants in the mid-19th century, it quickly became an overcrowded slum after colonial authorities excluded non-Europeans from the more spacious streets of Central.

In 1894, a massive outbreak of the plague killed thousands here. In response, the government razed part of the area to build Blake Garden, Hong Kong’s first public park.

Today, the park anchors a quiet collection of laneways, staircase streets and pedestrian-only terraces lined by low-rise buildings.

Traditionally home to printers, coffinmakers, woodworkers and other craftsmen, the area’s low-key atmosphere has attracted a new generation of design studios, art galleries and cafés.

Some of the most interesting newcomers include the Start from Zero street art boutique Rat’s Cave; open source design hub Hatch Space; cozy coffee shop Homei; and the Viennese-style Café Loisl.

There are plenty of worthy old-timers, too, like Yuk Kin Fast Food, which serves light meals and tasty milk tea, and Ho Luen Kee’s junk shop, which is always good for kitschy old treasures.

For a more haunting glimpse at the area’s past, venture into the 159-year-old Kwong Fuk Tsz Temple at 40 Tai Ping Shan Street, where residents maintain a shrine to the area’s deceased.

How to get there: Sheung Wan MTR, exit A2. Walk for six minutes up Hillier Street and Ladder Street until you reach Bridges Street.

I'm so relaxed, I'm barely conscious.

Historical buildings hidden in Sheung Wan's quiet nooks.