Today I hopped on a plane and headed to China for the week. This is my fourth time in China this year but my first time on business. The first stop on my trip is Shanghai, or as I like to call it Shang-heezy. I can never get enough of Shanghai, it's like really good ice cream. You know too much of it is bad for you but you just can't seem to stop eating.
On the flight from Tokyo I got a window seat and couldn't help but admire how serene Japan is from the air. But then we got closer to China and what was a clear blue sky with perfect views of the ocean turned into thick, brown, opaque fog fed by pollution and dust plumes. The difference was startling and I am alway surprised by it each time I see it. The air is so bad that I've caught strep throat the last two times I've been in Shanghai - but it was worth every painful swallow. Something else that always stands out when I visit China is the contrast in service and pleasantries between the Japanese and Chinese. The Japanese will always over service and over deliver with surprising amounts of courtesy while the Chinese take a different approach. All these things aside, however, Shanghai is my second favorite city to visit outside of New York. Though I must admit I couldn't live here, the pollution is just too much.
Labels:
China,
Shanghai
I managed to book a Japanese hotel for my stay
totally by accident and got a room upgrade when I checked in. I am sure the upgrade had something to do with my hotel being booked under our corporate Google account and nothing to do with my powers of persuasion. I got a high floor with a great view and lots of room. The Shanghai skyline is pretty amazing, even after living in NYC for 17 years. Shanghai is the city with the most skyscrapers in the world. The tall towers seem to go on for miles and it gives you the feeling of being in a high tech futuristic movie.
My days were packed with meetings and dinner
with colleagues but I still managed to catch up with a few friends on both nights. On Tuesday I met up with a friend and headed to a wine bar in the French Concession area of Shanghai which is
definitely one of the cooler parts of the city. The
bar, much like the entire neighborhood, was filled with foreigners with a sprinkling of locals. The wine selection was great and the atmosphere was something out of Greenwich Village in NY. As it turned out we saw some other folks that we knew at the wine bar so we decided to make it a group thing. I was too tired to stay out very late however, and ended the night relatively early.
The foreigners in Shanghai always seem a little
rough around the edges. I am not sure if that's because the city is rough and they're just adapting or they were rough when they got here. Many of them look like they came here back packing and just never left, which I am sure is the case in some instances. This blend of foreigners and locals with the same tough exterior gives the city a unique feel and personality. Many people would say that NY is a tough place to live, but it's nothing compared to Shanghai. If you're gonna live in this city you've got to sharpen your edges.
Tuesday was Chinese Valentine's day and the streets were filled with couples and young ladies
carrying flowers. It was certainly a big day here and many restaurants were packed. This made it almost impossible to catch a cab, though I eventually did - 40 minutes and many blocks later. When Shanghai comes alive it cannot be matched by any other city in the world. The size and scale of the city coupled with the total number of residents, 19MM, separates it from any other place I've ever visited.
The next stop of my China tour is Beijing. I wasn't too thrilled with the city the last time I was there but I am looking forward to seeing the forbidden city and summer palace during the summer as oppose to the brutal winter that was last December.
