street food, greasy spoons, fast food, and restaurants
out and about in Shanghai
the everyday in Shanghai
around and beyond Shanghai
have your laugh with interesting sights spotted in Shanghai
Just an hour’s drive away, Sun Island in Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu district, promises a relaxing city getaway while being surrounded by nature. Choose from activities like horse riding, sunbathing and swimming in the wave pool, soaking in the indoor hot spring swimming pool, karting, KTV, and of course, playing golf in the two 18-hole courses.
If you do decide to stay over for a night, the chalets at Sun Island are clean and spacious. You might want to consider doing your own BBQ as well.
Although there aren’t that many activities to fill your entire weekend, there’s plenty to go around with friends and/or family to just sit back, relax, and take a break from busy Shanghai.
Have a meal at Sun Island’s “Recreational Food Street’, practice teeing off, or just soak in the Wave Pool (the machine-created waves are activated every 30 minutes or so).
On some Saturdays, Pier 93 has an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet dinner for just RMB 108.
This is the statue that greets you as you enter Sun Island Resort.
Address: 上海市青浦区沈太路2588号, Qingpu District, 2588 Shentai Road
Taking a day trip to Chong Ming Island is best done with a rented car. The island is big and getting around isn’t as easy as in town. You’d have to depend on cabs who may or may not run by the meter. And that’s if you can get one.
Now’s a good time to visit the island and catch some hairy crabs (it’s in season), but of course if you’re not interested in that, June – September is the recommended time to explore the third biggest island in China.
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Nothing else quite makes thousands of people go “whoa” at the same time like fireworks shooting through the sky, painting the skyline with gold shimmers. We’re not talking about the cacophony of random fireworks we have to endure during the 15 days of the Lunar New Year. It’s the annual Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival! Different countries showcase a spectacular pyrotechnic display entertainingly synchronized with different pieces of music.
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Fancy having imported beer delivered to your doorstep, à la Sherpa’s delivery system?
In the spirit of Oktoberfest (albeit a belated one), I ordered some bottles of beer from a new beer delivery service in town, Cheers In. It came just in time with the shaokao I ordered (another post for another day).
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Branded shopping outlets can be found in Shanghai’s Qingpu district, about 40 minutes away from downtown Shanghai. There are other outlet shopping options like Foxtown in downtown Xuhui district, but none as big as Shanghai Outlets, housing hundreds of boutiques. These include luxury brands like Versace, Armani, Bally, Tod’s, Salvatore Ferragamo; outdoor brands like Columbia, Nautica, Jack Wolfskin, Lafuma,; Sports brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance; and even Chinese brands we may not be so familiar with.
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A friend of mine needed to get office furniture for her spanking new office, so we decided to buy all that she needed at one go from a local second hand furniture store. It saved her a few thousand RMB for great office furniture (some negotiation needed, as usual).
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Every summer, from around June to the beginning of October, Malu Grapes Theme Park (马陆葡萄主题公园) in Jiading District of Shanghai is open to the public. Entrance fee is 30RMB, and with that ticket you can purchase the park’s organic grapes at 25RMB/jin. There are different grapes you can pick on different days, and you can taste the different types of grapes they harvest right at the Visitor’s Centre.
Hertz, Avis and other international car rental companies charge pretty high rates, so I’d go with the local car rental companies. There are nationwide car rental companies that offer affordable and reliable car rental services. Some require foreigners to have a local guarantor though, but a big car rental company doesn’t make it a pain — China Auto Rental (神州租车) (zuche.com). You can choose your car and book online (only in Chinese, though) or call their hotline at 400 616 6666 (has English service) to process your booking.
