Scaling the walls

Inside: The Forbidden City
They're not kidding about Tian'an Men Square. It's wicked big. That portrait of Mao over the entrance? Big. The Forbidden City? Big, big, big. But only from the outside—or so it seemed.

For some reason, walking the length of the Forbidden City (hereafter the FC) didn't take me that long. Spend hours there, say the guidebooks, but they must have a higher tolerance for small historical displays in Chinese than I do. After a few explanations of concubines and armor, I'm set.

I was there for the buildings, the passageways, and the massive walls. Burned through film in the Imperial Garden—beautifully sculpted and ready for its closeup—but otherwise the FC looks like a series of large, mostly empty courtyards paved with broken stone. A near overdose of grey.

Yes, it's palpably old, and the scale is impressive in the same way as St. Peter's: Even when there are several thousand other people within eyesight, it doesn't feel crowded. You'll have welcome moments alone with the age and significance of the place. As a historian's kid, I do appreciate that.

But it only took 15 minutes to stroll from the Imperial Garden (at the far end of the innermost courtyard) back to the main entrance. Respectfully tipping my hat to any ancient weapons and ladies-in-waiting I may have missed along the way.

On Top: The Great Wall
Lest you think I've succumbed to Grumpy Traveler Syndrome (and maybe I have, just a little bit—went a few extra subway stops to find a Starbucks this morning), let me sing the praises of the Great Wall.

Even with the choppy two-hour bus ride, hordes of other tourists, strange Wagnerian soundtrack blasting from strategically placed outdoor speakers, and postcard hawkers up in your face every hundred yards . . . the Great Wall is awesome.

It takes your breath away, then gives it back in the form of clean, delicious mountain air that your tired lungs lap up like nectar after the smog of downtown Beijing. The views are magical. The angles are dizzyingly steep, so you get a killer workout while you gawk at the sheer length and size of this world-famous thing your feet are touching.

If I had to pick just one "Holy crap, I'm in Asia" moment from the last two weeks, walking the Great Wall would be it.

In Between: Hutongs
Trying to follow a well-meaning but misguided walking tour from Frommer's Beijing today, I got pleasantly lost in the hutongs.

These crumbling alleys used to be all over the city, but many have been razed to make room for giant shopping malls and apartment buildings (including the one where I'm staying). The remaining hutong neighborhoods in this section of Beijing have a quiet, workaday feel I never expected to find right next to the congested ring roads.

My other surprise of the day was a series of pretty lakes, with groups of men and their fishing poles lining the banks. Some were in business suits, just escaped from the office; some sunburned and wizened after spending all day tending their lines. It looked like the city had grown up around them.

The lakes are tucked just off the main drag near Jishuitan Bridge and the Second Ring Road, separated from urban madness by a stone's throw and the low, narrow walls of the hutongs.