Last Night in Shanghai

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Today was my first day in Hangzhou and after dropping my bags off in Sean’s apartment, we went downtown to see the studio. It’s in one of the hottest sections of town, next to the Bently dealer, which is not far from the local Maserati dealer. If I need to buy a car, I’ll know where to shop.
I can’t imagine owning a car here. At least in Shanghai, public transit is too easy. Many people I work with get around on bikes and two wheels continues to have an advantage. On Friday morning I caught a $3 cab ride for the 20 minute trip downtown. If I’d been on a bike, it wouldn’t have taken any longer. Coming back, I hopped the subway. A ticket cost 35 cents and the metro had enough English signage to make the trip simple.
Having spent two mornings observing the ritual in the park, I got my first exposure to Shanghai nightlife at Bar Rouge. It’s on the roof of a six storey building on the Bund, Shanghai’s most famous social/shopping/society location. It overlooks the Yangtze River and the famous Pearl Tower, a broadcast antennae that resembles a giant skewered apple, lit like a Christmas tree. Teacher Director Duncan Wong bought the first round of drinks. He ordered a Hennessey, I had a tonic and lemon, a drink the bartender had to ask twice about as it contains no alcohol. No matter, the two drinks still cost $20; that was on top of the $6 cover charge. After a while, Y+ Director Harry Yu arrived and we hung out as all around, wallets hemorrhaged cash to pay for trays of rainbow-hued frozen drinks and champagne served with sparklers. Shanghai is all about new money and glitz and Bar Rouge was cashing in among those who want to be seen. Harry and I had just clinked glasses, toasting our mutual success when he pointed out a skyscraper across the river. Between us flew China’s red flag., “That’s the flag of Communist China,” he said. “Flying in front of the Citibank building.”
By then Sean had joined us. He’s well connected among the ex-pat community in Shanghai. People party hard here, he said, relating a story about a friend who owned an after-hours club. “It did well,” he said, “It had real grass for people to lie on and stayed open well past noon.” Kinda adds new meaning to the power of a strong party.

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