I wished I'd taken a photo of the CCTV tower that night instead of staring at it like an idiot. At one point I was craning my neck while walking, thinking Mass Effect III or some other sci-fi scene in my limited repertoire and really studying the shape and contours and the facade of the thing and it occurred to me that it was, maybe, in its own otherworldly way, a little breathtaking. In Beijing, I love the way the orange lights glaze over gray streets, climb onto overpasses and construction sites. The CBD is ugly. It rears its ugly heads through the hundreds of vehicles that get stuck here at rush hour, and I'm reminded of how much better the city can look when it's 12 o'clock and empty on the streets. We'd walked past two subway stations and I think that was the first time someone had actually walked with me through Beijing's iron-clad buildings for the sake of walking. I wish I'd taken a photo of his face instead of staring at the CCTV tower like I was about to be whisked away like an alien being. A picture to remember a moment under the iron skies, whisked, and away.