Chile Wines Store. Lane 248, Taikang Rd, Local N° 23, Shanghai, China. Telephone 64158852.
Shanghai, People's Republic of China
It's obvious that Shanghai knows how to do skyscrapers. But with a population approaching 20 million, people are what this city is really all about.
Visiting is an opportunity to see the future and learn, for example, the importance and power of a smile in surmounting the inevitable friction that comes from living in such an urban environment.
....Wine....
Yes, you should stroll through the Xintiandi complex, but mostly to see the restored shikumen architecture (just ignore all the designer logos). Things get more interesting and the shopping less costly with about 20 minutes of walking south to the newly fashionable (in a good way) Taikang Lu area. The walk, which includes some unusually quiet, tree-lined streets like the one below, is reward in itself. When there you'll find the Chilean Wine store down one of the busy alley ways. In the PRC even the most modest imported wine (and trust me, you do want imported wine) can cause sticker shock. But here you'll find the $15 Carmenere that will help justify splurging on the awesome view that your pricey hotel room provides. Nice selection.
....Food....
If you choose not to go with the flow of that uniquely Chinese way of creating vegetarian food -- food that looks and tastes like spare ribs or eel or whatever else it is you've decided to spend your life not eating -- it's OK. Shanghai has everything. Danieli's, for instance, has heavenly, tender eggplant topped with a delicate sauce and delicious cheese. Situated at the top of the St. Regis (itself, superb) it also has a killer view. Dine with someone who loves you so that they will let you steal a couple of their truffle-scented ravioli. Mmmm. And did we mention this view:
....Lodging....
Depending on your negotiating skills, Le Royal Méridien Shanghai can be moderate to pricey. But...it's 66 stories high and in Puxi. So you must get a room above the 30th or so floor facing the Bund and Pudong. You can mitigate the cost of the hotel by bringing in some inexpensive eats, because the view from your room will be better than all but a few restaurants. You won't want to go out! Two caveats: (1) Pray for good weather so that neither you nor your view are in the clouds; (2) Dine in your room between 7 pm and 10 pm when the accent lights of the skyscrapers in Pudong are on to entertain you. The Pearl Tower flashes are a bit much; but the sparkles of the "bottle opener" (World Financial Center) are charming.
more pictures of Shanghai
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Danieli's at The St. Regis Shanghai. 889 Dong Fang Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, Shanghai 200122, China. Phone: 86 21 5050 4567 ext. 6370.
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai. 789 Nanjing Road East, Shanghai, Shanghai 200001, China. Phone: (86)(21) 3318 9999. Web site.
About Us
We like wine, we like food and we like to travel. OK--- we LOVE wine.
WineFoodLodging.com is a travel blog whose contributors really appreciate fine wine, excellent food, and cool places to stay, written by tofu-hating, big-eats loving vegetarians who are disgusted with the pervasive view that we are content to drink herb tea and eat (gag) steamed vegetables.
We'll share our reflections and reviews about places we've been and places we dream of visiting, sniff out accomplished chefs, skilled vintners and great hoteliers and offer any local tips we think you might find useful. This is our way of celebrating the dining, lodging and wine-swilling experiences that make life for vagabonds like us worth living.
We hope our commentary and experiences give you some ideas for your own travel, whether it be a weekend trip or an inoculation-filled adventure.