The Urban Edit
We’ve come to realize a great irony of modern travel. And it’s this: the people who recoil most at the notion of seeing a city with a tour guide are often the very people who would actually benefit (and enjoy having one) the most.
The reason for this inverse snobbery? Tour guides have an image problem.
Ninja cat, surfboarding dog, Donald Trump memes… They all went viral. And now, ladies and gentlemen, we believe we might have created the first ever viral tour.
FOMO alert! If you’re so used to posting updates on social media that it’s become as much a habit as brushing your teeth, you may have a minor panic attack after touching down in China.
Why? Because despite Mark Zuckerberg practically naming his first child after Xi Jinping, Facebook and Instagram are both blocked. Oh, and Google too; Google maps, Google calendar, Gmail, all of it. Along with a whole host of other international websites you’re used to interacting with on a daily basis.
Want to get to the top of the second tallest building on earth? Of course you do! If only it were open to the public, eh? So here’s the good news: Bespoke is one of a handful of trusted companies to hold the keys to the tower during its mysterious soft opening (‘maybe July or August’ is what we were told when we last asked about full public access). Thus far, we’ve been running private tours to the ‘Top of Shanghai’ but, due to demand, we’ve arranged two special public tours on May 19th and 21st. Act quickly, because spaces are limited and booking will close 48 hours prior to the tours (or when all spaces are taken).
In terms of height the super sexy Shanghai Tower, designed by US master architects Gensler, is second only to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, but here’s a fun fact: its viewing platform is actually higher than the Burj’s, meaning you’re visiting the world’s highest observation deck before the inevitable tourist crowds descend. Our tour will take in the buildings rather slick basement museum where the conception, design and construction of the tower is illustrated by means of video, hologram, touchscreen and a whole bunch of sci-fi-esque goodness! Shanghai Tower staff are on hand for those that really want to geek out on the buildings numerous statistics and superlatives. We then board the world’s fastest elevator and zip 118 floors to the ‘Top of Shanghai’ where you’ll gaze down on the once-mighty ‘Bottle Opener’ and Jinmao Tower from your prime position atop the new king of the Pudong skyline.
Is the Shanghai Tower a little bit too obvious for your taste? Thanks to a less than stringent attitude to health and safety, Shanghai has plenty more quirky, low key ways to get your pulse racing. Here are a handful of our favorites that you might not have tried yet.
You might think of popcorn as a somewhat bland, low calorie snack. Fair enough but know this – in Shanghai’s it’s made on the street. In high pressure cannons. Each afternoon Mr. Du sits on Julu Road and fires up his ancient machine until it literally explodes, shaking houses and sending small children running each time a fresh batch is ready. A good way to get noticed, and a bargain at 5 RMB per bag.
Dunhuang is a lovely place, it really is. Sweeping desert sandscapes, ancient Buddhist grottoes… unfortunately it takes a butt-numbingly long and wallet-bustingly expensive flight to get there. You could say we’re grateful, then, that the Lost Heaven team have spared us the time and serious expense in bringing a little bit of the Silk Road to our very own former French Concession.
The vast venue is an attraction in itself, spread over two huge floors with a huge terrace brushing up against the leafy plane trees of Julu Lu. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the huge space, but do not miss (we did on our first two visits) the room tucked away at the back behind the bathrooms. A painstakingly accurate partial replica of Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves awaits, ignored by most of the diners. The perfect spot for a pre-dinner drink.
