Finding the Least-Sticky Road to the Bund...

As an avid walker (many friends can attest to my militant insistence on by-foot transport to destinations near and far), I was more than excited to walk from my apartment to the Bund in an effort to 1) explore the main road networks of Shanghai and 2) to hit many of the tourist spots that I was only mildly interested in but felt obligated to see at least once... (for example, Shanghai's banal, Michael Graves-esque "Times Square" is a visit that, despite its proximity to my work, is a one-time-journey.)

So after unpacking and partially adjusting to the time difference (I usually wake up at 3-4am) I set off for an indirect route up Huai Hui Road (New York's "Broadway" or London's "Oxford Street"), crossing over to Jiangsu (busy arterial road), passing through a a sci-fi pedestrian overpass to Yan'An Road, and then making my way down Nanjing ( major retail street) ultimately to the Shanghai Urban Planning and Exhibition Center (blog entry to come later-- it is fascinating), the Bund (the most famous historic portion of Shanghai directly along the Huangpu River), and a glorious view of my thesis site: Pudong's financial district, Lujiazui.



I should also mention that I had another goal besides "seeing the sights" when setting out on my billion mile trek. After reading guidebook after guidebook that suggested Shanghai was simply "not a pedestrian" city, I desperately wanted to disprove this statement.

In the past, walking to work or school has been one of my greatest pleasures. In New York last summer my co-workers made fun of my 50-block jaunt from Morningside Heights to midtown. In Italy, walking back and forth from Campo di Marto to Piazza Savonarola was a chance to window shop and quietly observe the rhythms of neighborhood life. In London I would take a different route to school each day, revealing a new pub at each turn and the intersection of historical and contemporary architecture.

In Shanghai, with the exception of my delightful strolls around the French Concession, walking in Shanghai is, while totally feasible, just not that enjoyable.

Yes, it is summer. And yes, the air is hot and sweaty and heavy with the dead weight of humidity and pollution. And really, I would like to think if there was a cool breeze and a sunny sky, a fall day and the need for a light sweater, all would be different. But somehow, I think not.



Perhaps it is because of the ambling nature of the city. While there are main roads that you can follow from one end to the other, the repetitive nature of New York's grid, Italy's organic metabolism, or the duality of London's Main vs Side Street is nowhere to be found. Instead, there are long, snaking blocks abbreviated by intersecting roads that pop out of nowhere. While the porosity of Shanghai's main-street vs long alley-way is both a complex, sophisticated network of old, new, and once again, collage, the pedestrian is often lost to urban planners' desire to accommodate new transport infrastructure (Not to mention in many of these large intersections construction is taking place for a new subway line...an endeavor that is both fascinating and mind-boggling to witness--just yesterday I watched a man with a small pick-axe hammer into the ground, while behind him a huge drilling-machine loomed several feet away...)



So details aside, despite my vivid first encounter with the city and its many attractions, my first day was primarily a lesson to avoid walking long distances when possible. Luckily my next day revealed the absolute best form of transportation, opening up a world of adventure, exhiliration, and occasionally a brush with danger.. the bicycle! Left to me for the summer, my old black Giant bike, complete with its slightly-broken basket, has become my fateful companion on long bike rides from busy to quiet street, alleyway to peaceful park. Not to mention my ride to work... each morning I shoot up Fuxing Road and park in a designated bicycle parking area where an attendant I have become friendly with charges a whopping 5 cents to watch my bike while I'm at work. Not a bad deal.

On my second day in Shanghai, I embarked on a 3 hour bike ride. Setting out at 6am to avoid rush hour bike and "che" traffic (i.e. vehicle traffic, pronounced "chuh"), I made my way through the small streets of my neighborhood, gradually picking-up the pace as my confidence grew with each successful intersection and "risky" manuever. As time passed and more people left for work, I was soon surrounded by hordes of mopeds and bicycles carrying a huge spectrum of the city's population, not to mention lots of cargo (from laptops to children, fruit to fish, and my favorite, the occasional bucket of snakes to take to market.) Ranging from grandmother's in dainty skirts to shirtless workers with itty-bitty children standing on make-shift moped platforms, everyone had somewhere to be, and rules regarding red and green lights seemed barely applicable to those not in a car or bus. Therefore, I just followed the crowds (going as steady as the traffic permitted, and staying "tight to the right"--my dad's words of wisdom of how to ride safely after his many adventures riding through Europe and the US).



After an hour or so, after stopping in a local market, I decided to take an extended break in Fuxing Park, where I stumbled upon what seemed like Shanghai's entire elderly population. Huge groups of men and women practiced tai' chi, sword-fighting, and other dance and movement techniques, while shrill Chinese music blasted from personal boomboxes. Regardless of what corner I turned, what private wooded path I looked into, everyone was participating in some exercise and health-related ritual (with the exception of a large group of men that had already begun a raucous card-game at 7:30 am). Nearby, in an expansive green space, 3 men flew beautiful kites shaped like birds.



As I sat and stared, mesmerized by the aerodynamic swooping and swirling of the artificial bird, provocatively contemplating the idea of just meditating on that very bench for the remainder of the summer, I was content. And excited to see where my next bike ride might take me...





--stay tuned for entries on the urban planning museum, my site-visit to Pudong, a visual tour of my trip to work, and my upcoming weekend trip to Hangzhou... !!! Also, while I intend to write some specific pieces on Chinese contemporary architecture/urban planning, I've decided to devote the first few entries to broader-view experiences and observations of Shanghai.. let me know if you have any suggestions or things you'd like to hear about!