Welcome Back

Just wrapped up a couple of weeks in the US where I saw family, friends, did the tour of Virginia and then capped it off with a weekend of celebration in New York. It was a blur of a weekend - the kind of flurry of fun that you can only find in New York - a combination of brunches, shopping, dancing, and yes, one rodeo. It certainly left me plotting my eventual return to the city. And now I've been back in Shanghai for just a day and I've already noticed numerous changes - one new subway line open, another about to be (my subway maps are grossly inaccurate now! Never had that happen before...hmm think 2nd avenue subway 2014.) a laudromat just opened in front of my building, one of my favorite restaurants closed for renovations while two more new ones have cropped up to cover the market, and the stores are in full-on clearance mode. To say the least, business is booming here. And that's just after a 16 day absence. What will I find when I get back after six weeks of traveling?