And for my last hurrah as a tourist in Beijing, the Temple of Heaven.
I'd seen it (actually, just one building of a fairly sprawling complex, as it turns out) on posters in every media workroom at the Olympics, and thought it looked pretty cool. And I really like the name.
So I took the No. 5 subway farther south than before, almost to the end of the line to the Tiantandongmen station (I am not going to miss spelling out these names) and made the short walk into a lush park -- the largest open green space (2.73 square kilometers, according to Wikipedia) I've encountered in my limited wanderings in the city -- dotted with ancient ceremonial buildings.
And filled with people. As I walked from the East gate -- there appeared to be a ticket window, but I was waved in with my Olympic credential -- I came to a long covered corridor (known, according to maps, as the Long Corridor -- go figure) lined with people -- sitting, talking, playing cards or participating in a group sing.

You know it's a good time when an accordion is involved.

Clearly, this is a hot spot as a gathering place for the people of the city.
Much as I would have liked to look around and see what else was going on -- what was that hacky-sack like activity involving a small disk with feathers sticking out of one side? -- I feared I might be fighting the clock in terms of seeing the sights, so I moved on.
In the distance, I could see the circular building I had thought was the Temple of Heaven, but is actually known as (and I love this) the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. It's behind a wall, and there's definitely a 20-yuan admission fee to get inside, but yes, the Olympic credential again worked as a free pass. So in I went.

Well, this might be the single most photogenic building I've seen in all of China -- and given my feelings about a lot of the new architecture I've seen here. I don't think photos can really transmit the brilliant colors or design details -- apparently as brilliant as they are thanks to a $6 million restoration project to get ready for the Olympics -- but here are the best attempts I can offer.

Some of the amazingly intricate roof details.

Looking up the Danbi Stairway.

I was probably fortunate to get in at all. A sign indicated the Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests normally closes at 5 p.m., and it was about 5:15 when I got there. Luckily, they seemed to have extended the hours, so I had a little bit of time to wander around and shoot roughly 100 photos (don't worry, you're not going to see all of them) including the now obligatory I'll-take-your-picture-if-you'll-take-mine exchange with other tourists.

All too soon, though, it was clear people were being herded out of the gates, so I reluctantly left, taking another photo or two outside.

There's a whole lot more to the Temple of Heaven complex -- the map lists such enticing names as the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Wall of Echoes -- but the light was fading, and so was I. The Hall of Prayer of Good Harvests was going to have to suffice.
Which it certainly did, and does.
When it comes to tourist sights, I really think that I might have saved the best for last.