On commuting...

Shanghai is well known for the horrible commutes, whether you are taking a train, a bus, the subway, your own car...it will be a bad commute.  I was fully expecting to experience the bad commute first hand as I work downtown at the Jin Mao building.   Where we live is about 5 miles from downtown and in the first two weeks here I am happy to report and surprisingly so that my commute has not been horrible.  In fact it has been as short as 15 minutes and as long as 30 in either direction.  Around 8:30 seems to be the worst traffic, but for example, if I leave by 7 I am in by 7:20.  Plus I get dropped off at the door...a far cry from my forty minute commute and then two block walk in picturesque downtown Detroit.  Getting home has been just as easy, usually a 20-25 minute ride.  Another dramatic drop from the 45-60 going north on I-75.  Hopefully this is not just a winter slowdown in traffic, but on the Pudong side of Shanghai traffic seems much lighter than the much more crowded Puxi side, which we tried yesterday and will be blogged on later (not a fun trip!!).   Of course not driving has its advantages as well, sometimes I am getting a Chinese language lesson, other times I am getting work done or taking in the sights of life in China.   As for the Jin Mao building, it is quite tall (88 floors and currently fourth tallest in the world), but I am only on the 11th floor.  It was the tallest building in Shanghai, but now right next to it is the new World Financial Center which will be the second tallest in the world for a short period of time.  A seems to be a nice place to work with great views of the buildings along the river and the Pearl Tower, several banks, shopping, and restaurants.