Beijing National Stadium (aka the Bird's Nest) was built for the 2008 Summer
Olympics and took about 5 years to build. The stadium can hold
over 80,000 spectators
Water flows from the
Sports Center Gymnasium across the stadium and Aquatic Center to the
Beijing Olympic Park. Since it's so cold, the entire thing is
frozen!
A vendor was selling
these kites made of paper, it was amazing to see how easy it was to
fly...
The Bird's Nest is over
250,000 sq meters wide and almost 70 meters tall, more than 70,000 tons
of steel was used to create the stadium
There are actually two
parts to the Bird's Nest: The outer supporting steel frame structure (
the lattice cross sections) and the concrete seating area of the stadium
(the red part)
There's a water
collection system that gets filtered and runs through pipes on the
grounds of the stadium, during the winters, it's heated and for the
summer time it's used to keep things cool.
Although the frame work
seems random, it's actually an important piece for the structural
integrity of the stadium. Lots of cool angles to take photos
of!
Since we visited during
the winter time, the Bird's Nest is turned into a giant snow
park....
The stadium can
accommodate seating for over 80,000 spectators! Lots of things
for kids (and adults) to play around in the snow, very colorful and
cheerful use of the space.
The original design
called for a retractable roof, however changes were made an special
transparent waterproof film material is used to cover the top.
Note the wires on the roof area, it's the pulley system for the
covering.
Didn't see any snowball
fights, just a bunch of folks enjoying the snow.
They even had a area for
sledding, cool! Our tour guide said that they offer here
skiing too.
'The Place' is a 70,000 sq foot mall in Beijing's central business district with this as one of the main attractions: The Sky Screen! Created by one of the guys who conceived the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada in 1992 , t he Sky S...
On one of the days we had some time to wander around the streets of Beijing. I guess pedestrians don't always have the right of way..... 'Ninety-Nine bottles of beer on the wall.......' Hey I like this place! I was tempted to get some ice cream but it was...
In addition to Hot Pot and Peking Duck, you have to eat Dumplings while in Beijing. A whole crew dedicated to making all sorts of dumplings... A black vinegar and garlic sauce for the dumplings.... Some green stuff, yuck! A drink to clear the taste buds w...
These two meals plus the Beijing duck was the highlight of the trip, the other Chinese places we went to were just ok. We did do some late night Japanese restaurants at our hotel, will try to post some pics soon. Here's a vid of the Peking Duck place we a...
When I smelled the stinky tofu and saw that what it was, I got the heck out of that area! Didn't try any of the street food as we just had a huge breakfast at the hotel. -MW
Ming, "Sprinkle-urine beef balls"....well, therein lies a tale, eh? In Summer time, the street food gets funkier. I've declined grilled sparrow hearts, BBQ scorpions and braised unidentifiable body parts (taste like chicken) before. I also 'thot I thaw a ...
And truth no longer matters... Please know that I will probably always remember you as the man who ate urine sprinkled beef balls. Regards, Richard....
In your old age and fading memory you'll be visiting Beijing and come across this place and trying it not knowing what it says in Chinese, then you'll be posting on this forum and telling us all what you just ate! -MW
Beijing National Stadium (aka the Bird's Nest ) was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and took about 5 years to build. The stadium can hold over 80,000 spectators Water flows from the Sports Center Gymnasium across the stadium and Aquatic Center to the B...
and they will come. But in this case, they should ask: what happen after they came? The complex is bleeding money, maintenance is deteriotating? What a pity. That's the price of a "WOW". I hope they will find a solution to the problem without needing to c...
it's deteriorating? Didn't know that, both the Stadium and Cube semmed really clean and well maintained when we where there. The public (for a small admissions fee) can use the waterpark inside the Water Cube and can also swim in the Olympic practice pool...
A few photos from the 440,000 sq meters Tiananmen Square located in the center the city of Beijing.... The Great Hall of the People was built in 1959 and used by the Chinese government officials for political and diplomatic activities. The Monument to the...
As we leave the Beijing National Stadium we head out to our next stop... Across from the Bird's Nest stadium is the Beijing Aquatic Center (aka The Water Cube). The outside of the Cube has a interesting polyhedral design and is colored blueish to reflect ...
The architecture is quite amazing with buildings having non of the regular straight 4 walls and a roof. Lots of angles Really interesting to see Thanks for the tour Julian
I haven't been to Shanghai but would like to visit one day. I'll definitely seek your advice for places to see. What was the highlight of your Shanghai trip? -MW
drinks at the top of the clock tower in the Botanical Gardens. Maybe the Confucian Temple with an amzing collection of old tea pots Our hotel - th eURBN ??? So many great thing .. Did I mention the duck??????...
It was like being there, some of the food was fantastic, how was the beef and lamb at the Hot Pot place? looked very fresh and the colors were vibrant, the Water Cube at night is beautiful, thank you for bringing us along Be Well my Friend, S
Our tour guide took us to a bridge over the busy street to get that picture of the Water Cube, it started to get really windy and cold so couldn't stay to get more pics. It's a great spot but lots of people there taking pics. Beef and lamb was very good, ...