The West Side

4.28.2009

“You live ALL the way out in Wudaokou?”

“Damn, your apartment is really far away.”

“Are you in town tonight?” [In town? WDK doesn’t count as being ‘in town’?]

Such is heard from the East Siders of Beijing all the time. I wouldn’t say there is a rivalry between the West side, where I live, and the East side of Beijing; the two sides are too different to really compare. [I do sense a slight air of snobby pride coming from the East Siders though]. There are definitely more neighborhoods and pockets that dot the East side where foreigners reside & play. If you live on the West side of the city, however, there is a 98% chance you live in Wudaokou. [Collin and I belonged to that rare 2% last year, by residing in a purely Chinese, incredibly random ‘hood].

The East side caters more to the young professional crowd, while WDK is clearly known for hosting the student population, as nearly every major university is in the area. As mentioned, there isn’t much argument as to which side is “better”—if you are a young business person, the CBD (Central Business District) would better suit you, if you are a student, WDK is obviously the place to be.

Wherever foreigners gather & live, East or West, surrounding businesses naturally cater to them. In the well known expat 'hoods, businesses like bars, cafes, a variety of Western and international restaurants, boutiques, and shopping malls flourish. With all of this also comes inflated prices, but with the East side catering more to young professionals AND tourists, prices there range from expensive to outrageous. Assuredly there are overpriced places in the Wu as well [I am sipping on a 28 RMB ($4) blended coffee right now] but even the pricier places know to give the student crowd what they want: discounts & happy hours. After living here for about a month, one memorizes which establishments offer discounted food and drinks on various days and at various times. For example, Monday evenings you can get 2 tacos for 5 RMB (75 cents) at our favorite watering hole that pretends to be a Mexican restaurant. [The tacos are small and not good at all, but who cares if you can eat dinner for $1.50?] Every Tuesday you will find my friend David and I stuffing our faces with delicious 2 for 1 sub sandwiches at a local sports bar. If you don’t mind drinking with masses of students and listening to awful hip-hop music (and you are a female), on Wednesday nights you can imbibe unlimited amounts of alcohol for 50 RMB ($7) at the local club. Thursdays from 2-4pm—if you are fortunate enough not to be trapped at work—you can get outstanding burgers for only 15 RMB ($2) at a local pub/cafe. And every day from 2-4 am, if you are lucky (or maybe unlucky enough) to be awake still, the burgers are also 15 RMB. [They knowingly call this the Drunk Munchy Special—don’t even bother on Friday & Saturdays]. There are happy hours nearly every night at nearly every place with specials like 5 RMB pints of Tsingtao & 10 RMB mixed drinks.

Offers like these generally do not exist on the East side. I suppose this is an argument for the West. One thing we West Siders definitely lack is quality restaurants, though, especially international foods. If you want good food from other countries, you have to venture to the East, and you have to pay for it. I just read a review about a new place in the heart of Sanlitun (the most popular East side expat spot) that serves amazing pho. I was watering at the mouth—I strangely haven’t found decent Vietnamese ever in this city. Then I read that one bowl of pho is 58 RMB ($8). That is outrageous. I wouldn’t pay that in the States! But that’s how these places get you—you crave decent pho/tapas/burritos/curry/nan/sushi enough to wear you break down and pay the over inflated prices.

A downside of living in the Wu is that it really does feel like living a world away from the rest of the city—making the journey to the East is timely and sometimes expensive. You get stuck in the comfortable little Wu bubble & start to run into the same people all of the time. This is both good and bad, but it does eventually get old. Sometimes you see some fresh East Side friends' faces, but for some reason East Siders have this constant expectation that you will venture to their side to hang out, but never, ever come out here. And when they do it is a BIG deal for them. With one trip out, they feel as if they have fulfilled their “West Side Quota” for at least 6 months. “Come out to the Wu!” we say. “But I was just there!” they say. “What? That was 4 months ago!”

Despite the Wu being a small bubble of 18-21 year olds floating in the far reach of Beijing, it is still a wonderful place to live. Last night five of us feasted on chwar (barbeque meat on a stick) and a plethora of amazing noodle and veggie dishes and washed it all down with beers while sitting out on a patio enjoying the warm spring night. We were ridiculously full and only paid 20 RMB ($3) each. Afterward, we all walked home together, as we live within 1-3 minutes of each other. I decided to stop off at the massage place in our complex and paid 58 RMB ($8) for a 90 minute massage—30 minutes on my legs & feet followed by an hour full body massage. [Best massage of my life, by the way]. My masseuse noticed that I had a cold and offered to get rid of it using the “cupping” method. For only 30 RMB ($4) more, my stuffy nose & cough was cleared away with the ancient Chinese practice. I made the 2 minute walk home, full, happy, & healthy.

A night like that on the East side would have easily cost me 300-400 RMB. Wo ai Wudaokou.