Shanghai Day 1- April 2nd

Shanghai is not like New York; Shanghai is New York … the new New York, 24 million strong and another million every year, a city that never sleeps, trillions of dollars pouring in annually sprouting crops of new buildings, the current business, fashion, shopping and financial capital of China; and possibly the future business, fashion, shopping and financial capital of the world.

We docked downtown on the Huangpu River, which is Shanghai’s Hudson. Here is the skyline on each side of the ship, with the modern Pudong business and financial centers on the far bank; and the older commercial, fashion and shopping areas on the near bank.

Here is Joani on the Bund, the famous riverfront boardwalk on the west bank of the Huangpu, with the Pudong business-financial district (Shanghai’s Wall Street) behind her across the river. Some say Pudong was designed by George Jetson.

 Pudong business-financial district

The Bund

Nanjing Road is Shanghai’s Fifth Avenue, its shopping and fashion center where 1.7 million people visit each day and every major brand in the world is represented.

Nanjing Road Store Display Window

 Nanjing Road iStore

Our favorite store was Nanta. Nanta is the largest Chinese athletic shoe and sportswear company; the major competitor of Nike and Adidas in China.

Joani bought a Nanta "Queen of the Court" 3/4 sleeve dri-fit tennis shirt

It was early spring in Shanghai and the cherry blossoms and other flowers were blooming, just like in Washington:

For lunch we had Dim Sum for the first time at Din Tai Fung, a great restaurant in the Xiantandi shopping complex. These are bite-size dumplings with various fillings (chicken, pork, shrimp, crab, mushroom ... ) swimming in a wonderful soup or broth inside the dumpling. You put it in your mouth and when you pierce the dumpling with your teeth, the flavors just explode. There are Din Tai Fung outlets in LA and Seattle.

The food was so good we forgot to take pictures.

We finished off Day 1 in Shanghai with Tsing Tao beers at the bar of M on the Bund, a nice riverfront bar and restaurant run by an Australian expatriate named Michelle (hence the name):

Tomorrow: the Watertown of Zhujiajiao and the traditional Chinese Architecture and gardens of the Old City and Yu Garden.