15 July 2015
| Last updated on 27 July 2015
Settling in? That’s Shanghai!
Whether its Sharm-el-sheikh or its Shangri-la settling in to a new city can be an overwhelming.
When this city comes with a population over 20 million strong, a history over 700 years long and a name that is a synonym for ‘tricking, kidnapping or coercing someone onto a ship for compulsory service’ then it’s only sensible to temper excitement with a healthy amount of regard - Welcome to Shanghai.
So what does it take to settle in a city like Shanghai? For me, settling down involves finding food, fascinating things to inspire me and friends, so settling down starts with places to shops, sights to see and places to socialize.
Places to Shop:
Shops, groceries, places to get home supplies to fuel your flutters. Shanghai has a variety of grocery options each of which somehow manage present the same challenge; one shop never meets all your needs, so where some people bar hop and others bed hop… us in Shanghai, we shop hop. The good news is that aside from standard, Metro’s (80 Gudui Lu, Minhang near Hongmei Lu), Walmarts (252-262 Linyi Bei Lu, Pudong) and Carrefours (185 Fangdian Lu, Pudong) all of which carry enough inventory for you to plan for the next zombie invasion you also have many smaller, finer, but pricier import shops such like City Shop (1376 Nanjing Xi Lu) and City Super (LG1 999 Middle Huaihai Road; IAPM Mall). Both Nanjing Xi Lu and IAPM mall also provide a good place to shop for other things ranging from clothes, to shoes (if they fit) to stuff for home use. That aside there will be times in life when you would rather be strung from the ceiling by your hair than go brave big busy shops and in these times fret not because Epermarket and Fields both provide a massive selection of groceries online which are delivered for cash at the door.
Places to See:
Before we continue, I have a (rather shady) confession to make … I am a firm believer in the rejuvenating powers of gawking … I think that routinely experiencing things that leave you gawking in fascination, inspiration or even confusion keeps you healthy in spirit. My belief in gawk power has got to the point that forget etiquette, I run on the mantra ‘one gawk a day keeps the head doctors away’. But what’s my gawking got to do with Shanghai? Well, Shanghai is full of gawk spots – which by definition are places that provide plenty of opportunity for curiosity, inspiration and fascination. And for starters please let me send you off to my top, car free, cultural and historical gawk spot; an area called Xintian di. Xintian di is home to many cultural and historical attractions of Shanghai and with this it offers a spaghetti bowl of walking streets that house an eclectic mix of everything from restaurants, to museums, to exclusive little boutiques, and shops with arts or Zen themes, it’s the kind of place you can happily get lost in even if it get touristy now and then.
Chances are that walking Xintian di will stir awake your bohemian, that artiste you’ve kept locked away and in this case you might decide to delve deeper into the world of art, antiques and…animals, yes, animals … there is no better venue for this than Dongtai Lu, which is Shanghais open air antique market conveniently located at one end Xintian di . While one end Dongtai Lu is lined with the most unbelievable (that’s the keyword) selection of art and antiques known to mankind – old telegram machines a la Downton Abbey, milk bottles from the 20’s even ‘prehistoric Chinese’ pottery – the other end of Dongtai Lu sells house pets, from kittens to cats, from budgies to bats, anything that is vaguely cute, slow on its feet and not fatally poisonous is sold as a pet. After a walk through the animal market you are probably ready to renew your faith in humanity with a friendly chat, so we’ll move on to places to socialize.
SEE ALSO: Top Ten Tourist Attractions in Shanghai
Socialize
If socializing is a matter of taste Shanghai is a menu with infinite pages. Perhaps you are the great Social Shah who enjoys being immersed in social glitter, glamour and glitz then head up to the Bund for three folds of joy, first feast your eyes on block after block of beautiful, old European style architecture, second feast your stomach to something delicious from any restaurants in Bund 18 and finally get yourself on the terrace of a place like Bar Rouge and check out the Shanghai skyline while hobnobbing with some of the world’s beautiful people –
But maybe you don’t like glitter, glamour and glitz, then head on over to the heart of the French Concession. This area which was once the home of gangsters, revolutionaries and writers, is now home to friendly hipsters eating alfresco and chatting animatedly over cold sweaty beers. Restaurant tip: D.O.C for Italian and then simply find a bar to sit. But then again, perhaps you are even more socially meek in which case visit Dagu Lu 4058 (this address gets you smack in the heart of things). Dagu Lu is a single street that can pretty much meet all your needs, from selection of terraced pizzerias, tapas bars and eateries, to spa’s, nail studios and groceries.
So, for the moment at least, that’s Shanghai!
Lily Akpuaka-Bosse is a cognitive behaviour coach and EQ assessor, she runs an online blog about how being an expat spouse and how to adapt to life abroad. Check out her blog at: www.thehelpfulnomad.com
