Steelers fan, Chinese style

7 AM at the Pickled Pelican

Leather pants, check.

Steelers jersey, check.

Steelers hat, check.

Steelers tie, check.

Non-stop screaming and obnoxious towel waving, obviously.

Kung Fu Fighting

Paris of the East

With that nickname, I knew Shanghai was going to be a fave! Euro-Asian design, lots of deco influence, food fusion, friendly people...the list goes on.  This is one of our many strolls through Xintiandi, a perfect example of the way China should be designing all their cities!  This spot, Visage and DR Bar were our favorites.  Sorry for all the scenery photos!

Love the cobblestone streets--no cars!

Our coffee (and chocolate) knook

The Olympic torch

Alleys of Xintiandi

Wwwwatch out

The Open House Musuem--an old Xintiandi residence kept intact with beautiful antiques, felt like I was in an old movie

Xintiandi at night

One of the coolest spots was restaurant TMSK, upstairs

R.I.P.

My hot rollers, the ones that I've had since the 6th grade, could not withstand the electrical forces of Shanghai, and so here they were laid to rest.

First night out on the town--the staff at our hotel, Lapis Casa, was the sweetest--we loved our stay here!  It was a small boutique hotel, each room different and furnished with all sorts of deco antiques (that can all be purchased), right between Xintiandi and a beautiful little park...quite perfect!

Our little gem

Leaving our first favorite restaurant of the trip, Lost Heaven, which was Yunnanese food--very tasty and exceptional ambiance--red glow, dark wood, bi-level, with buddhist statues everywhere.  Mask Bar downstair was a cozy little lounge with antique masks decorating the walls, highly recommend both! All the photographs of Shangri-La got us psyched to visit at the end of our trip!

The walk from our little park to People's Square.  After a tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art, we headed for the Shanghai Museum in the middle of the square.  There was a chinese couple about our age that asked us to take a picture of them, which we were happy to do.  Then they wanted a picture with US, so we did that too.  And then in their eyes, we were best friends.  And I'm talking you would have thought we went way back and hadn't seen each other in years kind of best friends.  Baby pictures started flying out of wallets, Ted was interrogated on the subject of school and job, and within five minutes they were insisting that we go tour a market with them.  It was so endearing and so friendly at first, but it quickly became more of a demand, and when Ted kept trying to explain that we had planned out our two short days in the city and we had to see the museum, they would interrupt--"No! You enjoy us first!  Then you see museum." Ted finally got them to agree to just take our phone numbers and "call us later"...and then he got busted giving the wrong number...

Another recommendation!  A little francais--does it get better than a croque monsieur and a bowl of soup when its freezing outside? Don't think so.  This is the Hamilton House, chic restaurant/bar/lounge.  Not hoppin when we were there because we were eating lunch around 3:30, but apparently the place to be at night.  Right by the Bund, and around the corner from an especially good bootlegger of DVDs.  

We purchased about 12 DVDs for $5 and while having a movie selection has been such a treat, the big bonus has been reading the back of the covers for the synopsis of the movie plot...while they are all good for a laugh, this one, from the movie "Body of Lies" (the Leo and Russell Crowe thriller) is my favorite:

"U.S Central Intelligence Agency, a senior member of the Dehoufuman love in the bedroom mobile home in the suburbs of computer command the overall situation.  Roger Ferris control every move at any time.  At the same time, leaders of terrorist organization are plotting to bypass the most intelligence sophisticated network, to launch a global bomb attacks."

On the Bund, ugly hats and all.  The architecture of Pudong, on the other side of the river, is a bit Jetson-like while the architecture we are facing is all Eastern European.

Jetsons...

...and Eastern European. Under construction sadly, but the plan is to beautify and plant trees lining the river and street--bravo!

Couldn't resist  

My favorite of the lounge/bar scene--M on the Bund's Glamour Bar.  Colored, etched glasses, beautiful architecture, Kelley Wearstler-ish decor, and spectacular views!

Loved the mix of furniture and painted screens that pull down from different ceiling beams giving the option to create room divisions--lots of little candle lit vignettes, yummy!

De-thawing.  Shanghai was just as cold as Beijing, with wind like Chicago--yikes!

And impossible to get a cab (it really IS the Paris of the East!  Remember that Hammer??)

From our window

Lights at night

Sadly, my picture fails here, but I posted so I could mention the coolest Japanese restaurant to exist--Shintori.  Once we found the address (which was hard!) we made our way down an alley of bamboo 12 feet tall until we reached a huge metal door  that slid open as soon as we neared.  It opened onto a huge warehouse with 2 stories of seating all looking down onto the large open kitchen, where you could see the chefs working away.  Authentic Japanese cuisine, so there were some crazy fish and eel that ended up in front of these ignorant patrons, but the experience was tops!

My favorite touch--the sake is served in hand made pottery; they bring you a tray of options and you pick your favorite ceramic sake cup--all about the details!  The pottery is sold a couple doors down, next to hot spot watering hole Peoples.

Shanghai is to host the World Expo 2010--this is a PART of their city model at the Museum of Urban Planning.  Having built models before for interior design, this to me was incredible...the time, the detail, the magnitude...woah.  While this might sound boring to some, it was by far the most interesting exhibit we saw in Shanghai, especially the virtual reality part.  Being that they have a year to complete all these proposed new buildings, I wish them luck!

The Yuan Gardens.  Once a beautiful serene garden, now overrun with pushy tourists and tons of booths selling fake jade, pearls, calligraphy.  Had reached a breaking point with all the shoves and elbows, so we stopped in to relax and have some authentic chinese tea at an old tea house, free of the hussle and bussle. The tea was delish and the art of it so interesting.  The soft quail eggs, not so much, preesh!