Return To Wangfujing

Stick and I took a another trip to Wangfujing snack street. We had some fried dumplings, fried noodles that tasted like mall foodcourt lo mein (and I mean that in the most flattering way possible, I love that stuff), Stick also got a pork bun, and we were looking for some fruit skewers to finish up our meal. Stick asked a vendor for a strawberry kebab.

“35,” he told us.

“What?!?” Stick asked.

“35,” the vendor said, pointing at a price list in Chinese. “See, it’s 35,”

Something didn’t look right on the sign… I knew those characters, but they didn’t mean strawberry… “No! That says one large bowl of fried noodles for 35!” I cried. I was half filled with pride that I’d read an actual sign, and half furious that he was trying to rip us off.

“Ok, ok, 30.” he said. Annoyed, we turned to the next vendor, who offered us 2 fruit skewers for 20. Free market in action.

Coffee at Jianwai Soho

I had to run some errands the other day down by Jianwai Soho. Jianwai Soho is a bizarre complex of mall shops and Coming Soon signs, much like Shangdu Soho and The Place, and after my errand, I stopped into UBC Coffee afterwards for a cup of almost-coffee. Eating alone in restaurants is a weird guilty pleasure of mine. I really like it, but I also think it’s kind of antisocial, and it makes me worry that I’m crossing the line from slightly quirky into actively eccentric and from there? It’s just a slippery slope down to crazy old lady.

Anyway, I read my book with a cup of semi-coffee and some kind of fruit-filled almost-pastry. UBC is chain of close-to-Western food, and although I’ve adjusted to Chinese food better this year, I just can’t curl up with a novel and a bowl of dan chou fan. Plus they have really comfy couches, which makes up for what they lack in American ambiance and culinary pursuits. Sometimes a girl needs a little of home comforts, even if that’s a cup of almost-coffee.

I left the coffeeshop after I felt suitably recharged, and ready to face the laowai-shouting world again, and I starting walking towards the subway stop. Not even one building down, I saw a real live Starbucks.

So if you’re in Jianwai Soho, DO NOT be fooled! There is fantastic coffee and muffin-tasting muffins right around the corner!

Washington DC Conference Center

Washington Convention Center (Washington, D.C.)
801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W. • Washington, DC 20001 * phone: 1-800-368-9000 / 202-249-3000 * http://www.dcconvention.com/
Located in the heart of the nation’s capital, inbetween the historic museums, the White House, and Chinatown, its surrounded by many restaurants, entertainment, and attractions. Has well over 2.3 million square feet of space, equipped with the latest technology, and home to nationally branded dining outlets such as Wolfgang Puck’s, Quiznos and Starbucks, its a multi-floored, multi-roomed convention center ready to meet any conference needs. I attended this plush conference center during the ESRI Federal User’s GIS conferences in 2007 and 2008. Rating : 5 stars out of 5. Visited 01/09-11/2007. 02/20-22/2008.

Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C.

Renaissance Hotel
Original Review: http://www.technogypsie.com/reviews/?p=60
999 9th Street, NW, Washington DC 20001-4427 * 202-289-0947 *
http://www.renaissancehotels.com
In the heart of Washington D.C. - between the White House and the Capital, opposite the Washington Convention Center, near Chinatown, Smithsonian, Museum of Modern Art - stands the Renaissance Hotel, a contemporary, 16-story hotel with over 800 guest rooms, 13 suites, and 156 rooms in a dedicated Renaissance Club Tower. 10,000 sq ft fitness center, indoor swimming/lap pool, state of the art exercise equipment, steam room, aerobics classes, massage. Florentine restaurant, Presidents Sports Bar, Lobby Bar, Starbucks in hotel lobby. Meeting and Banquet facilities. Very elegant hotel, nice comfortable rooms, and a bed so comfortable it’ll coaxe you to sleep. At $188/night, this hotel is curtailed to the rich - they charge $9.99 for internet service (noon to noon, not 24 hours unless you start the service at noon), no complimentary breakfast or amenities (unless you are a premiere tower club member), and you pay for everything extra. In my opinion, hotels like that are a rip-off. But if your rich, and are looking for places to throw your money away at, here’s your place - its comfy, elegant, friendly staff, clean rooms, and a place for the elite. Rating: 3 stars out of 5. (unless you’re wealthy with $$ to blow, then 5 out of 5) Visited 1/8-11/2007. Re-visited 2/20-23/2008 (They also charge a deposit of $100 for incidentals. What incidentals? the $5.00 bottled water on the table? the pay-per-view movies? Geez. ) Location is good however. Great views from the upper floors.

Washington Dulles Airport (Washington, D.C)

Washington Dulles Airport
just outside Washington, D.C.
Dulles International Airport
Washington, DC 20041 * (703) 661-8357 * http://www.metwashairports.com/Dulles/
History and Development: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Dulles_International_Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport (IATA: IAD, ICAO: KIAD, FAA LID: IAD) is one of Washington D.C.’s international airports. It is named after John Foster Dulles the former U.S. Secretary of State under Dwight D. Eisenhower and was built in 1962. It is located 25 miles from downtown D.C. Dulles hosts between 1,800-2,000 flights a day and is the second busiest trans-Atlantic gateway on the Eastern Seaboard. Clean and beautifully styled, it is one of the nation’s nicest and cleanest airports. The airport takes up 11,000 acres and is on the border between Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in Virginia. The airport sits atop the former unincorporated community of Willard which was torn down in 1958 to make room for Dulles. Roads, stores, and schools were demolished for the building of the runways. Dulles is the home to the famous airplane crashes of TWA Flight 514 that crashed into Mount Weather in December 1974; A 1994 crash of a Mexican air carrier TAESA; and the infamous flight from Dulles - American Airlines Flight 77 that was crashed into the Pentagon during the September 11, 2001 attacks. It is also the setting of several movies such as the 1964 film Seven Days in May and Die Hard 2: Die Harder as well as the films Airport 1975, Airport ‘77, The Concorde: Airport ‘79, The Hunt for Red October, and various X-Files episodes, an episode of The Simpsons, and Need for Speed: Underground 2. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Tokyo Joe’s, Centennial, Colorado

Tokyo Joe’s (Centennial)
http://www.tokyojoes.com/ * Dry Creek and Yosemite (centennial) * 8727 E. Dry Creek Rd, Englewood, CO 80112 * 303.721.8886
As I’ve quit typical Amerikan fast-food, I’ve switched to some of the more healthy fast-food alternatives when in a rush and a need for a cost-effective meal that’s good for me. Colorado’s small (yet fastly growing) fast food Japanese chain, Tokyo Joe’s is upbeat and expanding. The food is good, fast, healthy, and affordable. How can you go wrong? In like-style of Noodles and Company in presentation and design, Tokyo Joe’s takes a different artistic approach. I adore their Unagi Rice Bowls, the California Rolls are delicious, and the chicken satay yummy. It’s a great healthy fix. Rating 5 stars out of 5 (for fast food: Japanese quality 3 out of 5). Visited 2/17/08.

Chicken Satay

Unagi Rice Bowl

Too Much Travel?

My dad is an archaeologist, so I have moved a lot in the short amount of time I’ve been alive. Actually, pretty much everyone in my family moves often. After you have done it for awhile, as much as you hate moving, it’s in your blood. We all call it the travel bug, and I think we all have it.

I was lucky, as a child, because my dad decided to only take jobs in the US, in order to further my education without home school. That worked until about middle school, after which the curriculum changed so much from school to school I had to be home schooled from then on.

Now I face an issue. My finance hates moving, and has no passion for travel. I have the bug, I need to move every once in awhile, or at least travel. How do you deal with such a problem? I think I found the way. I found a job in which I travel to work. It’s perfect because I make more money traveling than I would staying in one place, and as long as i’m not gone too long, my finance is happy to let me get my bug out without making him go anywhere.

White Cloud Temple, Beijing

Today Stick and I visited the temple fair at Baiyunguan, the White Cloud Temple. It’s right by the Muxidi subway stop and the Capital Museum. If you’re planning a visit, the White Cloud Temple is NOT on White Cloud Street, Bai Yun Lu, as one might foolishly believe, but on Bing He Lu.

When we arrived, the temple was full of uniformed security guards, laughing, teasing each other and giving each other piggy-back rides. I’m not saying this to mock them, but trying to describe the amazing holiday atmosphere.

I saw more public affection today that I have in the last 5 months in China.

The temple was full of families walking around, laughing, talking, eating, offering incense and playing games. Oddly enough, they weren’t lighting the incense and putting them in the burners, but laying it in front of the buddhas instead. I don’t know if there’s something special about New Years’ celebrations or if it’s a precaution to keep huge swarms of people from waving fire around.
I’ve heard that the White Cloud Temple is supposed to be the inspiration for the cloud designs on the Olympic torch. We found a mural that definately seemed like it!

There was also a game in the temple that seemed to involve throwing coins and hitting a bell to make the bell ring. I think that’s what was going on. As proud as I am of my survival language skills, it’s just that: Survival level. I don’t have the ability to strike up a conversation or to ask people about what they’re doing.

When the temple closed, we caught a bus across town. We were planning on going up to Dongzhimen for dinner, but the bus took us past Houhai. We saw ice skaters on the lake, and decided to eat at one of the many cute restaurants overlooking the lake… we’ve been meaning to do this since there were swimmers in the lake.

Unfortunately, when we hopped off the bus in the spirit of exploration and adventure, we neglected to take into account just how cold it needs to be for ice-skating.

Chinese New Year Fireworks

Here is a short video of New Year’s fireworks in Beijing, from Beijing Boyce. We live on the 4th floor, which is about ankle high in Beijing, so from our house, we saw more of our neighbors’ windows than spectacular fireworks display.

White Cloud Temple, Beijing

Today Stick and I visited the temple fair at Baiyunguan, the White Cloud Temple. It’s right by the Muxidi subway stop and the Capital Museum. If you’re planning a visit, the White Cloud Temple is NOT on White Cloud Street, Bai Yun Lu, as one might foolishly believe, but on Bing He Lu.

When we arrived, the temple was full of uniformed security guards, laughing, teasing each other and giving each other piggy-back rides. I’m not saying this to mock them, but trying to describe the amazing holiday atmosphere.

I saw more public affection today that I have in the last 5 months in China.

The temple was full of families walking around, laughing, talking, eating, offering incense and playing games. Oddly enough, they weren’t lighting the incense and putting them in the burners, but laying it in front of the buddhas instead. I don’t know if there’s something special about New Years’ celebrations or if it’s a precaution to keep huge swarms of people from waving fire around.
I’ve heard that the White Cloud Temple is supposed to be the inspiration for the cloud designs on the Olympic torch. We found a mural that definately seemed like it!

There was also a game in the temple that seemed to involve throwing coins and hitting a bell to make the bell ring. I think that’s what was going on. As proud as I am of my survival language skills, it’s just that: Survival level. I don’t have the ability to strike up a conversation or to ask people about what they’re doing.

When the temple closed, we caught a bus across town. We were planning on going up to Dongzhimen for dinner, but the bus took us past Houhai. We saw ice skaters on the lake, and decided to eat at one of the many cute restaurants overlooking the lake… we’ve been meaning to do this since there were swimmers in the lake.

Unfortunately, when we hopped off the bus in the spirit of exploration and adventure, we neglected to take into account just how cold it needs to be for ice-skating.

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