jerseygirl

Was able to look at both yu garden and Zongshen hotels on map and have decided to keep the yu garden renaissance reservation
I do want to see the gardens and close enough to walk to bund. Do not want to use subways if I can walk

May I ask why you think yu gardens are a negative?

moondog

-ten minute attraction (1 hour if you indulge in .小龙包).
-the area around the hotel has almost nothing nice on offer
-you're close to the bund but not on the bund

-zhongshan park is a little far out in the opposite direction for my tastes but will give you a much more fulfilling shanghai experience if it is your only other option (the Portman is your best bet if the point levels are comparable)

travelinmanS

You and 20,000 of your closest mainland friends hustling around a garden that frankly isn't anything special at all. I've yet to meet a tourist who enjoyed the experience. To reach this eden you need to run the gauntlet of hustlers selling you crap for about 500 meters. Yelling, smoking, and spitting will be in abundance as well. There is nothing around the hotel besides the Yu gardens. That's why few recommend it.

That being said, if you're willing to take the Subway then the Yu garden Renaissance is close to Line 10 which will get you to the French Concession and Xintiandi very quickly and is only one stop away from the Line 2 transfer. I still recommend Zhongshan park though, for access to Line 2 and the lounge on the top floor of an awesome skyscraper that gives you a fantastic view of Jing'an and Pudong in the distance.