Shanghai By Day

I decided when you get in after 6am, you don't start your day until after 2pm (thank goodness for blackout shades!).  I began with a refreshing swim and some tea at The Water's Edge -- the pool / spa on the 85th floor.  Great way to (attempt) to wash away the debauchery (and the hangover) from the previous night :)

Hard to feel anything but refreshed here.

Since Adam had planned out the previous night, I took the reins and mapped out our explorations for the day.  We started by heading to the Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar (garden of happiness & peace) to wander through the pavilions.

Looking far more refreshed & put together than we felt :)

We stopped for Shanghai soup dumplings at the world-famous Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant and found a shady spot to sit and enjoy:

BEST. DUMPLINGS. EVER.

We became quite the tourist attraction in our own right.  With at least 10 different people stopping by to take OUR photo, many insisting they be in it with us.  I like to think they mistook us for American celebs...more likely they wanted a photo with some crazy white people :)

A shot of me (looking very in-character with my Chinese fan - but mostly attempting to avoid melting in the heat) with the famous tea house in the background:

Since I planned the day, it mostly consisted of strolling through backstreets and wandering through markets.  I chose this street based on it's name.  I was on the lookout for Vampire Eric (like I always am) but alas, no sightings:

Fangbang Road, Shanghai

There was lots to see at the Fuyou Antique Market (many replicas and a few real artifacts - though close to impossible for us to tell the difference):

A stop at the Flower, Bird, Fish & Insect Market (exactly what it sounds like) was next.  I am happy to report that it was a tarantula-free zone:

 There were tons of gorgeous aquariums, LOTS of crickets in bamboo cages (below) (who wants that as a pet?!) and many different birds. These finches on the right, while beautiful, were definitely giving us the evil-eye.  I swear, if it weren't for those cages, they would have gone Hitchcock-style and pecked our eyes out.

GIANT crickets.

By early evening we were cashed, so we headed to a massage spa for a little afternoon indulgence.  I love to check out massages in each city I visit (the strangest to this date is still my Auravedic experience in Kerala -- Elisabeth & Gina can attest to this).  I opted for the traditional Chinese pressure-point massage (oil free) and was not disappointed.  80 minutes of bliss later, we headed back to our hotel for a quick disco nap before heading to dinner.

We traveled back to the French Concession for traditional Shanghainese cuisine at Ye Shanghai housed in a gorgeous (reconstructed) colonial home.  Afterward, we strolled through the lively Xintiandi -  an upscale entertainment complex modeled on traditional longtang homes.  We decided on a more low-key, lounge-y night and headed to el Coctel for some libations.  Located on the 2nd floor of a beautiful, colonial style structure - this place just oozed an opium-den-chic vibe and the bespoke cocktails could rival those at any of-the-moment spot in NYC.  The mirrored-hall entry helped set the mood.

Best shoe purchase ever.
Turns out neon goes with everything.

el COCTEL, Shanghai

We made it an early night and headed back to the hotel around 2am.