Sunday in the City
The weather was hot for the first time since my arrival. I spent so much time walking around today I got a sunburn. I walked around People's Park downtown and to my amazement I saw empty benches for the first time. Normally, every flat surface (except the grass, which is off limits) has a butt on it. For the fun of it I ran around trying out all the benches. After that novelty I thought only a visit to My Spot could top that so I walked down Fuzhou Street to the rooftop cafe and studied.
The old Shanghai Club sets nearby so I walked over at at No 2 on the Bund. This is where the European tycoons played when they ran the place in the 30s. Now it sets abandoned and gutted. I hope someone restores the building rather than tear it down and erect a feeble replica of old Bund architecture like they did to the building next to the Shanghai Club.
Then I hopped on a new (to me) bus route and ended up in Southwest Shanghai across the street from the first hotel I ever stayed at in Shanghai. In the late 80s when I first came here it was the Sheraton Huating - the first foreign-managed hotel in Shanghai in decades. Sheraton management left in 96 but the Huating is still there.
In the evening I was entertained at a free classical music concert and then had dinner at a friend's high-rise apartment downtown. It's a simple place with a tiny kitchen that you step into as soon as you open the front door. There are two bedrooms and a tiny bathroom and a dining room just large enough for a small table. He pays about US$500 a month for it but he has a great 17th floor view of the city and a nice breeze through the large window.
The weather was hot for the first time since my arrival. I spent so much time walking around today I got a sunburn. I walked around People's Park downtown and to my amazement I saw empty benches for the first time. Normally, every flat surface (except the grass, which is off limits) has a butt on it. For the fun of it I ran around trying out all the benches. After that novelty I thought only a visit to My Spot could top that so I walked down Fuzhou Street to the rooftop cafe and studied.
The old Shanghai Club sets nearby so I walked over at at No 2 on the Bund. This is where the European tycoons played when they ran the place in the 30s. Now it sets abandoned and gutted. I hope someone restores the building rather than tear it down and erect a feeble replica of old Bund architecture like they did to the building next to the Shanghai Club.
Then I hopped on a new (to me) bus route and ended up in Southwest Shanghai across the street from the first hotel I ever stayed at in Shanghai. In the late 80s when I first came here it was the Sheraton Huating - the first foreign-managed hotel in Shanghai in decades. Sheraton management left in 96 but the Huating is still there.
In the evening I was entertained at a free classical music concert and then had dinner at a friend's high-rise apartment downtown. It's a simple place with a tiny kitchen that you step into as soon as you open the front door. There are two bedrooms and a tiny bathroom and a dining room just large enough for a small table. He pays about US$500 a month for it but he has a great 17th floor view of the city and a nice breeze through the large window.
posted by Kevcham at 9:50 AM
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