I second all of Wilbo523’s suggestions. There is also a Sex Museum in town, but I never made it there.
Or you can just gaze at the skyline, and watch the skyscrapers sprout up as you watch.
Definitely have a local friend take you out to some restaurants that the tourists don’t frequent. There is amazing food there, nothing like the Chinese Food you see in the West. The Muslim section of Shanghai has some awesome food, too.
Don’t eat any uncooked food, unless it’s fruit you peeled yourself, and don’t drink tap water or beverages with ice. Traveler’s diarrhea won’t kill most healthy adults. But it sucks. You can’t see the sights because they’re too far from a toilet. I lost my last day in Shanghai to this when I went to China last year
Don’t run, or do anything outside that would make you breathe heavily. The pollution is much worse than most Americans are used to.
(posting from a pda and hit submit accidentally).
The Bund out through many of the French consession areas broken up by some good local restaurants is nice. Art Deco architecture tours, visit the catholic cathedral or eat in one of 2 converted russian orthodox temples.
Would you find a buddhist temple interesting or eating vegetarian food?
I second that everyone I’ve ever taken to a River Twn has enjoyed it. Zhujiajiao is the closest, tongli or zhouzhuang the nicest Ybut developed) with good cuisine different from Shanghai, and at least a half dozen other river towns.
If you like architecture, then the city planning commuission is cool.
give me an idea of types of things you like in general and I can feedback on anything that might be available along those lines. I lived there the past 12 years and left in June.
I generally like food, and I like history/anthropology type stuff. Museums are attractive (though not art museums), as are culturally significant parks and buildings. I like the idea of the acrobats.
What is at the Expo 2010? what could I expect there?
Seriously, I didn’t go. My family all did but the main sites are pretty disappointing with very long lines and nothing really special inside the pavillions.
You might find some of the local corp pavillions and industry sites interesting. I heard the SAIC - General Motors one was quite good. I would give it all a miss unless you get the opinion of someone you trust about seeing something really worthwhile and what that might be.
I highly suggest you go on walks through the French concession area if the weather is nice (and it should be). Just meander and even better if you have a restaurant suggestions. Like this place:
上海申粤轩丁香花园店
地址：上海市徐汇区华山路849号丁香花园内
电话(Tel)：021-62511166
it’s the best dim sum I ever found in Shanghai. The restaurant is set inside a private park reserved for former high ranking government leaders. It features a villa built for the 9th wife of an early Shanghaiese industrialist. Mao’s wife Jiang Qing hung out there during the cutural revolution. It’s in the French Concession area. Tree lined streets with lots of cul de sacs and pre-revolutionary villas in the neighborhood.
You could eat hairy crab. The best experience is to have it at someones home. (and I’m not being tounge in cheek)
There’s not a lot of history in Shanghai. It’s a fairly new city. As mentioned earlier the river towns might be interesting. You might like the YuYuan Gardens. This is in the old “walled city” of Shanghai. Extremely touristy and not much original history left. again, you could make a walking tour to get there and then make sure you eat the xiaolongbao. 小笼包。Xiaolongbao dumplings are famous in Shanghai, and the most famous ones can be had here in the Yuyuan Gardens. Even better if you have a local guide take you. And if the crowds for the xiaolongbao are too big, just keep going up the stairs for the restaurant. The higher you go, the more expensive and the shorter the lines. Seriously, starts at about $2 a serving on the ground floor and then a private room requires like $100 total for everyone.
Ruijin bingguan 瑞金兵官 is probably another walking eating destination. Again, grand pre revolutionary art deco hotel on massive park like grounds in the old neighborhood (again I think it was the french concession).
The Zhujiajiao River town - not the best one but everyone I ever took there liked it a lot. It’s a lot closer than some of the “better” river towns and frankly you probably can’t tell the difference except for sitting in the car for 1 hour instead of 2 each way. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/zhujiajiao.htm
I was there last month, and the Expo was underwhelming. Ridiculously long lines (two plus hours) to get into pavillions where you had little to no idea what you were waiting on line to actually see. And waiting on lines in China is, um, interesting, to say the least…
