In Beaver Dam they have snow days and here in the Big B we have smog days.
The reading was was a 412. If you look at the smog chart, that's in the red zone, and I'm not talking about an imminent touchdown. That's imminent charbroiled lungs. Actually, the worst day this Fall was a 457 on October 11. It feels like the city is wrapped in saran wrap made out of exhaust fumes.
A bad day in L.A. is 50.
My personal smog-o-meter is the Dragon Building. These pictures are from the bridge near the Boar's Nest. If I can see the Dragon Building (it overlooks the Bird's Nest and Water Cube), then I inhale with reckless abandon. If I can't see the Dragon Building then I timidly inhale and try to blink more than usual.
In Beijing's defense, the government is trying to get people to use public transportation rather than drive their own car. Our subway is fast, clean, efficient and cheap. You can go anywhere in the city for 2元: 31 cents. And all over the city is the message: 绿色北京 - Green Beijing. But the people that can afford it (which is becoming more and more in this enormous city) love the liberty of driving their own car. I think its more of a status symbol than convenience.
Smog or no smog I love living in a city that has rightfully earned the nicknamed, "Beige-ing." People always scold me for running in this city, but I would rather live for five years than survive for fifty.
mijia 米佳
P.S. - I am running in the Beijing Marathon on November 25th. I'm hoping there's no smog delay.
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