Shanghai/Beijing bound

[Eason]

Nah I have street cred to spare. The problem is crappy hipster hotels here won't have websites (most don't, anyway actually) and nobody will speak English here. Do you speak Chinese at all? You'd better get a hotel that's right off a subway line, because you won't know how to use the buses until you have a bit of experience going to certain places.

edit fyi: I live in Hai Dian next to the East Gate of the People's University (Ren Min Da Xue or 人民大学). LK lives in the Chao Yang district which is about an hour away. There's a hotel across the street from my apartment called Jing Chang Jia Yuan which isn't expensive, and you'll be right next to a bus stop and 1 stop away from Line 10 of the subway. Actually it would only take an hour or so to explain how the buses and everything works, but I can't promise lots of free time if you need help because I don't know what my work situation will be like at that time.

 

[lefty]

Back from the mysterious east. Never thought I'd be happy to breathe the air in Jersey.

Thanks to yfyf for a fun night in Shanghai and teaching me the difference between good ice and bad ice, and Eason and Labelking for the game of taxi tag in Beijing.

Ate our way across China: Jean Georges on the Bund; Maison Boulud and the China Club in Beijing; Din Tai Feng and Commune by the Great Wall, but the two best meals were with the fellows above who took us to local places for some great fresh Shanghai and Schezuan cuisine.

lefty

 

[yfyf]

******* ****** ice.

Good to meet you in the China, till the next time cap'n.

 

[BankerBoi]

I have about 8 days in Beijing, 5 in Shanghai in March 2011.

I like architectural tours with a little more depth than the typical bus tours.
Plan to find some old village-like areas in Beijing and Pudong and Maglev trains in Shanghai.

(a university-sponsored Chicago riverboat tour spoiled me for tour guide expectations a few years back)

Beijing will be mostly daytime or early evening oriented.
In Shanghai I can go out at night, but I am not obsessed to go to the 'hottest' club.
Chill out time, people watching from a wine bar / sidewalk cafe, is fine if it's in the right neighborhood. I've talked with friends who've been there an most advice I've received it to beware the pickpockets .

Any recommendations for hotels and things to see/do ?

 

[Monaco]

Defeninitely do the Forbidden City and Heavenly Palace in Beijing, Great Wall (I got there by rail and went home via bus) is a must too. I've went to those places without a guide and went back to the Forbidden City with a guide and friends and I learned a lot. It depends what you want to get out of the historical sites.

I only spent a weekend in Shanghai, just explored the city and went to a club, nothing of substance but I had a good time.

I don't know what your budget is but luxury hotels are slashing prices down to stay more competitive.

There is a Ding Tai Fung restaurant in Beijing and Shanghai, it is very popular and so delicious. Sorry I don't remember all of the details from my trip but I'm happy to be going back to China this year to start a business.

 

[kungapa]

Originally Posted by BankerBoi

I have about 8 days in Beijing, 5 in Shanghai in March 2011.

I like architectural tours with a little more depth than the typical bus tours.
Plan to find some old village-like areas in Beijing and Pudong and Maglev trains in Shanghai.

(a university-sponsored Chicago riverboat tour spoiled me for tour guide expectations a few years back)

Beijing will be mostly daytime or early evening oriented.
In Shanghai I can go out at night, but I am not obsessed to go to the 'hottest' club.
Chill out time, people watching from a wine bar / sidewalk cafe, is fine if it's in the right neighborhood. I've talked with friends who've been there an most advice I've received it to beware the pickpockets .

Any recommendations for hotels and things to see/do ?

I spent a few days there this summer - just walking around in the french concession was great. The way chinese street-life is squeezed into french architecture I found interesting. Avoid Xintiandi - but there is another similar more hipster development that is pretty interesting. Also don't bother with Puxi.

As for hotels, some boutique hotels have good bang for the buck.

Waterhouse by some of Shanghai's most interesting architects, Neri and Hu, could be worth it.
http://waterhouseshanghai.com/

Otherwise as has been previously mentioned, URBN.
http://www.urbnhotels.com/

 

[lefty]

The Urbn is nice but try to get a room on one level. My room had multiple levels - 3 steps up - 4 steps down - and trying to make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night was like navigating an obstacle course.

lefty

 

[kungapa]

Originally Posted by lefty

The Urbn is nice but try to get a room on one level. My room had multiple levels - 3 steps up - 4 steps down - and trying to make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night was like navigating an obstacle course.

lefty

But the level variation is where all the fun is!

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by lefty

The Urbn is nice but try to get a room on one level. My room had multiple levels - 3 steps up - 4 steps down - and trying to make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night was like navigating an obstacle course.

lefty

I guess it would be worse if one was totally drunk!

 

[Thebomb85019]

I am in Beijing for the next 5 days and was wondering if any people had some time to meet for drinks. Its my second time here so I do not need to do most of the tourist things (although I did forget to see Mao's body last time so I might have that on my bucket list). Any other ideas for a solo traveller (I have family in town but plan to do a day or two of solo/drinking adventures)?

 

[unjung]

This might seem obvious but I didn't clue in very quickly... only go to the line-up for Mao about 15 minutes before it closes. The line becomes extremely short and you shouldn't have to wait more than a few minutes.