Approximately two days after I returned to Shanghai from my
home trip last summer, I got some exciting news from my mom.
“One year is way too long to not see you. How would you feel about us visiting Shanghai
over Chinese New Year again?”
“That sounds great Mom! Would you like to see some other
cities in China? Maybe take a hop over
to Japan?” I asked.
“I think we would like to stay in Shanghai this time. There’s a lot to see in the city, right?” she
asked.
“Sure Mom!” I
immediately started to panic. How was I
going to keep my parents entertained for ten days in Shanghai? Many places were going to be closed for
Spring Festival.
I am happy to report seven months later, Mom, Dad, Chris and
I had a great time visiting some old favorite sites and some new places I had
been meaning to visit. Here are some of
the highlights of the trip.
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| It was great to see my parents. We had not visited in person since last July. |
A Ride on the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel
In my opinion, all visitors to Shanghai need to experience
the tackiness of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.
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| Eerie music, lasers, and flowery narration make the Bund Sightseeing tunnel a delightful way to cross the Huangpu river. |
A Trip to the Pearl Tower
Even though it was relatively cloudy, we had a great time
catching a panoramic view of Shanghai.
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| I no longer fear hanging out on the plexiglass floor. |
Shanghai Municipal History Museum
If you want a quick history of Shanghai, the Municipal History
Museum is a great place to explore.
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| The museum is located in the basement of the Pearl Tower. This museum had been on my list for some time. |
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| Mom and Dad had a great time checking out the artifacts. |
Hongqiao Pearl Market/ Science and Technology Metro Stop
Mom was in hot pursuit of some gold pearls, so we headed to
the Hongqiao Pearl Market and the Science and Technology Metro Market.
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| Mission accomplished! |
M&M World
We had a great time taking the Nanjing Dong Lu shuttle to
M&M world for a sweet treat.
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| It was fun to hang out with Ms. Green! |
Chinese New Year at Yuyuan Gardens
As per our family tradition, we headed to Yu Gardens to
check out the crowds on Chinese New Year Day.
Even though there wasn’t a big lantern display this year, we had a great
time ducking into shops.
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| After the tragedy at the Bund, the Lantern Festival activities were greatly scaled back at Yu Gardens. |
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| Fortunately, there were a few lanterns on display. |
Shanghai Urban Planning Museum
The Urban Planning Museum is a great place to see how
Shanghai has evolved over the years. We
had a great time walking among the dioramas and checking out old photos of
Shanghai.
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| If you are interested in maps, and dioramas the Urban Planning Museum is a great place to visit. |
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| We had a great time finding our apartment in the third floor diorama. |
Jing An Temple
My parents aren’t big temple people, but they enjoyed
visiting the Jing An Temple. The gold
lions and other statues made beautiful pictures.
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| We had a nice time wandering through the Buddhist temple. |
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| JingAn was decked out for New Year. |
ERA Intersection of Time at Circus World
Since it was a wee bit cold and rainy, we decided to check
out the acrobats at Circus World.
I couldn't take pictures for copyright purposes, so I stole a couple of shots from their website.
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| I am always amazed at the acrobats' flexibility. |
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| My favorite part of the show was watching seven motorcycles in a steel cage. |
Museum of the First National Congress of the Chinese
Communist Party/ Shikumen
My Dad is a history buff, so we figured my parents would
enjoy a visit to the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Party.
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| The display of the first congress was creepily fascinating. |
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| It was nice to see the inside of a Shikumen. (A Chinese Lane home) |
Whenever I’m around my parents, I tend to eat a LOT more
food than usual. This holiday was no
exception. While my Mom and Dad aren’t
huge Chinese food fans, I was able to get them to try a couple new places.
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| We ate a yummy western Chinese New Year's Eve meal of spoedinis, salad, potatoes, oranges and macaroons. |
Xiaolongbao Lunch
Every person on this earth should try Xiaolongbao, so we had
an amazing lunch at Din Tai Fung.
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| My Dad was a HUGE fan of xiaolongbao. He audibly approved. |
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| Mom thought the dumplings were tasty too! |
High Tea at the Fairmont Peace Hotel
When Chris was at work, Mom and I had a tea party at the
Fairmont Peace Hotel. Dad tagged along
for the yummy tea and sandwiches.
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| The pastries and sandwiches were delicious. Dad had a great time at the tea party! |
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| The lobby was beautiful! |
Hot Pot at Haidilao
My parents are not exactly adventurous foodies, so I figured
a non-spicy hot pot dinner would be fun.
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| Dad enjoyed the hot pot. |
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| Mom wasn't a fan. |
Haagen-Dazs
While they have Haagen-Dazs in the States, Chinese Haagen-Dazs
has pretty deserts so we made a couple of ice-cream runs.
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| The berry Valentine's Day special was yummy! |
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| The ice cream made up for the hot pot. |
There were many other places I would have loved to show my
parents, but we ran out of time. Some
other places we missed or previously visited are:
The Shanghai Museum
A Huangpu River Cruise
A Big Red Bus Tour
Tianzifang
The MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art)
It was wonderful to give my parents a peek at our Shanghai
life. I miss them already!
