Billy's Cities

Explore the great cities of the world!

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The 2016 BSFBB Awards

Presenting…the 2016 Best of San Francisco By Billy Awards!  (Yeah, they’re a little late.  But I’m sure you don’t mind.  And after this, it’s finally on to India!)

Obviously I liked San Francisco enough to move here.  But I always thought it was overrated as a sightseeing destination.  Starting right away with Day 1 of my official sightseeing in San Francisco last April, I realized just how wrong I was.

Best Day

After my first day out in San Francisco, following the Barbary Coast Trail, I didn’t think any future day could beat it.  San Francisco totally enthralled me on Day 1.  And it didn’t hurt that the weather was uncharacteristically perfect.  But once again I was wrong.  One day was able to beat out Day 1.

Best Day: There was one day that blew me away. Day 4. The Mission and the Castro. Admittedly, it was largely due to the murals of the Mission. San Francisco, United States, North America.
Best Day: Day 4. There was one day that blew me away. Day 4. The Mission and the Castro. Admittedly, it was largely due to the murals of the Mission.

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Must-See Nanjing

Fuzimiao's colorful dragon wall. Fuzimiao, Nanjing, China, Asia.
Fuzimiao’s colorful dragon wall.

Shanghai and Beijing were the major destinations on my 2015 trip to China.  Out of my 3 day trips, I was really impressed with Nanjing.  Hangzhou has 2 must-sees:  West Lake and Lingyin Temple.  Tianjin isn’t the most exciting place (although getting a great Italian dinner in Italian Style Town is worth the 30-minute train ride from Beijing).  In Nanjing, you get a bang for your yuan.

Must-Sees in Nanjing

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Must-See Beijing

One of the dragons on the Forbidden City's Nine Dragon-Wall. Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Asia.
One of the dragons on the Forbidden City’s Nine Dragon-Wall.

Make no mistake.  Beijing is not the cosmopolitan city that Shanghai is.  (Unlike in Shanghai, I was often the only white person in sight on the subway in Beijing.  I got stared at in Beijing at times.  This never happened in Shanghai.)  Regardless, imperial Beijing is where the history is.  This is why the most spectacular sights I saw on my 2015 trip to China were for the most part in Beijing. [Read more…]

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Must-See Shanghai

An overcast view of Pudong from the Bund. Pudong, Shanghai, China, Asia.
An overcast view of Pudong from the Bund.

Shanghai is a fantastically vibrant city.  This comes as no surprise as it’s the world’s largest city.  When it comes to sightseeing, Shanghai has a good mix of old and new, but tilting very much towards the new.  This also comes as not much of a surprise.  Shanghai didn’t start to become a major city until the Western powers moved in and took charge after the First Opium War.  That was just about 170 years ago.  Compare that with Beijing, which has been a [Read more…]

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7 Ways China Exceeded My Expectations

Zhuanlunzang Pavilion at the Summer Palace, Beijing. China, Asia.
Zhuanlunzang Pavilion at the Summer Palace, Beijing.

The language issue was a challenge during my trip to China.  And I did have some culinary frustrations.  But China exceeded my expectations in so many ways.  Perhaps my expectations were needlessly low.  It didn’t help that my phrasebook had some helpful expressions such as, “What time does the hot water come on?” and “There is a rat in my room.”  I read so many warnings about China before my trip.  I was sort of expecting the worst.  But those [Read more…]