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Archive for August, 2010 
I have come across the subject of how to maximize the use of small spaces several times this month! I am completely MESMERIZED by multi purpose furniture! Resource furniture overall makes the most efficient furniture for small spaces! I also found a pretty nifty book by Apartment Therapy called Big Book of Small, Cool Space and you must check out this clip of what one architect managed to accomplish in just 344 square feet!!!! On top of that, this was featured on my most favorite channel PLANET GREEN! Enjoy! Resource Furniture 
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Anyone who knows me could tell you that I’m not particularly fond of live birds but for some reason I’m completely drawn to bird prints, whimsy bird cages, bird jewelry, etc. Last night I was searching for a new table lamp & I came across the COOLEST bird cage light collection on The Conran Shop. I love how these are whimsy meets kitschy! Enjoy!
Hullo Adventurers. I shall be joined soon by our favourite foreign correspondant here in the ‘jing. I’ve been compiling a list of sights, restaurants and galleries I want to go with him; my goal is to have him ninja level seven when it comes to chopstick manipulation. Here is a sneak peek at our plans: EAT * The Private Room. Locally sourced, Cantonese style dishes. Fanfare included. Park Hyatt Beijing, Chaoyang *Bellagio. Trendy after-hours hangout with an extensive Taiwanese menu. I recommend the red bean soup, the mango and lychee shaved ice mountain, and the sugar dusted sweet potato fries. 6 Gongti Xi Lu, Chaoyang *Noodle Bar. Watch chefs pull noodles out of thin air with panache. Cool decor, even cooler liang mian-perfect for hot summer days. 1949: The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu. *Apothecary. Inspired by the bayou, this restaurant/bar makes a mean gumbo. Pair with their twist on the Ol’ Fashioned. Go early if you want a seat – this place gets packed around 8pm. Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Bei Lu. DRINK * Yin Bar. Go here for a breathtaking 360 vista of Beijing’s major sights. Best time to go is at sunset – the glistening roofs of the old city are not to be missed. Extensive wine collection at reasonable prices. The Emporer, 33 Qiheloujie, Dongcheng district. * Capital M. The colonial decor and art-deco tea sets exude a bygone elegance. Watch the rickshaws circle around Qianmen as you sip on Capital M’s signature tea. Pair with the ‘yoyo’ – an Australian soft shortbread biscuit with a passion fruit filling. 2 Qianmen Dajie, Chongwen district * Houhai. I recognise that Houhai is a district, but most bars in here offer the same thing. Best thing on a hot night – rent a boat for 10 quai, bring some beers, and float past water lily castles. End the night with the local absinthe and mango flavoured hookah. Yum. DO *Beihai Park. When I was a child, my grandparents used to take me here on Sundays. There are rollercoaster rides (Old school communist style), street vendors, platoons of old chinese ladies dancing with fans and lots of fish to throw kibble to. Gather a group of friends, bring a picnic basket, and rent a pedalo for a great afternoon out. * 798 district. Gallerinas, hipsters, and old money congregate here for the art. Built in an old Russian ammunitions factory, the district hosts hundreds of small contemporary galleries. Bring a beret and fake goatee. *Mutianyu. This section of the Great Wall is probably my favourite – largely due to the fact that there is a massive helter skelter slide going from the top to the bottom. I think I’ve been at least a dozen times. For those of you that want to know what ninja level seven is: see here. Until next time, Adventurers. GG
“Adventure-worthy background…let’s see…I’m a native Seattleite, 26, have a twin brother, and my sign is Cancer. I spent some time in California (school + work) before moving back to Seattle, for the weather, of course. My career path has been quite varied and a bit unconventional; more recent activities include helping Matthew Dillon and Wylie Bush open The Corson Building (where I was the Program Director) and scouting Europe for Outstanding in the Field’s first International tour. I visited 5 countries – Wales, England, Denmark, Italy and Spain – in 21 days…forced to eat about 8 meals a day. They just announced the dinners on their website, and you can troll their blog for a few adventuresome posts from the trip last January. I happen to believe that food is one of a few universal languages, and therefore particularly great at bringing people together. and that’s why i do what i do.”
What skill do you want to learn? Food and drink you don’t want to live without? The scariest thing you can think of? Your favorite party supply? Your favorite book of the moment? Describe your dream party place. What is the evil version of you like? What gives you confidence? Name four essential elements of a good party. What do you appreciate most about a party host? Favorite adventure supply? Describe the best party you ever attended. Hotel room or campsite? Do you have a style icon? Where is your next adventure destination? If you could teach a class about anything in the world ever, what would you teach? Your motto? What is your spirit animal? *My close friend Blair feels that Wagyu cattle is more accurate
Things are getting more and more exciting (and busy) ’round these parts as event dates near. Among the many awesome projects we have in the works, the grand opening of Lake Union Park on September 25th is looking to be a real whopper. I’ve been hard at work on the poster series for this event and I thought I’d give a couple little sneak peaks of how things are shaping up. Start looking for the posters in all your favorite shops and on all your favorite street poles near the end of August.
Dearest Adventurers, I will be away for a bit doing what I do best: eating, playing, foraging, cooking, and, most of all, swimming (I think I am part fish). For the past thirty years, my parents have taken their boat up to British Columbia for the entirety of the Pacific Northwest Summer (July through September) to putt around the warm waters and vertiginous landscapes of Desolation Sound. I’ve been lucky enough to have accompanied them for the majority of years in my lifetime– every experience topping the last, and always something I look forward to with each boating season. We cook what we catch and spend every minute of daylight exploring the wilderness… It’s pretty much the best vacation EVER. I could go on and on about the beauty of this pristine area and the abundance of wildlife has to offer, but that would, in my opinion, take away from what the true experiences are for each individual who spends time there, you know? So, until you make it up there yourself, here are some pictures to hold you over. And remember, when you are able to go, leave no trace of your travels! It’s always so important to remember this, no matter the place. Keep the world beautiful for everyone and everything. See you when I get back! xx efg
Hullo Adventurers. I have just returned from a few days in the grasslands. The weather in Beijing seems to have diffused into a mild smog – I can at least see the sun now. At university, I took a lot of classes regarding China. Classes on feminist theory in the Qing dynasty, on postcolonial literature in the revolutionary period, on environmental technologies in the Yuan. I dreaded the History of China classes because the professor was a bore. He always insisted on wearing this awful blend of silk and plastic in the form of a waistcoat, and refused to make eye contact with… anyone. My environmental history class, however was another story. My professor was a recent grad from Harvard, who was extremely easy on the eye – I’m glad that I never missed a class. The North and West borders of China have historically been militarised through agricultural incentives – a strong presence on the borders against Russia and the various Turkic states was maintained by offering soldiers their own plots of land. As the climate and geography paled in comparison to the fertile paddies of the South, new technologies were quickly invented to sustain life on the edge. From my sojourn to the West, I see that this seems still to be the case. I was pleasantly surprised to see alternative and sustainable technologies used in the most innovative way, harking to those written in my environmental history text book – from solar panelled street lamps, to acres of wind turbines. That is not to say that there was not pollution – the speedy development of cities such as Hohhot and Baotou has its consequences – but the edges of the Middle Kingdom seem to be where these technologies run rife. We stayed at a sustainable farm, a few hours out of Hohhot. I could see turbines for miles around. My mother, sister and I all bunked in one tent – our hosts, and my father in another. Dinner was outside, with roving chickens and pigs weaving between our feet. We feasted on gargantuan racks of roast lamb, fresh boiled mutton and wild grass and flowers. I drank copious cups of salty milk tea – flavoured with freshly churned butter, fermented milk skin, and toasted millet. I also drank a lot of bai jiu – a transparent liquor distilled from grain – to help the meat go down. I was already familiar with most Chinese customs – waiting for the host, or guest of honour to sit down first, eating last (on account of my age), standing and maintaining eye contact when toasting. I did, however, learn the Mongol toast which is four fold – to bless the sky, the earth, oneself, and then the person you are toasting with. At a table of ten, where each person toasted each other (anticlockwise, of course), I was soon very giddy – and slept very well that night despite the storm outside. At the end of the meal, fireworks exploded in the vast expanses of the night sky in honour of the farm’s new guests. We danced around a giant fire pit in the centre of the courtyard to shrill haunting songs sung by one of the workmen. At the end of the night, popular Chinese folk songs were sung in unison. I woke up early the next morning to raging winds. The weather had turned over night. Mists were rolling over the grasslands as the horses were being corralled back from pasture by men in cowboy hats on motorcycles. The turbines turned menacingly in the background; on my walk around the fields I was constantly accosted by giant emerald crickets and minefields of dung. The next day was focussed on horse riding. Whilst at boarding school, I spent every Saturday at the stables, riding well trained ponies in dressage competitions. I thought that I’d have no problem. However, the horses up North don’t do dressage. The woman whose horse I was riding was sceptical of my abilities. She squinted when I got onto her first horse and promptly told me to get off. A few minutes later, she brought back a bigger horse. Unsurprising – my hosts are by the large a foot shorter and fifty pounds lighter than me. I accepted this new arrangement and named him Wilbur. We rode through the fields up into the forest of wind turbines. Up close, they towered over my head. Note – do not to get too close to the powerful rotating blades – it’s a sure fire way to lost a limb. Riding horses here is nothing like back at the Amersham stables. For a start, I’m pretty sure that Wilbur had the equivalent of horse dreadlocks. In short, Adventurers, Inner Mongolia is a must-go for those that have a taste for good food, fresh air or an interest in sustainable technologies. It is not for the faint of heart. I am quite sure that the lamb my sister called Billy ended up as dinner. Other activities include: rock climbing, pig wrestling, sand dune tobogganing and visiting the many temples they have in the mountains. For those who prefer a city escape – I recommend Baotou. The New York of Inner Mongolia if you will. All signs are in both Mongolian and Chinese. The police women wear short skirts and thigh high leather boots (Seriously). The hotels have fewer beetles and puddles of horse dung. There are showers. For the sceptics: see the photos.
This is Gao Gao, reporting from Beijing. Until next time, Adventurers, from Korea, where I will be joined by our foreign correspondant!
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