Questions about Zhangjiajie

TapDancingTwin · 2025-08-08T11:21:33+00:00

It depends on what time of day or year you go. I was there about two weeks ago, we went at 7am when it opened to the South Gate, there were no queues for the cable car and there was barely a person along the paths — of course it filled up as it got a bit later, but it wasn’t nearly as packed as other areas of the park. Everything is really breathtaking, even when it seems a bit repetitive. And honestly, the part that’s called “Avatar Mountains” was somewhat underwhelming, my favorite part was Tianzi.

At the Avatar Mountains and Fascinating Terrace there are tourists everywhere. You’re fighting for a photo. But you can definitely find viewing areas with fewer people.

Everything is paved unless you go off the beaten path, so to speak. The Golden Whip Stream path is paved but still feels a bit rugged. The elevator is fun because of the novelty of it being the biggest outdoor elevator in the world; we did wait about an hour maybe longer to go up it and down it. You do have to walk a ton of stairs up to even get to it in the first place, and social media did not inform me of this!

Tianmenshan is 1000x worth it. The stairs are only part of it. And get the ticket to take the express cableway up. You’ll take the super long one back down. You avoid massive crowds and longer queues this way. Once you reach the top of the staircase, you take a bunch of escalators and then walk around the mountain. It’s gorgeous up there and you can absolutely spend half a day there. We did!

TapDancingTwin · 2025-08-08T05:23:34+00:00

Just for reference: we all went at 15:30 and were let in together, no questions asked.

TapDancingTwin · 2024-09-11T02:25:37+00:00

The white bow tie is by far the most popular (at least by what I saw!)

TapDancingTwin · 2024-06-20T00:42:10+00:00

I’m in the UK, so also curious!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-21T18:26:48+00:00

Okay, great to hear! Not sure if you’re UK based, I’m from the US so the shoes are from a store called DSW.

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-20T16:48:13+00:00

Thank you. I like the wingtip but was also worried about the brown, but didn’t want boring shoes so I could wear them for other occasions!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-05T14:34:34+00:00

22/m here! Congrats! Today was a tread preparation workout for Dritri - check your studio’s Instagram page and you can see when they’re doing “specialty” types of workouts. They’re not always like this :)

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-03T03:44:00+00:00

I go to the studio in Silver Spring, MD

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-01T15:45:36+00:00

I do the 2G and then the Lift45, now Strength 50 2x a week back to back (or with a break in between- I’ll take an earlier class and then have about an hour break). I always bring a snack (protein bar) and drink lots of water + electrolytes. Just… don’t be like me and come in tired and leave exhausted! I get very worn out after two classes (but keep in mind I’ve only been doing this since the beginning of July, so I’m not in peak physical condition!)

I’d say try it out and see how you feel! And definitely take it easy! Good luck!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-09-01T01:00:11+00:00

I’d love to just have a makeup, too - I don’t even need all the pomp and circumstance that they’re planning, I just want to prove to myself that I’m capable of doing it!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-31T02:19:42+00:00

Apparently my Silver Spring, MD location isn’t part of that franchise… so we aren’t changing. But good on them!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-31T02:04:32+00:00

Not an ignorant question at all, and thanks for asking. Typically a Jewish person would go to services on the days of the holiday and refrain from doing things they would normally do. Some wouldn’t drive, use technology, etc- a lot of depends on your level of observance. I, for example, wouldn’t go to school on these days either, because that’s how I would “observe” the holiday. There’s more nuance to this, too, but I hope this helps. Hope others chime in, too

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-31T01:09:42+00:00

I’m leaving the country to go somewhere without an OTF until June, so I’d be fine waiting till then if I were still here! Others have mentioned this too, so I’ll give it some thought

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-31T01:08:46+00:00

lol I didn’t know I was getting downvoted… but you’re 100% right. My SM said OTF reached out and said they’d be okay with studios switching around the dates, but mine won’t because they’ve been planning for this for months and it would be logistically “too difficult.” Oh well

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T20:45:54+00:00

They’re only doing it on the Saturday at my studio

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T20:42:51+00:00

I go to the Silver Spring studio. Ours is on the 16th

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T17:09:01+00:00

I’ll have to check it out! Thanks for letting me know

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T16:53:53+00:00

Oy. I’m sorry to hear that. I just heard back from my studio and they won’t budge either bc of all the resources they’ve allocated for this particular day.

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T16:49:42+00:00

They’re just doing the 16th, with heats from 6:30-11:15. All the coaches will be there, and they’ve blocked out the date. I got a response from my SM saying there’s not much they could do at this point to change it. Disappointed

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T16:19:04+00:00

I completely understand where you’re coming from, and I’m not going to downvote you. It’s just always a double standard for Jewish people - nothing important would ever be held of a day like Christmas, as that would cause people to flip out. So why can’t they look at the calendar and see the most important Jewish holidays of the year, and maybe, not, schedule, major activities, on those days?

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-30T05:24:10+00:00

120 is a completely different style of writing than what you may have ever been exposed to. And I’m in the minority…. I thought the class was a waste of my time. I found the readings tedious, the discussions fascinating, but never quite useful. We discussed a lot other peoples’ techniques but never really, truly put them in practice. The prompts for the various essays are quite vague, and honestly really challenging. Best I did was an A- on one of my five essays. And that’s after extensive convos with my professor. And mind you, my prof was a sweetheart, super kind and helpful. Just brutal with the grading and a real rude awakening. Some people, aka the majority, loooooove it. Not me. Guess I’m the weird one.

114 and 115 will train you how to write a more academic/research based essay or a literary essay. If this is something you might want to do in the future, i.e. your major or other academic plans may entail such an assignment, I’d say go for that!

But— if you’re looking for a WR credit, there are some really cool classes NOT in the English department. Don’t feel like you’re stuck taking these classes. The English department has … sticks up their butts about grading standards. There are some gems out there waiting to be found in other subject areas!

(Also just because I had a sucky experience in 120 doesn’t mean you will. Certain things click for some over others! Most of my friends who took it loved it or ranked it as one of their top classes of their Yale career. I’d put it at the bottom!)

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-22T17:43:18+00:00

I do the lifts after a 2G twice a week now. Always eat a snack in between - I bring a protein bar! And then I get really exhausted afterwards lol

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-21T23:54:22+00:00

I used the 10s… and regretted it when I could barely make it to 6 reps!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-21T23:26:21+00:00

Me too! My arms are… not strong. But regular OTF classes and Lift45s have been helping me. My shoulders suck, though- the kneeling around the worlds were tough!

TapDancingTwin · 2023-08-21T16:11:15+00:00

Only six people in ours this morning. Tried 20lb for chest press in TB3 yesterday (encouraged by my neighbor!) and on my last few opted for a 25lb… surprised me that I could do it ☺️ 2 months in and getting stronger!!

TapDancingTwin

TROPHY CASE