Last February, I was lucky enough to be sent to Shanghai, China for two weeks for work.  After a sixteen hour flight, I arrived in this new country and instantly fell in love.  While there, I reveled in the culture, met some amazing people, ate a ton of great food and had maybe one too many Tsing Taos.  I won’t rehash all the adventures I had there, but you can read more about my time there here, here, and here.  When looking back on a trip, I always have a tendency to romanticize the destination, but Shanghai was honestly one of my favorite excursions to date.  In honor of Chinese New Year and the one year anniversary of this trip, here are my favorite photos from Shanghai:

My friend, Eddie, and I at O’Hare, excited to take off.

The beautiful Peninsula Hotel Shanghai, where we worked and lived for the two weeks we were in Shanghai.

The pool in the Peninsula Spa at the hotel.

The shopping mall beneath the Peninsula Hotel.

My coworkers Carlos and Gary and the Shanghai skyline, looming above the Huang Pu River.

The People’s Heroes Memorial on the Bund in Shanghai.

The (very) large terrace of one of the suites at the Peninsula Hotel Shanghai.

The shrimp dumpling making class in the kitchen of Yi Long Court.

Some of the interesting, delicious food we tried in Shanghai.  The top left is chicken feet from Memory, the bottom left is xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and sauteed greens from Din Tai Fung, and the right photo is Yang’s Dumplings (a reason to visit Shanghai in itself!).

One of the many beautiful Koi ponds within Yu Garden.

The crowded shopping area in Yu Garden, with plenty of tourist shops and food stands.

A dragon wall inside Yu Garden.

Our tour guide, Grace, giving us all the facts in Yu Garden.

Outside of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the Pudong District of Shanghai.

This is me trying to smile through my fear of sitting on the glass floor at the top of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

The Confucius Temple, which is run by students and full of inspiration.

Zhujiajiao, a water town about an hour outside of Shanghai.

The Jing’An Temple on West Nanjing Road.

One of the many Buddhist statues within the Jing’An Temple.

A Buddhist statue within the Jade Buddha Temple.

A Chinese Opera mask painting class in the French Concession.

The winding maze of interesting shops and restaurants also known as Tianzifang.

At the bottom of the Oriental Pearl at dusk.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel that travels under the Huang Pu River between the Puxi and Pudong sides of the river.

Yu Garden is even more beautiful at night, especially when it’s decorated for Chinese New Year.

A lion dance in the Yi Long Court restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel Shanghai.

Chinese New Year decorations in the Lobby of the Peninsula Shanghai.

Happy Chinese New Year!!!