36 Hours In Beijing
Posted by Dan on December 9, 2007 at 12:32 AM
My friend, software guru Buzz Bruggeman, founder of and driving force behind Activewords (endorsed by James Fallows, I kid you not. Click on the Activewords website for proof of this), sent me an article from today's New York Times mapping out what to do in Beijing if you are there for 36 hours.
The New York Times article is entitled "36 Hours in Beijing" and it makes for a fun and interesting read.
Update: Beijing Boyce and did a good post revising the NYT piece and Truth From Facts also puts forth some modifications.
Comments
The author of the piece, Jake Hooker, is a friend of mine, so it was good to see his byline in the Times. I was also happy to see him recommend Dadong for roast duck; it is my personal favorite and I think it is often overlooked. Kongyiji is a great restaurant too; I am finding myself craving the mashed pumpkin...
Posted by: Ben | December 9, 2007 8:41 AM
Why is it always about Beijing?
Posted by: nanheyangrouchuan | December 9, 2007 9:32 AM
I would very much like to visit China, although I will probably want to wait until some time after the Olympics, and I probably won't want to go to Beijing.
I have even had the father of one of my Chinese students offer to go with me as a guide. That could be a real win-win.
Posted by: instructor | December 9, 2007 10:48 AM
The article includes Centro on the itinerary and goes on to describe it as a place in "the desolate central business district" and "where Western men in pinstriped suits and Chinese women with pearls drink, flirt and listen to jazz standards." This is supposed to make us want to spend one of our two nights in Beijing in this bar? I don't foresee a future for the writer and/or editor in sales. I wonder if the author even lives in Beijing?
Cheers, Boyce
Posted by: boyce | December 10, 2007 3:11 AM
I don't know how I missed this post. I think the author's itinerary is pretty good overall, hitting the highlights, but for dining and drinks, there are some problems. Kong Yiji? Please! If you only have 36 hours in Beijing, that restaurant wouldn't even be in the top 10. And for Chuar, they did a 36 hours in Shanghai last year.
Posted by: b. cheng | December 12, 2007 6:50 PM
I made some suggested changes to the dining and nightlife selections. Sorry to promote my own blog, but the piece is WAY too long for cutting and pasting here:
http://www.beijingboyce.com/2007/12/revisions-required-the-new-york-times-beijing-itinerary/
Posted by: boyce | December 13, 2007 12:56 PM
It's good to have a travelogue of Beijing but other places in China should be covered as well.
Posted by: poetryman69 | December 22, 2007 4:45 AM