Monday, Oct. 13, 2008
6. The Legation Quarter
For a nightcap, head to the Legation Quarter, just off the southeast corner of Tiananmen Square. This elegant quadrangle of two-story buildings served as the U.S. Embassy from 1903 when it was built, until 1949 when the Communists took over. It has now been lovingly restored and houses a range of restaurants and bars and an art gallery. Head straight to the main building, which houses Maison Boulud, the creation of Frenchman turned New Yorker Daniel Boulud. You can eat his wonderful food of course, but there is also a bar where they make the best lychee martini in town, or possibly anywhere.