Beijing Boyce

Eight is a lucky number in China, so for each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

Thought 4 of 88

I did a double-take when I entered The Bookworm earlier this week. I usually hope for a seat at the long tall table near the front and, barring that, a space on one of the sofas out back.

This time? Plenty of choices: there was hardly a soul in the place.

It’s not just The Bookworm - numerous spots I visited this past week had unusually light traffic. Which puts a dent in my theory that Beijing would be awash in customers ahead of the Olympics, with technicians, journalists, team support staff, and so on piling on top of the regular patrons. But instead of fighting for space in some of my favorite places, I’m finding them fairly deserted.

Is everyone too busy to go out? Are people leaving China in droves ahead of the Olympics? Is everyone saving money for Fuwa souvenirs? Or was this just a fluke week?

Note: Two readers added that patronage might be low due to the Sichuan earthquake. That’s possible, but I would think places featuring wireless would see a lot of customers in search of news and being with friends and acquaintances. Also, I should have noted that several owners told me that business has been off at their places for some time, including prior to the earthquake. This was my fifteenth post of the week and I ran out of gas.

Returning to The Bookworm, as I type, I can see a half-dozen DHL vehicles parked out front there to pick up earthquake relief supplies (Jenny Niven says items may be dropped off until 4 PM today (Saturday). See here for a list of what is needed). Kudos to The Bookworm and to Yin Bar, The Wine Republic, Mao Live House (I’ll soon have a write-up about the charity concert there) and others who raised funds.

Boxing up at The Bookworm

Previously

Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane