Shanghai

 
Fast, furious, unforgettable -- like all the best affairs.
If there’s any proof that the world’s most alluring cities are as cyclically fashionable as Eames chairs and flapper wear, look no further than China’s commercial and financial hub.

In the 1930s, Shanghai was the “Paris of the Orient” before succumbing to a World War and Communist revolution.

Today, China’s richest, busiest city has regained official “it” status with the 2010 World Expo host exposure (that out-priced the Beijing Olympics), a new insta-skyline and Western headlines toasting (and kind of roasting) Shanghai as “China’s Capitalist Showpiece.”  

For a quick, New Shanghai fix, board the Maglev train (top speed 430 kph) at Pudong International Airport, whiz into the heart of skyscraper-lined Pudong in under 10 minutes and gape down at it all from the 100th-floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Yes, you’re perched on the world’s highest observation deck.

Better yet -- cross the Huangpu River into the original cityscape that cemented Shanghai’s reputation. Walk the Bund. Stroll the former French Concession. Haggle along the main streets. Decompress in the garden- and teahouse-lined alleys of the city’s original walled settlement. Rinse and repeat.