Two Sides of Shanghai

Friday, September 16th

In our travels throughout China, we've flown Chinese airlines connecting cities, we've taken the bus and now it's time to figure out the train.  The Hangzhou East Railway station was beautiful... Very clean and high tech.  The modern architecture is really eye-catching and contrasts with the stark, older buildings.  With the help of a nice train station employee who spoke English, we purchased our tickets and boarded the hour train to Shanghai.  They are very efficient here when it comes to security and ticket check boarding procedures.  Penn Station and Amtrak should take notes.

When we arrived in Shanghai, a light rain was falling, but we'll take that over what we dealt with yesterday... So we hurried to head out and start exploring before the weather got worse.

A visit to Shanghai isn't complete without a shopping excursion... For all of you who know me, I'm not a big shopper (unless shopping for my next travel experience counts), but apparently regardless of whether or not you are a shopaholic, a visit to Nanjing Lu is a must.  This pedestrian mall stretches for several kilometers and has earned a reputation as China's number one shopping street.  Besides a good place to shop, it's a good place to people watch... Mainly because there are SO many people to choose from!  The sheer numbers really help prove that Shanghai is the most populated city in the world.

We arrived at the Bund, a waterfront boulevard that offers stunning views of Pudong across the Huangpu River.  The promenade also provides a window into Shanghai's past with the Art Deco and Neoclassical buildings lining one side of the river and the futuristic, modern skyscrapers on the other. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the Bund and back taking in the atmosphere and that infamous skyline.

Then we headed across the river to explore. After a quick look back at the Bund from Pudong's waterfront promenade, we went straight to the "Bottle Opener", Shanghai's World Financial Center.  But we skipped the Observation Tower in favor of the lobby bar in the Park Hyatt on the 87th floor.  I'd much rather sip a cocktail while enjoying sky high views of the city, duh.  We timed it perfectly so we cold see the city in daylight, but watch the sunset and the lights come on.  The view was stunning and the clouds would come and go, but at one point we were completely enclosed in a sea of white... Eerie!

We could have sat there all night taking in the city spread out below, but we wanted to experience the Peace Hotel's famous Jazz Band, where the average age of the musicians is eighty!!  Sipping one of the authentic time period cocktails on the menu while listening to the jazz band, we were instantly transported back to the golden ages of Shanghai in the 1920's and 30's when the Peace Hotel was THE place to see and be seen.  I'm in love with this city... It has so much character with glimpses into it's past, but a focus on the future.

Before calling it a night, we walked over to the Bund to take more pictures of the sparkling skyline all lit up.  It's just so beautiful... Well done Shanghai.