Trendy Western stuff in 新天地

新天地, which literally means new sky and earth, is an upscale, very Western district of Shanghai. We went here one of the first days to eat at a restaurant called Grandma's which served Chinese food. The mall here has a huge Gucci ad on the side and includes restaurants such as Din Tai Fung, Haagen Daz, Coldstone's, and German/Spanish/etc ones catered to foreigners. In fact, you can see many foreigners walking around and dining here.


Our share of foreigners in front of a Bape store, striking Star Wars poses :P


There was a trendy pavilion with exhibits I didn't totally understand.


It definitely did not feel like China on this street, with Haagen Daz and pricey ice cream around haha


Speaking of American creameries... they are super pricey by both U.S. and Chinese standards. Granted, Godiva is a luxury everywhere but compared to food here, it seems even more upscale. That said, the Saturday after week 1 we went to a "swanky dim sum place" in Xin Tian Di, with dark lighting, interior awnings and such a mood that it seems fit for a date or formal business meeting. Dim sum is turning out to be (much) pricier than I expected! I was hoping it could be something less than $10.. for a normal amount I'd like to eat. But not to be spoiled-- the fact I can eat it every Saturday is so great already.