Another ancient water town 1/2 hour by Metro. For a taste of Shanghai 200 years ago, visit this traditional Chinese street that has escaped redevelopment. So much to see, so little time.

From CNNGo: "The Qibao old town is approximately 30 minutes away from Shanghai downtown by metro. Take Metro Line 9 to Qibao Station (七宝站), and Qibao Lao Jie Nan Da Jie is 10 minutes away on foot.

Be warned -- it's often crowded because the restaurants are as renowned as the old architecture. But you must try the tofu and fried rice cakes with red bean paste filling."

Read more: Shanghai Qibao old street #2 | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/eat/ho...#ixzz1b4CNVSzy

Pat - Hope you are not referring to stinky tofu. :) To me, the tofu is worst than durians which I love but I would not touch stinky tofu.

I am arriving in shanghai on the 16th, will miss it by a few days :-(

Just curious if any of you that live in shanghai speak shanghainese dialect?

Can't believe I said that! Well, I didn't - it was a quote from the CNNGo web site. Have added quote marks so it makes slightly more sense.

My inability to use chopsticks keeps me from too much adventure eating :p

spaceman, thanks for putting me down as interested but unfortunately timing won't work out for me. I'll be in Shanghai the weekend prior (Nov 4-6) so anyone there then let me know, otherwise will have to miss out on yet another China DO. :(

Looks like you all have a great schedule put together (and as much as I dislike MU, it sounds like a cool event) so enjoy!

I'm pleased to report I received my China visa today (FedEx). I mailed package off 10/12/2011 - so 9 days without my passport! SF Consulate - L visa, multiple entry, 12 months. :-: I used www.mychinavisa.com (after I saw a recommendation on FT) and was very happy with their service. However I feel the Chinese visa application process is burdensome and expensive. Including photos, this has cost $241. This is for standard service - expedited service would have been more.

Of course, having the Chinese Consulate in Toronto refuse to issue me a visa when I went there in person did not put me in a good mood. :eek:

Just need to book my hotel and get my Visa. :)

Keep your eye on this thread
 

I will be touring around China from 26 October on and will have sporadic internet access. If you want to put your name on any of the events please post on the thread and contact TravellerOnline regarding dinner Friday and the tour on Saturday, and bschaff1 regarding Saturday night dinner and the Sunday tour

As far as updates and more details on each event they should be posting them in the thread.

Looking forward to seeing all in Shanghai

Mort

Friday Night Dinner Participants
 

The following have responded (so far) as intending to attend the Dinner at:Seating Time is 6:30-7:00 PM

I intend to attend the Friday night dinner.

Update of China Do Planning
 

Make sure you checkout the first post in this thread periodically. Just made a change to the agenda for Friday and Sunday. Thanks to the generosity of our FlyerTea counterparts they are going to host an "insider's" tour of Shanghai. Since we are now going to do the tour on Friday it has been dropped from Sunday which is now open for either touring or brunch if anyone wants to get together for one.

We will probably do the trip to Zhujiajiao on either Thursday or Sunday?

Please add me to the Friday insiders' tour and dinner. Will there be dinner plans for Thursday? If so, I should be able to attend as my flight from ORD arrives mid-afternoon.

If we are changing dates around could the China Eastern tour be changed to Sunday?

I am sure the flyertalkers that work in Shanghai would appriecate that.

Great! I'm really glad the FlyerTeas are going to do this for us. It will really make a great introduction to Shanghai. Thanks.

I'm suggesting Zhuiahiao for Thursday, as it's likely to be more crowded on the weekend.

I figure we would either be back after lunch or at least before dinner, so if people want to meet for dinner Thursday I would also be up for that. Pizza Hut? (Thought not. :rolleyes:)

I will be up for Zhuiahiao and Pizza Hut. It should be interesting to dine in a Pizza Hut with Chinese Characteristics.

I am arriving the week before, on Nov 5, but my schedule over the weekend is not certain yet. I should be in Shanghai by mid-week, Tuesday or Wednesday and up for any additional activities.

I have no connection to the app, but an iPhone app I found indispensable is Shanghai Taxi Guide. It has an amazing list of places broken down by type (restaurant, bar, shopping, services) and when you click on the place you want, an contact card comes up with phone and address. On that page is a button to switch it to a taxi card that you can show your driver, No need to carry around pieces of paper to show a taxi driver. If he still doesn’t know where the place is, you can just click on the phone number and then hand over the phone.

Great app.

Wish I could join you all there. I know you’ll have a great time.

I am interested in the China Eastern Airline tour on Sat. Please put down my name.
 

I gotta hear about this next time I see you at a Do.

The last time I was in Shanghai, I was told that the local KFC have congee and a few other local Chinese items. I did not try it though.

I did, however, get to try the local Coldstone Creamery, twice. I also got to try the Haagen Dazs retail store, with the excellent ice cream, as one would expect from a HD store, served with Chinese Characteristics, in the form of some very rude attitude from the waitress.

I have a place and am working in Haimen, north of Shanghai, now and with only about 200 some "foreigners" there, not much choice for western food, except Pizza Hut and KFC (a definite pass there) but Starbucks recently opened. So, tried the Pizza Hut. Good salads-something that you usually don't find in the local eateries- but still the same bad pizza and marginal pasta dishes. But when you need it, it's there. And for about US$10, a small pizza with salad and fruit juice drink is not too bad, though high by Chinese standards. And more "upscale" interior that the usual American Pizza Hut store. The other US pizza chain, Papa Johns, recently opened in Nantong, where more ex pats live and work. Just got an apartment in Nantong where I stay 5 nights a week, so will probably try it as well, at least until I open my Chicago pizza restaurant-definitely a dream.

I really wish I could make it up to Shanghai to tour the MU training facility... Those full-motion sims look awesome!

Unfortunately the date is set in stone

I'd like to change my status to confirmed and also put wijomas on the list. We'll both be there.. Anybody else staying in a Hyatt property, or are most people in Hilton?

We land from ORD at 3pm, so we'll likely miss any festivities during the day, but can meet up for dinner & the tour on Saturday, etc..

See you in Shanghai ^

on Friday. :p


Not sure, but I may have the award for longest routing:

AKL-MEL-LAX-SFO-DFW-MCI-ORD-PVG-ORD-MCI-ORD-SFO-LAX-SYD-AKL - 38163 miles. Shame it doesn't all count towards the AA EXP challenge... :p

Wherever you stay you'll need to make sure there's a McDonalds nearby for you-know-who:D They're everywhere so you shouldn't have a problem.

My McNose is well trained

Check Post #2 for a list of attendees and where some of us are staying.

Both FriendlySkies and I will be at the Friday dinner too. Doubt there'll be much I can eat but I'm happy to pay either way, I'm sure there will be something I can pick at. :D

Friday Shanghai Highlight Tour
 

Here is a rough plan for the Friday tour. There will be two vans to seat about 10 persons. I think 8 have already been signed up (Need to check with Mort on this). For those who have already signed up the tour, please take a look at the itinerary and provide feedbacks. Please bear in mind that this is just an initial plan. If you feel strongly about including some other places, we will do our best to accommodate these requests. Thanks.

------------------------------------------------------
9:30am (or 10am): meet at xxx hotel
We can designate 2 hotels since we have two vehicles. Please let us know where most people stay.

9:30AM - 11:30AM Visist Bund and Pudong Lujiazhui Area

Bund, also called the Zhongshan Road, is a famous waterfront and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. The most famous and attractive sight which is at the west side of the Bund are the 52 various buildings of different architectural styles including Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Classicism and the Renaissance. The Bund was the centre of Shanghai's politics, economy and culture hundreds of years ago, consulates of most countries and many banks, businesses and newspaper offices were settled there.

Pudong Lujiazhui Area is the most common image of Shanghai, the skyscrapers. We will visit some of the tallest buildings in China: Pearl TV Tower, IFC, and if time permits, take a walk along the waterfront.

11:30am go to Yuyuan Garden and Old Street
That's where the old Shanghai city is, with lots of shops and tourists, and surprisingly quite a few wholesale markets around it.

12:00-13:00 We have lunch at Lu Bo Lang (Green Wave Pavilion) restaurant RMB 100 per person.
Old and famous Shanghainese restaurant in Yu Bazaar. Obviously a bit touristy, it nonetheless serves up reasonably priced local food in pleasant surroundings. We will walk around Yu Garden after lunch.

14:00 - 16:00 Visit Xingtiandi and Hengshan Road French Concession
XingTianDi:
Widely considered the most successful urban redevelopment in China, XingTiandi is an affluent car-free shopping, eating and entertainment district of Shanghai, China. It is composed of an area of reconstituted traditional shikumen ("stone gate") houses on narrow alleys, some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls. Most of the cafes and restaurants feature both indoor and outdoor seatings. Xintiandi has an active nightlife on weekdays as well as weekends, though romantic settings are more common than loud music and dance places. Xintiandi means "New Heaven and Earth",[1] and is considered one of the first lifestyle centers in China.

Hengshan Road:
Hengshan Road formerly Avenue Petain, is a street in the former Shanghai French Concession of Shanghai. A major thoroughfare that connected the heart of the French Concession with the Catholic district of Zikawei (Xujiahui), the boulevarde was for much of the 20th century the centre of Shanghai's premier residential district. Since the 1990s, many of the mansions along the road have been converted into bars, night clubs, and restaurants, and is one of Shanghai's more vibrant nightlife districts and popular particularly among expatriates.

16:00 Back to hotels to take a rest
or we can take you guys to TianZhiFang (See below).

Other Places and Things to Do in Shanghai
Shanghai Museum
Shanghai Museum, known as the Museum of Ancient ChineseArt, was established in 1952. You will find more than 120,000 precious and rare works of art in 21 categories. In addition to the 11 galleries. entertainments

TianZhiFang
A more native version of Xingtiandi, where there are lots of art galleries, restaurants, and shops. What sets it apart is that this is not a commercial development like Xingtiandi and there are actually people living there. It's a good place to take a stroll, take pictures, have a bite or do a bit shopping.

Acrobat Show Era a multimedia theatrical spectucular
http://www.era-shanghai.com/era/en/spotlight/


Tips:
Most tourists take a ride to World Financial Center's 92nd Floor Observatory at top of the tallest building in China (in the same building where Park Hyatt is) for a RMB150 ticket. We noticed a Groupon-type of deal for RMB59/person (http://t.58.com/sh/4065772430722 -- Unfortunately in Chinese). You can buy it at this web site. That deal is going to expire in 5 days. If you need help to navigate through the Chinese web site, please let us know.

I haven't signed up yet but can I do so now? I've never been to Shanghai before but the itinerary sounds good. ^ Pickup from Le Royal Meridien preferred. Thanks.

I'm sorry, I missed the information about signing up, thought it was still the on foot and metro as originally planned for Sunday (with Bschaff2).

I'm very interested in this and would like to sign up now if possible. thank you.

I have signed up for the Saturday event and dinner, but I can't attend the Friday dinner.

That's what I was thinking.

Please sign me up for the city tour. The program looks great and covers several of the places I had on my "things to do list."

I am very interested in visiting TianZhiFang so am up for going there as part of the tour, but will go along with the majority decision.

Pickup from Le Royal Meridien would be great!

TravellerOnline - Thank you for posting the Friday Shanghai Highlight Tour. I haven't signed up yet, but can I do so now? The itinerary sounds great. I will be at the Hilton that morning. :)

Going from Xintiandi to Hengshen Road and then back to Tianzifang requires a fair amount of backtracking. I would advise you guys to do visit Hengshan Lu, Fuxing Lu, Yongfu Lu, etc in the evening instead.

We'll be landing at 3pm Friday, so we'll miss the morning festivities. Staying at the Grand Hyatt both nights, so if anybody is staying near us, we'd be happy to split a cab to the Westin on Saturday. I'm also happy to bring anybody into the Grand Club at the Hyatt for drinks, etc.. :)

New interested person here. I just found that fares went down to Shanghai and put one on hold til tomorrow if I can get the other logistics worked out. I'm told 2-3 days expedited visa is possible. Fare is not as great as I found a couple weeks ago, but gives me the miles I need for the year.

Will report back either way.

Google Translate does a pretty good job on the page where you fill things out. It requires them sending a text message to your phone with a code that you input somewhere to get your coupon. But the price is right!
But I'm thinking a visit to Cloud 9, the bar on the 87th floor of the Hyatt might be just as worthwhile and about the same cost.

Trying to google translate the site for the financial tower tour, but am getting this message. Would somebody mind translating it?


http://pic2.58.com/n/tuan/v2/weihu.gif

Hmmm, when I checked yesterday Google Translate did the job for me but here's what I think is the salient part of the website courtesy of Google Translate:

It looks like these tickets are only valid Monday to Friday. I'm not sure if tickets have a fixed time of entrace but it sounds like it.

Actually I quite like lili's idea of a visit to Cloud 9. ^

Check a post back in August from rbAA that said he was staying at the Grand Hyatt and planned on hosting a cocktail party at Cloud 9 on Saturday night.