New Year's Eve Dinner

We had dinner reservations at M - On the Bund. It was a great dinner consisting of 6 courses and we were seated at a window table overlooking the city lights.

The dinner was excellent and was leisurely paced over about 2 1/2 hours.

Favor bags were distributed to each table just before midnight to get everyone in the party mood.

The restaurant has an outdoor balcony. This provided a perfect place to be at the stroke of midnight and view all the festivities below.

We stayed at the restaurant until 1 and then headed back to the hotel. Trying to secure a taxi was a bit challenging on New Years Eve. Jim found his way over to the Westin Hotel and by a slim chance we got a private car back to the Four Seasons. (It could otherwise have taken hours to find a taxi)

We stopped at the hotel bar where the evening was winding down from their party. This was a nice stop to end the evening before the elevator ride home.

Happy New Year - 2007

New Years Eve Day

Today we had a leisurely start. We spent about an hour in the spa at the hotel, in the steam room and whirlpool.
We took a cab ride to Pudong (new city) and went through the Shanghai Aquarium. Some of the pathways at the aquarium are glass enclosed, enabling you to have the illusion of being in the water. It is an odd feeling to have large sharks swimming right above your head.

We went for lunch afterwards to the The Hyatt, on the 56th floor. The view was clear and we were able to see the Bund where we walked yesterday and will dine tonight.
I enclosed a photo of the mens room. I thought it to be unique with the full window overlooking the city.

We walked through a large shopping mall that consisted of 7 plus floors. (Jim said it reminded him a bit of Woodfield Mall back home.) I was surprised to see the large numbers of restaurants in the mall. Many of them white table cloth and very crowded.

Construction is on the move here in Shanghai. We noticed that work is being done at all hours and 7 days a week. Those who are in the trades here have more than enough work to keep them employed for a few years.

Though communicating in English can be at times difficult on the street, people have no problem with the words Watches, Gucci, Rolex and good pens. We are usually bombarded with men and women trying to sell you anything that is fake.

It is Saturday night. We have had a problem with Internet connection in China, so it makes it difficult to communicate .

Our flight was delayed on Thursday out of Chicago for over an hour due to some customs problems.

We were able to upgrade to business class at the last minute at a good rate. This made the flight much more comfortable.

When we arrived customs, that took another hour and a half. We took the Maglev train to the city. It travelled at 267 mph. Very modern and efficient.

Once we got to the Four Seasons, it was time for a few hours of sleep. We woke up around 9PM, had a light dinner in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. We then relaxed at the hotel bar and met up with Johhny Walker from Hong Kong

Today, Saturday, we spent most of the day exploring the city on foot. Great weather day in the 50's.

Communications here is difficult. Very few people in shops and on the street speak English.

Traffic signals are just a suggestion. You must be aware at all times. The pedestrian, does not have the right of way. Horns from vehicles are heard all the time.

We had a great dinner at T8 and will do more walking tomorrow before the New Years Eve festivities begin.

The time to depart for China has arrived. Tonight we must do our 45 min pack marathon and get ready to leave early tomorrow morning for our 14 1/2 hour flight.

Since I will have so much time on the airplane, it will give me a chance to plan the menus for next years partie's.

Both hotels have high speed internet, so as usual I will keep this blog updated with information and photos.

Talk to you from Shanghai.