Summer Olympic Square

Day 93
The next day, Jon, Adam and I went to the Summer Palace, then to the Olympic Green and then to Tiananmen Square. One of the cool things since the Beijing Olympics is the incredible transformation that took place. I know that I didn’t really see Beijing pre-Olympics, but I definitely know that it wasn’t the way that it is now. Here are some differences we found between Beijing and Shanghai:

1. Beijing’s subways are cleaner, brighter, more efficient and way more cheaper, but the stations don’t show the time remaining until the next train like it does in Shanghai and you can’t get phone reception like you can in Shanghai


2. There are way more tourist and historical sites in Beijing than Shanghai

3. Beijing taxi drivers sometimes actually stop and allow pedestrians to cross


4. Beijing taxi’s don’t have stars (see previous post)


5. Shanghai beat Beijing in ultimate

The weather was gorgeous again, and the pictures explain everything. It was incredible to see the Olympic Green and remember my freshman year of college reading about the water cube and thinking there was just no way that it would ever be built. But he it is, and it is amazing. We couldn’t go in, but to just be in the presence of these buildings is sometime I’ll never forget. I’m an architect, give me a break. So enjoy the pictures while I go eat a kit kat bar.