hot town

Summer is upon us, and when I write "upon us," I mean, up on us. The temperatures are soaring to a heat index of 44 degrees today [110 F], air conditioning is spiking energy usage to unstable levels, and the subways are filled with hot, sticky, sweaty people. I don't know if the trains are more crowded or they just feel more crowded, but they definitely feel more crowded.

But despite making us all sluggish with this oppressive heat, Shanghai is offering up treats to keep us going. Two nights ago, Angie and I had a great, healthy, clean-tasting dinner at a great vegetarian restaurant. We met up with a couple of new friends and their two lovely children. We got all kinds of parenting tips, just in case; and though the meat was fake, the good times were not.

Last night, we went to the other end of the spectrum and enjoyed a visit to China's first Burger King. Bad layout, bad service, but friendly smiles and familiar tastes. It was a good cap to an evening started with friends at Batman Begins. If it sounds like we were back in suburban Michigan, it wasn't too far from that. Except for thousands of miles and the movie play-by-play and commentary in Shanghainese behind us ["Here he comes! He's back, he's back!"].

But both ended with nice walks from the restaurants, through slight drizzle, back to our place, and in the end, I was reminded more of NYC and the Lovin' Spoonful's Summer In The City.