Shanghai is known for seasonal foods such as hairy crab in the fall and mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But if you’ve missed these dates, you can still sample a Shanghai delicacy: the pork "mooncake" (xianrou bing)—if you're willing to wait in a very long line. The pork mooncake it's not actually a traditional mooncake, but rather a savory flaky pastry which is available year round. At the Qing Dynasty—founded Zhen Lao Da Fang on downtown Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street (Nanjing Lu Buxing Jie), patrons wait in line, sometimes for hours (the record wait time is 8 hours), for a box of these freshly-baked pastries stuffed with minced pork. One imperative: Eat them piping hot while the crust is crispy and the interior juicy. 536 Nanjing Dong Lu, 86/(0) 21-6322-3928. Photo by Crystyl Mo.

Little roadside food counters are popular all over the city. I took this photo in the Old City of Shanghai, and munched on some tasty deep fried crab as I walked through the Yue Yuan gardens.

A great excursion in Shanghai is the boat trip to the Yangtze delta. The delta itself interesting, as there's water everywhere and you can't decide whether you're on a river or the sea. You pass the old harbor of Shanghai and you can watch all the locals working in the dockyards or on their houseboats. Another highlight is, of course, the impressive architecture of the new city-centre named Pudong. When you do the trip in the afternoon, you'll be back just before sunset and you can shoot great pictures.

a wonderfully vibrant cosmopolitan city that embodies the future of China http://0dysseusjournal.blogspot.com/2012/11/magnificent-china.html

One of my friends was working the EWR-PVG flight last month before xmas. Since I had a few days off she asked me if I wanted to come along, there were plenty of seats so that was no problem. When I got there the weather was nice and in the 50s, so i proceeded to shopping. I did all my shopping for the kids and got a chance to ride the fastest train in the world... From Pudong to the airport, two hundred and sixty-seven miles per hour, it was only eight minutes. Wow, what a ride. This was my second time in Shanghai and this month I plan on taking my son there. With so much to see I will have to make many more trips.

As fresh as possible, selected out for dinner along with a medium live fish, couple 100 grams of live fresh shimp and a dozen clams from water tanks..... Yum! I have had snake before, and this cooking method rendered a slightly tougher meat than I had previously had as a kid. But tasty.

After a delectable meal of steamed pork dumplings at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant, the owner took my friends and I to the back to show us his studio. He had sheets of rice paper and hundreds of fans with beautifully precise calligraphy.

Celebrated French chef Paul Pairet describes his new 10-seat, single-table Ultraviolet as the first restaurant attempting to “unite food with multisensorial technologies in order to create a fully immersive dining experience.” You’re delivered by private driver to Ultraviolet’s secret location and then served 20 creative courses such as “foie gras can’t quit,” a delicate “cigarette” of foie gras encased in fruit-flavored skin and placed on a silver ashtray. Video projections, music, and custom aromas sprayed from a scent machine redefine ambience. 86/(0) 21-6142-5198. Image courtesy of Ultraviolet.

The Urban Planning Museum in Shanghai has a full-scale replica of the entire city fully equipped with lights, cars on the street, and even a few tiny pedestrians walking along The Bund! It certainly feels like you're on top of this bustling city!

In the fall of 2009, I went on a work-study abroad exchange at Fudan University, in the Yangpu district of Shanghai. We took classes like 'Shanghai and Globalization' with an equal mix of Canadian and Chinese students, and each of us were partnered off with a Fudan classmate for an internship placement with an NGO. I worked with iFair, the first organization in China to push for fair trade practices and ethical consumerism. This photo was taken off the balcony of my home in Shanghai, the international students residence. Most of the time, the suffocating amounts of smog concealed the skyline. On this night, however, we had a clear view of the uber-modern Pudong district and Shanghai's famous landmark, the Pearl Tower.

Shanghai tailors are the best in the world, says fashion designer Christy Holzer, whose label, Dowry Designs, was inspired by the city. She suggests visiting the South Bund fabric market to order custom garments. DRESS: STALL 308 “A fun style to wear is the qipao [a centuries-old Chinese dress that got its form-fitting shape in the 1920s]. Traditional silk patterns make the garment look old, so request a solid-color silk.” SUIT: STALL 309 “If you want truly exceptional fabric, ask for 100 percent wool. Most of the wool fabrics they have are blends. Specify that they line your suit with 100 percent silk or cotton.” COTTON SHIRT: STALL 310 “Look at the buttons the tailors are planning to use, as they often choose cheap ones. If you don’t like the buttons, stop by a button stall at the market; it will be worth the extra investment.” Illustration by Michael Hoeweler. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue.

Barbarossa's Moroccan cuisine, Arabian decor and dramatic warm lighting are like a scene out of Casablanca. However, positioned against Shanghai's skyline and a crowd of hip locals, dining here is a wholly modern Chinese experience. Stay for dinner on the water or for a drink at one of their second-story lounges. Concealed in People's Park overlooking the lake and with breathtaking skyline view, it's no wonder this is a go-to place for locals and expats alike.

I took this photo of some of my classmates after a night class we had. Fudan is the third best University in China, and students have work very, very hard and barely get time to relax. I like this image because I captured a rarity for the Chinese student - all of the girls were gossiping and giggling, and although I couldn't really understand them, they looked at ease and in the moment.

Easily labeled as one of the best Sichuan restaurants in Shanghai, Yuxin is a must go once you tire of street food and want a more expensive vibe. Reasonably priced, this Sichuan restaurant is located on the fifth floor off of the bustling Nanjing Lu, right before you hit your mall full of Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren, just to name a few. You'll have to take an elevator up, and the entrance to the building might seem a little difficult to locate. Even if you can't read Chinese, the menu is book format with all the dishes pictured. I would suggest taking a Mandarin speaking guest a long to help translate any questions or concerns regarding the food. Trying the Sichuan caramel dessert is a must. It comes in a tower of breaded apple balls that you dip into hot caramel and quickly eat before it hardens. A truly delicious and traditional treat. Don't be too surprised if you walk in to find a wedding reception going on with terrible karaoke. Welcome to Shanghai.

With a name like "Flower, Bird, Fish, & Insect Market," why wouldn't you want to check this out?? Just south of People's Square, this market is practically hidden within an entire city block. There are entrances on each side of the block, and it is packed with merchandise. By merchandise, I mean singing birds, croaking frogs, noisy crickets, and stacks of fish tanks. The noise made within these tight confines is quite distinct. In the middle of the day, you might catch some of the male vendors sitting in the middle of the market playing cards. When finished, one of them might try to sell you a frog dyed pink as a pet. Just another day at the Flower, Bird, Fish, & Insect Market!

As a bag designer, I am always researching the 'way we carry' in different cultures. Traveling throughout China, one thing is clear....No matter what you need to get from point A to B....you can do it on a Bike. I snapped this photo while walking around the Dong Tai Road Antique Market, and it pretty much speaks for itself. I’m Impressed…how about you?

In a stately 1930s art deco building the Rockbund Art Museum exhibits work by some of China’s most renowned contemporary artists, including mixed-media gurus Cai Guo-Qiang and Zhang Huan, as well as installations by the Italian artist Paola Pivi. The museum holds free lectures on art, technology, and music. A recent series explored urban creativity in Shanghai. 20 Huqiu Rd., Huangpu, 86/(0) 21-3310-9985. Photo by Pablo Taking Pictures on Flickr.com. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue.