The new Suzhou Marriott sits in a place that, up until about six months ago, was an office tower. After a speedy, but extensive facelift, it’s as luxurious as any major hotel in town. It also adds a much need landmark to the skyline of the SND. The lights on the outside of the building display the silhouette of Tiger Hill Pagoda rising to the exact same height as the real one. It’s only been around for a short time so we were surprised to see how crowded it’s already become. At least two-thirds of the tables in Asia Bistro were occupied by happy eaters. As the name implies, this buffet serves Japanese, Indian, and Chinese food along with selections from a few other places. Rare is it that we would put one restaurant at the top of any category, but we’re tempted to do it here. We gave high marks all around. The casually elegant ambiance prompts you to immediately plan for a long evening.
Obviously this is a place where sushi lovers can go nuts. Everything is, of course, created right before your eyes. There may not be as many choices here as at some restaurants that focus only on Japanese, but all of the classics are available. What we love most about this setup is that you...
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Review
Jane’s Coffee Bar
We’ve always loved that time between Christmas and the Chinese New Year. Nobody really goes back to work during this interim, because they know that the next holiday is just around the corner. For some people, this time of the year is spent curled up on the couch with some DVDs and Sherpa’s on speed dial. If you’re looking for an alternative that doesn’t involve loud music, and the soporific effects of alcohol then Jane’s is perfect. Cozy is the name of the game. We had noticed Jane’s (not to be confused with Jane’s Pub Bar or Jane’s Bar) a while back. The tiny entrance leading up to the second floor doesn’t stick out, but the area gets good foot traffic because it’s just down an alley near the Southern Cross. It was a cold night when we first went into Jane’s. We had just come from a camera repair shop and were making our way to the bus. One look at the crowded bus stop, and we knew it wasn’t worth the hassle, so we decided to wait out the rush hour and the rainy weather at Jane’s.
Jane’s wasn’t at all what we were expecting. We walked up the stairs past a dozen or so wine bottles hanging from ropes on a mural covered wall. It was small enough to feel busy without feeling crowded...
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Hot Spot
Lingshan Grand Buddha
If you’ve made big travel plans for the Chinese New Year, our condolences go out to you, if they aren’t too international destinations. Traveling any distance during the New Year should come with a medal for bravery, especially in Beijing where the people outnumber snowflakes at this time of year. Luckily, you can skip the mob and the lines, most of them anyway, with a quick trip to Wuxi. You can stay for less than a day or spend a few, and get a taste of Wuxi’s brand new nightlife.
One of the most impressive sights in Wuxi, or the whole of Jiangsu Province for that matter, is the Great Buddha at Lingshan, along the shores of Lake Tai about 25 minutes by bus from the train station. The Buddha was built back in the 1980’s, but you’ll find no plastic here. It was not built simply as a tourist destination, but an authentic site for religious worship. This is the largest bronze statue, of the Buddha, in the world. To say that the Sakyamuni Buddha is 88 meters tall (just short of the Statue of Liberty but only if you don’t count the raised hand) can’t describe what it feels like to stand at its feet. At first your eyes barely see over the toes. Craning your neck up to its full height not only makes you feel small in comparison to it, but to everything around you.
Just like the mausoleum of Sun Yat Sen in Nanjing, approaching this statue requires you to walk down a long, tree-lined avenue, and then up some steps. We tried to count how many, but we gave...
The Suzhouvian
ARUN SINGH CHOUDHARY by Rueben Marley
The Taxi Read
MORE Magazine’s Chinese New Year Preparation Checklist! by Keg Merrymug
When I was given the chance to share a few minutes with Arun Singh Choudhary, the Yoga Instructor and Director of the SOSA Yoga Center in Hangzhou, it became an enlightening journey through some basic truths about...
For those of you who will be experiencing their first Chinese New Year in Hangzhou, we’ve provided the following checklist of things you’ll want to prepare before the big day...
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The new Suzhou Marriott sits in a place that, up until about six months ago, was an office tower. After a speedy, but extensive facelift, it’s as luxurious as any major hotel in town. It also adds a much need landmark to the skyline of the SND. The lights on the outside of the building display the silhouette of Tiger Hill Pagoda rising to the exact same height as the real one. It’s only been around for a short time so we were surprised to see how crowded it’s already become. At least two-thirds of the tables in Asia Bistro were occupied by happy eaters. As the name implies, this buffet serves Japanese, Indian, and Chinese food along with selections from a few other places. Rare is it that we would put one restaurant at the top of any category, but we’re tempted to do it here. We gave high marks all around. The casually elegant ambiance prompts you to immediately plan for a long evening. 
Everything is, of course, created right before your eyes. There may not be as many choices here as at some restaurants that focus only on Japanese, but all of the classics are available. What we love most about this setup is that you...
We’ve always loved that time between Christmas and the Chinese New Year. Nobody really goes back to work during this interim, because they know that the next holiday is just around the corner. For some people, this time of the year is spent curled up on the couch with some DVDs and Sherpa’s on speed dial. If you’re looking for an alternative that doesn’t involve loud music, and the soporific effects of alcohol then Jane’s is perfect. Cozy is the name of the game. We had noticed Jane’s (not to be confused with Jane’s Pub Bar or Jane’s Bar) a while back. The tiny entrance leading up to the second floor doesn’t stick out, but the area gets good foot traffic because it’s just down an alley near the Southern Cross. It was a cold night when we first went into Jane’s. We had just come from a camera repair shop and were making our way to the bus. One look at the crowded bus stop, and we knew it wasn’t worth the hassle, so we decided to wait out the rush hour and the rainy weather at Jane’s. 
If you’ve made big travel plans for the Chinese New Year, our condolences go out to you, if they aren’t too international destinations. Traveling any distance during the New Year should come with a medal for bravery, especially in Beijing where the people outnumber snowflakes at this time of year. Luckily, you can skip the mob and the lines, most of them anyway, with a quick trip to Wuxi. You can stay for less than a day or spend a few, and get a taste of Wuxi’s brand new nightlife. 
When I was given the chance to share a few minutes with Arun Singh Choudhary, the Yoga Instructor and Director of the SOSA Yoga Center in Hangzhou, it became an enlightening journey through some basic truths about....jpg)
For those of you who will be experiencing their first Chinese New Year in Hangzhou, we’ve provided the following checklist of things you’ll want to prepare before the big day...
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