Shànghăi 2024 June 07
Cynthia had come over the other day and we spent a few hours hanging. She had to go back home at some point and I slept for a while. The next day she hit me up suggesting dinner with one of her coworkers, and I readily agreed.
I had plans to meet with another friend in Jìng’ān district earlier that same day, so around lunch time I walked across the street from Ricky’s apartment in Yángpǔ to the metro station to catch a ride to Jìng’ān Temple station.
A pagoda of Jìng’ān Temple.
Jìng’ān Temple area is very busy. Not only does it serve as a connection point for two important metro lines, it’s also a popular tourist area with lots of stores, restaurants, and a nearby park.
My friend ended up cancelling on me for lunch—her work supposedly forced her into a surprise meeting and she wouldn’t be able to get out of it. She suggested dinner, but I’d already made plans with Cynthia, so I gave her an indefinite rain-check.
View of Jìng’ān Temple from across a street by an intersection.
I opted to explore around the Jìng’ān Temple area for a bit before heading over towards Cynthia’s part of the district. Jìng’ān has lot of diverse restaurants and I was getting hungry. I settled on Italian and ordered a braised beef dish. Cynthia escaped from her work to join me for lunch, although she didn’t order anything.
I made contact with Jack who decided to come out and join me as well. Cynthia had to return to work, so we parted ways until dinner. I returned to Jìng’ān Temple station to meet up with Jack.
I walked with Jack until we found some food. Thereafter, we hung out and wandered a bit. He ordered a luxury ride-share to take us to a Russian restaurant, the owner of which he knew. The owner was a very friendly and accommodating Russian woman. She provided us with a nice spread and drinks. I had a Russian beer; Jack had vodka.
We linked up with Cynthia and her coworker, Sarah, for dinner at a very nice Yúnnán restaurant. After dinner we walked towards a club that we ended up never reaching. Cynthia ordered a ride-share and we returned to a string of bars in Jìng’ān.
Side-street at night flanked by apartment buildings.
Mostly, we just hung out and drank. Cynthia got us into a private party on a roof-top bar with a mediocre DJ playing pretty decent house-music. There weren’t many people, but the people who were there seemed to be a collection of the local area’s “who’s who” among the expat business community. We enjoyed the atmosphere and hospitality.
Friends atop a roof-top bar at night.
Eventually we left the roof-top party and made our way towards Revolution club. We lost Jack somewhere along the way as he kept meeting other Russians and, sociable as ever, went to making new friends.
Interior of Revolution club. Bright lights, loud music, lots of dancing.
Revolution had a special party going on with cover. Cynthia called the owner directly who came out to greet us and wave us through past security. He invited us to his private table and we partied with him and his entourage until the early morning hours. Sarah left at some point, responsibly calling it a night. Cynthia ended up coming home with me.