Shanghainese looks too young to have a mother who is a 100!

As a fan, the great pleasure and privilege is all mine. If you follow their adventures, the Smith family is unusually special, and one will instantly fall in love with all 3 of them when you meet them, they are amazingly bright, charming and engaging, I hope to GTG with them again soon.

Hanuman -- Very flattering, note except for the waved/colored hair, all is natural, no nips/tucks/lifts.

we will be in S in late october and would love a mini GTG with any of you...

let me know: rhkonthailand@msn.com

Bob - what date are you in shanghai? I'm wondering if we overlap at all.

25-30 October at the renaissance yu gardens

We'll be around! Keep in touch and let's go eat!

And Aline, the feeling is mutual! Cheers.

We will also be there 25-30 October at the Renaissance Yu Gardens and would love to meet one and all.

Aloha!

We will spend our last week in china in shanghai and the nearby vicinity so it sounds like we may overlap. We leave shanghai on nov 5th. Perhaps we can all meet for dinner on bob's last day.

Cool - when it gets closer, post and we can connect and plan a place!

i'm for it..

post a topic in early oct

Just came back from playing tour director for a couple of friends from N. Cal, I return to San Francisco on Tuesday, if you are there, love to meet any and all of you.

Alex...I was lucky enought to have a mini GTG in Hollywood last year with Aline and Michael..a most delightful couple. The pics of Aline's 100 year old mom are incredible...thanks again for sending those pics. And welcome home Aline.

Alex, if you meet Bob and Karen (RHKKMK) in Shanghai, please be forewarned. Take plenty local curency or credit cards with you. Bob is achingly slow to pick up checks. In colonial Needham, Massachusetts, his hometown, he is a legend in that regard.

Off Topic: Bob/Karen, don't forget the Lizzard Lounge in Cambridge for Syd's gig!

Stu Tower

Just curious - how much are you all paying for the yu gardens hotel. We have not made hotel reservations yet.

we are 3 nights in a suite (3 people) for a special deal--50% off---1640 per night (about $972 total) with full lounge privledges.

then 2 nights in a reg. club room for 1726 (3 people)..about $680.

rate change has to do with weekend rates (suite)... all booked on marriott.com.

i am very excited about the visit to S and the yu gardens hotel

Ouch...more than we plan to stay.

That would be " spend".

dgun:

we found very comfortable and convenient lodgngs, five years ago on pedestrian Nanjing Lu...it was a Ramada Inn at the time but may have changed hands. I think we paid around equiv. of $110. It is located a block from People's Park (morning tai chi) and next door to the luxurious Meridien, and across the street from the old Shanghai Department Store #1. It's a comfortable walk to the Bund and Yu Yuan Park. and there is also a tinker=toy little tram that will take you back and forth for a pittance. Check it out..try to find what it is now in case you can't find it listed. I recall that I sent you som Shanghai pics back in '07 or '08..but I'll send them again..no harm done. You will throughly enjoy China and Shanghai. What other regions/cities will you be visiting? I first visted China in '84 when touring was the only legal option(a very different China today)..but it was easy and fun to do it on our own in '07, just hiring local guides mainly for their car transportation! Didn't feel the need for one in Xian or Shanghai but we had very competent, fun guys in BJ and Guilin/Yangshuo/terraced rice paddies area.
Enjoy your trip. Seems like you've been planning it for some time now..either that or" tempus fugit"..stay well...and keep on traveling. Or like my Chinese grandmother used to say..zay gezint!
stu tower

Thanks bob & stu for your info on shanghai hotels.

As it turns out, I've been informed by bob that he'll be leaving shanghai on the 30th. We will probably be able to make it to shanghai on the 29th and would love to meet up with bob & Karen who we had the pleasure if meeting recently in Florida, along with other fodorites who will be there. If a dinner can be arranged for the 29th, we will try to make it.

LETS HEAD FOR SOMETHING ON THE 29TH???

HItraveller will be there too at that time and maybe others

Thanks, Stu, good to be back with Michael, and thanks again for sending us your book The Wayfarers. All the Ramada Inns now have been upgraded to hotels, not sure if the address is 505 Nanjing Road East, which now is an excellent Sofitel Hyland, Ctrip rate is $110.

dgunbug: I checked C-Trip (they only go out to the end of 60 days), regular room rate at R. Yu Gardens is $152. Or you can check out the art deco Park Hotel across from the People's Square for $65, ask for a quiet room.

Yes lets plan for the 29th.

Shanghainese, got any recos for a gtg in the Yu gardens area? Will you be back in Oct?

Aloha!

Shanghainese - thanks for the hotel info. Is it better to wait to get hotel rooms a month or so out or better now? Not certain yet how many days to actually spend in shanghai. Are we better off doing day trips from there or should we plan on overnighting in some of the surrounding towns? Do you have any favorite towns that you suggest visiting? Hope you are actually in shanghai to join in this gathering.

HT: Why not go to the one we went to? Old Shanghai Lanes Cuisine at 300 Nanking Road East, Floor 6, at the eastern end of the pedestrian street a couple of blocks off the Bund. Make a reservation at 3376-7922. Great food (Som's photos are mouth watering), nice view, one Metro stop north on Line 10 (purple) or a 14 rmb cab ride from your hotel which 4 of you can squeeze in and carpool. I have house guests in Oct, can't get to Shanghai again. Aloha!

dgunbug: Check out othere hotel rez sites and see if you can get anything lower than Ctrip, If so, book it. Ctrip may not keep the same rate for Oct so it's a gamble. For how many days in Shanghai, you should first firm up your itinerary, the hotels will hold your luggage when you go away a day or two with a small bag if you let them know when you make your rez. Perhaps you should pull up your former topic, if I'm not mistaken, you have more than 3 weeks and it is mostly from Beijing to the middle of China. If you are not going back to China soon, why miss out on the south, i.e. Yangshuo/Guilin or Yunan Province? And tell me your interests, what I like may not be to your liking.

place sounds good to me..

nearer to the time lets start a new thread to generate more interest??

R and K....this mostly humorless board needs a little lightness. I know you have a good, warped sense of humor...I'm certainly not trying to emulate Andy (Gpanda...no one can, bless his memory)and the fun "give and take" you guys had which so many Fodorites enjoyed...and in which I loved to participate.

You will enjoy Shanghai..here are my "Just Shanghai" pics from 2007..notice EKSCRUBCHY having dinner with us at Ruijin guest house resto.(see post below)

stu.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Shanghai200702#

Have a fun trip...

sorry, EK....error..EKSCRUNCHY, of course.

So she does have frizzy hair!

Thanks Aileen!!!

Bob, I'll reconnoiter before you arrive.....

Stu, your memories, trip reports and pics are always a welcome sight.

Coke, Som and Cokie hope you all are available at that time....it would be wonderful to meet up with you.

I'll top this in early October for Einstein.....oh oh....

Aloha!

Marija -- I think that was a bad hair day in Shanghai for EK, when I met her in Manhattan she had wavy hair, not frizzy at all.

Shanghainese--I was referring to this epic tale which includes discussion of eks' hair:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/bangkok-burma-shanghai-hong-kong-asian-odyssey-2010.cfm

We'll be around! We're off to Africa today but in October we should be back to the grind, so let's go eat!

coke...have fun in africa...

if you are the local, you should pick the place and make a res for us when we know who is coming..

Looking forward to meeting more fodorites in shanghai. We will plan to be there on the 29th and look forward to sharing a meal.

so, lets plan on the 29th???

we could meet in the club lounge at the renaissance yu garden where peter and i can reserve a meeting room or meet at a restaurant..??

coke, maybe you have a good suggestion for a restaurant??

Looking forward to this gtg.

We are also looking forward to this gtg.

Aloha!

Bob: Suggest you start a new thread for the upcoming GTG.

not a bad idea.. i will see what an ausupicious day would be to do so

`Wow! Sounds like a great group is forming for the GTG! VERY much looking forward to it! Aileen's suggestion for the restaurant is great! I am sure we can come up with some more options as well if people want more. We're sitting in HK right now hoping beyond hope to get on a plane tonight to Shanghai...We'll be getting back in to the swing of things in a few days once we get back to town! Cheers everyone!