Of all the few cities we visited, Shanghai reminded me most of home! We separated from the group and went off on our own. We wanted to stay near the bund so we booked our hotel at the Waldorf Astoria in Shanghai, which was absolutely amazing. It was just the perfect place to end our trip. Service was impeccable and hotel was gorgeous. I even used our bidet toilet everyday. I love knowing that my toilet seat is warm before I sit on it. Oh, and I got access to facebook at our hotel. I'm not sure if it was the hotel or if I just got lucky and was able to access the page. I felt so much more connected when I was able to connect to fb, sad but true!
The weather was a lot more bearable than Beijing and was much like the weather in San Francisco. Not only was the weather better, but the city itself was a lot more modern. There were McDonald's with a 24 hour delivery service, a lot of high rises, luxury malls, beautiful buildings and much more. I felt so much safer here!
McDonald's delivery guy!
Our hotel was seriously right across the street from this spectacular view!
At the Waldorf Astoria!
Outside the Shanghai World Financial Center
We also visited the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is currently the 3rd tallest building in the world. By 6pm, all the buildings lit up and we were able to enjoy the spectacular view over on the Pudong side, where all the newer establishments and high rises were. We got a perfect view of the Jin Mao Tower (world's 10th tallest building) as well as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Through this visit, I've learned that Shanghai is seriously a fast growing city, with new establishments in the process of being built.
Besides being tourists, we also ate a lot of delicious and authentic foods. I would definitely love to come back to visit in the future. By that time, I'm sure the city would have gone through more improvements. I can't wait!