Shiny Shanghai

Cumulative Miles Traveled: 34,987
Current Location: Shanghai, China
Current Mood: Impressed by the mix of modernity (toilets with built in bidets and seat warmers!) and die-hard old ways (cutting in line, locals crossing the street wearing only their underpants or taking baths outside on the sidewalk)

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I am thoroughly impressed by my first 8 hours in Shanghai, 2 of which were spent in back-to-back traffic from the airport to downtown. Shanghai is so bright and shiny and brand spanking new! My first impression of Shanghai, after the horrendous traffic, was of W and E's office building, the Shanghai office of a major US law firm. The building has a doorman and an elevator man (someone who presses the button for you and escorts you to your floor). The bathroom had a Toto toilet with a built in bidet, seat warmer and seat sanitizer. I am definitely having one of those built into my own home. And the hand dryer contraption was so modern that it took me a few tries to figure out how to use it. I felt like a total hick fascinated by the big city. I adore modern architecture and modern technology.

E is a die-hard proponent of Shanghai whereas W is...a jaded hater (although I think he secretly loves it, just going through a love-hate relationship). I was oohing and aahing at the bright shiny city, the offerings of great Chinese food, the cheap prices of goods, and the lifestyle ex-pats can afford there (fully furnished 3 bedroom modern apartments for $1300, maids that cook and clean 3X a week for $12/week, drivers, etc.). The group of ex-pats we went out with for a night out on the Bund agreed that all of those things were great, but the general consensus (other than by E, who loves Shanghai unconditionally) was that if you live here, you very quickly get very tired by how "uncivilized" the locals are. The public spitting, the people who take baths on the sidewalk, the people who walk around in their underpants or pajamas, the people who cut in line...So far, I just find these practices utterly fascinating (other than the cutting in line, which annoys the crap out of me).