I have been living Beijing since November 4th, and although I still have a lot of the city to explore and experience, right now I'm pretty sure their subway system is the best thing that has ever happened to me. After growing up in suburbia and living about an 1 hour away from the nearest subway stop in Shenzhen, Beijing's metro system feels like a godsend. Crossing the city can still take around an hour, but a smooth ride on the subway or train beats a crowded bus anytime.

Currently I'm living in a student dorm in Beijing's Haidian District. The Beijing Foreign Student's Activity Center is an independently owned international student residence. It has a great location, only about 10 min from the Wudaokou subway stop by bus (30min by foot). I've been enjoying hot showers in my private bathroom and a quite study environment. The mini mart has also really come in handy for random breakfasts consisting of croissants and doughnuts. Anyone looking for a safe place with basic comforts to start out in Beijing should consider it...it's a good base for people studying Chinese at nearby universities and private schools. I've even bumped into a few expats that are semi permanent residents

The Haidian district encompasses the northwestern part of Beijing. From what I can tell it seems to a hub for academia and high tech companies. Peking University, China's top University, is located out here along with several other prestigious schools. Lots of college students, both Chinese and international, are usually roaming around.

Nearby Zhongguancun street is also apparently a household name. I've heard it referred to as China's "Silicon Valley", which seems appropriate since familiar names such as Microsoft seem to pop up here and there as you take in sites from the metro. I'll be visiting the Wal Mart I spotted at the Zhichunlu subway stop (intersection of Lines 13 and 10) as soon as possible for some badly needed winter gear.

For those of you who don't care about prestigious universities or high tech companies, Haidian offers a great base for some important site seeing. The Summer Palace is about a 20 RMB cab ride away. The Bird's Nest and Water Cube are also easily within walking distance.

Other key locations nearby include a student bar at the Wudaokou subway stop. You have access to three floors, with a Mexican Restaurant called La Bamba up top, a bar called Propaganda on the 2nd floor, and below a dance club that gets pretty packed late night as the bar flys migrate downstairs. I haven't tried La Bamba's Mexican food....I am still skeptical in part from enjoying Mexican Food in Southern California , and in part because Shenzhen's expat Mexican restaurants never seemed to get things quite right. However, drink prices are reasonable and it's good to have a place to mingle with random expats from countries throughout the world.

Homesick Americans should also take some time to visit the Krow's Nest, located near Peking University's West gate. They were originally an independently owned restaurant that gained momentum with their massive pizzas, and have since opened up two new restaurants in other areas of Beijing. (http://www.thekrosnest.com/). There's no better cure for culture shock than a massive dose of extra large cheese pizza...hands down the best I've found in China so far. It's refreshing to see someone besides Domino's and Papa John's stepping into the Chinese pizza market.