Bits of daily life in Shanghai

In this short post, I want to offer a few portraits of daily life in Shanghai, as we've seen them.  Here we see two friends, sitting in the shade of old trees in a neighborhood of traditional house apartments ("traditional" in the sense of being pre-World War I).  You'll notice clothes drying on lines just outside people's windows, a common sight in a place where most people don't have clothes driers inside their home.  A "green" practice!

More clothes drying!  And it appears that only the wealthy would have private garages--the spaces between rows of two-story houses in older neighborhoods are often filled with motorcycles and scooters (some electric, getting their batteries recharged), bicycles, chairs in the shade, cars for those who have one, and occasionally pop-up shops.  Always interesting places for curious folks like us to stroll.

But--can one find food in Shanghai?  Of course!  Food is everywhere, many smaller shops along the streets, such as the one on the left, Yang's dumplings, which has become a chain.  Here the dumpling crew is trying to keep up with the long line of people snaking out the front door (of which I had been one).  Their dumplings, in a wheat dough, and are stuffed with various fillings: vegetable, shrimp, pork, beef, and so forth, then steamed and finally lightly fried on the bottom.

Food courts are also popular.   This one is on the 5th floor of the Shanghai Clothing Emporium, with several dozen small shops serving food to hundreds of hungry customers.  It's hard to imagine what people would want to eat that this food court doesn't have, and there's a steady din of folks eating and tables and talking away.  Much of the food is cooked as you're watching; think of it as semi-gourmet fast food.  Shanghai folks seem to love their local foods, and we look for cafes with a crowd.

People here are often on the move: the sidewalks filled with people walking somewhere, crossing streets carefully (or fearlessly) given the traffic, up and down the steps and escalators to the modern underground subways (sometimes packed full at rush hours)...and for longer distances, heading to one of the enormous (to me) railway stations, sometimes to catch a 100+ mph "fast train" to another city.  Whoosh.

Here (in photo to the right) are folks on the way to work or wherever in the morning, a block from where we've been staying.  Bicycles, motor cycles and scooters seem to have the right of way whenever, so we keep an eye out.  Cars are supposed to obey traffic signals, but at some intersections the traffic cycle takes so long a few drivers get restless.  Always best to keep an eye out, especially when walking across a thoroughfare with 10 or more lanes.  How fast can you walk?

And I close this post with this notice on a subway wall.  Always good advice, but perhaps an especially request in our troubled political times.

Please take care!