Aging in Shanghai...gracefully (one hopes)

Shànghăi 上海 at dusk

After nearly a year here, we finally got around to exploring Shanghai's iconic Bund 外滩 from one of its most scenic vantage points - a sightseeing boat on the Huángpŭ River 黄浦江. Reserving online (as opposed to buying tickets at the boat dock) saved a significant amount of RMB, and made having to line up cattle-like in a stockade prior to boarding almost bearable. Once on board, we staked out a good spot and heroically fought off the grannies from the provinces who tried to elbow their way between my daughter and my wife in order to get a better view. And what a view it was, with the contrast between the futuristic light show on the Pŭdōng 浦东 side of the river and the more tastefully lit-up buildings on the Pŭxī 浦西 side accentuated by a bright orange full moon. 

From our vantage point on the top deck, we first got a good look at Pudong:

The boat then did a U-turn in the Huangpu, giving us a close-up look at the buildings on the Bund:

The Huangpu River is always clogged with boats of all shapes and sizes, and the throng crowding the deck could be aggressive and noisy, but the sightseeing cruise was a fun trip that was over and done with in about an hour:

 The three of us certainly approved: