Slowly Dying in Shanghai

Posted on by

Feb 6, 2020 The COVID excrement had just hit the blades of the rotating oscillator and China was shutting down all international travel. I booked a single ticket for my wife back to the states and kissed her goodbye. She had to return to retain her US Greencard, and I had to stay to take care of Thor, our French Bulldog. He was 8, too large to fit under a cabin seat, and too old to survive a trip in cargo. Plus only one airline would fly snub-nosed dogs at all. The next day, all international flights were cancelled. The Continue Reading →

When The Cheesecake Factory Came to Town…Again

Posted on by

The Cheesecake Factory has actually been “in” Shanghai since June 2016, but you had to endure Shanghai Disney Resort to eat there. As avid readers of this blog (are there any?) may recall, we went to Shanghai Disney Resort a few years back but only stayed a few hours there. It was hot, crowded, and the in-laws didn’t have a lot of stamina. But somehow, without my knowledge, they managed to open another restaurant just this past June 2021 and right next door to Shanghai Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I really don’t know how they snuck under my ever-watchful eye for Continue Reading →

Death Takes Two Holidays

Posted on by

Some of the prettiest parks around Shanghai are rarely used but for two events a year: Memorial Day and QingMing (Tomb Sweeping) Festival. This is one of them. A cemetery located in the Qingpu District (which I found to be a beautiful, quickly developing part of Shanghai) just on the edge of that district. And far away from any significant population. Why? Because many Chinese, especially the older generation, are dreadfully afraid of the dead. Which is really a pity that a park like this is only visited either when someone dies, or during those two specific holidays. The entrance Continue Reading →

When Five Guys Came to Town

Posted on by

Not to be outdone by Popeyes, and eager to cash in on their success, Five Guys Burgers came to Shanghai the first week of May, 2021. The response was even bigger than Popeyes (IMO). The above photo was taken on May 5th, 2021 @ 14:05 (2 in the afternoon) and the line still extended way out the door with an even longer line inside. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around to get a bite. The crazy part is this restaurant, their first in China, is one of the most expensive sections of the city, on the first floor of Continue Reading →

Things I Miss Back in the States

Posted on by

I’ve been living in Shanghai for nearly 10 years now and for all this city has to offer, there are still a few important things it lacks that I miss back in the States. Food Specifically the Cultural Variety of Food. I constantly, and repeatedly, find it really strange that in a city of 25 million people, and growing, there is very little variety of food. It’s almost all Chinese. I know, you think that’s a stupid thing for me to say. After all, I’m living in China. But even in the mid-west of the US, you can find many Continue Reading →