Trainspotting 2: Beijing Railway Station

Beijing Railway Station is an underrated architectural gem.  Situated just inside the city's second ring road, Beijing Railway Station stands out from the city's other railway stations because of its Soviet and Chinese influences.  It's hard to miss this majestic building, but few tourists get the chance to see it.  The station building resembles a hypothetical child of the Forbidden City and Grand Central Station.  Built to commemorate 10 years of communist rule in China, the station has welcomed countless visitors to the city during its nearly 60 years.          

Crowds congregate in front of the station 
Photo from China Daily 

                            

In a nation known for gigantic structures, this station still manages to impress.  It has the grand size of Union Station in Chicago, but with way more people.  The sea of humans in the square directly in front of the station never dissipates.  It doesn't even have a discernible ebb and flow.  Despite the sea of people coming in and out of the station everyday, the station doesn't feel nearly as cramp as some of Asia's other famous train stations.  Unlike other large stations in Asia, Beijing Railway Station doesn't have short ceilings or a utilitarian vibe.  Instead, the communists built a station that ironically evokes grandeur and distinctiveness.       

The station lit up at night 
Photo from Beijing-Travels

Like Amsterdam Central Station, Beijing Railway Station features twin clock towers.  The clock towers are certainly my favorite part of the building.  Another distinctively Chinese thing about the station is its relatively isolated position.  Large public buildings in China are often set-apart from nearby buildings to emphasize their size and importance.  Exiting the station and going to the KFC across the street takes a five minute hike.  You must walk across the enormous public square directly in front of the station and then travel up and down an elevated walkway over a busy city street.  This is one hell of a hike for one of the world's most densely populated cities.  

An original clock face
in China's Railway Museum 

The station's platforms 

Some large stations in Asia literally have shopping malls or skyscrapers built on top of them.  To the untrained eye, these stations simply look like other nondescript buildings in their respective cities.  Efficiency and convenience were the driving motivators behind their design.  In contrast, the designers of Beijing Railway Station didn't take these factors into account when building this monument to communist rule.  Beijing Railway station wants you to know it's a train station, it wants you to know its important, and it wants you to know its here to stay.      

The Galloping Ghost: Say "Game Over" to Boredom

Outside on the street

Everyone has a favorite classic arcade game.  Some people love Pac-Man or Frogger or maybe even that foulmouthed, orange ball Q*bert.  My personal favorite is Robotron 2084.  Not only was the use of two joysticks innovative, the sound effects still hold up through my rose tinted glasses.  Whatever arcade game you loved in your youth, the Galloping Ghost probably has it.

You used to find arcade games everywhere.  From the ice cream parlor to the video store, you couldn't go anywhere without finding a cabinet ready to eat your unwanted quarters.  And what mall didn't have the ubiquitous arcade, dimly lit and filled with brightly colored screens.  Wow!  How times have changed.  Some of my fondest childhood memories include my father and I playing Tokyo Wars at the local mall and trying to beat the legendary, Konomi classic Turtles in Time.  Thank God someone is preserving these outdated relics of the past.  Remember that overweight, unemployed guy in his late 20's who always hung around the arcade pumping quarters into Mortal Kombat II so that he could get the high score and enter his name as ASS.  Well, for one day I got to be that guy.  And it was awesome

A Smash TV cabinet is on the
corner.  The game is loosely
based on the film Running Man

Way out in the badlands of the Chicago suburbs, the Galloping Ghost has managed to collect many of the greatest arcade games under one roof.  Unlike the "barcade's" that have become popular with the millennials, the Galloping Ghost charges a $20 flat rate per person.  For just $20 you can play until 2am.  Also, the fact that they don't serve booze keeps the atmosphere family friendly.  This place has made Brookfield, IL a pilgrimage for novice and hardcore gamers alike.  Overtime the Galloping Ghost's legend has continued to grow.  After gaining fame as the Mecca for vintage arcade games, it appeared on several notable Youtube channels, including Cinemassacre.

With so many great games in one place, it can be overwhelming.  The first game I played was Street Fighter.  That's right.  I didn't say Street Fighter II or Alpha...just Street Fighter.  I'd never actually seen a Street Fighter cabinet before.  The game is borderline terrible.  It's still a tournament fighter, but you don't have the ability to pick your character in the game.  You're stuck playing with Ryu.  A prime example of the sequels being superior to the original.  The game's terrible quality is certainly surprise considering it comes from video game juggernaut Capcom.  

I have fond memories of
playing Afterburner at
River Falls Mall

Don't be surprised if the unlimited continues result in the urge to settle some old scores.  I fulfilled a childhood dream of beating Sega's arcade classic Afterburner II.  As a child, I always played the motion simulator version at River Falls Mall.  I also had the Tengen version for the NES.  I've always wanted to beat the game but never seemed to have enough quarters.  Let's just say that around level 15 the game gets cheap...incredibly cheap.  Dodging missiles basically becomes luck until you beat the game at level 23.  I probably got my $20 worth on just this machine.

The Galloping Ghost also has a ton of movie and TV tie-in games.  Some great and some not so great.  I personally love the beat-em-up classics of the early 90's that dominated my trips to the pizza places of southern Indiana.  Of course they have the Konomi classics TMNT: Turtles and Time, X-MEN, and The Simpsons.  Only one of which ever got a home console port.  Shame!  

GREAT

Alien vs. Predator 
Finally got a chance to play the legendary, arcade-only Alien v. Predator.  Considering its reputation, it's crazy that this was my first time ever even seeing the machine.  It more than lived up to the hype.  Few things are as satisfying as taking a flamethrower to a xenomorph.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 

Even Capcom's lesser known games from the 90's are classics!

It's as awesome as it sounds.  A classic beat-em-up that you've probably never heard of.  And to top it off, it shares a cabinet with Aliens vs. Predator.


Sunset Riders 
Love beat-em-ups and the old west?  Then this is the game for you.  It's great to experience a 90's wild west property that doesn't have a giant mechanical spider.

Capcom vs. SNK
I love Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom and Marvel Superheroes games, mainly because of the Marvel heroes.  However, this underrated tournament fighter actually plays smoother and is more fun.  I imagine it's because they didn't have  to shoe-horn in the Marvel Heroes' moves.  Even if you are like me and don't know any of the SNK characters, check this one out.     

NOT SO GREAT

A relatively rare Real Ghostbusters cabinet.  

The Real Ghostbusters
Poor graphics and weak game play hold back this arcade game from achieving the greatness that the franchise deserves.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 
This Atari made game isn't as well known as its vectrex fore bearer.  And there are several reasons why.  Going with an isometric perspective is almost always a bad decision.  In hindsight, Atari should have stuck with Vectrex graphics for this sequel.  No matter how advanced technology gets, I will always think that Vectrex graphics are the future.

Donkey Kong 3
Some people consider this a hidden gem, but I have little love for this overblown collector's item.  While the terraced playing field was innovative for the time, spraying bug spray up a giant monkey's butt isn't my idea of a fun game.  Also, the game play is as unforgiving as my critique.  A rare miss for the Big N.

NEXT TIME

Original Star Wars cabinet
featuring vectrex graphics

Metal Slug 
A good portion of the back wall is taken up by Neo Geo machines that contain about 5-6 games each.  The downside of this is that all the Metal Slug games are on one machine.  There also seemed to be a line to play these arcade classics.  Next time I make it to the Galloping Ghost I will make sure to beeline for this machine and play a couple rounds of SNK's immortal franchise before the crowds really start pouring in.  Everyone knows that the Neo Geo versions are the best and that no home port can truly do the franchise justice

If you are going to the Galloping Ghost, I recommend that you get there early.  Word on this place has gotten out.  It was packed just a few hours after opening and many of the best machines had developed lines by the time that I left.

This place is basically an interactive museum.  The next time you're in the Windy City, skip the bean and take the train to the Galloping Ghost.  You won't be disappointed.  




   

Aldrich-Genella House: A New Orleans Haunted Treasure

Every town in America has a haunted house or two, but New Orleans has far more than its fair share.  Few are as prominent as the Aldrich-Genella House.  Situated at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Bordeaux Street, this massive mansion commands respect.  The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Its architecture style sets it apart from other mansions on "the Avenue".  Built in the Second Empire architecture style (think of Paris and its mansard roofed buildings), this house is certainly a one-of-a-kind building in America's most unique city.

I decided to highlight the property as a haunted house because it has fallen into disrepair.  I often wonder what tourist think as they role down St. Charles on the streetcar and see a mansion vaguely resembling Norman Bate's house.  Many of the windows are missing glass and the banister on the front staircase has disintegrated.  A Christmas decoration spookily spelling out "Believe" hangs in the window year round.  I'll admit, the first time I saw this place I was taken aback.  After passing by it a few times, I started to notice the cars parked in the driveway.  At least two of the three have flat tires.  The Corvette looks like it hasn't been driven in a decade or more.

Though the architecture style originated in France, you're far more likely to see a mansion like this in the Midwest or on the plains than in the Big Easy.  So how did this mystic manor land on the city's most prominent residential street?  Apparently it was part of a military academy.  I couldn't find much on the subject, but below is a link to someone else's blog that carried a piece about it.  As time goes by, I have started to worry about the house.  It's so unique compared to the other buildings in the city.  I hope it doesn't fall into disrepair and have to be torn down.  However, it'd also be weird to see it completely restored.  After all, every place needs "the house" that you cross the street to avoid.

http://neworleans.danellis.net/rugby_academy.htm

The house viewed from the neutral ground
in St. Charles Avenue

From the side.  Notice the broken window at
the top of the tower.

Broken window on the right.

At least someone is still cutting the lawn.

Flat tires on the one of the cars in the
driveway.

The stoop leading the front door.

I hope that isn't a load bearing column.

Banned Books and International Intrigue

That's the signpost, up ahead

I checked out People's Coffee and Books in Causeway Bay Hong Kong.  The bookstore specializes in books that are banned in Mainland China.  Many detail the personal lives of government officials or taboo topics such as the Cultural Revolution.    

In recent months, bookstores like this have become famous because of the kidnappings of store owners and employees.  The disappearance of employees at Causeway Bay Books, a establishment very similar to People's Coffee and Books, made international news.  The ongoing saga continues to unfold, highlighting tensions between Hong Kong and Mainland China.  Some of those involved even had to do televised confessions after resurfacing in Mainland China.  

Mall across the street from the
bookstore.  Notice the Finding Dory
characters.

Many in the former British Colony consider this a important example of China's increasing willingness to violate the "one country, two systems" agreement that guarantees Hong Kong a large degree of autonomy.  Though Hong Kong became part of China again in 1997, the territory enjoys personal and political freedoms only dreamt of in the rest of China.

Please checkout the links below for more information on bookstores selling banned books in Hong Kong and the ongoing disappearances.

Sign at street level

http://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-booksellers-disappearance-stokes-fears-over-freedoms-1452112200

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/in-hong-kong-a-sanctuary-for-banned-books/274831/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/online-in-china-the-communist-party-and-military-are-at-war-with-ideas-a7130681.html

 






    

Dining on a Budget: World's Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurant

Outside Facade

On my most recent trip to Hong Kong, I made a stop at the world famous Tim Ho Wan.  The restaurant currently holds the wonderful title as the world's cheapest restaurant with a Michelin Star.  This oxymoron instantly got the restaurant put on my list of "must see" attractions in a city know for its amazing restaurants.  Since I have little to no money to my name, I try to never miss anything with the words "cheapest" in the title.  Believe me the restaurant did not disappoint and delivered on its promise of being both cheap and amazing.

The location of the restaurant I ate at has the unfortunate address of 9 Fuk Wing Street.  That's right.  That is seriously the address.  Even if the food wasn't good, the address alone might have gotten me to go.  The restaurant sits on the northern edge of the Mong Kok neighborhood in Kowloon, just a short walk from Prince Edward Station.  It's fantastically easy to get to, so you have no excuse for not going.    

Menu

The outside of the restaurant is completely unassuming.  In fact, I nearly walked past the place.  Had I not seen the restaurant on an Anthony Bourdain special, I most certainly would have walked right past it without a second thought.  Luckily, I didn't have to wait in line to get a seat, which might be a problem on weekends.  I recommend going at an off-peak time, just in case of a rush.  

The restaurant has many specialties including BBQ pork buns.  These pork buns are amazing and should not be missed under any circumstances. Because of the sweetness of the buns, they could be eaten as a main dish or a dessert.  These buns more than lived up to the hype.  Our waitress didn't speak very much English.  However when I asked about the restaurant's specialties, she didn't point me to the most expensive items on the menu.  This is always a really good sign at any restaurant.  She also suggested a  rice dish pictured below which I really enjoyed.  Be warned though, the rice dish had cilantro.  I avoid cilantro at all costs because I think it tastes terrible and overpowers anything it's in.  However, I didn't mind it that much in the rice.  But it still packs a punch.  

Our Meal

Tim Ho Wan also does dumplings with a mixture of shrimp and pork.  These also come deep fried.  Like everything else on the menu, these are amazing.  Overall, shrimp and pork are the main staples of this place, and the restaurant does them extremely well.  So well in fact that I will definitely stop by the next time I am in Hong Kong.

The bill came out surprisingly cheap, even considering its title as the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant.  Three of us ate for around $20 USD.  Not bad in one of the world's most expensive cities.  Plus, the ability to tell your friends you ate at the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant is priceless.  

Pascal Manale's: Local Institution

It's not often that I write a post that has nothing to do with the Middle Kingdom.  However, I felt the need to highlight one of the places that make my new home of New Orleans such a special city.  On the upriver side of Napoleon Avenue sits a true local institution.  Pascal Manale's restaurant is the kind of place with wood paneled walls and a well worn bar.  One of the few establishments that is equally as welcoming to someone wearing gym shorts as someone in a three piece suit.

New Orleans memorabilia decorates the walls.  Several of the posters are from the Super Bowls held at the old Tulane Stadium just a few blocks upriver.  Pictures of famous people who have eaten at the restaurant also adorn the walls.  Let's just say it's an eclectic group of patrons.  Walking around the barroom and seeing on the photos and memorabilia is certainly part of the experience.  

Photo courtesy of the restaurant's website

The bar does an insane happy hour.  Drinks are half price and a dozen oysters will run you around $8.  The oyster bar is one of the main attractions of this place.  Opposite the real bar is the standing only oyster bar where a shucker stands shucking oysters for the customers.  The oyster bar will accommodate about five people, and even that is a squeeze.  Make sure the ask the person working the oyster bar where the oysters came from.  The bar tender will tell you a number that corresponds to a section on a map of south Louisiana.  It's cool to know exactly where the oysters come from, and this adds a cool novelty to the experience.

I would like to recommend something from the menu but I can't.  I've never eaten off the menu.  According to the internet they have great barbecue shrimp.  However, every time I go to this place, the happy hour deal calls my name like a siren, and I end up eating a dozen oysters.  If you're ever in New Orleans and looking to eat at a local institution, avoid the hipsters on Magazine Street checkout Pascal Manale's.            

Shanghai: Pearl of the Orient

Tang Qi on the Bund

Let me begin this post by paying Shanghai a very backhanded compliment.  Shanghai is the poor man's version of every great Asian city.  It doesn't have the important historical sites Beijing has, it isn't nearly as dynamic or exciting as Hong Kong, and it doesn't have the livability of Tokyo.  It does everything well and nothing great.

However Asia is a land of extremes, and while Shanghai might not score top marks in any of the above categories, it doesn't have their severe drawbacks either.  I love Shanghai because Shanghai loves itself.  It's proud of the fact its unique and not perfect.  Nor does waller in self pity like many Chinese cities.  I am talking to you Beijing, and your "civilize Chaoyang" posters.  Not quite Chinese, not quiet foreign, and not quite global, its at a sweat spot for budget travelers like myself.  If you can call Shanghai anything, it's gargantuan.

I am hiding my hat behind me

Shanghai's lack of tourist sites make it great for relaxing weekend getaways.  It was nice to visit an important Chinese city and not have a laundry list of historical sites to checkoff.  Lucky for you, its lack of sites will prevent me from going Rick Steves on my readers in this post.
We spent the majority of our time strolling down Shanghai's streets and enjoying the atmosphere.  The city encompasses many distinct neighborhoods, each with its own vibe, and provides a welcome contrast to the homogeneity of most Chinese cities.

Your average Shanghaier has a laid-back attitude.  Compared to Asia's more hectic cities, like Hong Kong, life moves at a slower pace.  This despite all the hype surrounding the city.  The only thing speeding you by are the motor bikes, and there are a lot of them.  Watch out!  Ducking down a side street can make the place seem a lot less oversized.  Outside the main shopping areas I thought Shanghai felt much less crowded than the streets of Beijing.  Not bad for a city of around 24 million and the largest city in China.

Balls of steel

If you are willing to forgo foreign food, Shanghai won't decimate your wallet the way some other cities are fond of doing.  Even with its relatively low cost compared to Asian money pits, such as Tokyo, the service quality in Shanghai puts other Chinese cities to shame.  It was nice to go to a restaurant or buy something at a store and not have the staff treat me like a criminal.  Also, people were much more receptive to speaking Chinese with me.  I even made it out of a Starbucks without the staff bombarding me with English.  An flat impossibility in Beijing.      

My girlfriend and I stayed in the old part of Shanghai.  The area east of the river boasts many European style buildings, built during the beginning of the last century.  The unique style of each building makes the narrow streets surprisingly easy to navigate.  Don't worry about getting lost.  With all the skyscrapers for landmarks you won't have to worry about getting disoriented.

The buildings of Shanghai's now iconic skyline lie across the river in the Pudong district.  I recommend visiting this side of the river, but be warned.  Expect a large amount of walking and not a lot to see.  There isn't anything except offices and the new Disney store.  The Pudong skyline is best admired from The Bund on the other side of the river.  

I had an entire train car to myself north of Nanjing to Beijing
on the way home....creepy but relaxing

The two distinct sides of the river give Shanghai a pleasant form of split personality disorder.  The west, old city resembles the streets of a European capital and the east, new city remind me of a Chinese caricature of New York or Chicago.  Shanghai proved itself as a great weekend destination, and you can pretty much do everything it has to offer in three days.  Not bad on a budget.        

European style clocktower

The "bottle opener" (l) and the world's second
tallest building (r)

The Rogue State's Gallery

It's a little known fact that the North Korean government runs an art gallery in Beijing's swanky 798 arts district.  It's become something of an urban legend, and the gallery is tucked away in a corner of the compound making it hard for the casual visitor to find.

A four mop salute

Outside the gallery stands a replica of a large statue from North Korea.  You can see it pictured here with a salute of mops standing against it.  My guess is that the Dear Leader might be a neat freak.  As I mentioned before, this place isn't easy to find.  I found it completely by chance while wondering around the 798.  I didn't even know it existed before I went.

The expiation on the side of the building about what it is

Though the gallery doesn't allow pictures, I managed to snap a few before the workers told me in English to stop.  I also observed that the gallery employees spoke to each other entirely in Chinese.

One of the pictures from inside the gallery features a whole wall of paintings including people on horseback and a female factory worker.  Another picture shows a painting of the North Korean Soccer team celebrating.  The art is eerily similar to the art you will find in the "modern" section of the National Museum of China, but unlike the NMoC, this North Korean gallery featured some art with contemporary subjects (after 1980).  This fact only highlighted for me the interesting corner the Chinese government has drawn itself into in recent decades.

A sampling of North Korean art

Turning its back on Marxist-Maoist ideology while still trying to justify the party's existence has made the topic of contemporary life taboo.  You see this in everything from television and movies to books.  It seems like the majority of television shows on CCTV are either about fighting the Nationalist or Japanese, dramas about the imperial court, or food.  It's for this reason that foreign entertainment has become so big in China, and why its popularity continues to grow at breakneck speed.  North Korea doesn't have shy away from the modern world.  Like China it controls the media, but it doesn't have to worry as much about information slipping in from the outside world.

The fact I saw a painting glorifying a soccer victory in Socialist-Realist style didn't come as a shock to me.  What shocked me was that I haven't seen it in China, because almost nothing in China after 1949 is ever discussed in art.  As discussed in my last post, almost none of the art in the 798 comes off as anything close to unique.  In a way the North Korean gallery highlighted what government-approved art looks like before the grip of the state loosens like it has in today's China.

The gallery sold souvenirs like North Korean postage stamps.  I didn't buy any because I made a conscience decision not to indirectly support the regime in the DPRK.  As my time in Beijing comes to a close I am beginning to wonder if I have somehow passively lent support to the CPC by living here.  The truth is that I probably have in a way, and frankly I feel guilty for this in a way.

Things like this only help me appreciate that I am an American.        

Did North Korea win World Cup '14 and no one tell me about it?

Note: A new movie about an elderly woman dealing with her experiences during the Cultural Revolution was released last week.  I am holding my breath hoping it doesn't get pulled before I can see it.  

798

Alfresco dinning

Beijing's 798 Arts District is notable for being in a former East German constructed factory complex.  The area continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination, particularly for domestic tourists from other parts of China and foreigners looking for a more laid back alternative to Gulou.  I'll be blunt about it.  If you only have a week in Beijing this place is a skip, but I have lived here two years and I am running out of things on my Beijing Bucket List at an alarming rate.  The focus at the 798 is less on the art and more "looking cool for the outside world", but even this gives a great opportunity to enjoy and examine the "face" Asia's favorite one party dictatorship puts on for the rest of the world.


Businesses in the complex range from surprisingly good restaurants to expensive art gallaries without much in between.  Either way, don't forget your wallet because you'll need to leave it at the 798 when you go home.

Steampunk before steampunk was steampunk

There's a lot of hype surrounding this place.  Some people even go as far as to call it Beijing's Soho, though I'd certainly call this an overestimation.  It took me nearly two years to get the motivation to visit the place.  Most casual visitors to the capital skip it because of its distance from other attractions.  No one will ever accuse it of being easy to get to the 798 because there isn't a decently close subway station.  In fact 7.98 hours is roughly the time it will take you to travel to this place from central Beijing if you take public transport.

Hello! Anyone Home?

Most of the galleries are on the high end of the price spectrem.  I also though the galleries themselves are few and far between in this massive compound.  That's sort of the problem with having such a big, sprawling space, if you don't have enough things to fill it up it just looks empty.  Many of the buildings I peaked into were completely empty.  However the 798 has an abundance of cafes, bars, restuarants and stores selling knick-knacks.

A few stores in the 798 specialize in selling cheaply made pieces of Americana.  These stores carry the same things that your local Cracker Barrel sells in the gift shop.  This might seem odd if you visit China for a short time.  I have come to expect this kinds of things here in the Middle Kingdom.  When I asked the woman working if the items were made "here" she told me yes.  Maybe she just meant made in China.

After two years I have begun to find China's embrace of everything culturally "non-Chinese" as troubling to say the least.  Especially as the Chinese government's pension for nationalism abroad surges unchecked.  As a result this post might come off as condescending.  Though most foreign news sources actually do a wonderful job of covering China (though the Chinese government would certainly say the opposite), I increasingly feel the need to highlight cultural things overlooked in favor of politics and economics.  

American culture and American art permeates the 798 for several reasons.  For one, its simply too controversial in China to prop the wing of a PLA Air Force plane in a public place.  Is it anti-military?  Is it anti-CPC?  There's simply too much ambiguity and symbolism.  Two, everyone knows its easier to steal than create.  And finally there frankly isn't a lot of contemporary culture unique to China.  It's a dark thing to say and probably a controversial statement, but after two years in Beijing and trips around China and to several of the China's neighbors, I frankly just have to admit this fact publicly.

Wing and a Prayer

The scars of the Cultural Revolution and Maoism unsurprisingly run deep.  Yes these catastrophic and important events might one day seep their way back into Chinese Culture and discourse, either when China begins to come to terms with its past or accept the things about the present it refuses to change.  Until this happens you'll still find commemorative license plates from the film Pearl Harbor that people try selling to you as "unique" works of Chinese art.  Either way the image of some party official's wife hanging a fake license plate with Ben Affleck's face on it and calling it art is simply too funny not to laugh about.        

Be on the look out for my next blog post about the 798's mysterious North Korean gallery.    

The Chinese love Michael Bay films in a way laowai
cannot understand

Rusty factory equipment permeates the Chinese countryside

Vague Sculpture

My friend Kofi and a tiger statue

Street with exposed piping.  That's how you know it's hip

Little Known Beijing Museums: Planes, Trains, and Tanks

Security is tightening as the city prepares for the upcoming party conference.  If stiff technocrats don't interest you, make sure to check out these photos from two of Beijing's lessor known museums. I spent the last two weeks checking out some of Beijing's lesser known tourist attractions, maximizing my free time before my Chinese classes start again.  First up are some photos from the Beijing Railway Museum at the southeastern corner of Tiananmen Square.  The museum is in an old train station and features some cool exhibits.       

Railway Museum ironically framed with buses in the foreground

Chinese propaganda saying, "Keep Hong Kong and Macau developing prosperously."  The
picture is actually of midtown Manhattan.  If you look closely you'll see
the Bank of America and Chrysler Buildings.  Close enough for government work I guess.

Entryway

A shoutout to Tangshan on a museum plaque

Museum artium 

Some awesome Chinglish 

Some of the exhibits were down for repairs

Warning: This flatscreen is dangerous

One of the clock faces from a clocktower at Beijing Railway station.  

All graphs surprisingly display 1949 as a pivotal year for everything

Sorry about the blurriness

Nancy Pelosi unwittingly becomes a propaganda tool

A model of a railroad bridge in Nanjing resembling the Sherman Minton Bridge

Outside the museum looking at Tiananmen Square.  Mao's Mausoleum (right) and the Qianmen Gate (left)

 While wondering around Houhai Lake one afternoon, Tang Qi and I stumbled onto a new coffee shop.  Trendy hipster joints have been multiplying like rabbits in the capital.  This one has a unique angle.  Everything in the coffee shop is for sale, and I mean everything, giving caffeine addicts the ability to get their fix and purchase some overpriced nicknacks.

Inside of a new, local coffee shop.  

Coffee from the Dark Side

Didn't realize there was a demand for this shit.

Go for the Doughboy.  I had one of these a child.  Good times

Bikes and a massive clock for sale

If you need a bust of the predator, I know where to go

First rule of life; always go into the shady basement

The sign and name of the place....I guess

The coffee shop's Dragon Alley like entrance.

A lone protest outside a central Beijing government office.

Tang Qi enjoying Indian food.  It's cool to play with your food here.

A beautiful view of Tangshan from Tang Qi's family's apartment.

 Beijing enjoyed one of its few, fabled blue sky days Wednesday.  In an effort to maximize my time breathing moderately clean air, I visited the Military Museum.  Indoor exhibits are still closed as part of a never ending renovation, but the outdoor stuff is open for business.  Notice that all of the exhibits and pieces are covered in a thick layer of dust.  Though I don't know why the museum staff doesn't clean the exhibits, it helped to remind me about the hazard Beijing's air poses to my lungs.

The Military Museum sports a gothic revivalist style like many important Soviet buildings.

An M4 tank.  Notice the dust.

You can't tell from the photo, but I am reenacting "Tank Man".

A U-2 from the Republic of China Air Force. The plane not the band

Taiwan markings

More propaganda.  Photoshop truly makes artists of us all.

They even have fake Humvees.