If the wrinkly paparazzi of Anfu Lu creep you out, and the pop-up lines on Yanqing Lu seem too absurd, then head up to the north bank of Suzhou Creek, where a string of redeveloped warehouses along the riverfront is your new spot for a springtime stroll.
Start at the Guang'er warehouse, which opened last year as a retail and office complex. In the back is La Baraka, Paul Pairet's ice cream truck, and in the stairwell are Shanghai's aspiring models taking glamour shots among the concrete chic.
Next up is Fotografiska, Shanghai's branch of the Swedish photography museum. With rotating exhibits and its own rooftop patio, it is well worth the admission ticket. If history is more your thing, check out the bullet-pocked walls of the Sihang Warehouse Museum (free), memorializing the 1937 Battle of Shanghai.
For shopping, there is Rhino Books, where you can find Chinese translations of Jane Jacobs among the vintage postcards and art magazines, or the gift shop of Fotografiska (no ticket needed to shop), home to photography books, prints, and other gifts. Those less nerdy can head up to the fourth floor of the Bailian warehouse and check out the large vintage boutique R!ch, which offers cut-rate discounts on high-end fashion brands.
For a bite to eat, Guang'er hosts a branch of the Italian café Ragu, as well as the bistro Juniper. Further east on Wenan Lu, there is the newly opened modern Asian restaurant Nude. Xizang Lu has a string of small noodle restaurants, or make a picnic of it and purchase prosciutto, cheese, and olives from Packing Fun.
For drinking, cafes dot the road, from the open windows of Café de Musee in Fotografiska, to a block of bars and coffee shops with shady patios down by Zhejiang Lu. Across the river by the Wuzhen Lu bridge is downtown's last remaining branch of Shanghai stalwart Beer Lady.
Or just stroll the riverside path, now clean, bright, and treelined, a remarkable transformation from what used to be an industrial wasteland.
How to get there:
Xinzha Lu and Qufu Lu are the closest metro stops. Guang'er Warehouse is located at 195 Guangfu Lu. The riverfront path extends far west and east, all the way to the bund (a 2.5km walk).
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Read also: [How To]: Explore Suzhou Creek By Boat
