Beijing Boyce

Tuesday was one of those days when emails swamp your in-box faster than you can bail them out, when you show up for an appointment that doesn’t work out, when you’ve got someone angry on hold, someone incomprehensible on the line and someone who is annoying calling your cell phone, when the mayo in the salad dressing at lunch was a wee bit off. It was one of those days when you end up full of coffee, out of breath, with a sweaty and dirty collar at 7:41 near the Friendship Store.

In other words, it’s a perfect time to realize, “Hey, I’ve been writing about Beijing’s nightlife scene for more than a year and I’ve never, ever had a drink at the oldest surviving bar - Charlie’s - just up the street in the Jianguo Hotel.”

You walk to the hotel and are mildly surprised because you expected a decrepit third-class venue. Instead, a re-modeling has the modest lobby glowing with warmth and coziness. Just to the left is the restaurant Justine’s and down the hall is the new Charlie’s, open less than a month. It still needs to acquire character, but has some of that lobby’s warmth, with plenty of earthy tones, wood, brick and marble, along with a touch of cool color.

The long bar has enough stools for 12 and faces shelves of bottles with an ice-blue backdrop. Behind it are two dozen small round wooden tables, each with seating for two or three people. Behind them is a glass wall that gives full play to a narrow garden of rocks, trees, water fountains and a stream.

The drinks are pricey, with a shot of Jack Daniels at 55 kuai and cocktails starting at 60 kuai, but it’s two-for-one happy hour, so you order a small Monchshof draft (never seen it before) for 40 kuai and relax. Some jazz plays and a few nearby conversations drift in and out. By the time the band comes on, there are eight people in the crowd - a guy named “Tom” and two friends, a couple, you, and two waiters - and three on stage - a guitarist and two singer / dancers, plus their karaoke machine. The band plays On the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Miss You Much, Take Me to Your Heart, and Don’t Dream It’s Over, and despite the sparse crowd, it’s fun.

You sip your second draft and realize that not only is your collar dry and your stress level lower, but also that you’re having a good Beijing hotel experience. You learned, using your broken Mandarin, that the bar has been around since the 80s. You explained to the bartender, whose English skills don’t extend much past “Happy Hour” and “Cheers,” that “one for one” isn’t really a good deal and he actually means “two for one” or “buy one, get one free.” You saw, on the shelf, a canister that looked like it might contain motor oil or floor polisher and then realized, with a laugh, it was Maotai. You also saw that the drink menu includes selections of Chinese spirits, grape wines and teas, and thought it was a nice counterbalance to all the Western drinks. Then you finished your drink, and left humming Crowded House and thinking, yep, I’ll be back again…