aztimm

Thanks all for the help!

I'm now more open to staying the first night in Shanghai, then going onward the next day.

So now I'm considering the following options:
1. Nanjing (original choice), and staying at either Hilton
2. Hangzhou, staying at the Doubletree (about 40 min by subway)
3. Suzhou, there's a Hilton about 30 min from most sites.

I guess the real question, which I'm not sure anyone can answer, is where will I see the smallest crowds?
One of the only times I remember not being in a crowd out and about in China was when I did a hike along the Great Wall in a remote area, so I know it is all relative.

I just downloaded the DiDi app. Between the Hilton Nanjing Riverside and the Confucius Temple is CNY36, which works out to about US$5. For that price I probably would just use DiDi to get around and not even bother with the subway. Makes Nanjing even more tempting. I just connected a credit card to DiDi, so I guess it will work like Uber.

Edited to add: after watching the video JPDM posted above, I'm not nearly as hesitant to just go with my original plan of going straight from PVG to the train station). I'll decide in the next few days (hotel prices will probably start going up as the time draws near).