Well, it's been 3 years since moving here. Changes have been huge, both outwardly and inwardly. Three years seems like such a short time in the cosmic view of things, but a lot has happened. Outwardly, there are more tall buildings, more inner-city green spaces, more local people speaking English, ADSL and more private cars on the road. It is a bigger, brighter and more flamboyant merging of the past and future.

Inwardly, I feel l may have only scratched the surface of what's going on here. My Chinese is a little better, but not nearly what it should be for three years of being here. I know my way around the city a little better. I don't mind being stared at as much as I load my shopping cart. There is still so much more to know and learn, however, and I feel like I am barely out of first grade.

Shanghai has changed a lot since I showed up on its doorstep three years ago. There are now a lot more private vehicles. I remember noting on my first ride in from the the airport, nearly all the passenger cars were taxis or buses. Now its mostly shiny new VW Santanas and Polos (not painted in taxi colors) or black Buicks. Even though the local government has tried to keep a lid on it by its relatively frugal auction of new car licenses (I understand one of last year’s lowest winning auctions was around 2500 USD), pressure from the local GM and VW factories combined with the rising affluence of the Shanghai middle class has resulted in the inevitable daily rush hour traffic jam.

This is not made any better by the rash of newbie drivers on the chaotic streets, nor the gumption of the pedestrian heard as they cross the street in front of long lines of traffic, oblivious to the color of the lights or the potential damage to their pedestrian bodies. Recently, its taken me almost an hour to get through the Lujiazui tunnel by taxi. Mostly I take the subway anyway...but when I know I am going to have to get off the subway and take a taxi...well, that’s no longer a good strategy going from Pudong to Puxi. I still won’t drive here.

I think the Lee Mack conclusion, in the “Search for Shanghai’s Future” on this site, is accurate. By its nature, Shanghai (Puxi at least) is a walking city. However, with the growing affluence and traffic, some of that organic neighborhood space is being taken over by the car. There will continue to be a source of urban conflict between the two modes of living. There is no easy solution.

Shanghai continues to expand its international flavor with many new choices for coffee meeting places. Starbucks is still the big dog on the block. However, there are several new places nipping at its heals with lower prices, more food offerings, and a less crowded environment. Several times, I have walked into Starbucks and just have not been able to find a seat. Bravo for the marketing and branding.

As mentioned in previous articles, I have started hanging out at Mr. Coffee on Wujiang Rd. They still have a great cup and it's several RMB less per cup. Since then, members on the board are raving about Coffee Bean opening several locations. A new place called Mojo’s has some prime territory near Xiangyang Market (and other locations.) Not a price saver, but a much better food option. The price killers are Dante’s (one on Nanjing Rd near the Shimen Rd subway station) and McCafe, the McDonalds entry in the coffee fray at Xintiandi. You can grab a latte at these places for less than 18 RMB. You can also get a latte at Wagas in the Citic building on Nanjing Rd and at Element Fresh in the Portman/Shanghai Center complex.

Shanghai is also growing in choices for international cuisine. The reviews on this site are just the tip of the iceberg. Many of the restaurants that have opened in the past year are terrific, reflecting a state of maturity in the investors and visionaries who want to offer the city of Shanghai some different choices. But not all are successful. The day of "open the door and they will come" is no more. Some open one month and close the next. Right now, the last few good restaurants I have been in have been relatively empty. The food was great. I wonder what’s going on? When I first arrived here, it seemed impossible to get a seat in a good restaurant.

I suspect the market for upscale or even mid-priced restaurants is getting saturated. In the past three years, the choices for good eats have sky-rocketed. Just in the block at Xintiandi, more than a dozen new choices that were not there a year or so ago are now open. Add another dozen or so at Super Brand Mall. If you stumble across a good place that you would really like to keep open, post a review in the reviews section of this site. Location and price will be the critical factors to new restaurants opening.

Even though there is a growing affluence, I think that people will be increasingly price-sensitive because there is so much choice and even though KFC and McDonalds have successfully branded and got a lot of local people buying their products, I think of the money they laid out to do that. Most local folks still go to a good local Chinese restaurant when they want to go out, and the expat community by itself is not enough to keep to the large number of restaurants full

I have an expat friend who won’t go into anywhere that serves a dish that costs more than 100 RMB, just on principle. Food is cheap here, labor is cheap -- the only thing that isn’t cheap is a good location. So, he says, why should be pay that kind of money, when the worker might only make 5 RMB an hour? Realizing that it is possible to get a decent meal in Shanghai for 10 RMB, is it worth it? The disparity here is going to be factor and I predict only a few really deluxe eateries will survive with their menus the same as when they opened.

There is a lot that I like about living here. I have encountered friendly people, a surprisingly nice environment for a city this large, a challenge of learning a new culture and language. I still feel a sense of accomplishment when I can understand what someone has said to me in Chinese. I can feel it changing me, and I think it's for the better. I like going to the store and seeing prices for good food that are priced as if people mattered. I like that I am watching much less TV. I like not having all the bills that go with having a car.

There are things that still bug me. It bugs me due to everything going on on the street. There is a push for some kind of social awareness, so folks just don’t drop their litter everywhere. Then there is blatantly taking the garbage out of their house and just plopping it in the street for the next tiny old lady in safety orange with a witches broom to come by and sweep up, even though it might be days away. The government has a big ad campaign (I think its called the "7 no’s" -- no smoking, no littering, no spitting,etc.) Old habits die hard. I still don’t like to see the taxi grind to halt for a herd of jaywalkers sauntering across a 6 lane street. I cringe when I see a bicycle fly through a red light with not even a glance at what is coming.

There is, however, a radical increase in the number of street crossing guards at busy corners. These are not only for the kids -- they are also the adult pedestrian herders. I feel like this is the end of era in some ways. I am still in China. However, I feel like changes are afoot and however much change I have seen in my short, fast 3 years here, it will only be exceeded by the change in the next three years. Keep your eyes open.