Do you like the past with all its glamour?
Or do you like the future with all its "under construction-ness"?
In defense of the future (I like the past better), I have to mention that the future can be quite fast. And I LIKE it!!!
The fastest (and most boring looking inside) train on the planet. Wheee!
Wasn't kidding about how plain it looks inside...
On the outside, plain is necessary for speed!
Compared with a few years back, Shanghai has more touristy spots for visitors. Since Xintandi has been such a success, there are other retro shopping streets opening up. Like this one near my bud's place in Puxi.
Shanghai new old tourist street. A lot of locals here
On Saturday AM there were a lot of locals here. I was here with my bud (who is NOT Chinese) and we were hit with "copy watch" and all sorts of hawking for junk.
We were looking for a snack, so we followed the crowd
Voila, a very big xiaolongbao. So big you had to stab it with a straw...
I went to the Din Tai Fung in Xintiandi for real xiaolongbao. Delicious in so many ways! Mostly in the beef noodle soup and 5 xiaolongbao way. And unlike much of Shanghai, the service here was excellent.
This is how a regular sized (and yummy) xiaolongbao looks like
And here are some other diners, for that "you are here" experience.
They were taking a lot of pix. Of me, their food and of each other. Glad I had a good hair day.
Aftermath...
The big bao is called 汤包 (TangBao) which translates literally to Soup Bun.