In Tianjin new bikes are the target of thievery. You need to park your bike, locked, inside a parking garage when not using it and when going around town ensure to keep two locks on it. Bike thieves cut locks with hacksaws and bolt cutters and will even smash them open with rocks (in broad daylight with people walking by).

Lock your bike to a fence or tree to keep it from being loaded away in a minibus. Use two heavy locks because a single lock won't detour a thief. Make sure atleast one lock goes thru your back wheel and frame. Parking attendents charge 0.2RMB and detour thieves. Once you've noticed an attempt to cut one of your locks you have to change where you park your bike because once its targetted they will keep trying until they get your locks off.

When in a restraunt try to choose the seat closest to the air conditioning.

Toilets don't come with their own toilet paper so carry a tissue packet with you.

You aren't allowed to take pictures inside stores. Pulling out your camera sets workers into a panic. So turn your flash off and sneak the pics incogneto.

If you aren't experienced crossing busy streets then just stick beside someone else who's crossing. Its ok to stand right beside them, they don't mind.

An umbrella will make your day alot cooler. An umbrella costs 20RMB.

If you read chinese here are good maps of Tianjin:
http://www.china114net.com/114/map/index1-3tianjin.asp
http://www.business-tianjin.com/tianjin_map.htm

For english here are some not so good ones:
http://www.wayabroad.com/tianjin/wheretj/wheretj3.htm

Westerners hang out at Alibaba's. The clientel at night is mainly western students and some chinese female wannabe groupies from the University. Its a good place to sit, smoke, eat, and have a beer. Finding it is tricky because the place doesn't say Alibaba on it. From the Nankai University you walk thru the little gate, over the little bridge then walk across the big street and go to the left wise. You'll see a side street which has Tobacco World and some red/yellow logo'd chain restraunt on its corner. Walk down this street for 2 minutes or so and you'll see a side street on the right containing Alibabas. Alibabas is on the right hand side of this street about 40 meters down. There are bikes parked outside of it and it has a big sign over the door in chinese and doesn' have windows. It kind of looks like a bar. The easiest way to find it is to walk back and forth until you run into a westerner who is heading there.

When darkness falls the city's streets become lively. You'll find people out everywhere buying/selling goods and eating at the street side restraunts. People take advantage of the cooler night to go for walks and shop. Girls don't like the sun as it makes their skin darker and dark skin = poor/ugly so you'll see them out en masse. After 12:00 you'll only see the street side restraunts open selling their meat skewers but they will have lots of people around eating them.

The big 5 star hotel's primary clientel consists of big companies like Coca Cola and such who cover the bill. If you have to pay out of your pocket then you'll be paying on par with western prices. I went to the Sheriton for dinner and it cost 350RMB for 2 people. We ate the buffet and had two orange juices. Drinks weren't included in the buffet. Our orange juices themselves were 27RMB each. A pack of Cafe Creme cigars was 110RM. 4 times the normal prices. I was told by a citizen that the Regency Hyatt is the best in Tianjin.

Expensive:

Sheraton Hotel Tianjin(5star)
Address: Zijinshan Road, He Xi District, Tianjin, 300074 China.
Phone: 86-22-23343388

Renaissance Tianjin Hotel(5star)
Address: 105 Jianshe Road Heping District, Tianjin
Phone: 86-22-23026888

Regency Hyatt Hotel Tianjin(4star)
219 Jie Fang North Road
Tianjin 300042, China
Tel: +86 22 2330 1234
Fax: +86 22 2331 1234
E-mail: hyatt-tianjin.com|information
Web: http://tianjin.regency.hyatt.com/

Holiday Inn Tianjin
Address: 288, Zhongshan Road, Hebei District, TIANJIN, 300141
Phone: 86-22-26288888

Cheaper:

Tianjin Grand Hotel
Address: Youyi Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, China
Phone: 86-22-28359000

Tianjin Imperial Palace Hotel
Address: No.177 Jie Fang North Road Tianjin 300042 China
Phone: 86-22-23316003

Tianjin Friendship Hotel(3star)
Address: No.94 Nanjing Road Tianjin China.
Phone: 86-22-23310372/3

Narcissus Hotel
Address: 25 Pingshan Dao Hexi District
Tianjin, 300074