Uptown Girl Living in a Downtown World

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. -Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism

Yesterday we spent some time in the hutong neighborhood near the Drum and Bell Towers.  A hutong is a traditional single-story residence that has several rooms off a courtyard all in a maze of tiny alleys.  In this area, which includes the popular street Nanluogo Xiang, the buildings have all been converted into retail.  There is everything from clothes to food, guitars, notebooks, tea, art, bars.  The food stands have hot dogs, Tibetan yogurt, churros with ice cream and chocolate (that was a good one), and stinky tofu.  Navigating these streets is a bit tricky, as cars are actually allowed to drive through and it is very popular and full of people.  It’s all pretty hip and interesting.

The street I live on

View from my bedroom

It is also very different from the neighborhood where we live, which is full of big, tall, modern buildings with crazy architecture and neon and glass.  The stores are mostly brands I recognize and the streets are at least 2 lanes going each way.  To be honest, I’d rather be in the hutong neighborhoods.  They are just more my style- a little more low key and maybe even more original.  But the reality is that without better language skills, it would be really hard to live there.  I guess I’ll just have to visit a lot.