I just had a mostly lovely Saturday. It started out really shitty, but turned around, luckily. I was supposed to Skype my family this morning, which didn't work out. I won't get into all the reasons why it pissed me off so much, but suffice it to say I was more than a little bit unhappy about it. I was actually super angry. And just spent my entire morning sitting around doing nothing. But I had plans to go meet my friend Sean for tacos, which was great, because they're good tacos. There's a really good taco shop here in Beijing. One of the better ones in China, actually. Not the most authentic, but really good traditional Mexican base with a few bits of flair and fusion added. So tacos made me happier. And it just got better from there.
After lunch, we went to this place called Yangmeizhu Hutong. It's down by the Forbidden City, in a part of town that foreigners don't usually spend much time. Other than the big tourist spots, it's really old, really run down Beijing. It can be fun to wander around and see parts of Beijing that probably haven't changed much in the last few decades, but there are other, more tourist-friendly places where people go. But the government is apparently trying to turn this part of town into more of a touristy area and raise property values since they own a bunch of the land there. So they've started bringing in small galleries and boutiques and cafes and stuff, and all of it is incredibly well done. It's probably the best example I've seen anywhere in China of traditional Chinese lifestyle, fit right next to some very interesting, very international and very upscale shops. I also had a fantastic coffee. Actually 3, because I did a coffee tasting in an awesome little cafe full of globes and maps and fun stuff, with Chinese hipsters teaching me all about coffee. It was fantastic.
And it got even better! Our next stop was Madame Tussauds, which I've never been to actually. Not anywhere. But Sean had free tickets, so we went. We got there and saw the lines and considered leaving, but then we did stay and it was great. They actually have props out so you can touch the statues and play with them and take pictures and stuff. It was actually really fun. Much better than expected. There were a lot of Chinese celebrities that we didn't recognize, and we were disappointed Justin Beiber wasn't there, but otherwise, it was really fun. Then I napped through maybe the worst Samuel L Jackson movie ever. And for tonight, I get to watch one of my best friends stop being a vegetarian and eat sushi, then go to a Jew party. What more could a boy ask for?
I guess music. That's all. Today's music is Wolf Alice. They've been gaining attention the last couple of years with EPs, and they put out their debut album, My Love Is Cool, last month. The album is pretty good, I've given it a few listens but have not purchased it. I guess I should check the price though, cause if it's like $7.99 or something then I probably will. Anyway, it's a good sound, and there's a couple of great tracks. Particularly this one, Your Loves Whore, which is also one of the only songs on the album with an expletive warning. And just in case you were worried, it is not skipping. I thought my shitty Chinese internet was screwing up the song the first time I heard it by pausing in the middle, but then I realized it was on purpose. And I dig it.
After lunch, we went to this place called Yangmeizhu Hutong. It's down by the Forbidden City, in a part of town that foreigners don't usually spend much time. Other than the big tourist spots, it's really old, really run down Beijing. It can be fun to wander around and see parts of Beijing that probably haven't changed much in the last few decades, but there are other, more tourist-friendly places where people go. But the government is apparently trying to turn this part of town into more of a touristy area and raise property values since they own a bunch of the land there. So they've started bringing in small galleries and boutiques and cafes and stuff, and all of it is incredibly well done. It's probably the best example I've seen anywhere in China of traditional Chinese lifestyle, fit right next to some very interesting, very international and very upscale shops. I also had a fantastic coffee. Actually 3, because I did a coffee tasting in an awesome little cafe full of globes and maps and fun stuff, with Chinese hipsters teaching me all about coffee. It was fantastic.
And it got even better! Our next stop was Madame Tussauds, which I've never been to actually. Not anywhere. But Sean had free tickets, so we went. We got there and saw the lines and considered leaving, but then we did stay and it was great. They actually have props out so you can touch the statues and play with them and take pictures and stuff. It was actually really fun. Much better than expected. There were a lot of Chinese celebrities that we didn't recognize, and we were disappointed Justin Beiber wasn't there, but otherwise, it was really fun. Then I napped through maybe the worst Samuel L Jackson movie ever. And for tonight, I get to watch one of my best friends stop being a vegetarian and eat sushi, then go to a Jew party. What more could a boy ask for?
I guess music. That's all. Today's music is Wolf Alice. They've been gaining attention the last couple of years with EPs, and they put out their debut album, My Love Is Cool, last month. The album is pretty good, I've given it a few listens but have not purchased it. I guess I should check the price though, cause if it's like $7.99 or something then I probably will. Anyway, it's a good sound, and there's a couple of great tracks. Particularly this one, Your Loves Whore, which is also one of the only songs on the album with an expletive warning. And just in case you were worried, it is not skipping. I thought my shitty Chinese internet was screwing up the song the first time I heard it by pausing in the middle, but then I realized it was on purpose. And I dig it.
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