A ferry horn sounds low across the Huangpu, and the boat pushes off from the Bund side with commuters and their bicycles on deck. Behind you, granite banks and old trading houses line the riverfront. Ahead, the glass towers of Lujiazui grow taller with every minute of the crossing.
On the Puxi side, the streets get quieter. Plane trees shade the avenues of the former French Concession, rockeries and ponds fill Yu Garden, and the shikumen alleys of Tianzifang hide studios and cafés. Summers are hot and humid with June rains, and winters stay damp and chilly. A Local Friend leads you through the lane gate you would have walked past, into the everyday Shanghai behind it.
