Diane Snider Photos

I shudder to think of it but when a power outtage occurs, I suppose there's no other way to get to your apartment but to walk up the steps no matter what floor you live on. Oh, my!

The best views of the seemingly unending supply of highrise housing in Shanghai, China are from the elevated highways running through the city. You certainly won't lack for photo ops from them.

In Shanghai, China, as in many other major cities worldwide, housing units amount such as those pictured here would be a rare treat with their generous amount of sunshine and open air around them and a private balcony or terrace for each unit.

Low-rise housing iof any age is a rare sight in Shanghai as land is so costly or even more importantly, virtually non-existent for such a low density use.

No, I really can't tell you why all the blankets are hanging on railings along this sidewalk. Are they for sale? Freshly washed and hanging there to dry? Your guess is as good as mine.

It appeared to me - when I quickly snapped this photo from the bus as we whizzed by - that the restaurant is very clever to hang its table mats and/or dish towels outside on a streetside clothesline where they double as free advertising for the eatery inside.

In Shanghai, China, local citizens are now permitted to live where they wish instead of in assigned housing as was required until fairly recently. Expats tend to live in highrises set aside especially for them.

Those not speaking/reading Chinese fluently might be well advised not to plan on driving themselves around in a rental car. The traffic here moves very fast and those signs - well, I can't read them either. As an aside, all the photos in this series of housing, skyscrapers, etc. were taken through the window of a bus. Just a tip so you can think about taking your own photos right from the bus for you'll get good shots if you remember to shoot at a forward diagonal angle and not directly straight out from the window.

When in Shanghai (and in any other city you might be unfamiliar with) be sure to take a business card from your hotel's reception desk or have someone at the desk write one out for you - you will find it invaluable if somehow you wander off and can't find your way back or, worse yet, can't pronounce in Chinese the name of the hotel even if you know what its name is.

Shanghai, as well as other major cities in China, is now moving forward to improve daily life a bit easier for people who are mobility impaired though admitedly it has a long way to go.