Today was for walking and window-shopping. My first stop was the Shanghai City of Books, which regretfully, I didn’t photograph. It was a huge store filled to the brim of books, cds, dvds, and avid readers of all ages. The place was packed. It was really something to see so many people looking at, reading, and buying books--stacks of them. Leaving there, I continued walking the Fuzhou Road, a busy but not touristy thoroughfare of small-ish shops. I saw several art supply, stamp, and paper stores along the way. I came to a circle on which the Metropole Hotel stood. The sky had grown quite dark, and at that point, began to pour down rain. I took shelter under the awning of the hotel, and waited for the downpour to cease. When it did, I continued to wander down the street, in the direction of the Bund and the Huangpu River. I picked up a snack at a convenient store—peanuts mixed with seaweed wrapped crunchies, a can of beer, and my new favorite drink—coconut milk. After eating, I found the Suzhou Cobblers, a small shop recommended to me by my Chicago colleagues. I entered and surveyed the lovely and colorful handmade slippers and shoes. The rain started falling again, so I waited in an alcove just outside the shop, where I struck up a short conversation with some girls visiting from Korea.
Once the rain subsided a little, I walked toward the Old City. I got caught in a rather sudden downpour, and took cover under the awning of a diamond jewelry store. Most striking was its several very large tanks of fishes of all kinds. I then walked through arcades of jewelry shops, looking in the windows at jade bracelets for my darling wife. Put off by the prices, I continued to wander, ending up in another large jewelry store, where I, for the better part of an hour, bargained with two women for a nice simple bracelet. Whew. No photos, unfortunately. Once I had finished that ordeal, the sun came out slightly and the air turned slightly cooler, which was a relief.
Walking back to the hotel, I walked through some streets that I hadn’t yet traveled. Interesting fruit stands, cd and bookshops, clothing boutiques, a butcher shop where I saw the freshly picked skeleton of what I hope was a pig, and a slew of small restaurants. I was lured by a street vendor selling cds, and bargained for a copy of Pink Floyd’s Obscured by Clouds for $3. Struck up a short conversation about Pink Floyd with a guy who was buying John Lennon Plastic Ono Band.
A long and wet day…
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