Before the 2008 Olympics, Beijing only had two or three subway lines. Now there are 15 and growing. The stations are clean, spacious, modern, and everything is written and spoken in Mandarin and English. Once you've ridden a subway line outside the US, they're really the same everywhere. And at 2 Yuan, it was only a few cents to get to the airport line, which was another 25 Yuan. We found our way easily to the line and bid our farewells to Fay. Off she went down the escalator, out of sight... and then there were three.
Beijing is an interesting city. Dogs don't bark. They're well-behaved on their leashes. Kids aren't running around, they stay near their parents and are barely heard. We only saw two strollers all week: parents carry their children in their arms. No diaper bags. Beijing fashion is no fashion: If it fits, put it on. Mixed patterns, mixed colors. Pantyhose. Parasols to shade from the sun. Bikes, mopeds, and scooters. The mix of old and new. It was charming, adventurous, so very different from Western society. If there was a place that was opposite of America, we were standing in it. For the beginning of our visit, we remained in central, old Beijing. We wanted to get out of the neighborhood and see how the rest of the city lived. The 798 Art District was formerly an area of factories which had been converted into low-rent artist studios. Nestled behind modern apartment buildings and suburban office complexes, the art district had an intimate feel about it. Graffiti, public art, sidewalk cafes, galleries, shops, and ice cream stands. Since none of the three maps we had on hand were up to date (the city is developing so rapidly), the subway stop we wanted was actually closed (or did it even exist?), so by the time we walked from the next nearest stop to the district, it was mid-afternoon and we were famished. We had identified a cafe mentioned in the Rough Guide with rave reviews so our initial focus was to find food, then explore.
@ Cafe was just what we needed. The outdoor patio had large umbrellas that would shield us from the rain that had been teasing us all day. The decision was swift: we were ordering a bottle of champagne and three glasses. And roast duck. And pizza. And broiled fish. And bruschetta. it was perfect. The noodles and rice of recent days were delicious, but we're Americans and need variety in our lives. We topped off lunch with a visit to the ice cream stand across the street and began exploring the district.
The rain and a weekday had kept most people away so it was lovely to wander the alleys without the bustling crowds of central Beijing. The rain had increased and the consensus was to take a taxi home. This would be our first taxi ride since we had been in the city. Rain + rush hour = not easy to hail a cab. Those that we initially stopped didn't want to take us downtown. Eventually after a few tries we found one. Chinese taxis: No tipping! The fare is also calculated by the kilometer, so when you're sitting in traffic for ages you're not worrying about racking up a steep bill. 50 Yuan back to the city center and we were still dry. The days of rain had started to sweep the smog from the city basin and we were finally able to see the mountains that ring the metropolis. That night we were finally able to see stars and were hopeful that the smog would be kept at bay for our final day in Beijing the next day.
The Chinese eat later in the evening than we do, around 6pm, so by the time we get hungry at 8 or 9, most restaurants are closing down. Our options were limited. One place that was still open was a hot pot restaurant around the corner with the most fabulously gaudy exterior and giant red paper lanterns hanging over the front parking lot. The lot was always full of cars and people so we figured this was as good a place as any to try; crowds = good.
Oh, and was it! Thankfully Carrie and I had done a hot pot run in Chicago's Chinatown weeks before so we were able to gauge how much food we needed and how hot pot actually worked. Here, instead of a giant single pot, we each had individual pots. This worked out well for Danielle who had her vegetarian pot to herself and it wasn't contaminated with our meaty goodness. I spiced mine up quite a bit with red chili peppers. Carrie went the Goldilocks route and her hot pot was just right. The service was quick and efficient, and we had another round of the plum drink that we first sampled at the night market. How do you know what to order? And how do you eat hot pot? Between the three of us, we picked a plate of sirloin, some fish tofu, tiny dumplings, and squid. It was just enough, and we could have spared leftovers if we weren't forcing it down. We also added cabbage and mushrooms. Add red chilis and some green onion to the broth to adjust spiciness, and cook the meat thoroughly, which only takes a minute or two in the boiling soup. Dip in sauce and enjoy!
We had one more day to go in Beijing. The Summer Palace was definitely on the list, including a hopeful visit to the Temple of Heaven and the CCTV building. We still hadn't had Peking duck or dim sum. In a city this vast, we were finally sobering up to the reality that there is too much to see and eat for only 6 days. We would see how much we could accomplish on our final day.
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