A Blanket of White

Recently Beijing’s pollution has been extreme and filled the city with thick hazy air. So it was magical to awake the first morning in my new apartment to softly falling snow and a pristine blanket of white- covering the past week’s film of dust. After enjoying a cozy morning on my bright salmon couch with a book and cup of tea, I bundled up and ventured outside- half afraid of the cold flakes falling on my face but also mesmerized by the beautiful calm they lay upon the city. 

Also enjoying the snow was a little girl building a squat twiggy snowman outside my building entrance. She grinned as I took a photo of her clever creation. 

Turning onto my neighborhood’s little ally ways I was intrigued by Chinese characters traced onto the windshields of resting vehicles and little metal rickshaws. Happily I recognized the same snow instincts my friends and I had at home, but this time temporary snow graffiti was in Mandarin! 

I was headed for the perfect wintery date. My friend Wayne and I were going to a new microbrewery nearby called Slow Boat Taproom for a special craft beer and cheese pairing event. 

On the way to the brewery’s hidden hutong location we passed a row of tailors specializing in florescent puffy winter coats in a variety of boastful styles and shades. Seeing small shops like this with lengths of material covering one wall and little sewing machines cramped against the other really reminds me that so many products really are ‘made in China.’ It is a novelty to see these coats materialize and be customized before your eyes, something that rarely happens anymore in the US. 

Passing the tailors we continued down a quiet hutong with gnarled branches swathed in white- creating a picturesque winter corridor. 

Presently we arrived at our destination. The façade of the taproom had a cool concrete brick design that let light filter through to its minimalist interior. The place is so new that Wayne noticed it still smelled like Home Depot. The front of the small room boasted a wall of at least 15 taps, a brightly decorated chalkboard and two American bartenders. For a moment I had to remind myself I wasn’t in Brooklyn. 

We took our flight of dark beers and wood slab of precious paired cheeses back to a modern picnic table. After running into my co-worker from Tang Gallery and chatting a while, Wayne and I had a wonderful afternoon of good conversation, food, and of course-drink. The snow framed such a pleasant day.

I Guess Little Dogs Get Cold Too!

I’ve already written once about the Beijing’s obsession with small dogs. But I must revisit the subject…because the city’s small dogs are now wearing SWEATERS! Hilariously, public pet dress up seems to be a worldwide phenomenon. Even so, every time I pass one of these little pooches in sneakers, with pom poms, a hood with ear holes or a pants and jacket set complete with long sleeves- I just have to laugh and ask the old lady owner to snap a picture. Please, enjoy.

Welcome Back! to Ever Amusing Beijing. But first~ a Dispatch from Meiguo

Sorry to leave you hanging…I took off to the US for 5 weeks and didn’t tell anyone in the cyber world. But now I’m back! And the fun continues. These next four months will try to wrap their head around my ever changing Chinese situation, as well feature quite a few throw backs from the months previous…there were so many exciting things that happened in the fall I still want to share! Get ready for art musings and sparkling nightlife.

But what was my life like waltzing around the familiar and comfortable United States….? Simply Fabulous. I believe my best vacation to date- all 5 weeks were spent hopping around the country to see the ones I love~ and they sure showed me a good time!

The saga began as I made the near 24-hour trip home to my tiny island home, way out in the Caribbean Sea, in early December. I hadn’t been home to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands for a whole year and had missed Christmas two years in a row! Every time I leave I somehow forget how extraordinary simple island life is and how much it resonates to be home in the place I love (with the weather I love!)- especially with all the people I love and have grown up with my whole life. That includes my dog.

Tropical life always agrees with me, so I spent a blissful two weeks laying in the sun, lounging around the house with my parents and running into almost every single person that ever attended my K-12 school at overcrowded bar nights- an experience that is simultaneously exhilarating and overwhelming. 

The highlight was when one of my best friends from Vassar College, Mitchell, decided he missed me and the island sun. So he skipped on down from cold New York City for a weekend of relaxing fun- in Mitchell’s book this means three days of complete party animal antics. How I love him. 

Of course we did all my favorite things, and managed to fit in at least 3 different happy hour stops most every day. From hiking in St. John to exploring the majestic beaches of St. Thomas’s West end, drinking Duffy’s Love Shack’s signature ‘shark tank’ drink (served in a large fish bowl & Mitchell’s favorite) with a seemingly misplaced 80 year old pink feathered tiara wearing woman at the bar, to giving Mitchell a taste of real ‘Frenchie’ hang outs, bonding time with all my friends, sailing at the Ritz, boozy brunch and many rum stops- Mitchell got the whole tour & left with a hang over. It was great.

After my brother Nick received 4 times as many gifts as anyone else at Christmas, while simultaneously managing to give very few in return, our family packed up and headed to Chicago, IL for 10 days of major reconnecting with relatives on both sides of the family. We stayed with my Dad’s sister Alison and her family in the suburbs and had a relaxing time full of bonding for us younger cousins. We also spent a fair amount of time trying on all of Alison’s amazing fur winter pieces. When we weren’t casually shopping we were visiting distant relatives my parents had never met or hadn’t see for 30 years! They all lived out on little farms in the wayyy country. Talk about a family reunion. It was pretty cool to meet a whole other branch of my family (we have always been really isolated in the Virgin Islands) even if we almost had hearts attack from all the processed cheese in the appetizers while we laughed at old black and white photos.

Right before New Years Eve we high tailed it down to Chicago city proper for my Mom’s niece Lauren’s deluxe New Years Eve wedding. I was deeply honored to be a bridesmaid in this spectacular and special celebration. As part of the wedding party I was spoiled and fawned over for 2 days straight. There was high tea at the Drake Hotel, special gifts of jewelry and a handmade fur stole, a lively Italian rehearsal dinner, pampered sleepover at the Waldorf Astoria, professional hair and make up, and of course more gifts. The ceremony was very personal and moving and the reception dazzled with exquisite details and amazingly fun handmade pieces by Lauren and her family of fellow artists. As Lauren and her now husband Griffin are a young couple, almost everyone involved and attending the wedding were around my age as well- perfect recipe for a killer party. The dancing started before dinner even finished and lasted well into the night, with New Years crowns, noise makers and champagne flutes whirling in the air as kisses abounded at midnight. This was the first wedding I’ve been to since I was a tiny child, and maybe the best I’ll ever attend.

After the wedding I spent a few more days in Chicago staying with one of my best girl friends, Billie, whom I know from my college semester abroad in India. We got out of hand celebrating her Jan 2^nd birthday, ending the shenanigans belting out dated karaoke songs to an empty Caribbean themed bar. It doesn’t get any better than that! 

I spent the rest of the week exploring charming Chicago streets, landmarks and art with new friends and even got to see Vassar’s improv troupe perform at a comedy festival.

I then jetted down to Washington, DC to rollick with one of my dearest friends from home, Megan. One of the best hosts I have ever stayed with- Megan had the fun times coming at full speed. She surprised me with a fun painting class paired with wine, a friend filled dinner party, and bar hopping in Virginia. 

We saw lots of my Vassar friends over the next few days, for a long boozy brunch, tour of the mall’s modern sculptures, a gleeful merry go round ride and haltingly fun ice skating (Megan and I, the two VI girls, were scary on ice). I ran into other Vassar friends on the street, had a nice visit with friends I worked with a few summers ago, spent an entire glorious day with my other India best friend, Beth, and threw a happy hour to gather all my Vassar friends in one place. Life is good when you are in a city you appreciate with all the people you care about swirling around you.

Bused up to New York City for my last days of visiting bliss. Stayed with my two best guy friends, Mitchell and Greg, like usual and of course they treated me like a queen. I reunited with more of my favorite friends from India, had a really meaningful time reconnecting with one of my best childhood friends, Hannah, at a fun little concert, laying in bed all day and wandering the West Village. Mitchell of course was ready to rage every night, despite the fact that he works full time, so I always had a party animal at my Zanimal side. I spent a day full of smiles at Vassar visiting friends now working at the college and professors and mentors I cherish. I even had an adoring brunch with Julie and Gus, the owners of our beloved college Greek eatery. 

Back in the city, my best friend and partner in crime, Valerie, planned a special art & culinary day for us out in her Astoria, Queens neighborhood and Greg and Mitchell threw me a big party so all our friends could gather for a love fest. Scrumptious brunches, all night gay clubbing complete with 7 foot tall drag queens, one named Chandelier, and just good quality time spent on the couch and over food with all the people I care about. Really I couldn’t be happier.

Now I am back in Beijing! I have a new apartment in a stellar area, and soon to have a new job. Starting next weekend I am taking some exotic trips and Julia is visiting from Xian (she moved there to do her Fulbright research) to keep me company while I wait for my beloved new Australian roommate, Kate, to return from her own adventures in America. Just a teaser for the next post ! Lots more details, photos and excitement to come.