北京西站

The magnitude of the Beijing West Train Station is not done justice by this photo, which only catches the middle of it. There are 38 or so ticket counters on the first floor, which you have to x-ray your bags to even get into. Counter number 1 promises an English-speaking clerk, and the last counter sells 1-kuai tickets to people who want to enter the platform area to say goodbye to their loved ones. The second floor has the waiting areas for the train, along with various eating establishments ranging from cheap to McDonald’s. It’s like an airport but for trains, and the bathrooms (which say “no smoking” but people smoke in there anyway) are more disgusting than the ones in the airport.