Nobody expects to discover a secret garden housed inside a storage facility. But before you even clock the immaculate, shining lockers, take one step into mini storage Wong Chuk Hang and you will smell mint and lavender. Between many steel buildings on the fifth floor stands a verdant area with planters, herbs, even some cherry tomatoes. Living nearby, freelance florist Sarah developed this little Eden during COVID. She wanted somewhere safe for her leafy buddies, and now? Ten renters leave notes, trade seeds, and water each other’s plants. Changing rosemary cuttings while you grab your winter outerwear seems absolutely neighborly.

Floor three seems to be nothing particularly unique. But wait till you come upon the old music room hidden behind an inconspicuous door labeled 3B. Like Narnia, but instead of snow you enter velvet. amps, synthesizers, drums. Residents show up after work or school to jam; instruments line the walls. Every Thursday Tommy, a cab driver, performs sax here. According to him, the soundproofing in this studio is superior to any downtown one. Not keeping a clock-watch or evaluating neighbors. Just music and laughing streaming down the corridor between Cubs’ memorabilia and Christmas light boxes.

And just now, the worst—unit 14D. Nobody is looking for a micro-cinema. Plush two-seaters, a popcorn maker, and reel-to- reels projectors. “Screenings Every Full Moon,” the sign says. There is merely a stack of movies and a WhatsApp group instead of a ticket. Fifteen people (including two dogs who quietly snoozed through the action portions) attended an impromptu performance of an 80s kung fu movie last month. The silver-haired projectionist Brian admitted started it so he wouldn’t have to squint at his phone screen. Old-fashioned, movie friendship in the most unlikely location.

Bits like these distinguishes Wong Chuk Hang’s storage jewel. You come in to hide boxes and head off with basil, a new buddy, or perhaps a midnight movie memory. Sometimes a storage facility stores pieces of the city you never knew you needed, not just the stuff we cannot fit at home.