Saturday, December 20, 2008

Shanghai

Shanghai is such an incredible city - brimming with energy



The grandiose reminded me of Paris or New York



Nanjing Road is, quite frankly, off the hook



The lights, the energy, the movement - I found myself hanging out here a lot



I also found out that I'm a huge fan of Shanghainese food - delicious restaurants abound



Hanging out a favorite global joint of mine (I'm addicted to coffee)



Afternoon view of Pudong's phenomenal skyline



Despite all of the chaos going on along this river, it's a really peaceful to chill out



A place that's not peaceful - the fake Louis V shops. I almost got stampeded by a gang of old women scrambling for fake Berberi scarves.



Shanghai dumplings - talk about delicious. I ordered this whole pot.



I couldn't stop chuckling about this - I'm sure this is what Marx and company had in mind.



Loved the quaint little alleys and side streets; very European feel



Had to head back down to the Huangpu River when the sun came out



Interesting mix of brands scattered along the river - this section actually reminded me of Dubai



Yet another vantage point of the river



No matter where you go these days, just can't get away from advertising



Chillin out down by The Bund later in the evening



Jumped on a boat to catch the Pudong district lit up at night - what a sight



The Citi and Aurora buildings have massive displays built into the sides of the buildings



The infamous bottle opener building (Shanghai World Financial Center), designed by a Japanese architect



Panoramic view of The Bund at night; taken while cruising down the river in a boat



A second shot from the other end of The Bund



I'm not sure what the deal was with this building - but it sure looked cool



Lots of malls and shopping happening just off Nanjing Road



An older, but equally charming section of Shanghai - amazing architecture



Just down the street is the first McDonald's to hit China (~two decades ago)



More absolutely incredible architecture



Caught this cat drawing out some pretty cool characters with water and a brush



Another area of the city, with a little less traffic



True this - great city!