Places to go
So, what else can you do during Shanghai summer besides closing all the
curtains and standing naked by the air conditioner? (Or is that just me?)
You can go to other places with aircon, of course! Though best not to
do the whole naked thing there...
Dino
Beach, the biggest man-made beach in Shanghai, has
performances every night in this great water park.It
has a state of the art imported filtration and sanitation system, with
new water being cycled and completely replaced in every 3 hours for the
main pools, and every half hour in the kiddie pool, ensuring you don't
have any unpleasant surprises. Natural salts with minimal chlorine are
used in keeping the water clean, so no need to worry about your hair getting
bleached.
If you're in the mood to chill inside, then
Lucky Greens Mini Golf has recently opened in the Cloud
Nine Mall by Zhongshan Park metro station, with 18 holes of mini golf
fun for only 35 RMB...
For something a little more natural, Jinshan beach should be
your first stop, an authentic beach tucked away in a Shanghai suburb!
Obviously not as good as Qingdao or Hainan, but better than nothing.
Offering water-bicycles and moto-boat racing, San Jia Gang Sea Paradise
is one of the more popular outdoor water parks in Shanghai, while Da
Kang Water Park is an indoor water park, offering children's pools,
manmade waterfalls and "drifting pools," whatever they are.
Lucky Greens Mini Golf: Cloud 9 Mall, 6th Floor, 1018
Changning Lu (Close to Zhongshan Park station)
Jinshan beach: 5 Xincheng Lu, Jinshan District
Dino Beach: 78 Xinzhen Lu, Qibao Town. Buses 763, 753
or Xinsong xian
Da Kang Water Park: 555 Gongkang Road (close to Gonghe
Xin Lu)
San Jia Gang Sea Paradise: Haibin Guangchang, East Huaxia
Lu
Cooling Food
Shanghai is practically awash with places to buy good ice cream. Whether
you're after gelato, sorbet or just a huge sundae, you'll find somewhere
or other to satisfy your ice cream craving. Valley Gourmet is offering
gelato at 10 RMB per scoop or 18 RMB for two scoops, with flavors changing
throughout summer. For a real treat, head to the cafe at Garden Books
also offers good gelato and sorbets, though a little more expensive. On
the plus side, you can wile away the hours just eating ice cream and reading.
For something more substantial, there are Dairy Queens outside
the Orient Shopping Center in Xujiahui, near Cheng Hua Miao and around Lujiazui.
Valley Gourmet: 821 Nanjing Xi Lu (by Shimen No. 1 Rd)
Garden Books: 325 Changle Lu, by Shaanxi Lu (Close to
Shaanxi Nan Lu)
Dairy Queen: Near Cheng Hua Miao and around Lujiazui
For something a little more healthy, it's hard to beat watermelon. As
long as you don't mind spitting black seeds all over the place that is.
You should be able to find just by walking around a bit. A good watermelon
should be firm, heavy and yield to pressure. If the spot on the watermelon
where it rested on the ground is yellow-white, it indicates ripeness,
as does a hollow sound when you slap the melon.
If you're after something more savory, many side-of-the-road restaurants
offer lengmian, cold noodles. My current favorite is dapai
lengmian, cold noodles with pork steak, often served with mung beans
and a hint of peanut sauce.
Swimming Pools
What better way to beat the heat than by splashing around at the pool? At
Ambassy Club a guest pass for the outdoor swimming pool is 100
RMB, including use of gym facilities. However, you need to know a member,
and it can get pretty crowded both on weekdays and weekends. Purple
Mountain Hotel offers cheaper day passes for 80 RMB. It's not the best
pool in town, but it's clean with plenty of space to catch some rays.
Purple Mountain Hotel: 778 Dongfang Road, Pudong
Ambassy Club: 1500 Central Huai Hai Road
Summer Clothes
With the demise of Xiangyang market, word on the site is that traders
are moving to Century Park Station, Shanghai Railway Station, 580 Nanjing
Lu and somewhere around Hongqiao, so those are the places to be to get
the latest fake summerwear. On the other hand, If you're after something
a little more authentic or creative, there are a lot of funky shops around
Nanchang Lu, Shaanxi Lu and the surrounding area, and even a few (like
Igai) in People's Square Station if you look hard enough.
Bamboo fans and mats
There's
no better way to keep cool at night than a bamboo mattress. They're available
in two types, a cheaper model that looks more like straw (and may give you the
odd splinter) and the more expensive model made from bamboo squares strung
together. A double-bed-size cheaper model is available for around 40-80 RMB,
depending on where you go. Just take a stroll down a back street for a while
and you'll find a stockist sooner or later. Bamboo fans are also surprisingly
effective, and cheap at 2 RMB a pop. After that, all you need is green tea in
a jar and you'll look like a real local.
276 Jinan Lu - double straw mattress for 60 RMB
204 Ruijin No. 2 Lu - double straw mattress for 78 RMB
96 Jianguo Dong Lu - double straw mattress for 42 RMB, fan for 2 RMB
Mosquitoes
The bane of every Shanghai summer, these buzzy little b'stards will eat
you alive without protective measures. Short of donning a beekeepers outfit
24/7, here are some helpful hints:
Do
- Eat a lot of, how shall we put it, fragrant, food. That
should put the little buggers off their meal. Try beer, chilli peppers,
stinky tofu and anything else that makes you (or others) gag.
- If you're going to use repellant, spray it on your clothes and not
yourself. No one really knows the long-term effects of putting this
stuff directly on your skin, but it's unlikely those chemicals are going
to turn you into a superhero. Try DEET or Picaridin. Vicks Vaporub (or
the local equivalent) is also meant to work like a charm
- If you want something more natural, try tea-tree oil or rubbing a
pinched garlic clove over exposed skin. Putting cruxifices on your doors
is said to have little effect, however.
- Taking vitamin B-1 is also said to make a difference. Juniper berries
too, though the things are pretty damn sour.
- Drink lots of lemongrass - not only is it a cool drink on a hot day,
it also repels the little varmints.
Don't
- Wear anything that smells sweet: don't use too much deodorant, fragrant
soap, etc. But, for the love of all that is holy, please don't avoid
it altogether. Mosquitoes are bad, but being trapped in the metro with
the reek of someone else's BO is miles worse.
Maybe
- Eat lots of bananas - opinion is divided on this, but hey, it's can't
do you any harm, right?
Cold Beer/drinks
On a hot day there's nothing nicer than a cool drink, and for a handful
of kuai you can get them on the cheap at any convenience store.
If you're in the mood for somewhere with a little more atmosphere, however,
Senses
Summer BBQ can't be beaten, with 100 RMB for a slap-up barbecue including
complimentary beer or wine.
Senses Wine Lounge: 515 Jianguo Xi Lu, by Wulumuqi Lu
(Close to Hengshan Lu station)
Night walks
Just pick a direction and keep walking. Sometimes it's surprising what
you can find just by wandering around your own neighborhood. If you want
a real challenge, try walking the length of one of the metro lines or
walking until you can't see any more street lights. Usually, no matter
how far you go, home is only a taxi ride away. Good fun for the curious
and those new in town, especially if you combine it with a convenience
store crawl, buying a beer at each one you see. Hell, why not go with
a gang and make a drinking game out of it? Take a shot every time you
see someone on a comically overloaded bicycle!
Storms - stuff to do inside
If the sun is getting too much for you, don't worry, it's only a matter
of time before a storm hits. When you're stuck indoors with no food in
the fridge, you might find Sherpas
indispensable. With over 70 restaurants in their database, you'll be sure
to find something you like. Delivery prices can be a little steep though...
Sherpas: 6209 6209
There's always the ubiquitous DVDs as well. If you're going to be stuck
inside for a few hours and fancy a TV marathon, Ka de Club on Jinxian
Lu offers pretty much every TV series available. Prices are a little steeper
than usual at 10 RMB per disc, but the quality and range are fantastic.
Ka de Club: 158 Jinxian Lu (Close to Shaanxi Lu station)
When lying back on your bamboo mattress and watching telly, you might
as well have a nice bottle of wine or three to go with it to improve the
whole experience. Indeed, I've heard most people find movies like Garfield
II: A Tale of Two Kitties are best endured at least mildly sloshed,
and even more so if paralytically drunk. Ruby Red Wines offers free delivery for three or more bottles of wine from
their wide international selection, at very reasonable prices. (from 50
RMB for some bottles) ASC
Fine Wines has a great selection too, with free delivery if your order
is over 200 RMB.
Ruby Red Wines: 6234 2249
ASC Fine Wines: 6445 3214
But what about those of us that aren't couch potatoes? Chaterhouse Books,
probably the best bookshop in Shanghai, has a huge range of English language
books and magazines, though prices are generally a little higher than the
competition. For a more international selection, check out Garden Books,
and don't forget to stop by the cafe while you're there. Another okay (though
small) selection can be found on the top floor of Book City on Fuzhou Lu,
and the old not-quite-favorite Foreign Languages Bookstore is close by.
Chaterhouse Books: Shop B1-E, Shanghai Times Square,
93 Huaihai Zhong Lu and 6F, Super Brand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Xi Lu
Garden Books: 325 Changle Le, by Shaanxi Nan Lu (close
to Shaanxi Nan
Lu station)
Foreign Languages Bookstore: 390 Fuzhou
Lu, by Fujian Zhong Lu (close to
People's Square
station)
Finally,
If you want to indulge your inner DIY enthusiast, then Wujiang Lu (by Shimen
No. 1 Rd metro station) has various jigsaws and models for sale. For something
a little bigger, Ikea offers free delivery and never fails to please, assuming
that kind of thing floats your boat. For the young (at heart) Lego is
available from various places, including one of the department stores in the
pedestrian section of Nanjing Dong Lu.
Ikea: 126 Caoxi Lu (by Shanghai Stadium station)
Thanks
Thanks to everyone who posted on the following threads:
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=45855
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=44968
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=45503
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=45679
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=45662
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=19297
Alex Cureton-Griffiths is a freelance writer, wannabe entrepreneur and CEO of
Shanghai
Networking News
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