If It's Sunny, This Can't Be Shanghai!

When Chris first brought the girls and me to China back in 2004, we flew into Shanghai and stayed at the Grand Hyatt, a magnificent hotel on the 55th floor of what was then the tallest building in Shanghai, right along the river on the promenade in Pudong.

Although it was pricey, Chris encouraged all of his team members to stay there overnight when they first flew into China, and then again when they left five or six weeks later to go home. Truth be told, his theory was not entirely selfless - he figured if he gave them a high-end experience in Shanghai on either end of their "tour of duty," they were more likely to return! Small price for the amount of work they did, and apparently, it worked - the entire original team is still with us!

So, every time I return to Shanghai, a city of some 22 million, I think of how it felt to wake up that first morning, look out the floor-to-ceiling window of our 60th floor hotel room, and take in the view of Shanghai for the very first time. The building was so tall that if there were even a few low-hanging clouds, you couldn't see a thing down below. Fortunately for us, that first day was crystal clear with bright blue skies and views that went on for what seemed like forever.

Having lived in New York City for over 20 years, I pretty much figured I'd seen everything - yes, my photo was next to the word "jaded" in the dictionary, at least as far as cities were concerned. But that day, in one all-consuming glance out that 60th floor window, my whole perspective changed!

As far as the eye could see, high-rise buildings stretched to the horizon, eventually fading into the haze of the city's heat and pollution. Highways snaked through the massive metropolis like something out of a sci-fi movie - and there were more cars than I ever thought could possibly exist. From our perch atop the city we could see across the river to the Bund, the famous promenade that winds along the river on the Puxi side, packed with people up early to beat the heat, rapidly getting their day underway.

Trying to prepare me for what I would see, Chris had told me that China was like Times Square during the holiday season - but everyday! Surely, I thought, he had to be exaggerating - that couldn't possibly be true. But that day, with one glance out the window, China's massive population came rushing into perspective. There was nothing, not even years in NYC, that could have prepared me for that!

Although my perch in this picture is only eight stories up, it brings back that immediate rush of excitement I felt seeing the city for the first time all those years ago. Shanghai is such a unique and eclectic mix of old and new, every street tells a story and around every corner there's something that begs an explanation. Walking around the older parts of town, it's no wonder that so many classic novels of intrigue, suspense and romance were set here!

Shanghai, perhaps more so than any other city in China, is facing the dilemma of how to preserve its rich and textured history while, at the same time, succumbing to the pressures of a fast-encroaching global economy and the need to keep pace. Maybe that's why I love this picture: The future looms expectantly on the horizon, while the past clings resolutely to its stone facades, domed parapets and classical columns, harking back to a period of European influence when the city was truly a portal for the West into the mysteries of the Far East. All the while, the red Chinese flag watches protectively over these wonderful old buildings, marking its territory, perhaps making sure the modern world never gets too close.

My uncles told me wonderful stories about being in Shanghai in its heyday during WWII - what I would have given to see the city then! This week we were just glad to see the sun -lately, whenever we travel here, it always seems to rain, so much so that I reminded Chris when we landed, "If it's sunny, this can't be Shanghai!"