Shanghai’ed
Oriental Pearl
Don’t get your hopes up Charlie Chaplin fans, this isn’t a post about the 1914 comedy, or about me getting kidnapped.
On the contrary, I had a beautiful room in the St. Regis, and they pretty much had to get security to remove me. We had a lovely room on the club floor, and I even had charming masseuse give me an in room massage and draw me a bath with rose petals.
We spent several days in Shanghai and it was my favorite stop on our Chinese tour. It was a cosmopolitan city, and had a very European feel. It is the financial center of China, and is separated by the river.
Can’t Miss:
1) The Bund: Area by the River, scenic, pretty, shops, restaurants
2) SWFC Observatory- This is one of the tallest observatories in the world, I think it used to be the tallest before the one in Dubai that just opened. It is 110 stories high, 492 meters high. Compare that with the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago at 442 meters, the Empire State Building in NYC at 381 meters, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris at 324 meters. When we got up there, the floor was partially glass. You can look down 110 stories, I won’t lie, my palms were sweaty and my pulse picked up. If you are afraid of heights at all, this will make you severely uncomfortable most likely. We went at night as well, and it made picture taking harder, but it was really pretty and different. LOVED IT.
3) The Oriental Pearl – This is also an observation tower, and an icon of the Shanghai skyline. It is smaller than the SWFC at 468 meters, but I actually liked it better. The view is slightly better, and there are several cafes and cutesy shops (think Hello Kitty in Shanghai).
4) The City Temple of Shanghai- Beautiful architecture, it just didn’t look real. The details and the colors everywhere were just amazing, exactly what you would picture from China.
5) Club Level at the St. Regis – The club level at the St. Regis overlooks the city, and comes with several presentations a day- as well as my favorite- open bar!!! Every night we would relax after a full day in the city with our wine, bourbons, or G&Ts and watch the city lights.