Eastern Medicine

I recently vacationed to the other side of the world (Shanghai, China) for my cousin's wedding. I've been a few times before since I have a huge family there, but this time I actually felt like I really embraced the city and the lifestyle. I made extra effort this time to find the parts of Shanghai with the most genuine history. It's becoming harder and harder to find old buildings that haven't been renovated into shopping malls and tourist traps.

Fortunately, my cousin Eddie is into the same stuff as I am, and speaks fluent english, so he took me to his favorite spots around town. We went to a polaroid cafe, the arts district, the french concession, the local fixie kid watering hole, an underground flea/hobby market, and a bike shop (where I bought a sick early 90's "Forever" road frame). He even took me on a late night group bike ride, where I was the only one not riding a fixed gear. After this trip, I feel more connected to Shanghai and my family than ever. Time to seriously learn chinese!

Enough of that sappy shit, here are some instant photos I took while exploring the outskirts of the arts district.

Pictured: Me, Eddie, Mom

More photos of my trip on my Flickr