The Bund, Peace Hotel & Tock's

The Bund was the first international and financial area in Shanghai.  It is on the West bank of the Huangpu River, and was the center of European trade.  There are beautiful historic buildings, as well as five star hotels & restaurants in this area.
     We had breakfast at the historic Peace Hotel.  The art deco hotel was built in the 30's, and is now owned by Fairmont.  It's really beautifully maintained and looks more like a museum than a hotel.  The murals in the lobby are of The Bund in the 40's.  They take up entire walls, and are made of hand-etched silver.  One scene shows rows of parked cars alongside men driving rickshaws - really beautiful and detailed.
      Chris had a drink in the famous Jazz Bar once with a musician friend from back home.  The Jazz Bar at the Peace Hotel was a gathering spot for writers, artists and musicians in the 40's and 50's.  They would talk, drink and smoke opium back then.  The musicians that play now have been there for such a long time, they are something of an institution.  Chris and his friend sat-in with the band that night, what a great experience!

On the Bund  

with Chairman Mao

Peace Hotel

For lunch, we walked over to Tock's Montreal Deli.  We had been meaning to come here for a long time.  The menu is very traditional deli, with homemade cole slaw, pickles and fantastic french fries.  We shared a platter of pastrami and sliced rye bread.  Chris also had an order of poutine - fries with gravy and cheese.  I really missed having great pastrami sandwiches, but now I can go to Tock's and get my fix!!

Old Navy!

Yes, there is now an Old Navy in Shanghai!  I think it may be the first in China.  It's on Nanxing Lu, next to Jing'an Temple.  Three floors, and the interior looks exactly like Old Navy back home.  I felt like I was in Pasadena the minute I stepped inside.
   Now if they would only open a Target and Trader Joe's, I would be all set….!

Later we walked down the street to the Jing'an Kerry center.  Not as crowded as the Kerry center in Pudong by our home, but with more upscale, designer stores.  We had lunch at Ippudo Hakata ramen. Really delicious, reminded us of Japan.  Then we stopped at the Candy Lab.  Handmade candy shop chain in lots of nice malls.  All the candy is in small plastic test tubes.  Odd, but cute.

Wall at Ippudo

Bee-ru

Yum - potato salad

oishii ramen yo

cutting candy

test tubes full

how many can I have?

Candy Lab

Rumors Coffee

Rumors Coffee is on Hunan Lu in French Concession.  The shop is tiny, I mean really tiny.  It's about the size of my family room back home.  It's owned by Japanese and they take their coffee very seriously.

1. Select your choice of bean off the menu.  It is measured, then ground for your single serving.  The ground coffee is poured into the filter, the grinder wiped out.  The filter is placed above a heated, small glass pitcher.
2. Hot water is poured into a silver coffee pot, while the Barista(?) gauges the temperature on a thermometer.  When the water is the precise temperature for your coffee selection, she begins to pour.
3. She gently swirls hot water onto the grounds.  Then she stops and stares.  We all stare.  The grounds begin to rise into a little swollen pillow.  She is "blooming" the coffee.  Cool.
4. She resumes pouring the hot water in slow circles on the grounds, never actually pouring onto the filter itself.  The coffee grounds continue to swell to the top.
5. Before the coffee has completely drained from the filter, she removes it.  So the last coffee in the filter never makes it into the glass pitcher.  
6. At last, the brew is poured into my cup.  Ahhh.

I always drink my coffee with milk and sweetener.  This was so good, I drank it black.  Rich and clean, but not bitter at all.  A lot of work went into making it, but it was very impressive.
There is a small sitting corner about the size of a double bed.  It has a tiny couch, table and chair.  We sat and enjoyed our coffee and people watched.
     Rumors Coffee also has two cakes on the menu.  They are made in a toaster oven next to the coffee counter.  Like cooking in an easy-bake-oven.
     My coffee was about 100rmb, or about $16 a cup.  Same as a decent glass of wine.  Not something I would have everyday, but definitely worth the trip.

Things seen on the street in Shanghai

Right around the Lunar New Year, people sell rabbits on the street.  There are Chinese folk tales about rabbits, and they are given as pets around this time.  I also saw a man selling puppies on the street.  This Samoyad puppy looks like my old dog Ginger!  If the animals are not sold as pets, I wonder if they are sold as food.  Hard to think about.

DVDs and CDs are sold on the street for nothing.  Movies come out here about 2 or 3 weeks after they are released in the US theaters.  Usually costing about 10rmb which is $1.60.  Sidewalk vendors sell skateboards, clothes, blankets, toys and hair accessories.  Love having the fresh flowers for sale.  A bunch of flowers or small potted plant is about 20rmb or $3.00.

I've seen a few of these.  Sidewalk take-out.  Usually pre-cooked meats and tofu.  A person can pull up on their motorcycle or scooter, get a bag of chicken feet and pay through the window.  All without having to park and lock your bike.  Really convenient, like drive-through back home.

 Okay,..I could do a whole blog post about the tape used to repair motor bikes here.  Duct tape, packing tape, police line tape.  The tape business is really where people should be investing money here.

Wet Markets

Going to a Wet Market is always an experience.  There are varying degrees of "good" v "bad".  I wandered down a side street by Nanxing Lu and market owners were just setting up their stalls.  These are often an 10 x 10 space.  They set-up bins or baskets of items on the curb.  This market was clean and the vegetables looked fresh.  A small noodle stand next door served locals big steaming bowls.

All kinds of eggs everywhere.  Duck, quail, pheasant, turtle, chicken, etc.  Preserved eggs, soaked eggs, fermented eggs, hundred-year eggs.  

Chris and I were in the French Concession area a few weeks ago.  European and Middle-Eastern Consulates are in this neighborhood along with beautiful old historic buildings.  We walked into a wet market that looked really nice from the outside.  This was in a large warehouse space, with vendors each taking stalls inside.  Like an indoor flea market.  

     Lots and lots of meat and seafood, but the conditions were really poor.  

The stalls themselves were full of debris and clutter.  None of the vendors had meat or seafood under ice or refrigerated.  These squids were set out on a broken tray, still smeared with ink.  The back walls were a collection of unclean pans and containers.  This scale for fish so filthy.

I think there are markets like this all over China, as well as in many, many parts of the world.  I don't know which countries have food safety laws and which do not.  I think the key is to find a market that feels clean and that you feel comfortable buying food from.  Lots of people in China will spend more to buy from City Shop, or Ole or Times - stores that carry imported items but are also clean and organized.  There are no guarantees, but more peace of mind.