(no subject)
Picked a good day to stay home, all overcast and lovely. Rained all morning.
And while leaning out my window and contemplating the look of Taipei 101 against my neighborhood, I realized another reason I must get to Shanghai this summer - there's the most wonderful little juxtaposition down near the Museum (Renmin Guangchang area), this fairly modest 19th century red-brick church (I want to say Episcopalian, but I'm a bit fuzzy on details - it was a while ago) set on this wide, modern road with an absolute cacophony of modern crap around it. Anyone who's ever wandered around that area of Shanghai will know what I'm talking about, at least in terms of the sheer amount of shit in the area. I've NEVER seen so many KFCs in one place. It was astounding in this really weird way. Actually, it was the fake European façades that got me, but I digress.
I remember emailing mummy about it because I thought it was so funny and sort of summed up Shanghai for me (the most conflicted city I've ever been to), and she said "Did you get any pictures?" I said no, I didn't bring my digital with me, nor did I lug my SLR with me.
"But you're TRAINED in taking pictures of buildings! Get back down there and take pictures!" she wailed (and of course, she's sort of right, I am - I CAN take good pictures of buildings, and adhere to the HABS/HAER guidelines if I have the space and time to devote to it, even!). The next time I was down in the area, I was armed with both my SLR and my digital, but we didn't have time to wander around looking for the church, nor were my companions particularly inclined to indulge my architecture-loving self, so I didn't bother dragging them all over hell and creation.
So I need to find that church again.
I'm thinking 3rd week of July, leave on a Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Cost dependent, of course. We'll see. 我很喜歡上海。 Even though the food is nothing to write home about (more beef on a stick than you can shake ... well, a stick at, though).
And while leaning out my window and contemplating the look of Taipei 101 against my neighborhood, I realized another reason I must get to Shanghai this summer - there's the most wonderful little juxtaposition down near the Museum (Renmin Guangchang area), this fairly modest 19th century red-brick church (I want to say Episcopalian, but I'm a bit fuzzy on details - it was a while ago) set on this wide, modern road with an absolute cacophony of modern crap around it. Anyone who's ever wandered around that area of Shanghai will know what I'm talking about, at least in terms of the sheer amount of shit in the area. I've NEVER seen so many KFCs in one place. It was astounding in this really weird way. Actually, it was the fake European façades that got me, but I digress.
I remember emailing mummy about it because I thought it was so funny and sort of summed up Shanghai for me (the most conflicted city I've ever been to), and she said "Did you get any pictures?" I said no, I didn't bring my digital with me, nor did I lug my SLR with me.
"But you're TRAINED in taking pictures of buildings! Get back down there and take pictures!" she wailed (and of course, she's sort of right, I am - I CAN take good pictures of buildings, and adhere to the HABS/HAER guidelines if I have the space and time to devote to it, even!). The next time I was down in the area, I was armed with both my SLR and my digital, but we didn't have time to wander around looking for the church, nor were my companions particularly inclined to indulge my architecture-loving self, so I didn't bother dragging them all over hell and creation.
So I need to find that church again.
I'm thinking 3rd week of July, leave on a Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Cost dependent, of course. We'll see. 我很喜歡上海。 Even though the food is nothing to write home about (more beef on a stick than you can shake ... well, a stick at, though).