Stewart Girls Take Shanghai

I apologize my blogging has been so intermittent and unthoughtful this last month. I have been so busy with guests... which I'm certainly not complaining about.  It was a blessing to have my sister with me in this big city for 4 weeks and my momma for 2.5 weeks.  We had a blast together and I was so grateful to be able to share this interesting place with them.  I've included a few images from our time together...

HCS arrives at PVG, how was business class sissy? :)

 Unfortunately, no one really told me about rainy season until it hit Shanghai.  Beginning June 1, it rained for about 3 weeks straight... also unfortunately included in that was about the first 7-8 days of Hannah's trip.  Needless to say, she was not impressed.  I kept her positive and kept yummy Western food in her tummy and she made it through.  The first day the sky cleared I sent her on the double decker all city tourbus...

Hannah's great pic of Pudong skyline with tour go-ers in the red hats

 Franny showed up a few days later, and although we were late to the airport to pick her up, she was so excited to see the girls! There aren't many things better that seeing your momma after a few months.  She had a rough go of traveling - who knew you could actually get downgraded from business class? Poor Franny!

Lujiazui

Park Hyatt - Living Room,
Floor 87 SWFC

After a yummy sushi dinner, we took a few more pictures!

Hannah on top of the world -
Oriental Pearl TV Tower!

Girls Night Out on the Bund. Aside from these great pictures, we were asked to take many pictures with local people. Its still flattering....

Below, Hannah and Franny posing with the Lujiazui skyline in the background. Also, Hannah and I doing the signature Theta Kite.  Theta Magazine worthy? What do you think girls?

 Dinner at Lost Heaven, serving food from the Yunnan region near Tibet.  The girls were getting better with their chopsticks with every meal!

The girls enjoyed a sunny day out on the Shanghai Hop-On, Hop-Off tour bus.  Here is Franny at the Yuyuan Garden and Old Town area.

One night, we decided Mexican was a necessity and we headed to Catina Agave for an evening on the patio with margaritas.  When we arrived some workmen were jackhammering on the corner nearby - at 5pm on a Sunday! It was a bit distracting but after the first two margs they stopped, so we were able to enjoy a few more.  We have a pretty good time together....

Me and Franny at Cantina Agave

My amazing sister

Headed home on the metro!

Week 1 Highlights

This post I will share some of the great images from Adam's first week in Shanghai. 

One night we headed our for dinner a couple metro stops away and as we were walking to the restaurant, Adam saw something that he thought really interesting.  This bike was rigged up with about 100 boxes.  This is not that uncommon - seeing bicycles rigged up to transport things throughout the city.  Everything from food, to shoes, to construction equipment this is how they transport it here.  I can't even recall seeing a semi truck in the last 2 months.

the supply chain industry within Shanghai

 On Tuesday night, Adam and I were joining my friend Kimberly for our regularly scheduled Tuesday night dinners.  We decided we needed to get out once a week and try different places and just make it a regular thing.  This week we were headed to a place called Lost Heaven, with food from the Yunnan region which in the most southwestern province of China and borders Tibet, Burma, Laos and the Sichuan province of China.  The food is somewhat spicy and unique.  Also, they have really cool photography that depicts the region.  Kim and I have actually been before, but thought it would be great to bring our guests (Kim's 70+ year old aunts were here for 10 days!).  Plus, its at the Bund and it would be great to share it with them after dark.  

First though, Adam and I decided to take the metro at rush hour where were would have to make a transfer at People's Square the biggest metro stop in the system.  There are 20 exits to the street - and 3 lines connect here!  Below you can see our view as we entered the platform.

People's Square platform at rush hour

Also, I've been playing with editing some photos - I thought this was kind of fun!

Kim's aunts were awesome.  One lives in Chicago and one in Costa Rica where they grew up.  They were troopers and I hope that I am that full of life at that age.  They were really fun!

Kimberly and the tias (aunts)

After dinner, we headed down to the Bund for Adam to experience it after dark.  Unfortunately, my camera does not do it justice but you get the idea.

Adam with the skyline of Lujianzui (Pudong)

They have a bull similar to the one in the financial district in NYC
You can see the Bund style buildings in the background

Adam with the lights of East Nanjing Pedestrian Rd
on our way back to the metro stop

Another night we were in the same area and Adam found Yao Ming!
Madame Tussauds of course!

On Friday, Kim organized a fun outing! We had the opportunity to partake in one of the favorite activities of the Chinese people - Karaoke! We headed to the KTV around the corner of the office with some of Kim's chinese colleagues.  It was a blast - we sung both English and Chinese songs! And we were dying at some of the videos they played on the TV for the western pop songs.  I accidentally requested 3 Lady Gaga songs in a row and they wouldn't let me sit down!  Adam managed to not get peer pressured into getting up - no surprises there!

Adam and I at KTV

The crew at KTV

We had a great first week! So much more to explore!

Apple obsession & Lujiazui

Adam has always had an interest and love for China.  Interested in the business, the culture, the growth, the people... so, when we began discussing this assignment Adam was so supportive with much excitement and anticipation because he knew he would have the opportunity to see it first hand.  Now of course he was supportive for many other reasons, but we were pretty happy to have the opportunity to experience this interesting place.  When we have discussed vacations or places we would like to travel, I don't know how many times I said lets go explore Europe - Paris, Rome, Greece; Adam's response was always not until we go to China.  China first.

Well, here in begins Adam's exploration of this place.

Adam also likes Apple. The business side of course (well, and the products - love the iPad!), so aside from following the stock, he had the opportunity to watch the store while he was here!  In the building connected to my apartment is one of the 4 Apple stores in China. There are currently 1.3 BILLION people and 4 stores; 2 in Shanghai and 2 in Beijing.  A quote from City Weekend - a local weekly magazine - "40,000 - the number of customers who visit China's Apple Store per day.  That's four times the average for the company's American stores."  High demand! Over the course of his trip we visited 3 of 4 of the stores and even got to witness the release of the iPad 2 and White iPhone.  The photo below is outside the store connected to my building - and you can see the people all in the queue and security about every 10 yards.  I think this was white iPhone release - he was loving it!

Adam outside Apple in Shanghai

Adam arrived around 9pm Friday, so I needed to keep him awake and moving all day Saturday so that  he could adjust to the 12 hour time difference as quickly as possible.  So, we went exploring.

It was a fairly clear day, so I decided it would be good to take him over to the Pudong side of the river to see the big buildings - the new Shanghai.  We jumped on the metro and headed to the first stop across the river, Lujiazui.  The public transportation in Shanghai, mostly metro, is another favorite of Adam's - and not just the cheap cost, the people watching and cultural aspect of it too - but you can't beat the cost - maximum of 4 RMB per ride, thats less than a buck! So right as you exit the metro stations at Lujiazui, you are engulfed by the tallest buildings in Shanghai.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

Adam with the SWFC, Jin Mao, and new building being built (see cranes)

Adam with Puxi building in back, plus the Super Brand Mall to the left

Apple store #2 - the largest in China, its all under ground though!

view of all the bicycles lining the street - where are all the people?

Adam in the Super Brand Mall - a funny name for a mall
but pretty accurate - 6 floors of most stores you can think of

view from the street
Jin Mao in foreground, SWFC in background

They are building a structure that will surpass the SWFC
supposed to be done around 2014 - got a long way to go!

After a wonderful lunch at Din Tai Fung, we decided to check out the observatory in the Shanghai World Financial Center, the tallest building in Shanghai.  Adam does not love heights, so we opted for the 94th floor observatory - although the 100th floor offers a glass floor - maybe I can get one of guests to brave it up there!

view of 94th floor of SWFC - a little hazy

window washers outside 94th floor
Adam was not interested in that line of work!

Adam with the Jin Mao
I've always wanted to do a picture like this!

We had a great day seeing New Shanghai - Adam still needed a nap though!  After 24 hours of traveling and having your time flipped upside down, I couldn't blame him.