leaving for DC tonight

[PhillyB]

overnight trip because the chinese embassy is retarded and makes you go there in person to get a visa affixed to your passport.

anywhere i should go/eat/stay (on a very very limited budget) while i'm there?

[Hawk]

such a pain in the ass...I offer no assistance to your trip as I've never been there, but I feel your pain of having to go there just for a fricken visitor visa

[PhillyB]

the worst part is the chinese government charges $130 for a tourist visa of anywhere between 1 day and 90 days... so if you're staying for a day (which i am, my flight home has an extensive layover in beijing) you pay the same amount as you would to stay for three months.

i don't know when i'll get over to china again though so i'm gonna jump on this opportunity while i have it.

[bLACKpANTHER]

depends on what you like... if you are a burger and fries kinda guy- try http://www.olliestrolleydc.com/

if you are looking for pizza - http://www.cometpingpong.com/

if you are looking to have the best crab cakes known to man - http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com/

[bLACKpANTHER]

or if you want to gorge yourself full of great seafood all night - http://www.phillipsseafood.com/

oh. my. go...... now im hungry- i shouldnt have done this..

[mmmbeans]

bens chili bowl is pretty awesome

[Heelingit]

overnight trip because the chinese embassy is retarded and makes you go there in person to get a visa affixed to your passport.

anywhere i should go/eat/stay (on a very very limited budget) while i'm there?

Go to the BK Lounge ... They have good deals

[Davidson Deac II]

I feel your pain sort of. I had to get a transfer Visa in the Beijing airport last year, and even that took forever. Least efficient airport I have ever been through. And I have been through a lot of them.

[Davidson Deac II]

overnight trip because the chinese embassy is retarded and makes you go there in person to get a visa affixed to your passport.

anywhere i should go/eat/stay (on a very very limited budget) while i'm there?

Most of the Embassies are very close to the Mall where the Washington Monument is. Go there, walk around, see the Washington and Lincoln monuments, the reflecting pool, and the Smithsonian (its free I think), get a hot dog from one of the vendors. If its not to cold.

[PhillyB]

well that was a colossal waste of time and resources. chinese embassy informed me they couldn't issue me a visa because the only pages that are blank in my passport are the last three, and they can't put the full-page visa sticker on any of those three pages. stupid stupid stupid.

the alternative was to blow $320 on an expedited delivery to the US embassy to get more pages added, and then I would have had to return the next day to drop it off/pick it up, then get it to the chinese embassy, pay for THEM to expedite it...

i am a broke bastard so i just drove home. my sixteen hour layover will be spent in the beijing airport.

[mmmbeans]

That'll certainly be an experience.

[Jbro]

well that was a colossal waste of time and resources. chinese embassy informed me they couldn't issue me a visa because the only pages that are blank in my passport are the last three, and they can't put the full-page visa sticker on any of those three pages. stupid stupid stupid.

the alternative was to blow $320 on an expedited delivery to the US embassy to get more pages added, and then I would have had to return the next day to drop it off/pick it up, then get it to the chinese embassy, pay for THEM to expedite it...

i am a broke bastard so i just drove home. my sixteen hour layover will be spent in the beijing airport.

Damn sorry to hear buddy. The only advice I can give you is to tape your eyes and hope nobody notices you.

[Davidson Deac II]

well that was a colossal waste of time and resources. chinese embassy informed me they couldn't issue me a visa because the only pages that are blank in my passport are the last three, and they can't put the full-page visa sticker on any of those three pages. stupid stupid stupid.

the alternative was to blow $320 on an expedited delivery to the US embassy to get more pages added, and then I would have had to return the next day to drop it off/pick it up, then get it to the chinese embassy, pay for THEM to expedite it...

i am a broke bastard so i just drove home. my sixteen hour layover will be spent in the beijing airport.

Sorry to hear that. Hope you got to see some of DC at least.

FYI, the Beijing airport is huge, nearly empty and confusing. The food court is a long way from most of the terminals. And if the motorized cart comes by and offers you a ride, a word of warning. It aint free.

Good thing is that most of the women that work there are easy on the eyes, if you like Asian ladies. I think they plan it that way. :)