Shanghai, China Travel Guide | Was This Our Favorite Chinese City to Explore?

[Music] As the final stop on our grand adventure through China, we arrived ready for something big. And Shanghai delivered in

something big. And Shanghai delivered in every imaginable way. It truly swept us off our feet. And we wondered if we actually saved the best for last. We're

John and Bev and we are the Retirement Travelers.

If you're just finding us, we are an American senior travel couple who are on the adventure of our lives. We're

traveling China, Japan, and South Korea on this leg. So, hit subscribe and follow along on our little travel log.

We are a few weeks ahead of our videos, so if you're wondering where we are in the world, we keep our Instagram updated to our current location, so follow us there. In last week's episode, we

there. In last week's episode, we departed the imperial sprawl of Beijing and zipped down to Honggho on a high-speed train because why not travel

at the speed of awesome? Now, most

travelers use Honggho as a quick day trip from Shanghai. And sure, it's an easy hour on rails, but since a few days sounded better than a few hours, we

decided to make a stop at Westlake. That

was the plan. You'll have to go back and see how everything went wrong before it miraculously turned around. Fast forward

to this week's episode, and we're back on the high-speed train heading toward our grand finale in China, Shanghai.

Upon arrival, we made our way to the Grand Hyatt. Cue the drum roll. Housed

Grand Hyatt. Cue the drum roll. Housed

inside the dazzling Genmau Tower, one of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the world. And thanks to some serious travel

world. And thanks to some serious travel hacking magic where we transferred our Chase points to World of Hyatt plus our newly minted globalist status, we scored

a suite that may have actually made us gasp when we opened the door. The

windows of this hotel frame the glittering World Financial Center, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and yes, the sleek king of the skyline, the Shanghai Tower.

If ever there was a place to sit in a robe and feel like Bond villains with a better attitude, this was it. We are the language butchers and we want to get it

right. Do you live here? Are you from

right. Do you live here? Are you from here? Yeah. Is it Shanghai? Shanghai.

here? Yeah. Is it Shanghai? Shanghai.

How do you say it? Shanghai. Shanghai.

Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai.

Okay. Okay. Thank you. Shanghai.

Shanghai. Our first day of exploration began with a hop on the Shanghai Metro, which deserves its own award for cleanliness, speed, and signage. It was

so smooth, we almost forgot to look confused like tourists. Almost. We're on

the right side. That's That's half the battle. Which side of the metro station

battle. Which side of the metro station to go to? You have a 50/50 chance. This

is a very quiet subway. Nobody's here.

Super nice, modern, very shiny. Our

first stop, U Garden. A Ming Dynasty classic nestled in the heart of the city. Think koi ponds, dragon topped

city. Think koi ponds, dragon topped walls, and enough twisting walkways to get pleasantly lost. Built in 1559, it

was intended as a peaceful retreat for a wealthy officials parents. We can only hope our kids have similar plans. It was

a little crowded, sure, but it still had that ancient whisper meets Instagram filter kind of magic.

[Music] [Music] A stones throw away and Shanghai is

great for those kinds of clustered gems. We found ourselves admiring the city god temple, a beautiful structure filled with incense, red lanterns, and a

spiritual buzzkill. We saw a woman steal

spiritual buzzkill. We saw a woman steal an apple. It was an offering. If you

an apple. It was an offering. If you

come take a temple, you don't take the fruit. It's not for eating.

fruit. It's not for eating.

Goodness, what's up with people these days? From there, we meandered into

days? From there, we meandered into Shanghai Old City, a charmingly chaotic maze of snack stands, trinket stalls, and locals expertly dodging wideeyed

tourists, which was us. Can you imagine this back in the day? Yeah, this is cool. It's beautiful.

cool. It's beautiful.

All the swallow tail roofs and this smack in the middle of downtown Shanghai is this old town. It's kind of cool.

It's beautiful. It's really beautiful.

We kept the momentum going by heading through Nonjing Pedestrian Street, Shanghai's famous shopping boulevard. We

even popped into the White Rabbit Candy Store, home to the city's iconic taffy.

But instead of the chewy classic, we figured we'd try it in a new form, an ice cream stick. Turns out white rabbit might just be even better frozen and on

a stick than stuck in our mers. A little

chewy. Very creamy. Very creamy white rabbit. It's a teeth breaker though. We

rabbit. It's a teeth breaker though. We

took our ice cream and headed to the bund. And wow, the colonial architecture

bund. And wow, the colonial architecture on one side and futuristic skyline on the other. We strolled, we stared, we

the other. We strolled, we stared, we posed. It was fabulous. Look at all the

posed. It was fabulous. Look at all the boats on the water. That's a lot of barges. A lot of boats. I mean, they're

barges. A lot of boats. I mean, they're just in a line just heading out. Yeah.

Hey, I see an Oceanana cruise boat over there. We were on Oceanana. Not Not to

there. We were on Oceanana. Not Not to Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai.

Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai. Shanghai.

Shanghai. Shanghai. Now, a lot of people probably do this city on cruise boats.

Yeah, I bet. So, what are we doing on your birthday?

Oh, you got a special thing and and it was in Chonga. Yeah, I got a massage.

Yeah. What do you want? I want a massage. I need a massage. Okay, you can

massage. I need a massage. Okay, you can have it.

We'll be in Japan probably on your birthday. No, we'll be in uh South

birthday. No, we'll be in uh South Korea. Oh, South Korea for John's

Korea. Oh, South Korea for John's birthday. He can have a massage. Yeah, I

birthday. He can have a massage. Yeah, I

need something special for my 39th birthday.

Yeah, right. That evening, something wonderful happened. We met up with some

wonderful happened. We met up with some of our longtime viewers, Mindy and Joe.

And surprise, Michael and May joined us, too. They even booked a private dining

too. They even booked a private dining room at a local Shanganese restaurant just steps from our hotel. These lovely

humans had stomachs as big as their hearts. They ordered so much food. We

hearts. They ordered so much food. We

feasted for hours while swapping travel stories and laughing like old friends.

If you ever wonder whether you should meet up with internet friends in real life, let this be your sign. Yes.

Always. Yes.

On another day, we ventured to the ignimatically named 1933 Old Milton.

Formerly Shanghai's most stylish slaughterhouse. This art deco industrial

slaughterhouse. This art deco industrial relic was once used to, well, processed meat. But today, it's a maze of ramps,

meat. But today, it's a maze of ramps, spiral staircases, and artsy corners.

While photographers will swoon over the lighting angles, we personally thought it looked better in photos than in person. Still, it was a fun stop. In our

person. Still, it was a fun stop. In our

quest to uncover Shanghai's more unexpected side, we took a detour to visit a spot that brought the city's wartime grit into sharp focus. The

Sahong Warehouse Battle Memorial.

Nestled along Sujo Creek, this unassuming brick building was the site of a fierce last stand during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, where 400 Chinese

soldiers immortalized as the 800 heroes held off thousands of Japanese troops to protect retreating civilians. Inside,

the museum reminded us that Shanghai comes from deep resilience. And thanks

to these heroes, many were saved. In the

end, Shanghai fell for a time. I liked

this stop. I did, too. That was very interesting. And I even learned a few

interesting. And I even learned a few things. I know. I kind of come away from

things. I know. I kind of come away from it feeling like that this building was their Alamo. I know. That's a great

their Alamo. I know. That's a great analogy. After leaving the museum, we

analogy. After leaving the museum, we strolled along Sujo Creek, soaking in the spring sunshine like lizards on vacation. After 15 minutes of walking,

vacation. After 15 minutes of walking, our meander eventually led us into a mall. Half in search of some shade, half

mall. Half in search of some shade, half enchanted by the charm of the unexpected sculptures. I knew I could get her out

sculptures. I knew I could get her out of the sun. I'm I'm an expert navigator.

We'll just let's go that way. Sometimes

I get lucky. And sometimes he doesn't.

We found ourselves lured by the glowing signage of Mininoa Bing Ting, a retrostyle Hong Kong diner chain that's become wildly popular across China. We

kept our order simple and sentimental. A

pineapple bun with a savory cheese twist. One bite of that crumbly crust

twist. One bite of that crumbly crust and molten center and we were back in snack heaven.

I found the cheese.

Delicious. Naturally, our next stop was the Shanghai Tower because who can resist visiting the tallest building in China and the third tallest in the

world. Soaring over 2,000 ft into the

world. Soaring over 2,000 ft into the sky, it's basically Shanghai's way of saying go big or go home. Seriously, it

is the fastest elevator in the world.

Fortunately, we don't have the best view today. No, it's a little smoggy here

today. No, it's a little smoggy here today in Shanghai, but win some, you lose some. But we're still at one of the

lose some. But we're still at one of the highest buildings in the world, and it's a very high-tech building. Pretty cool

place. Yeah. But this this is nice. This

is nice. Have you ever looked straight down 119 floors? Our final evening in Shanghai felt like the city threw us a farewell party, complete with edible

surprises and fabulous company. We met

up with two of our wonderful viewers, Yong May and Hailon, who treated us to dinner at Number Three Warehouse, a restaurant so futuristic it felt like

dining inside a kaleidoscope. Mirrors

everywhere, glowing walls, and a menu that could double as a modern art exhibit. We sampled delicacies we had

exhibit. We sampled delicacies we had never expected to fall for. Eel and

pigeon to be exact, and somehow found ourselves saying, "You know what? That

pigeon was actually delicious." But

honestly, the real highlight wasn't what was on the plate. It was the laughter, the stories, and the joy of making new friends who made Shanghai feel even more

magical. And just like that, our Grand

magical. And just like that, our Grand China chapter came to a close. With our

bags packed, our hearts full, and memories bursting, we boarded a flight to Tokyo, waving goodbye to China for now. But don't unpack just yet. The

now. But don't unpack just yet. The

journey isn't over. Next week, we're going to answer all of your questions about how to travel China. So stay tuned for that. One week later, we'll delve

for that. One week later, we'll delve into Japan and South Korea. Next stop,

the Osaka Expo, or as we fondly call it in the States, the World's Fair. Be sure

to hit subscribe and follow along on our retirement journey around the world.