I got out for a walk around Shanghai a bit yesterday afternoon.
This is actually a pretty quiet city — I think the electric bikes/mopeds have a lot to do with that. Here, there are none of those smoky, sputtering mopeds found in other cities. There are lots of regular bikes everywhere of course — but some of the electric models are pretty cool cruising along in silence.
The taxi drivers are all maniacs — but aren’t they everywhere? Cabs here are typically smallish VW sedans — I have to pretty much peel myself out of them when we arrive!
Shanghai No. 1 Department Store was a pretty amazing place. Talk about people who love to shop — this store was going full tilt yesterday afternoon when I arrived. Packed with merchandise — every manner of glitzy new telephone, digital camera, etc. as you walk in and then just floors and floors of clothing of all kinds. And, everything you buy has to be paid for with cash — as card payments simply aren’t accepted.
Last night we had dinner overlooking the Bund — a pretty spectacular stretch of real estate and old European-style architecture along the river.