Rocking Out, China Style

Original Post: July 21, 2007

We are living it up here in Shanghai…seriously, it’s almost criminal.

Last night, after a long day of wandering around the city, we went to New Heights for dinner. It’s a super fancy (read, normal NYC prices for dinner) restaurant on the top of a building that overlooks the Bund. The Bund is a big promenade of sorts that looks out over the river. There are many different restaurants and bars and was crowded with all kinds of people, tourists and locals alike. Food was great, if less than traditionally Chinese, and after we had some drinks on the deck and watched the boats roll on by. At night Shanghai is crazy because everything is all lit up with neon! The highways are outlined in flashing blues and greens, many of the buildings are outlined, and the boats go totally all out. I have never seen anything like it, and I have to say, I totally love it.

Looking out across the river.

After dinner we went to a bunch of interesting bars, the first was Binjiang, aka the Ice Bar. It’s like a huge meat freezer and the whole inside is made of ice. They give you a big North Face parka so you don’t freeze. I must say it’s a bit of a shock to the senses to be outdoors in 100+ degree heat and then put on a parka and enter a room of freezing ice. In any case, the only drinks Binjiang serves are shots of vodka. Our driver (Mr. Shen) came in with us where he thankfully declined to have a shot with the table next to us.

Brrrr!

The next bar was Jade on 36, which is in the Shangrila hotel. Again, super fancy, full of tourists and is fully NYC prices. Jade 36 has these crazy bathrooms that were like big capsules filled with neon lights. I half expected to be transported somewhere else while inside.

Restroom aglow!

In the lower level of that same hotel is another bar called Bat. It is way more mellow, and has a karaoke thing going on, but they have a couple of girls on standby who sing when no one else wants to. We were pretty trashed at this point so of course John and I karaoked some Red Hot Chili Peppers, which went a little better than the time Justin and I attempted a Bon Jovi song a few years back. Near the end of the evening, sometime closer to dawn than dusk, Jenny and I took shots that were on fire because really, nothing says a good night on the town like setting your esophagus aflame.