w a n d e r i s t a: 新街口 - Xinjiekou

I was ready to put my Mandarin to use and escape the hotel, so without a phone or map or much of a clue, I wandered until I found the subway and headed downtown to 新街口 (Xinjiekou), the central station and neighborhood of Nanjing. I visited Nanjing three years ago, but I didn’t remember if I’d been to the urban bit.

The subway wasn’t so crowded at the station I got on at, which surprised me. In Shanghai, I always felt pretty much crammed like a sardine, be it on subways or sidewalks in my old neighborhood. I was all giddy as I easily found a seat. My giddiness faded as we pulled into the center city station fifteen minutes later and there were about fifty people waiting to rush into the subway car. Remembering the drill I ran to the glass door. I stared at the people waiting to get in through the glass. They stared back with icy disregard for my need to get off the train. When the doors open I jammed myself into a small crack of open space between a teenager and a municipal worker and escaped before the crowd filled all empty air with elbows and shoves.

The station was huge, with something like 27 exits. I had been on the fence about living downtown and now I knew I wanted a less anxiety provoking life this time around. Underground there were shops, snack counters, nail salons and BUBBLE TEA.

I was reunited with my lovely CoCo Bubble tea. I excitedly blurted out in Chinese my favorite drink order to the cashier who responded in perfect English, “So, you want an iced green tea with tapioca pearls and no sugar?” Damnit.

Then I found the famous Fashion Lady. It’s an underground mall made up of a bunch of alleys and lights.