Shanghai : must do.., dont miss.., accommodation tips...

One day and no ideas? Please help! I am still hoping for insider tips!!! Especially about the hostel question...

good day. i am shan-ese. for my view, maybe you can try some traditional of CHINA, all kinds of food in small shops. WUJIANG RD. maybe you can find more than twenty kinds of dumplings.

welcome to shanghai

This is a really interesting and helpful homepage rash, thanks!

Wow, 西藏!!! Excited for you!
When I went to Shanghai for vacation, I stayed in Rujia Home Inn, they have lots of branches if I'm not mistaken. I stayed in the one in Changning District, pretty decent.

Odd seeing couples trying to check in at 2 in the morning though, with nothing but a purse.

Hmmm.

chillosk, ha ha, sounds exciting this place! Maybe I will end up the same if i dont start to prepare my trip properly ;-)

Would you say Changning district is good to stay? I am really, really bad prepared for Shanghai until now...wasnt quite sure if we fly at all as I mentioned above...

If you leave Shanghai via train I suggest using 南站 (south station) it's made of glass and steel and is kind of cool if you're into that sort of thing. 

Oh, and ride the Maglev from the airport into the city if you like really fast trains.  It's worth the extra few RMB to ride it at least once.

Gesang, I just got back from Shanghai a few weeks ago.  A few areas you should definitely try to get to are Taikang Lu where there are lots of cool restaurants, shops, and galleries along narrow streets.  It is really worth a visit.  Also visited Morganshan Lu along the Suzhou creek where the new contemporary Beijing artist warehouses are.  Very cool.  And Xintiandi is a great restaurant/ entertainment area.  There is also a new restaurant and entertainment area along the South Bund called Cool Docks.  Stop in at Spring Sunrise and tell them "David" sent you.  He is another C-poddie and it is his friend's classic rock bar.

It goes without saying that you will visit Chinesepod.  The new digs are really sweet.  But my favorite part of the trip was having dinner with Vera (my practice plan teacher)along with her mother and brother.  They were so gracious and Vera ordered all the Shanghai specialties.  The restaurant was on the Pudong side of Shanghai which, to me, has a similar vibe as Hong Kong. 

We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel near the old town.  They are doing a lot of construction work there right now putting in a new subway stop, so the prices were great!  Once inside the hotel it was quiet, so you may want to look check for bargains there.

Another fun thing to do is to go into the wholesale shops that are in buildings located in old town.  It is stall after stall, floor after floor of what could be construed as either junk or treasures.  My friend makes jewelry and found great jade pieces extremely cheap.  There was a Tibetan shop with prices better than I found in Tibet.  It is fun to go through from a cultural perspective as well.  They have a lot of shops for chinese wedding supplies which are fun to see.  And while you are in the old town area, don't forget to stop for xiaolongbao.  Yum!

I thought about going to Hangzhou by train, so maybe I will see this fancy station :-)! 

Wow, thanks very much wei1xiao4! 

I will copy those places in my notebook, too!

And yes, I think I try to visit Chinesepod! One more (really good) chance to thank them for their great work!!! 

Hangzhou is definitely worth the trip.  If I remember correctly it is a little over an hour by train.  Beautiful, clean, interesting city, easy trip from Shanghai.  Go if you have time.  We also visited Suzhou which is another short trip on the train from Shanghai.  The gardens there were just amazing and I.M. Pei, the famous architect is from Suzhou, and designed the museum there. 

I would suggest Hotel 168, or using CTRIP.COM to book a cheap hotel.  The difference between a hostel won't be much, and you'll have access to your own bathroom, internet, and the perks of a hotel room.  I've found that I can often get a hotel pretty darn close to the price of a hostel if Im diligent enough in searching. 

For cheap but nice and clean someone had recommended

http://www.jinjianginns.com/en/?Language=Res_English

I have not had a chance to go look but its on my list.

Gesang, I have also had the opportunity to travel to Tibet.  Have you been before?  If not, I recommend that you take a medication before hand that increases your blood receptivity to oxygen. It really helps with altitude sickness, which is no joke in Tibet. You must take it a few days before you leave for Tibet.  Let me know if you need details on this.  I'll call my doctor to get you the details.  I also should have used it in Shangrilila, but I underestimated its altitude at the time. 

 wei1xiao4 this is really nice :), thanks for your concern!!! but i am very happy I dont have any problems with high altitude. I went to Tibet twice and all I feel is that my heart is beating like after a 500m sprint when I climb the stairs to my hotel room 3rd floor in Lhasa the first days. at 5200m, highest pass i have to cross I got a little headache once...but it is only in the car..I didnt have to walk/climb..there!

I am very lucky. I heard you are like born with this or not. Very fit people can have problems at 2000m ..(I am definatly not a fit and sporty type person!;-))

Where did you go in Tibet? I only know the west, but hope to go to Kham one day!

Is this Shangrila in North Yunnan, also Zhongdian or something like that? I went there 3 years ago! I loved the trip there, landscape is amazing! 

Thank you RJ!,

I just checked your link and I think I have to choose which part of Shanghai I want to stay first then :-)!! There seem to be tons of jinjiang Inns all over Shanghai!:-)

but the prices seem to be o.k.. I think from what I read today 140-190yuan is the lowest price for a hotel room..(anyone knows better??) 

Hehe...hope you visit C-pod and be part of Dear Amber!

Wow, Justin, thanks for the compliment ;-)! But I think I am not able to talk when I make it to visit CPOd. I will be to excited to meet KEN;-)! I am one of his greatest fans!

 我们的 Gesa 心动了. :-)  That makes 3 fans Ken has. (just kidding). Be sure to ask him about lexical density. Actually I like the guy too.  (in a lexical kind of way).

Okay, you have to eat in Baoluo！ I forgot the address though, but a quick search on the net will give it to you! It's for me the best Shanghai restaurant! Plus, it's cheap!!!

I also remember Jenny mentioned Suzhou in a lesson once... something about traditional South-Chinese houses..

it was a good idea to start this thread, when I got my "visa positive" news yesterday i didnt know how to start preparing my private travel part in september! Now I think I will have to stop myself soon, because there is also many work stuff to prepare in the last week here... But I will have many quiet evenings in Tholing, Westtibet to work out the travel plans!