Thread: China march 2014 trip report Shanghai and Beijing

Figured I would start a new thread for my trip.
Anyways, starting with getting there and 1st day.

OK, my trip started out like most non-rev trips. It started with having to get to LAX on Saturday for a 1:40pm UA flight to PVG. On Friday morning the DL flight from SLC to LAX looked OK with 25 seats and being #20 on the standby list. By Friday night there was 12 seats and 42 people listed. Due to this I needed to get to the airport a few hours earlier than I wanted as I needed to get to LAX. Did not make the only UA flight (6am) that would get me to LAX for the PVG flight. With the DL flight having a very iffy chance I checked with the Southwest gate and their next flight was wide open. Since I did not want to take the chance with DL numbers I used a ZED on Southwest and made it to LAX.

Once in LAX I find out the PVG flight was running 5 hours late. Great, now I have almost 10 hours to sit around LAX. I picked LAX over SFO because of the 787 (video on demand) or the 747 (no video on demand in coach). Anyways, after a long layover I ended up not getting a business class seat but did get economy plus with middle seat empty.

With the delayed flight it put me into PVG around midnight (Sunday night), now the subway was no longer running. Luckly we have a pilot that lives there and I was staying with him while in Shanghai and he was able to pick me up at the airport.

Started off Monday heading to Nanshi (Old Town). A recommended restaurant there serves steamed buns, but lines to long so did not try them. Went across the bridge of nine turning and then went into the Yu Yuan Garden. After old town we walked through some nearby hutongs to meet up with our hosts driver. After Old Town it seems that I did not take any more photo's that afternoon and can not recall what we did. That evening we went to the Pudong district and had a drink at the Park Hyatt Shanghai located in the Shanghai World Financial Center (or bottle opener). Slightly cheaper to hit the bar on the 92nd floor and have a drink than going to the observation deck. The drink was NOT worth the price though, the view was.

Old Town was crowded, the garden was worth the cost. Next to the bottle opener they are building another skyscraper. It is very eerie, its almost complete but has no power and its strange to see such a tall building with no lights on.

Heading out of town so will post more on the trip next week.