Tuesday April 19, 2011

SHANGHAI – I spent the better part of the day walking around the French concession in Shanghai. This area has not been overbuilt (so far). The southeastern portion has a gritty vibe. The more northerly and western area feels like the Upper East Side of Manhattan with leafy side streets and children wearing private school uniforms. My watch developed an issue with its battery – I stopped at a watch repairman in a covered food market to capture this with my Leica M9 and 50mm Summilux lens. I’m posting multiple images for today in light of the visual richness of what’s going on here.

In the late afternoon Maria and I met at the Shanghai National Museum. This was a fairly disappointing experience. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts (at the US end of the China trade) and the Metropolitan Museum have more extensive and better curated collections of just about everything. I suspect this is the product of the Cultural Revolution and the fact that the Nationalists, when they left the mainland, took many of the best treasures, which now reside in the National Museum in Taipei. Anyway, the building was nice. Taken with my Leica M9 and a 24mm Summilux lens.

Finally, an “I was there” shot from M Restaurant above the Bund with my Leica M9 and 24mm Summilux lens.

On this day one year ago: Harwinton Connecticut Congregational Church.