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I am going to China next October. Flying into Beijing and will make my way to Chengdu to hold some pandas and feed and clean up after them. It's looking like a two week trip. Give me any and all advice you might have. Must see places, little know sites and all that good stuff. Thank goodness I will be traveling with my Chinese co-worker and his parents, so even though I am going to attempt to learn some Mandarin, those of you have have heard me speak will understand how badly I will fail at doing that.
If you go to the Great Wall, go to Mutianyu over Badaling. We'd heard that even Mutianyu can get touristy, but there was almost no one there. We had two hours to explore, and I think we passed three other couples the entire time. It helped that we went mid-week. Most tours require you to 'exit through the gift shop' with a tour of a jade factory. The few that don't are much more expensive, so you're paying for it either way. It's annoying, but what can you do.
The Temple of Heaven is stunning. The Temple itself is very cool, but what really makes it is the sprawling complex it's in.
Tiananmen Square is massive, and there's a flag lowering ceremony at dusk that's worth checking out.
Go check out an acrobatics show! The acrobats were insane - easily as cool as anything I've seen at Cirque du Soleil - and the tickets were only about $20 or so.
Remember to bring your passport with you most/all the time. We had a false start one day when we didn't realise we'd need them to get into the Forbidden City.
We went to Da Dong for peking duck; it was so good, and pretty reasonably priced, too. My only regret is that we only got to go there once.
Probably safest and easiest to exchange your money beforehand. Counterfeiting is a big problem there, and Monie and I each got burned with some fake bills from a bank. And if any kind strangers invite you to come for tea... just say no. Trust me.
and now, the reason I initially came into this thread........
Monie and I are going to Hawaii with my entire family in late January to mid February!!!
It'll be us, both my brothers, their wives and daughters, and my parents - we're all spread out across three continents, so even getting just us three brothers in one room hasn't happened in close to 10 years. That alone is exciting enough.... but we get to do it in Hawaii! (Oahu, to be precise).
It's the first visit for both Monie and me, and we need your suggestions. You gots 'em, I wants 'em. Spill it!
Good choice with Oahu. Stay the hell away from Honolulu. Too commercial. If anything do a day trip to one of the other islands. Just not Honolulu.
And I want to know about this just say no to tea in China thing.
Long story short, we got scammed by a couple of scammers who obviously routinely run this tea scam. Fuckin scammers.
Jack likes to talk to everyone, so when a couple of people heard us speaking english they started a conversation with us just as we were crossing a street. They were chatty and it was cold out so they suggested we stop in somewhere for tea. Even though I wasn't feelin it, we went anyways. We ordered two kettles or three kettles of tea and a small class of very cheap tasting "local Chinese wine" to "toast to new friends" and somehow I ended up paying the bill.... which was clearly NOT the actual cost of what we got. It was our first day in Beijing so I didn't have a grasp on the conversation rate yet, but after I did the math i realised that this little outing cost me about $150 USD. My theory is that they run this scam often and the tea house is in on it too and gets a little take away from the money used to pay the bill.
That was our first day there, the next day I got $1,000 yuan (about $170 USD) out of an ATM at the National Bank of China in a very busy, touristy part of Beijing, and 6 out of the 10 bills I got were counterfeit. And bc counterfeiting is such an issue, locals know exactly how to spot a fake bill and I had a HUGE problem trying to pawn off my bills, esp since they were all $100 bills. So I was pretty salty for the rest of the trip...
but on a more positive note, and to expand on what Jack said above, custeph :
Luckily you'll have a Chinese speaker with you. 1) it'll obviously help with translation... but 2) less likely to be taken advantage of. The people in Beijing that we came across were all very sweet, but it felt like everyone was out to get us. They hear you speaking english and they're just all over you.... It was the one downside to an otherwise amazing city.
The Lama Temple was the absolute highlight for me. It is GORGEOUS. And feels rather unlike most of the other temples, which after awhile can all start to look the same. Do not skip!
Obviously the great wall, and if you do a tour through groupon or travelcity or something, its ok to do the ones with the jade factory or tea ceremony attached, but if you don't want to buy anything after, don't. and stand your ground bc they'll get pushy.
Do a Night Market! They are really cool and that's where you'll most likely see the crazy foods. I didn't eat any of them, but I did take a picture of fried scorpions on a stick. We walked around the one in the Wangfujing Shopping Center.
Re: Carrying your passport. You don't need it everywhere, Jack is exaggerating. But you do need it to get into the Forbidden City. So if you want to carry it around, just make sure its secure somewhere. We forgot ours the first time going to the Forbidden City, and that's how we ended up with the tea scammers..... Also, the Forbidden City is closed one day a week, which changes based on time of year I believe, so make sure you look at that before you go. (The second time we tried to do it, it was closed). And it closes really early some days too. The place is MASSIVE though. It's literally like it's own little city and there is so much history to see all around it. It's basically a complex of a bunch of little museums, so budget a good deal of time to do it. We only got to see maaaybe half of it and we were there for like 2-3 hours or so.
If you can make the steep climb (there are stairs tho) go to Jingshan Park (directly north of the Forbidden City). Small entry fee, but it's a gorgeous park and from the temple at the top of the hill you get a GREAT view of the Forbidden City.
Go to Beihai Park, it's right next to Jingshan Park. It has a beautiful striking white temple at the top of a hill with a great view as well.
The subways are pretty easy to use, but make sure you do your research of how to get around ahead of time. Sites like Google, Facebook, Istagram and other random websites are all blocked there so you may not be able to look some of this up once you're there. Snapchat and What'sapp do work tho.
The Tiannenman Square flag ceremony happens at both dawn (flag raising) and dusk (flag lowering). They shut down the street and to carry the flag across and everyone is silent. It's a very cool thing to watch and lasts about 5 minutes. Def worth trying to time your visit to Tiannemen around it.
WEAR A FACEMASK. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!! After a day of walking around it felt like we had chain smoked a whole pack of cigs by time we got back to the hotel. The World Health Organisation suggests air quality not go above 25... the week we were there it hit 400! So seriously, wear a facemask as often as you can.
Good choice with Oahu. Stay the hell away from Honolulu. Too commercial. If anything do a day trip to one of the other islands. Just not Honolulu.
We are all staying in a big AirBnB about 15 minutes outside Honolulu. But no matter - I'm more than happy to be chilling on any of those beaches drinking a frou-frou cocktail out of a coconut.
I grew up on Oahu, I'll be sure to come back here with suggestions when I have some time.
Yes! That’d be awesome. We’ll be there Jan 29- Feb 10. Particularly on hikes with waterfalls and swimming holes. Good snorkel spots with lots of marine life and little human life would be appreciated too. and nightlife.
and now, the reason I initially came into this thread........
Monie and I are going to Hawaii with my entire family in late January to mid February!!!
It'll be us, both my brothers, their wives and daughters, and my parents - we're all spread out across three continents, so even getting just us three brothers in one room hasn't happened in close to 10 years. That alone is exciting enough.... but we get to do it in Hawaii! (Oahu, to be precise).
It's the first visit for both Monie and me, and we need your suggestions. You gots 'em, I wants 'em. Spill it!
I love Kahuku shrimp trucks and my favorite by far is Fumi's. Some of the best food I've had in Hawaii is just in little lunch spots where you can get like a chicken katsu lunch plate. At Foodland you can pick up a whole bunch of poke for pretty cheap which is what we did for lot of lunches / snack meals.
I stay on the North Shore whenever I go and really don't venture out too far. I did Kaena Point trail from the Northside which was cool,saw lots of albatross and seals up at the point. Very flat hike but can get hot not a lot of cover. Pill Box hike near Lanikai was also a fun quick hike with very good views. Waimea Valley is a nice place to take a walk with beautiful foliage and tropical flowers,not a very challenging hike and the waterfall/swimming hole at the end isn't that great and gets very crowded.
Any food recommendations for Philadelphia? Going up there in a few weeks for the first time.
For a nice dinner out or like pizza and cheesesteaks?
For dinner out you could try to get into Zahav and they have a good happy hour if you are here during the week. Pennsylvania has some weird liquor laws so there are lots of BYOB places there are really affordable and have really good food. A lot of the best BYO's are on E Passyunk between Tasker and Morris or A Mano near the art museum. WM Mulherein's in Fishtown. Parc. R2L for drinks with a view, Any Stephen Star restaurant that I'm probably sick of but people from out of town would really like.
Pretty much anything in the Reading Terminal Market. It can be overwhelming so If you go there try to have a little bit of a plan of what you want. My favorites are Beck's Cajun, Beiler's Donuts and Meltkraft.
Thanks for advice. I am staying next to Reading Terminal. So I will try a couple spots you listed.
Post by Greg's Rad Screen Name on Dec 13, 2017 16:46:01 GMT -5
I was thinking about surprising my boyfriend with a weekend trip to NOLA in February or March for his birthday. I know it's a little late in the game to do Mardi Gras planning, but I was looking at hotels and flights and it actually looks like the weekend of February 2-4 is doable. There's even some reasonable hotels in the French Quarter which I wasn't expecting.
Going off of the parade schedule for Mardi Gras (http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html) it looks like there are actually quite a few parades that weekend. I know it's not actually Fat Tuesday, but are these weekends leading up to the big finale worth the trip? Will it still be exciting and lively? I know New Orleans is always a good time, but I didn't know just how rowdy it got during the parades that weren't on the actual big Mardi Gras weekend.
Any other tips for the city are appreciated. I've only been once, but I wasn't even 21 at the time so I don't think that should even count. Vieuxesteban - tagging you both cause you're the first local peeps that came to mind.
I was thinking about surprising my boyfriend with a weekend trip to NOLA in February or March for his birthday. I know it's a little late in the game to do Mardi Gras planning, but I was looking at hotels and flights and it actually looks like the weekend of February 2-4 is doable. There's even some reasonable hotels in the French Quarter which I wasn't expecting.
Going off of the parade schedule for Mardi Gras (http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html) it looks like there are actually quite a few parades that weekend. I know it's not actually Fat Tuesday, but are these weekends leading up to the big finale worth the trip? Will it still be exciting and lively? I know New Orleans is always a good time, but I didn't know just how rowdy it got during the parades that weren't on the actual big Mardi Gras weekend.
Any other tips for the city are appreciated. I've only been once, but I wasn't even 21 at the time so I don't think that should even count. Vieuxesteban - tagging you both cause you're the first local peeps that came to mind.
There will still be lots of tourist and excitement happening all throughout the city. Let me know what hotels you are looking at, since I work with the concierges I might be able to get you some VIP treatment.
I also know for a fact that I have cafe du monde passes for free beignets and cafe au laits that you can have. I have Audubon passes as well, and those are good for the zoo, aquarium OR insectarium.
Most the parades are going to be uptown/CBD but that is not far from the actual Quarter if that is where you are staying. I can get you a list of things to do if you would like, and they are good for any weekend. Definitely let me know and I can get you more information and maybe pull strings to get you more swag.
EDIT: If you were here on February 8, I am actually skating in Muses and could save a custom wheel throw for you. Food for thought.
Yeah. Tell me what you like to eat, what neighborhood you are staying in and whether there is a specific price budget you have in mind for eating and drinking. Like fuck Bourbon Street because that's 10 linear blocks in an entire city and a street most of us don't bother visiting. There is way better. As for music, you're probably going to have to wait until mid-January for the listings. But those will be out there.
I am going to China next October. Flying into Beijing and will make my way to Chengdu to hold some pandas and feed and clean up after them. It's looking like a two week trip. Give me any and all advice you might have. Must see places, little know sites and all that good stuff. Thank goodness I will be traveling with my Chinese co-worker and his parents, so even though I am going to attempt to learn some Mandarin, those of you have have heard me speak will understand how badly I will fail at doing that.
If you go to the Great Wall, go to Mutianyu over Badaling. We'd heard that even Mutianyu can get touristy, but there was almost no one there. We had two hours to explore, and I think we passed three other couples the entire time. It helped that we went mid-week. Most tours require you to 'exit through the gift shop' with a tour of a jade factory. The few that don't are much more expensive, so you're paying for it either way. It's annoying, but what can you do.
The Temple of Heaven is stunning. The Temple itself is very cool, but what really makes it is the sprawling complex it's in.
Tiananmen Square is massive, and there's a flag lowering ceremony at dusk that's worth checking out.
Go check out an acrobatics show! The acrobats were insane - easily as cool as anything I've seen at Cirque du Soleil - and the tickets were only about $20 or so.
Remember to bring your passport with you most/all the time. We had a false start one day when we didn't realise we'd need them to get into the Forbidden City.
We went to Da Dong for peking duck; it was so good, and pretty reasonably priced, too. My only regret is that we only got to go there once.
Probably safest and easiest to exchange your money beforehand. Counterfeiting is a big problem there, and Monie and I each got burned with some fake bills from a bank. And if any kind strangers invite you to come for tea... just say no. Trust me.
I'm going to agree almost entirely, but bounce a few contrasting thoughts off. I found the Simatai entrance to be the least of a hassle while also being the most breathtaking. Given the location, this is usually too far off the tourist route to be terrible held down. Scheduling a cabbie for the day means the cabbie waits for you at the wall. Thats useful, especially if you go with the further wall access. These guys are good to their word, but will probably spend the day drinking waiting for you so don't be surprised and don't be afraid to bail if he's wonky.
Avoid the tea. It's a trap, you can get out of it and not pay anything but then you'll always wonder what sort of tea they really served you.
Use public transportation, whenever you can. Seriously, taxis should be the last option. Motorcycle taxis became my favorite way to travel, cheap and an easy way to communicate with the locals (if you know the language, people are very forgiving and always excited to share new terms or idioms) Backpack around the front, at all times, in the metro or the bus.
stay in the tourist areas of Beijing. This isn't meant to be a warning, so much as it is meant to be comfortable reminder that this city does tourism relatively well and relatively cheap. You'll find plenty of scam artists here, but if you've traveled Europe or Mexico or even the bigger cities you generally know what to look for. Street vendors are my favorite options for food, and walking street comes alive in the evening. Don't bother eating the fried silkworm, it tastes like sawdust.
Beggars: Beggars will do everything, then ask for money. They will squirt shit on your shoes, chase you down to do so, then clean and ask for 100 US dollars. They will surround you. They are less likely to steal, but if you put yourself in a position to be sneakily robbed you may find thats the result.
Exchange money in the US, not in the CN airports. Do it before you leave. I never received a counterfeit dollar, and if I did the person I gave it to was no more aware than I was. With that in mind, they put their finger in to help you convert to RMB and it's more of a hassle than its worth when its 4 in the morning you're jet lagged shitting curry and delirious from the ratio of babies to diapers you managed to count on the flight over.
I wish you were going to Shanghai, I'd have a lot more to say in terms of specifics. If you make your way down there, go to Yangpu to a bar called Helens - I can almost guarantee you you'll find a picture of my lovely mug on the wall behind the bar
Cap'n Mac , Monie & Tainted Opossum - thanks for all of the great advice. I am super excited about this trip. Definitely the one thing keeping me going right now. Eyes on the prize, you know.
And cdevaney , I am reading that book right now! So interesting. If I wasn't going with someone from China I think I would be too intimidated to even attempt something of this magnitude.
Has any of you fine Inforoosters lived in Santa Barbara and have any tips on where to look apartments?
I am currently in temporary housing and hoping to find a place to live by February, so any info is much appreciated.
I haven't but I have seen every episode of Psych several times as well as a good many episodes of Santa Barbara, though truth be told that was back in high school and college. Mainly high school. Robin Wright was on it then. Anyways, I would suggest looking by the beach. It looks nice.
Has any of you fine Inforoosters lived in Santa Barbara and have any tips on where to look apartments?
I am currently in temporary housing and hoping to find a place to live by February, so any info is much appreciated.
I haven't but I have seen every episode of Psych several times as well as a good many episodes of Santa Barbara, though truth be told that was back in high school and college. Mainly high school. Robin Wright was on it then. Anyways, I would suggest looking by the beach. It looks nice.
I haven't but I have seen every episode of Psych several times as well as a good many episodes of Santa Barbara, though truth be told that was back in high school and college. Mainly high school. Robin Wright was on it then. Anyways, I would suggest looking by the beach. It looks nice.
Only if you can help me with the rent.
I can pretend to be a psychic detective and we can solve crimes together. I have done some research in that area.
Has any of you fine Inforoosters lived in Santa Barbara and have any tips on where to look apartments?
I am currently in temporary housing and hoping to find a place to live by February, so any info is much appreciated.
I can ask my brother. He goes to UCSB. Are you there for school, work? Trying to stay close to any particular area?
I'd appreciate it! I'm at UCSB to work as a researcher, and trying to stay near to the campus. But I'm planning to get a bike, so anywhere bikable also works.
I can ask my brother. He goes to UCSB. Are you there for school, work? Trying to stay close to any particular area?
I'd appreciate it! I'm at UCSB to work as a researcher, and trying to stay near to the campus. But I'm planning to get a bike, so anywhere bikable also works.
This is what he said. (I’m copy & pasting his texts bc it’s easier. So forgive the format here”)
Like to live alone in? For that just google it I guess? Usually people split because it’s super expensive. Tell the person to just go on Facebook and look up “UCSB housing”. There’s a couple but there’s one with like 8,000 people. Or even “UCSB Free and For Sale”.
Edit: He lives right next to the school on Del Playa drive in Isla Vista and said it takes him about 10 mins to bike to class. You could go through that area and see if there are any “for lease” banners up on any of the houses. I’m pretty sure that’s how he got his place. But he also shares with like 5 other dudes, so I know the area is not cheap.
I'd appreciate it! I'm at UCSB to work as a researcher, and trying to stay near to the campus. But I'm planning to get a bike, so anywhere bikable also works.
This is what he said. (I’m copy & pasting his texts bc it’s easier. So forgive the format here”)
Like to live alone in? For that just google it I guess? Usually people split because it’s super expensive. Tell the person to just go on Facebook and look up “UCSB housing”. There’s a couple but there’s one with like 8,000 people. Or even “UCSB Free and For Sale”.
Edit: He lives right next to the school on Del Playa drive in Isla Vista and said it takes him about 10 mins to bike to class. You could go through that area and see if there are any “for lease” banners up on any of the houses. I’m pretty sure that’s how he got his place. But he also shares with like 5 other dudes, so I know the area is not cheap.
Thank you very much, you're the best! I will be looking up on FB.
This is what he said. (I’m copy & pasting his texts bc it’s easier. So forgive the format here”)
Like to live alone in? For that just google it I guess? Usually people split because it’s super expensive. Tell the person to just go on Facebook and look up “UCSB housing”. There’s a couple but there’s one with like 8,000 people. Or even “UCSB Free and For Sale”.
Edit: He lives right next to the school on Del Playa drive in Isla Vista and said it takes him about 10 mins to bike to class. You could go through that area and see if there are any “for lease” banners up on any of the houses. I’m pretty sure that’s how he got his place. But he also shares with like 5 other dudes, so I know the area is not cheap.
Thank you very much, you're the best! I will be looking up on FB.
No problem! Good luck! If you have any other questions about UCSB or SB in general let me know. My brother has been out there for nearly 4 years and has a lot of friends out there now, so I could get info for you! I would say look him up, but he's 22 and a total bro. lol. (I'm jk, he's cool and I've met a lot of his friends and they're mostly pretty cool too, but they really are total fucking bros).
Thank you very much, you're the best! I will be looking up on FB.
No problem! Good luck! If you have any other questions about UCSB or SB in general let me know. My brother has been out there for nearly 4 years and has a lot of friends out there now, so I could get info for you! I would say look him up, but he's 22 and a total bro. lol. (I'm jk, he's cool and I've met a lot of his friends and they're mostly pretty cool too, but they really are total fucking bros).
Ah, being 22... it's all in the past now for me
Thanks again, I'll make sure to yell "Who's Monie's brother here?" in the campus once in a while.
After spending a weekend in Vegas with him and his friends, I'm not so sure. Luckily I've spent time with luva's son, and I've been to Lolla, so I've had time to observe Bro-havior up close and was able blend in with the herd.
and nightlife. 
