China pics
 

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Nick and I both attended PEA; the China experience made us better people.

What's with all the red cars?
Taxies?

Yeah, that was Nanjing. In Beijing, Miandis were still popular, especially with younger people because we could pack 6 or 7 in them and ride across town for less than Y20. Private car ownership still hadn't really caught on.

Nice pics!
BTW, are you back in China?
Leaving Shanghai for Beijing today, hopefully....

Yes, I'm also in Shanghai. TMK, there are only about 10 active posters in this sub forum now. and our two most popular threads (both visa related) are pretty much deserted. I want to get up to Beijing, but I haven't traveled at all since I got out of quarantine. Safe travels!

You finally made it (hope the Shanghai-Beijing part doesn't trip you up ...). Welcome back!

Just received my email after taking the PCR test yesterday, negative, all set to leave on Monday.......hopefully returning early March.....

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Leaving is blissfully easy, Steve, though don't count on a glamorous airport experience. Coming back was far more difficult than I possibly could have imagined. Enjoy your trip!

Not a surprise, really :)

Good luck getting up to PEK with the new cases in SHA.

A friend of mine is going there tomorrow night. He complained about the PCR test, but it only costs y55, and there tons of test locations here.

More tidbits (that I posted in the Marriott Beijing thread)

I suppose a new thread (not in the Marriott forum) might be in order,
but following are key memories:
-there was a club in Beijing called Nightman; those guys dropped Y10 notes from a spaceship
-the Den was our main Beijing hangout until 2000
-Vic's was also really cool, but that was a 3a thing
-then, we started going to Huxley's
-after Goalei and Huxley broke up, we went to Gaolei's places
-Hooters arrived on the scene, and Gaolei's waitresses jumped ship
-Shanghai wasn't nearly as cool, but it caught up with Beijing rapidly
-the Westin brunch was effectively Y175 pp, including free flow
-Face
-Crocus
-Goga
-all of Fuxing Park

I will also add that living in Pudong sucked because none of your friends are there. We could endure the trip over, but coming back was Y60 (over budget). This is a mistake you make once.

PuJersey

Yeah, that apartment was really nice, and probably costs north of $3 million now.

-Back on topic, Mix was adjacent to Vic's, but the Den guy gave us a sweet hookup at the latter (he owned both).
-During our Duke days, our professor gave each of us Y400 in cash every Friday. We didn't eat on Friday night or Saturday. Instead we jogged to the Shangri-La on Sunday mornings to go to brunch, and we stayed for the entire 3 hours.
-Nanjing was the second half of our program, as you now know; it wasn't as nice as Beijing back then, and probably isn't now either
-But, we took (5 hour trains) to/from Shanghai on weekends, often sitting on newspapers between cars
-In Shanghai, we stayed at the Pujiang for Y100 per night; I think that place now goes for $100
-It was close to New York, New York
-Portman brunch was our Sunday thing