Happy Time & Hello Pizza

So I'm being a bad student now and updating my blog instead of making a dent in the monstrous pile of reading that is growing by the minute beside me. Tiffany and Carlos doing homework across from me makes me feel even worse. SICK...both of them.

I woke up a little earlier today than yesterday (11am as opposed to 2pm). Tiffany came to our room and we decided to go out and walk down the street to find something to eat. Usually, and by usually I mean every single waking minute, there is food EVERYWHERE in China. Hidden in corners. Coming out of sewers. Flowing from the faucets. Jumping out of rickshaws. Leaping off skyscrapers. Everywhere! But this one time when we were actually looking for food, there was none to be found. The Horror!

Halfway through our escapades, we walked past a pizza place that some other NYU kids have gone to. It's called "Hello Pizza." (Hello is also what the natives say to any white people they see on the street) Prices weren't too bad, about 6USD for a pizza that's a little bigger than a personal pizza back in the states. The stuff on the menu was a little hilarious though. Like Americanized Chinese food back home (i.e. Panda Express), this is what I guess is Chinese-ified American food. Among the many delicious choices were: "Super HP: Thousand island sauce, pepperoni, bacon, tomato, pineapple, sesame" and "Color Pizza: salad sauce, chicken, corn, carrot, and beans." And for appetizers they have an array of balls: Shrimp Balls, Pork Stuffed Fish Balls, Beef Balls, and the list goes on... Anyways, we decided we weren't ready for these eccentric Chinese dishes and decided to keep looking. After a fruitless search we decided to go to a bakery we saw near the beginning of our journey. It wasn't as busy and the choices weren't as good as 85, the bakery across the street from our apartment, but we were hungry and the sesame covered croissant with a hot dog stuffed in for giggles sufficed.

On our way back we stopped at a bubble tea joint called "Happy Time." It was okay. I got a papaya smoothie. Tiffany's red bean milk tea was better. I will get that next time.

Yesterday, Vicki, Carlos and I went to a place called Xintiandi. I think it translates into heaven on Earth. It used to be an old neighborhood filled with the traditional Shanghai style townhouses. Shukamen??? Most neighborhoods like this have been bulldozed by the government already to make way for more glass and cement monstrosities but I guess this one was somehow saved and converted into an upscale shopping center. It was really REALLY nice. It kind of reminded me of Kierland Commons back home in Scottsdale, but with a lot more culture and on a much larger scale. The stores were better too. Starbucks and Coffee Bean were right next to each other. Heaven if I ever saw one! :)

On to the pictures!

The entire shopping center is in what used to be an old Shanghainese neighborhood, just fancied up a little. Okay maybe ALOT. Filled with trendy restaurants and bars. Everything was VERY expensive, even by American or international standards. 

They kept all the narrow alleyways and filled them with little boutiques. 

Restaurants galore! All of these were way out of our price range. 

We found a nice Italian restaurant called Pizza Marzano. Prices were pretty comparable to the US. My salad was 100 RMB, about 15 USD. 

Carlos, Vicki and I waiting for our food. Waiters here hate me. I always ask them to take pictures. A bad habit I guess I have my mom to thank for. (Hi Mom!)

Vicki and I shared the salad. It was SOO good! The little round things on the bottom are bread. Still warm from the oven! Made with fresh avocado and some sort of really good cheese! Such a nice escape from all that Chinese food. Carlos got the dish with two tomatoes as his appetizer. Those were really good too. 

Our entrees! 

The Cold Stone had Red Bean and Sesame flavored ice cream! They also had a special for students, buy one get one free. Carlos and I both got the red bean flavor. 

Can't find these flavors in America!

Strolling around. Vicki decided she was too good for Cold Stone and got Haagen-Dazs instead. No student special for her! And like the Starbucks and Coffee Bean right next to eachother, these were too. 

More boutiques in more alleys. All in all a very cute place. 

Some mansion turned museum sort of thing. Carlos is practicing to become a serf. Vicki is still on a high horse from all that overpriced Haagen-Dazs. 

A Chinese Budweiser ad. 

On our way home and trying not to get the taxi dirty. I will definitely be getting more red bean ice cream!