[Rail Paul]

Quote

I would have continued on, but I was hungry. A taxi returned me to Bund 18 for one last feast, this time at Sens & Bund, whose owners won three Michelin stars for their restaurant in Montpellier, France. Ryan and his usual crew of locals and expatriates were already sitting at an enormous round table, near vast windows that offered spectacular views of the Huangpu River and skyline. The food was exactly what you'd expect from a Michelin-graced kitchen — skeins of black tagliolini with shaved octopus, crisply seared fish with an artistic smear of mustard sauce — but the price was not: a frugal 228 yuan for three courses, or about 350 with a couple of coffees and tip.

At last I was running out of money — and I knew exactly where to blow it: the Urban Planning Museum in People's Square (entry 40 yuan). The museum tells the story of Shanghai's evolution with a spectacular collection of archival photos, meaningless but beautiful exhibitions on wastewater management and other public works, and a scale model of Shanghai circa 2020 that spanned an entire floor.

But I was there for Virtual Shanghai, a computer-generated flyover of the city projected onto a 360-degree movie screen. The camera swoops along highways, over the Huangpu and around the Pudong skyscrapers of an idealized city that may or may not exist. A little nauseated, I stumbled out of the theater and found myself at the souvenir shop, which carried Hu Yang's “Shanghai Living” catalog. For 88 yuan, it was mine — 140 photographic glimpses of the city's present, frozen in time.

Total: 3,987 yuan, about $505.

VISITOR INFORMATION

WHERE TO STAY

No. 9, 9 Lane 355, Jianguo West Road, (86-21) 6471-9950; cash only.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK

A Future Perfect, 16 Lane 351, Huashan Road, (86-21) 6248-8020; www.afutureperfect.com.cn.

Bobo's, 307 Shanxi South Road, (86-21) 6471-2887.

Eddy's, 1877 Huaihai Central Road, (86-21) 6282-0521; www.eddys-bar.com.

Jean-Georges, 3 Zhongshan East Road, fourth floor; (86-21) 6321-7733; www.jean-georges.com.

Kommune, Courtyard 7, 210 Taikang Road, (86-21) 6466-2416.

Sens & Bund, 18 Zhongshan East Road, sixth floor; (86-21) 6323-9898; www.resto18.com.

Yoma, 1 Lane 189, Wanping Road, (86-21) 6415-5790.

Frugal in Shanghai

[Behemoth]

Unless you eat exclusively on the Bund, anywhere you go will be pretty budget friendly. We've spared no expense in terms of eating so far and I don't think we've paid more than the equivalent of 30-40 euro anywhere for two people, drinks included. But that's at the high end. Spectacular dim sum in Xintiandi yesterday, total was about 16 euro for the two of us, and our current breakfast of a toasted ham & cheese sandwich and cup of coffee was about 1.5 euro each.

Bargained for some mao kitsch and took way too much advantage of the 60% off rack at vivienne tam so I'm set for event wardrobe into the next year. (I hate shopping so this is very very good -- plus nothing needs to be altered. )

Very cool city, kind of overwhelming how fast it's all changing though.