September 30 get together

[dumpling_libre]

Hi,

I would like to propose another forum get together as I missed the first one. I was thinking that we go to Hou Hai as there are tons of bars there, it is right on the water, and if we find a bar with a roof top bar (many have them), there is a great view. And the weather has been pretty good so far so I thought we could enjoy an outdoor place.

I've been to Lush way too many times and I don't drink beer and I don't like the international beer garden anyway, so I thought I'd suggest Hou Hai.

There are several bars there and a Starbucks. We could meet at the Starbucks (near the main entrance on Lotus Lane) and then walk to a bar (there are soo soo many too choose from). Or we can decide on a bar beforehand (the only problem is that it will be difficult to give directions because it's just a huge place with bars and restaurants on top of one another).

On another note, if you ever go to Hou Hai with a small group, you can have dinner on the boats, which would be fun before it got too cold.

I randomly picked this Saturday, the 30th...How about 9:00 or 10:00pm? Any ideas or suggestions?

[againstwind]

Quite interesting!

I have never been to Houhai, though I have been Beijing for two years.

Shame..........

But will it cost a lot to drink in Houhai? I don't like liquor.

[dumpling_libre]

beer is, of course cheaper, in Houhai. Depending on the bar, cocktails can be around 25-55 rmb but I remember walking around and seeing a lot of bars that advertised specials (there are also more upscale bars/restaurants that will be in the 40-55rmb range for a cocktail.) I believe I walked by a place that advertised mojitos and several other drink specials for 20rmb. It all depends on the bar... There are also a lot of bars that I didn't go into that looked like they would be very cheap (not dingy or divey, but more like college type bars advertising budweiser, etc.)

I don't know if you've ever been or heard of 6th street in Austin, but it's about 10 times larger so there will be a bar for our needs.

p.s. you can tell I have a life b/c I'm at home studying for next week classes and responding to posts on a saturday night!

[dumpling_libre]

oh, here is a website on houhai:

http://www.gluckman.com/BeijingHouHaiLake.html

[ocpaul20]

25-55RMB for a drink is hardly the 6RMB I paid at the International Beer Garden last time. As long as we only have one drink each in Houhai it will be the equivalent of 4+ at the IBG so a bit of a shock for the 'poor students' amongst us. However, I am not a 'poor student' so anywhere is fine. Might have to go shopping out of town on Saturday though, so we might not be able to make it.

Would have been a good idea to have a mobile phone number contact last time, as we could not find it ('cos we dont live out there). Everyone we asked sent us in the opposite direction. Yes, I know it has a BIG sign outside, but.....

So I think it would be good if someone did a recce beforehand and suggested somewhere specific. Also I think 7pm was a good time last time rather than 9-10pm which is too late for ppl coming from some distance away.

Maybe MIke could bring some more books to show us which tables are forum tables again. If you dont know anyone already, and recognise them, that was an excellent idea.

[Madot]

I'm in. But where is Hou Hai? Is it very far from the BLCU or where we met last time? I'm afraid I don't really know my way around yet and have discovered that 'downtown' is like an hour and a half away necessitating 3 separate subway trains and lots of walking to get there. Anyway, if someone could post directions from, say, the Beer Garden (since we all know where that was), that would be great.

See ya' there!

Mado

[roddy]

Quite easy to find on a map, look for the lakes inside the second ring road. If you are in any doubt, it's the area north of Beihai Park. Can be tricky to navigate though, so I'd suggest you're clear on a time and easy-to-find location before heading out. Expect to be hassled by bar touts, rickshaw drivers and the odd whisper of 'hello sir, ladybar' if you stand still for too long.

Not very accessible by subway though (unless you want to walk south from Jishuitan - nice walk) and you're probably looking at what - 30Y in a cab from Wudaokou - plus more expensive drinks generally. Some nice bars around, but also a lot of tacky ones. Choose wisely

If anyone was interested, you could head down earlier, do some tourist stuff - Prince Gong and Song Qingling both have former residences in the area, there's the Drum and Bell tours, plenty of nice walking - then get dinner and go for drinks.

[dumpling_libre]

25-55rmb was an estimate. HouHai has over 100 bars, so I'm sure one could find a cheaper place to drink, but it is a really nice place just to walk around in and look out onto the water with the boats and lights. Yes, it's more expensive than the beer garden, but it is built around the imperial lakes and you can watch the boats/lights float by while you enjoy the great view as opposed to the beer garden with green speaker carpeting and plastic yard chairs and ONLY beer (I don't dirnk beer).

Here is a link with a lot of pictures: http://www.thebeijingguide.com/nightlife/houhai.html

(the pictures change so just wait while they switch. the view is really pretty). It also has a list of some bars.

if you haven't been to houhai, you really should go at least once before leaving Beijing. If you read the article in the link I previously provided (http://www.gluckman.com/BeijingHouHaiLake.html) , it has been one of Beijing's trendiest spots for a while and has great restaurants (if anyone wants to go back to explore). This link also has a list of bars and restaurants (some with average prices).

Hou Hai is located near Tianmen Square and the Forbidden City and used to be imperial grounds. So I'm not sure where you're located, but you can guesstimate how much cab fare would be to those places.

If not HouHai, sunlitun is known for its night life also, but HouHai really is a place people should see in my opinion.

[dumpling_libre]

oh, and I forgot to mention that No Name Bar is located in Houhai, if anyone has heard about it. It has been around for three years and is super famous among the beijing elite. Nuage (near the dongan entrance) was opened by the same person. It's vietnamese (I was just there), pretty good food. It has a rooftop dining area that is very nice but the inside decour is great too. Also, touch has a rooftop patio but it's a little more expensive than people probably want to spend (drinks are around 55rmb).

yes, there are a lot of tacky bars, but there are also some very trendy ones that make you feel like you are in nyc and some that put some LA clubs to shame...others will remind you of your freshman college bar.

[ocpaul20]

My problem is that Saturday is right in the middle of the weekend and stops all other family-related activities, so I would prefer a Friday evening, starting earlier (like 7pm) if possible.

If you all want to move nearer to town, Sanlitur was mentioned too and there is lots of nightlife there or somewhere near Donzhimen perhaps so that the subway in nice and close & cheap.

Basically, I feel there are some ppl who live near BCLU and some ppl who live nearer town and it will cost a lot by taxi for either group to get to the other. One thing I will say is that drinks are cheaper out near BCLU and it would make up for the cost to travel out there. We dont have to meet in the International Beer Garden, we can always find somewhere else (warmer).

I am happy to come out to BCLU again and this time I will catch the subway not the bus!

[dumpling_libre]

I don't know about other students, but I have class until 6:30 or 7:00 on Fridays, thus I suggested a Saturday.

I don't feel that dongzhimen has a big night life compared to houhai, but it does have a lot of restaurants.

Sun Li Tun (the correct pingyin is with an "N" not a "R" so when you look for it on the map, do not look for "tur" but look for "tun") does have a large night life, but I doubt it will be that much cheaper than Houhai and it's about a 40rmb cab ride away from Qinghua and Peking University. To Houhai, it's about 35-40rmb from Qinghua/BeiDa so I don't believe it is that much closer anyway. (I know it looks closer on the map, but with congestion, it will be about 40rmb).

We could make two groups, one that is interested in going to houhai or sunlitun and one that is interested in going to some place in wudaokou. I'm personally sick of the beer garden, lush, propoganda, etc. And yes, you can't ride the subway to houhai, but if you are interested in experiencing beijing's night life, and not a bunch of foreign owned bars catering to foreign students, houhai is the place to go.

[skylee]

Sun Li Tun (the correct pingyin is with an "N" not a "R" so when you look for it on the map, do not look for "tur" but look for "tun") does have a large night life

I do not live in Beijing but shouldn't that be Sanlitun instead?

[dumpling_libre]

oh, yes, you are right. it is SAnlitun...

[yonitabonita]

My vote is for :

- an early starting time 7:00ish

- some place near a subway station

- some place cheap

I missed the last one, would like to come to this one, but reckon if it's some place expensive ( ie where soft drinks are hovering around the 20 yuan mark) I'll probably flake out.

Just to add to the complication, would anyone be interested in making it a dinner thing? Just try one of the restaurants recommended in the thread about best places to eat.

Yonita

[ocpaul20]

I think someone is going to have to make a decision for the group and either it will be fine or it will die a death. We can only try and see what happens. It does not really matter if it is not a sucess because we can always do it again and change the venue/time/day etc.

dumpling_libre - you seem to be pushing for Houhai so maybe you decide on a place, time and we'll go with that. I do think that a definite place for the whole evening is better than somewhere to meet and then go onto somewhere else. The ppl who arrive late will miss the original meeting place and will not know where the group has gone to.

[Madot]

Yonitabonita, I'm with you. Don't feel like spending 40 kuai just to get there and then be up for really expensive drinks too. I also agree with you about dinner.

SO, to make it a yes or no thing-- who would like to meet in front of the International Beer Garden at 7.00 p.m. on Saturday night and go to a nearby restaurant (Chinese, not Western) for dinner?

I've only been here a short while, though, so perhaps some kind soul who knows the area can suggest a decent restaurant and/or good place for drinks for after. Hao ba?

Mado

[LittleShiro]

just found this forum and wondering if i can join u? but first of all i want to know where we gonna go since im new in beijing and cant speak chinese

[Qcash3]

SO, to make it a yes or no thing-- who would like to meet in front of the International Beer Garden at 7.00 p.m. on Saturday night and go to a nearby restaurant (Chinese, not Western) for dinner?

I'm game for that. Although sometime I would like to get down to HouHai, it's so far to go and then have to overpay for drinks.

[billiardsmike]

I'm game for meeting at the garden and moving on. Not sure about the best choice for a restaurant. We could always dine like real Chinese and go to Pizza Hut!

[Madot]

Had such a frustrating day that I'd almost agree to Pizza Hut, ALMOST! No, I'd still really prefer something Chinese, but how about we meet at the Beer Garden at 7.00 sharp and then go on to a restaurant. It would be good if someone could suggest the restaurant NOW so if anyone arrives a few minutes late, they will be able to join us.

Just found out that in this workers' paradise we have CLASS on this Saturday AND next Sunday because the "Golden" WEEK is really only 3 days so everyone has to make up for the Thursday and Friday no one works during the week following 1 October. By Saturday night I will be truly ready for a relaxing drink...or 2!

And hey, Mike, (and others) I have a big fat juicy book in Enlgish to contribute this time. If others would like to bring some...

Join us!!! Next time we could go to the far place.

Mado