ISpyShanghai

Wuding Lu, Xinzha Lu, Changde Lu, YuYuan Lu; these are the streets of my neighbourhood. These are the streets I’m really getting to know in Shanghai.

Even though my apartment building is pretty new and swanky, it’s dropped in the middle of an old neighbourhood where Shanghainese people live in the same old-fashioned falling-down houses. The car park of my building is full of Buicks and Chryslers, but the outside wall is always wet because the market stalls opposite don’t have inside toilets. 

See anything you like? On Wuding Lu

This weekend I didn’t leave the neighbourhood once, and stayed within walking distance of my place the entire time. I found a great English magazine / bookshop (@ Wuding Lu nr Shaanxi Lu), sent a gift to my Aunt in Seattle (a Buddha Box from Changde Lu / Xinzha Lu, sent @ Fedex behind Grand Plaza), got my winter trousers fixed (@ Jing-An market, YuYuan Lu) ate Beijing style food (wasn’t so good) and the best spring rolls I’ve ever had (@ 650 YuYuan Lu- Chinese menu only, lucky Emma was there).

This woman fixed three pairs of trousers for 40RMB. That’s less than 7RMB a leg.

Before I came to Shanghai I posted a question on flickr about where to live, and the answer came back: Jing-An. I’m very glad I took the advice, because it’s the bizzle around here.