The kids woke up early, as they ALWAYS do, so I took them downstairs to the Starbucks to pick up some coffee and pastries so Sonny could get a few more minutes to sleep in. We've done ALOT of eating locally and staying away from the western franchises as much as possible, so this was a big treat for everyone! For the most part, making your way through a starbucks in Beijing is no different than the states. The baristas speak excellent english, and I think part of the business model in China is to make Starbucks accessible to the both the expat and local community without changing a thing. I feel sort of at home in a Starbucks, same soothing coffeehouse music, decor, smell of roasting coffee, sound of the espresso machine whipping up the milk....LOVE IT!
Later on we had lunch with a friend who is leaving China and she took us exploring yet another neighborhood market we hadn't been to. It's a grouping of large warehouses that are sort of organized by what the vendor sells, from produce, to beauty products, clothing, office supplies, you name it! I have to remember this place, as it's the closest thing to a "one stop shop" I've seen out here. If there's one thing I miss the most after living in Beijing, it's being able to hop in my SUV and drive to Target to pick up EVERYTHING I need. Nowadays it's carrying the groceries home several blocks, buying only what you can comfortably carry. And you can forget buying everything you need in one store.
After spending the morning walking around the market, I took the kids to the pool and had them down for their naps while Sonny got a pedicure....a much needed pedicure, especially after all that time in Tibet!
For dinner, we tried a trendy place right outside our apartment building called 1949. It's a courtyard style grouping of 4 restaurants that share a common bar area in the center. It's nothing like the hole in the wall family style reastaurants we've been trying for weeks. This place definitely caters to the western folks, and I'll probably bring visitors here for a taste of the higher end. We've walked by before and the atmosphere has always been very peaceful and it seemed like a perfect time to try it.
The restuarant we chose was called the Noodle Bar. We had the kids with us, and they aren't too picky when it comes to eating noodles. We watched as the men behind the bar hand pulled our noodles to order, and served them with beef tenderloin and radishes. Sonny sprung for the spare ribs and abalone, and we ordered some sauteed kale as a side dish. It was very relaxing and delish, not to mention conventient. When I say it's right next to our building, I mean it....you cross the street after walking out our door and you are there. We'll definitely have to try the other 3 restaurants in 1949.
We really had a great day, and to top it off, we were able to talk to both sets of parents to wish our dads happy father's day. Our kids really couldn't have better grandparents, and we miss them all so much! Enjoy the pics below of our tim eat 1949.
On our way out the door
Isabelle posing at the front gate of 1949
Isabelle gets a little tired of smiling for me
There's my girl!
One of the other restaurants in the courtyard, Duck de Chine...best known for their Peking Duck
Sonny using his mad Chinese skills to order for us
The boys were fascinated by the noodle-pulling
Chefs at work
Pulling the noodle dough
Jacob was pretty excited
more noodle-pulling
Isabelle doing what she does best at restaurants...drawing a picture
my smiling boy
kids playing in the courtyard
Daddy and babies
1949 also has an art gallery. This is one of many pieces in the outdoor gardens.
On our way home from a fantastic dinner. Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! You are loved!
