My friends Josh and Kiera just came through town for 24 hours. Josh and I have known each other since 9th grade, and then he went and married this lovely lady Kiera. They planned themselves an anniversary trip to Japan, and since I used to live there and have been a few times they asked me what my suggestions were. My first suggestion was to come to Shanghai since it's so close, so they did! They flew from the US to Shanghai, spent about 27 hours, and now they're off to Hiroshima to start their Japan trip.
With only 24 hours in town, we did not have a moment to spare. And luckily they did not want to spare a moment. So we packed a ton of things into just a short visit. Obviously, the main attraction was food, starting with snack #1 (xiaolongbao. Duh.) as soon as we dropped their bags off at my house. But we also needed some scenery, so this was followed by a visit to the Bund (and drinks and snack #2: salmon explosion. Double duh.). And then on to more food and beer. Because that's what Shanghai life is all about.
This morning was a bit more chilled. Sort of. Not really. Not at all, actually. It seems more chilled because we just went for a walk in the French Concession. Except we walked from 9am until about 3pm, eating various snacks and lunch, drinking various coffees, and sighting various sights. Including the Propaganda Poster Art Museum, a first for me, and a fantastic one. But I am now exhausted, so I'm gonna sit here and do nothing for the rest of the day.
It was great to share my life here with old friends, which I sadly don't get to do much. They are probably the first friends that have come from America to visit me in China. And that's including all the years I've lived here. I've had friends come from various other places, and friends pass through town who I got to spend time with, but this is the first time a pre-college friend has come to China specifically to visit me. So that was really nice. And they've moved from California to Minnesota, so I don't get to see them when I'm home anymore. So this was great. You should come visit too. I promise you'll have as much fun (and delicious food) as they did.
For today's music, it's a bit of a surprising one: Solange. She recently put out her new album, A Seat At The Table, and it's wonderful. I was quite skeptical, because being Beyonce's little sister (and having heard her previous singles) I was expecting pop music. But that is not what I got at all. I got really great R&B. Case in point, Cranes In The Sky.
This song is not pop, this is like Meshell Ndegeocello. Which is always a good thing. Those strings and the beat are just beautiful. I also just watched this video for the first time, and there are some great visuals in there. And some great color. I'm a very big fan of this song. And it doesn't end there, there's plenty of fantastic tracks. So I'll share one more with you, Don't Wish Me Well.
With only 24 hours in town, we did not have a moment to spare. And luckily they did not want to spare a moment. So we packed a ton of things into just a short visit. Obviously, the main attraction was food, starting with snack #1 (xiaolongbao. Duh.) as soon as we dropped their bags off at my house. But we also needed some scenery, so this was followed by a visit to the Bund (and drinks and snack #2: salmon explosion. Double duh.). And then on to more food and beer. Because that's what Shanghai life is all about.
This morning was a bit more chilled. Sort of. Not really. Not at all, actually. It seems more chilled because we just went for a walk in the French Concession. Except we walked from 9am until about 3pm, eating various snacks and lunch, drinking various coffees, and sighting various sights. Including the Propaganda Poster Art Museum, a first for me, and a fantastic one. But I am now exhausted, so I'm gonna sit here and do nothing for the rest of the day.
It was great to share my life here with old friends, which I sadly don't get to do much. They are probably the first friends that have come from America to visit me in China. And that's including all the years I've lived here. I've had friends come from various other places, and friends pass through town who I got to spend time with, but this is the first time a pre-college friend has come to China specifically to visit me. So that was really nice. And they've moved from California to Minnesota, so I don't get to see them when I'm home anymore. So this was great. You should come visit too. I promise you'll have as much fun (and delicious food) as they did.
For today's music, it's a bit of a surprising one: Solange. She recently put out her new album, A Seat At The Table, and it's wonderful. I was quite skeptical, because being Beyonce's little sister (and having heard her previous singles) I was expecting pop music. But that is not what I got at all. I got really great R&B. Case in point, Cranes In The Sky.
This song is not pop, this is like Meshell Ndegeocello. Which is always a good thing. Those strings and the beat are just beautiful. I also just watched this video for the first time, and there are some great visuals in there. And some great color. I'm a very big fan of this song. And it doesn't end there, there's plenty of fantastic tracks. So I'll share one more with you, Don't Wish Me Well.
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