100 Things Challenge - 003 - The Shanghai Aquarium!
Okay, I promise - after this post, I'll do something with a bit more local color. But I figure I should get some of my favorite places out of the way because they're easier to do a write-up on. :)
The Shanghai Aquarium!
So the Shanghai Aquarium and I have this little thing going on that started waaaaaay back during my first year. Y'see, during my first year, I had very few people in Shanghai to talk to. I mean, the company only had 15 teachers and we were scattered all over the place. Plus, my roommates had taken off for parts unknown (also known as Toronto) during a midnight run during Christmas that I shall not be repeating here since I've successfully repressed most of my memories from September to December of 2003.
So let's look at January 2004! A new apartment, closer to my school, a new roomie who was friendly enough, if not the best match for me (he was an outgoing elderly gentleman in his fifties, I was an introverted homebody in my 20's. This was a case where opposites most certainly did NOT attract), and the local teacher at my school, Erin, had decided that I was to be her new pet project. This meant we should spend time together, and she asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to go to the Aquarium, because i had heard good things about it.
Erin got her English-speaking pilot of a brother-in-law and his son (her nephew) Arnold (4 years old and cute as a button) to come with us and we made an afternoon of it, trekking through the different zones and wandering the underground exhibits. It was a beautiful, well-presented and beautifully maintained facility. The Zoos here are horrible, horrible places and I urge expats to avoid them, but the Aquarium is a modern facility and one of their pride and joys with an actual budget from the city.
Soo, the Aquarium. Home to penguins, sharks, fat happy seals, gorgeous sea turtles and millions and millions of fish. The newest attraction features a living wall tank of jellyfish which are pretty damn cool to look at. An ongoing feature is the Shark Preservation room, where they have shark eggs, lots of smaller shark breeds on display, and of course videos about the danger of over-fishing. My favorite is the video featuring Yao Ming imploring people to avoid eating shark fin soup. :)
The Aquarium is also home to the worlds largest, indoor, underwater, automated moving tunnel (try getting THAT on a placard). You can hop off it if you want to spend more time in your favorite areas - most people prefer the sharks and sea turtles, with the big manta rays that cover the tunnel like big soggy blankets - or you can just coast from habitat to habitat without taking a step.
Keep your arms and feet inside the tunnel please.
Over the years, I've taken lots of people there: my friend Jen, my mom, my dad, angel_katchan and the Chibi, Jo, Joanna, Lena, my 2nd year ex-roomies, and various others. It's one of my favorite places in Shanghai - as long as you go on a week day. Otherwise, be prepared for HUGE crowds. Just sayin'. *wink*
Admission is 120rmb per adult generally. If you go as a group you can get a discount but I don't know how many people constitutes a group. You buy your tickets outside and then go into an arcade area with a bunch of tables and vendors lined around. At the other end of the room is the entrance to the Aquarium.
How do you get there? Simple! Hop on Line 2 and take it to the Liujiazui stop - that's the first stop after entering Pudong from the Puxi side. Make sure you go out exit 1. Liujiazui is the heart of the financial district and is right next to the Pudong-side Bund (most people know the Bund as being on the Puxi side, but the Pudong side has been nicely renovated as well! Good for walks!). Not much to eat here except fast food (McDonalds, Subway, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut), but there IS a Toys R Us located nearby in case you're interested. ^^
After coming out of exit 1, stop and look up. See that big steel and pink, snowball-shaped structure:? That's the Oriental Pearl TV tower. The Aquarium is located right next door on the right hand side. If you can find the tower, you can find the Aquarium. It's not difficult, believe me.
It totally fails at camoflage.
And there you have it - the Shanghai Aquarium. Good for a half-day trip - go early in the morning and then spend the afternoon waiting in line to go up to the top of the Pearl Tower! It's also worth a one-time trip to get an awesome birds-eye view of the city. Just be sure to check the weather forecast. If it's cloudy, give the tower a miss. You won't see anything worthwhile, trust me. :)
The Shanghai Aquarium!
So the Shanghai Aquarium and I have this little thing going on that started waaaaaay back during my first year. Y'see, during my first year, I had very few people in Shanghai to talk to. I mean, the company only had 15 teachers and we were scattered all over the place. Plus, my roommates had taken off for parts unknown (also known as Toronto) during a midnight run during Christmas that I shall not be repeating here since I've successfully repressed most of my memories from September to December of 2003.
So let's look at January 2004! A new apartment, closer to my school, a new roomie who was friendly enough, if not the best match for me (he was an outgoing elderly gentleman in his fifties, I was an introverted homebody in my 20's. This was a case where opposites most certainly did NOT attract), and the local teacher at my school, Erin, had decided that I was to be her new pet project. This meant we should spend time together, and she asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to go to the Aquarium, because i had heard good things about it.
Erin got her English-speaking pilot of a brother-in-law and his son (her nephew) Arnold (4 years old and cute as a button) to come with us and we made an afternoon of it, trekking through the different zones and wandering the underground exhibits. It was a beautiful, well-presented and beautifully maintained facility. The Zoos here are horrible, horrible places and I urge expats to avoid them, but the Aquarium is a modern facility and one of their pride and joys with an actual budget from the city.
Soo, the Aquarium. Home to penguins, sharks, fat happy seals, gorgeous sea turtles and millions and millions of fish. The newest attraction features a living wall tank of jellyfish which are pretty damn cool to look at. An ongoing feature is the Shark Preservation room, where they have shark eggs, lots of smaller shark breeds on display, and of course videos about the danger of over-fishing. My favorite is the video featuring Yao Ming imploring people to avoid eating shark fin soup. :)
The Aquarium is also home to the worlds largest, indoor, underwater, automated moving tunnel (try getting THAT on a placard). You can hop off it if you want to spend more time in your favorite areas - most people prefer the sharks and sea turtles, with the big manta rays that cover the tunnel like big soggy blankets - or you can just coast from habitat to habitat without taking a step.
Keep your arms and feet inside the tunnel please.
Over the years, I've taken lots of people there: my friend Jen, my mom, my dad, angel_katchan and the Chibi, Jo, Joanna, Lena, my 2nd year ex-roomies, and various others. It's one of my favorite places in Shanghai - as long as you go on a week day. Otherwise, be prepared for HUGE crowds. Just sayin'. *wink*
Admission is 120rmb per adult generally. If you go as a group you can get a discount but I don't know how many people constitutes a group. You buy your tickets outside and then go into an arcade area with a bunch of tables and vendors lined around. At the other end of the room is the entrance to the Aquarium.
How do you get there? Simple! Hop on Line 2 and take it to the Liujiazui stop - that's the first stop after entering Pudong from the Puxi side. Make sure you go out exit 1. Liujiazui is the heart of the financial district and is right next to the Pudong-side Bund (most people know the Bund as being on the Puxi side, but the Pudong side has been nicely renovated as well! Good for walks!). Not much to eat here except fast food (McDonalds, Subway, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut), but there IS a Toys R Us located nearby in case you're interested. ^^
After coming out of exit 1, stop and look up. See that big steel and pink, snowball-shaped structure:? That's the Oriental Pearl TV tower. The Aquarium is located right next door on the right hand side. If you can find the tower, you can find the Aquarium. It's not difficult, believe me.
It totally fails at camoflage.
And there you have it - the Shanghai Aquarium. Good for a half-day trip - go early in the morning and then spend the afternoon waiting in line to go up to the top of the Pearl Tower! It's also worth a one-time trip to get an awesome birds-eye view of the city. Just be sure to check the weather forecast. If it's cloudy, give the tower a miss. You won't see anything worthwhile, trust me. :)