Girl with China Bob: Nooks & Crannies

As a new city to me, Shanghai holds intriguing surprises all the time. I can be walking down some nondescript lane and then come across a totally quaint neighbourhood or be at someplace to see something but discover something else entirely different altogether. Here are some of the fun parts of Shanghai I've discovered in the past two months:

Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art - My first weekend in Shanghai alone and I decided that I should be brave and venture out. Took a cab to the museum which was super boring but I then noticed there were people walking PAST the museum to get to the street beyond it. Following the crowd, I then realised this was a heritage street celebrating the fact that famous Lu Xun used to live on. It was a very well-preserved street with quaint alfresco cafes. I meant to enjoy a cuppa there but um, had to dash back to the hotel because of toilet issues.

Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art & Duolun Street

Invited by someone to have lunch at this fairytale castle in the middle of Shanghai city. Moller Villa was built by the owner of a dog-racing track for his daughter. The story goes that the daughter had a dream about a castle, and upon waking and telling her father, her doting dad immediately put pen to paper and sketched the castle of her dreams and built it for her. It is now a hotel cum restaurant. Hoping to go back there for afternoon tea soon.

Moller Villa - the stuff of dreams

Ok I know there are all starting to look the same but this is my favourite street of all. It is a cluster of around 10 streets of around 20 households each. The neighbourhood has been carefully preserved because famous folks used to live here - Zheng Xiaoqiu, a famous actor and director and Sheng Pihua, the first deputy mayor of Shanghai. Ya, I have no idea who these people are too la. But the street is so reminiscent of my childhood spent in the then yet-unspoilt Geylang, in my grandparents' house. The flashback was so intense. There were people playing mahjong, someone practising piano (I so know your pain!), folks cooking, playing with the dogs and kids returning home from school. Some of the lower floor apartments have been converted into shops and cafes. Again la, I wanna go back and lim teh!

Nanjing Xi Lu

Ok this is a little auntie but I was with my mum and my in-laws, so that explains ah! At the most touristy Tian Zi Fang, we stumbled onto (maybe "into" should be the right word) a vegetable market. Has to be one of the cleanest and driest wet markets in Shanghai. Feast on these strange veges!