Living in Beijing

I have officially been in Beijing for over a week now, living and working,  just like I would have been in Chicago.  There are actually a lot of similarities in the sense that I am living in a sprawling metropolitan city.  Beijing is a city of 7.5 million people and is the second largest city in China, next to Shanghai. The municipality of Beijing borders the Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.  Like many other major metropolitan cities there is a subway system, bus system and taxi's.  During rush hour, the buses are packed, and the wait for the subway is almost an hour at times. We have been taking cabs across town every morning for work, generally our cab to split is 30 RMB, or approximately $7 US. Currently the city is gearing up for the Olympics, we are at 8 days and counting.  A few days ago we took a venue tour to examine all of the possible parking scenarios and the security check points, so that we can provide our guests with accurate timing. Watch for the Birdsnest and the Cube, they are two of the neatest architectural designs I have seen.  I am sure as a television viewer you will not miss it.  

Beijing is somewhat known for it's smog, and I must say it is as bad as advertised.   In the 8 days that I have been here I have yet to see a blue sky. The picture below was taken midday, this is not fog that lifts off, this is the smog. 

However, the chinese government has learned how to play weather man and induce rain, and after they do this the skies should be clear for the opening ceremonies.   I think they will be doing this two days prior to the kickoff.   

As for sight seeing, we have not had much time for that.  I have managed to take a few shots of places that I intend to see when I get the chance, but most of our sight seeing has come from inside of a cab or bus.