Taikang Lu is a cool little area made up of little alleyways that snake thru old low-rise brick buildings, some are residential, but most others have been converted into cafes, shops selling knick knacks and ethic stuff, artist studios, antique shops, indie fashion designers and other sorts of random places. Tourists and hipsters intermingle with local old ladies, dudes squatting in the street playing cards, and construction guys laying pipe.

Awesome burgers at Gourmet Cafe….

1933 is a mixed retail/cultural art space that was formerly a slaughterhouse. One of the coolest spaces I’ve ever been to. The building is circular and all concrete, with spiral staircases and curved pathways that make it feel like a real-life Escher building sometimes. Most of it is empty, but not for much longer….restaurants and ad agencies are soon to move into this space. The top floor has already hosted things like launch parties and artsy gatherings, and has a huge circular glass floor which is sure to be a hit with the perv upskirt photographer set.

The Factory is one of those multi-hyphenated restaurant/cafe/workshop/studio/retail places, and its right across the street from 1933. I heard that its opened by one of the owners of the advertising agency Profero.

I’m not sure what this place is called…..its an area made up of 4-5 streets with many vendors selling antiques and curios. Photo ops galore….

Doing the tourist thing….at Yuyun Gardens.

People come here for some great xiaolongbao. Also famous this bun-with-a-straw steamer thing. Like a Chinese clam chowder bread bowl, you’re supposed to suck hot soup out of a bun and eat the skin. Weird but good….

Doing the future thing….at the Shanghai World Financial Centre.

The “sky bridge” which runs on the 110th floor was originally outfitted with a glass floor, until they realized that people were too freaked out to walk on it. It has since been covered up, leaving a few glass holes open for the brave to peek thru.

Shintori is a sleek, hidden Japanese restaurant housed in a huge space that looks like it used to be a warehouse. Its unmarked doorway on the street leads you down a path lit up by small floor lights, flanked by towering bamboo. A dark sliding door brings you into its huge minimal space, all concrete and wood. Love this place. Great food too.

The Shelter is a cool little underground club (literally – from the street you go down a flight of stairs into and then you walk thru a narrow tunnel into a long dark space that used to be a bunker) that seems to be the place that a lot of the good DJs play at when they stop in Shanghai. Cheap beer, great music, interesting crowd.