It's amazing how much a place can change. When Room 101 closed its doors with a big bash at the end of October, the grungy 24-hour live music venue felt cramped and gloomy. Now, just over a month later comes Ginkgo, a stylish bar and restaurant split over two floors, that bears little resemblance to my blurred memories of the lovable dive.

Situated in the geographical nexus of party time and cogitation time, Rendezvous is in the perfect part of town for a study bar. A couple of doors down from D-22 on Chengfu Lu, this comfy bar/cafe occupies the basement floor of the impressive three-tier Urban Backyard compound. Quarry-stone stacked walls set a lithic tone, as ceiling track spotlights and Ikea lamps share the task of illuminating eager undergraduates. The bookshelves buttressing the cafe-style main room display a quizzical mix of Reader's Digest condensed novels and budget editions of Wuthering Heights, while a convertible boardroom/dance floor/English Corner (daily 7-9pm)/film screening nook is set adjacent.

Tucked away down a quite alley, Club Sandwich offers a welcoming atmosphere with comfy sofas, Wi-Fi access, and unobtrusive sounds of David Bowie and Led Zeppelin. A quick glance down the menu sets the stomach rumbling with mention of gourmet sandwiches filled with roast beef, prosciutto, gouda, olives, avocado, parmesan, brie, and much more. Sandwiches range from RMB 25-45, whilst a dozen salads (RMB 25-35), flatbread pizzas (RMB 25-RMB), freshly squeezed juices, coffees, and beers were also available. They also screen American comedies every Thursday at 8pm.

Head over to the Beijinger Gallery to view some of the great images that we've snapped at various events over the past few weeks. We've just uploaded pics from our 7th Anniversary Party, Midi 2008, Modern Sky, the Diesel XXX Party, the Grand Opening of Drei Kronen 1308 and Eric Abrahamsen's talk at the China Culture Center.

The speed with which the city has transformed some of the better-known stadiums into multi-purpose venues open to the ticket-buying public and often also available for hire, has been impressive. Indeed, their ability to draw on the status of the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), National Aquatics Center (Water Cube), the National Indoor Stadium (the other one) and the Olympic Green area that connects the three, and mold them into a money-earning tourist site over the recent October holidays should offer lessons to future Olympic cities. This year’s Golden Week holidays saw the number of tourists visiting Beijing jump by more than 30% and the Olympic venues were the star attractions. Over the seven-day holiday, the Olympic center received 2.42 million visitors, which accounted for over .25% of the total number of visits to all of Beijing’s 21 most popular tourist sites Numbers peaked on Oct 2 when 527,000 people visited the Olympic Center. The Forbidden City only received 625,000 visitors over the whole seven-day period. But after this final flurry of Olympic-inspired attention from the public, what does the medium to long-term future of the Olympic venues look like?

A familiar site in malls and airports around the world, the Auntie Anne's pretzel chain opened their first store in Zhongguancun's Gate Mall (right by Jackie Chan's café) in early July. According to one forum user, Anti'an's (安缇安)"almond encrusted soft pretzel with caramel sauce" sells for 12 kuai. However, there will be no need to pay tomorrow, as 3 months after they first opened their doors, the chain is hosting an opening party and they're offering free pretzels. Details about the event can be found below:

Bei inside The Opposite House, a boutique hotel in Sanlitun, is a hip and modern restaurant offering contemporary cuisine from Japan, Korea and Northern China. Chef Max Levy is originally from Louisiana and has worked in several New York City kitchens such as Megu and Sushi Yasuda.

Oom-pah, Oom-pah, Oom-pah. That’s what you’ll hear down at Drei Kronen 1308 tonight for their grand opening. Expect lederhosen, maidens carrying steins brimming with beer and enthusiastic renditions of Euro pop. If you can’t make it tonight then fear not as the following ten days mark their Oktoberfest. That should be enough opportunity to get your fill of pilsner and wurst, and maybe partake in Teutonic hijinks.

Jumping back into the saddle where Rev fell out, MGM bounds into Chaoyang this month as the latest in the influx of resplendent “superclubs” to converge on the city. MGM, however, seems to have come from nowhere – not for them the massive promotional campaigns that anticipated Bling and ChinaDoll. After a look around MGM, it’s clear that what was saved in marketing budgets paid directly for the stylish Hong Kong-designed decor. An alluring mixture of mind-bending neon and metallic mirrors is attractive but potentially dangerous after a few games of dice with the locals at one of the sofa enclaves surrounding the dance floor. The second-level lounge area is comfortable with nifty ice-cooled drink dispensers at each table. MGM can be especially proud of the dazzling VIP area on the third floor: 13 rooms, each individually decorated, furnished and pimped out with widescreen plasmas, KTV and decadent respite areas. Some of these rooms provide for up to 50 people, while all of them cater to the extravagant. The VIP-only menu includes such delights as Hennessey Richard (RMB 51,300 per bottle).

Maxim’s, the iconic Paris restaurant synonymous with la Belle Epoque, is today Maxim’s de Paris, a brand owned by Pierre Cardin, with nine branches around the world. The latest is Maxim’s de Paris at the Solana Mall.