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Showing posts from June, 2013

Zaijian Shanghai - We Will Miss You!

And so, as we say our fond farewells to the impeccable staff of the Peninsula Shanghai - who have pampered us, cared for us, and, when needed, overlooked so much (not least Paradise's pet white mouse and Husky Go-Go's antics) - we prepare f or the long journey by air and  sea back to California, where I must write and be otherwise occupied for a time. First to the frenzy and humidity of Hong Kong, then a Flying Clipper to San Francisco, then onward up or down the California coast, as the whim may take us. The Boeing 314s are a wonder to behold: flying boats that offer the true meaning of luxury, with a perfectly elegant dining area staffed by chefs from four-star hotels (my one bone of contention: why not five-star hotels?), plus dressing rooms and bunks for overnight accommodation. They are so large, these flying boats, that a man - a mechanic - may stand up inside the wing while in flight and perform maintenance, should it be required. One ...

The Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland Hotel - Amazing!

THIS is where we're going to be living next in Shanghai...it may be 48 clicks outside of town, but how many other hotels can boast an underwater restaurant? This is the Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland Hotel , set to open in 2014 or 2015 at the foot of Tianmashan Mountain. It's tough, because the W Shanghai is opening around then, too - and Hudson has a very special relationship with the W.

The NSA, PRISM And My Shirts

I greatly enjoyed this piece about the whole NSA/leak story from my pal Frazer Rice's blog, which is called, not unreasonably, FrazerRice.com. Perhaps what surprises me most about all this is how much I'm not surprised by NSA snooping. I feel that Google, Facebook, AT&T and my beloved Apple know all that stuff about me anyway (not to mention LinkedIn). I guess I'm just not paranoid enough anymore - I feel I could have a Hunter S Thompson weekend in Vegas and no one would care. I rather expect full valet service from the NSA now. A car with a driver would be nice - as long as it took me where I wanted to go, rather than a one-way trip to some undisclosed location. I guess it's being white and British-born (privileged, as my wealthier-born Chinese-American wife is always pointing out) - I feel that I could still engage in some pretty nefarious activities, and the NSA/FBI/CIA wouldn't get hot under the collar (hopefully they'd be pre...