Wonderful weather today, spent the day hanging out with Chellis, her parents, and Chellis' dad's co-worker (all visiting from the States). Highlights of the day included: coffee and view at the Bund, shopping and browsing at Tianzifang (田子方), dinner at Xintiandi (新天地). I brought my trusty Time Out guide just in case and we found a picture in the book with the exact view from where we were!
I'm slowly building up my repertoire of places to bring out of town guests - trying to find a balance between touristy "must see" places and lesser known fun places.
We don't venture over to Pudong very much, but this weekend since Adam had a bit of business over there we decided to stick around for dinner. Some quick online research led me to Sushi Inc, the sister restaurant of Haiku by Hatsune, which we had heard good things. It's on the second floor of the Citigroup Building office tower, so it's not at all crowded on weekends, probably much more popular for business lunches. Nonetheless, the food and the service were good (and a nice change from the crowds at Super Brand Mall). An amuse-bouche of bitter melon salad was provided as we looked over the menu. We started with cold tofu and sashimi salad (the only dish that was a bit disappointing), then got the "Clayton" roll (very tasty), assorted vegetable tempura and a grilled fish head. Sushi Inc, like Haiku, is famous for the extensive list of creative sushi rolls. Next time, we'll probably check out Haiku and try a few more rolls.
We found that an old wireless mouse mysteriously became sticky on one side, like the plastic had melted.
It still works fine, so what to do? Nothing a bit of fabric, glue and craftiness can't solve. Here it is, in restored condition, sporting some new stripes!
Looking to explore my artsy side, I went to painting class with Adam's co-worker, Liz. Her friend Cherry owns and runs a small art studio, teaching students of all ages and levels. This was my first time trying oil painting, so I was a bit nervous! Cherry had all the tools and materials prepared and carefully walked me through the basics. Here, I am working on the base colours. After the first layer dries, I can finish the painting the following week.
We often pass by the Shanghai Exhibition Center when we are in a taxi along the elevated highway. The spire rises above the highway and each time I strain to get a glimpse of the building. It's pretty from the outside. We thought it would be fun to check out an event there and see the inside of the building. I heard there would be foreign language books, but we would go regardless, just for the experience.
We were welcomed by bright red balloons and banners. We were also welcomed by a bunch of ticket scalpers. There was no line-up at the ticket booth, so I don't know why I would have bought the admission ticket for the same price from those dudes.
The fair was busy, but not packed (considering it was Sunday). The noise was a bit overwhelming: a person performing on the piano at the music books section competed with the mechanical voice of a English-learning software program, mixed in with all the people telling you that the merchandise was on sale. We (unintentionally) ended up with a collection of books related to Chinese culture. We also found an awesome map of China.
Wandering through the building, we found the interior to be quite sad. The paint was peeling and the lights were dirty in some places, but the central atrium was quite grand and opened into the main hall that was framed by arches lined with lightbulbs, in an art deco non-tacky way. It's an interesting building in need of some repair. No major event in Shanghai is complete without a plug for the World Expo and we found a display of old Expo postcards, a replica of the China pavilion and a couple of Haibaos. Maybe next time, we'll check out the International Convention Center over in Pudong for comparison.
Adam and I went for a treat - brunch at one of the fancy restaurants along the Bund. The brunch itself was okay, but it's the view that entices people to go. New Heights is on the 7th floor of Three on the Bund. We walked around the outside patio afterwards and took in the sights.
(top) Adam surveys the re-construction of the promenade along the Bund for the World Expo.
(bottom) The Pearl Tower and the rest of Pudong is just across the way.
I've told a few people that I found Lay's potato chips in China to be less tasty than in North America. The comparison was between the "classic" yellow bag that is the plain salted kind. My theory is that potatoes in China are a different variety, hence a different and slightly inferior product in my opinion. However, I know everyone and every potato deserves a second chance, so I gave the Sichuan Spicy Flavor a go. It was tres tasty! Good job! I enjoyed this particular flavor of potato chip, but I secretly still think that the potatoes are different and in this case it doesn't matter because the flavoring covers it up.
Wonderful weather today, spent the day hanging out with Chellis, her parents, and Chellis' dad's co-worker (all visiting from the States). Highlights of the day included: coffee and view at the Bund, shopping and browsing at Tianzifang (田子方), dinner at Xintiandi (新天地). I brought my trusty Time Out guide just in case and we found a picture in the book with the exact view from where we were!
