Two things left an impression with me during this trip to Shanghai.
(Not the Expo. I missed it.)
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I first found it on the internet and many factors worked for me:- in the French Concession area, great pictures, boutique. An a Chinese name with a touch of nostalgia 联艺凯文公寓（@Gallery Suites Hotel).
After I made my booking, I incidentally learnt it from a friend that it is being run by a Singapore company.
Very surprised. While it has gained many positive reviews on the internet travel sites, it is so hidden that no taxi drivers know its exact location. I had to tell the driver to drop me off Heng Shan Hotel and searched for it. True enough, it is just opposite Heng Shan Hotel but with entrance hidden in a side lane. One walked in the hotel feeling much like walking into a neighbourhood apartment.
Very understated. The art deco style interior. The gorgeous bath tub. The spiral staircase. The not-too-noisy lively neighbourhood. A nice park right next to it. Walking distance to 桃江路Tao Jiang Road where many great restaurants are. It gives you that fantasy of (re)living in what old Shanghai had to offer while knowing perfectly well that you are a traveller.
That perfect traveller’s fantasy.
The second one was 1933.
A slaughter house turned into a creative hub. Not quite occupied yet when I visited … maybe that’s the best time to see the charm. The endless spiraling walk paths. The lights and the shadows. The glass floor on the top level looking down to the atrium of the building.
The building itself is a timeless piece of art. To think that it was designed for a slaughter house … well, I suppose human beings can remain creative even when doing the killings.
When I left 1933 and walked towards the Bund, many skyscrapers of Putong and Puxi came to me. Many of which I found rather poor imitations of some other greater buildings in the other parts of the world.
I wondered what killed the creativity.
