Shanghai
FEAST
I arrived in Shanghai from Beijing, my only domestic flight on this FEAST, safe and sound. It was great not having to go through customs for a change. Shanghai has two major airports, Pudong and Hongqiao due east and west of the city, respectively, and I arrived in the closer of the two, Hongqiao. It was a 30-minute subway ride to the center of town.
It totally stinks that I only got to my hotel after a four-hour delay due to inclement weather in Shanghai at 8:30 PM. By the time I checked in and dried off from the freezing rain, it was too late to grab dinner. No matter, I'm totally knackered.
January 27, 2018
"Just like the breezes here in ultra-modern Shanghai."
A view of the IFC Mall in Downtown Shanghai; they've still got some holiday lights up, unless those are on all year.
Many of the buildings in the Pudong section of town are so tall, they disappear in the clouds on an overcast night.
My Shanghai digs: a modern look as opposed to the more old-world decor in Beijing.
So, I slept in most of the day, not exactly what I wanted to do my first full day in Shanghai. But, resting three days out of 35 isn't so bad of me, I think. Plus, I can now work on trying to catch up in the Food Blog section of this dumb website! The Wi-Fi, and even the hard-wired connection, at my hotel in Beijing was so slow it prevented me from uploading photos and videos to my website provider. After a quick, and excellent, dinner at a nearby mall's food court...and I've learned not to criticize these joints...I'm back in my room trying to get caught up while watching "Ella Enchanted" and "Tron: Legacy." Hey, it doesn't take much....
January 28, 2018
"Yay, fast Internet!"
Another shot of Downtown Pudong, only a small section can be captured in a single photo while on the streets.
Dinner at a mall joint called Yummy Dumpling. Man, what an appropriate name!
A shot of the Huangpo from my hotel room; those are some cruise boats.
January 30, 2018
It was a cloudy, foggy day today. At least the temperatures were bearable and it wasn't raining. Maybe the milder air is what's causing the fog. Anyhow, I just walked around by the Huangpo River near my hotel.
I had a very nice lunch at a joint called Pujiang Essence near the hotel, but that's about all I ate for the day.
"This weather blows!"
January 31, 2018
I finally used the nice bathtub in one of my hotel rooms...for laundry. It's another dreary day outside, and with the temperatures just above freezing, it's not warm enough to burn away all this fog. Just take a look at this video. It was like this the last 48 hours in Shanghai!
All I had to eat were some of those wonderful shrimp dumplings from Yang's and a pulled pork sandwich from Fun Plus, both places located at the Gala Mall near my hotel. I had them as takeout so I could enjoy "Escape from New York" in my room. Or was it, "The Time Traveler's Wife?" It was that memorable, as you can see.
Haze, Fog, Pea Soup
Cloudy & Overcast
February 1, 2018
"Accessible hotel rooms and emergency-exit plane seats...what the heck is this?!"
I said "goodbye" to Shanghai this morning. Just to be safe for my 8:00 AM flight, I took a cab to Hongqiao airport, and it was surprisingly quick. Check-in was a breeze, thankfully. Gosh, I wanted a clear night for some photos of Pudong from the Bund!
Today was a nice, busy day of sightseeing. After some soup dumplings for lunch, I went up to the observatory of Shanghai Tower, the city's tallest skyscraper. It's only been open less than a couple years, but I was excited to see the views, especially since the skies were pretty clear by early afternoon.
After taking in those incredible views, I hopped on the subway one quick stop across the Huangpo River to the Bund for some more photo ops. This part of town has limits on the height of new construction, I guess to preserve the view of all the beautiful early-20th-Century buildings. There's plenty going on a few blocks in from this riverfront: shopping, restaurants, residential neighborhoods.
I found it difficult to stop taking photos and videos of Shanghai's incredible skyline. All the skyscrapers there in the Pudong area are pretty condensed; you can walk to any of the buildings within 15 minutes once you're in that part of town. I think having so many of the buildings in close proximity adds to the magnificence of the skyline. And I know this much: I've never taken so many portrait photos in one day as I have today.
January 29, 2018
"Man, there's a lot of tall buildings in Asia and the Middle East!"
The Oriental Pearl Tower: it's a TV and radio antenna with a restaurant and observation decks.
The heart of the Financial District: the Shanghai World Financial Center, Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai Tower
The Citi building on the left saved me today as its ATM was the only one that worked for me.
A display in the Shanghai Tower lobby on the way to the observation deck. It's currently ranked second.
The 20 tallest buildings in Asia and the future 20 tallest in the world: 18 will be in Asia and the Middle East.
The Roosevelt House on the Bund: it has a restaurant, bar, rooftop lounge and wine cellar.
A large, elaborate building on the Bund.
A shot of the Pudong from the Bund: this might be the only clear day during my five days here.
A view of the city park: a closeup shows the long shadows cast by the three skyscrapers in the Financial District.
