shanghai, china

a few weeks ago, i visited shanghai for the first time. except for a three-week pre-grad school backpacking adventure, all my other trips to china have been exclusive to beijing.

over the years, i'd heard great things about shanghai from others- it's so modern! it's amazing! you'll love it! i could not wait to experience the city for myself.

after a 2 hour flight to los angeles and and 14 hour flight to shanghai, i arrived! gazing out the window during the 45 minute ride from pudong airport to my hotel, i was amazed to see a gigantic ikea. oh blue and yellow building, how i wish i had time to visit. nothing says souvenir like an assemble-it-yourself 'lack' end table.

on my few days off from work, i ventured out with some colleagues to enjoy the city. but as a resident said- 'if you want history, go to beijing.'

well said.

shanghai definitely lived up to its modern reputation.

exhibit a. the bund sightseeing tunnel.

we stepped into a transporter that looked like my toaster and experienced a completely random audio-visual extravaganza. as a dude's voice recited two word phrases like 'molten magma,' 'shining star,' and 'blue basalt,' the lights and props changed to reflect the words...at least to the extent that those random phrases could be visually expressed.

what a bizarro way to get across the river!

exhibit b. the shanghai world financial tower

questions my colleague was asked at the ticket counter...

are you older than 60? (umm...no.*yikes*)
is today your birthday? (no.)

so apparently if you're over 60 or go on your birthday, you get a discount. if not, you pay 150 RMB like we did (~$25).

after watching the model replica of the city go through a day-night cycle, and watching an 'informative' video about the building, we rode a super-duper fast elevator to the 94th floor. we walked around the observation floor, then took a short ride to the 100th floor to experience the views out the windows and through the clear floors.

exhibit c. the grand hyatt

the hotel lobby is on the 54th floor of the jin mao tower, so my ears popped every time the super-fast elevator took me there. in my room, the window coverings and room lights are controlled via the bedside control panels. snazzy but not ideal when you're jet-lagged. it took me 5 minutes and many button presses to realize that the bathroom light switch was actually on the wall.

out trip was not just full of modern wonders though. we did get to see some history and culture when we visited yu gardens.

is it me, or do the dragon's teeth look new?

outside the walls of the garden, the shops were definitely less cultural. starbucks anyone?

we got a little more culture when we visited the silk museum (read: tourist trap). it was interesting to learn about the silk-making process.

i was very tempted to buy a silk quilt- they really do have a compelling sales pitch which ended with show us a very decompressed quilt to illustrate how simple and convenient it would be to pack in a suitcase. the duvets were also quite lovely.

this piece of silk art (and its $$$ price) left me speechless. wow. and it's two-sided, just so you know.

beyond those two places, it was really hard for me to remember that i was in china. it was not surprising to feel this way in the french concession...i mean, the name says it all.

on the bund, the buildings reflected diverse architecture.

on nanjing road, the stores were ones we have across the u.s.

granted, the haagen-dazs there was a lot classier than the ones we have here. they have waitstaff!

still, there were small reminders that i was far from home. like when i looked down and saw this...

or when i looked up and saw this...

and most definitely when i saw this...

the food there was fantastic. i even made it to a din tai fung for their famous dim sum. the menu was more extensive than the one we have in bellevue.