Well, my Sunday afternoon just got upgraded. Currently at Root Down, a world-class jazz listening bar in Shanghai. With Billie on the turntable, and coffee ordered.
rachelgouk.com/root-down-co...
They’ve tried. But the design leaves too little space for battery/range
My cheat code
A little creepy.
(Of course, I’m talking about the Kenny G music. The robots are cool.)
Merch product placement/marketing: 10/10
Class/respect/dignity: negative ♾️
Plenty of EV econoboxes. But I’m not really seeing any “hot hatch” equivalents.
Shanghai is an EV city. Seeing an ICE car in 2026 is an oddity. Also missing: the constant din of vehicle noise.
The remaining base layer of outdoor sound in this megacity is human conversation. It’s remarkable.
Would buy merch
My next new car will be a Chinese EV. Might take a while. But I can wait.
Bright lights, big city #Shanghai
I laughed so loud at this people were staring at me during lunch.
@bruko.bsky.social cc. Because of COURSE.
Optical illusion of a woman bent over some papers. Her sunglasses are pushed up and she is wearing a hair band so the top of her head looks exactly like a Muppet face
Sorry I know the world is in a terrible fix but I've been laughing at this for ten minutes now
Fuji X100[x]+Nikon Z/D system:2026::Leica M6+Nikon F3 system:1985
To your interest: just dropped. And, a fitting intro to an amazing podcast worthy of back-exploration. (Note episode length, which is typical.)
X-Pro2, my go-to when I’ll need something other than my 23mm. Brought a 14mm, too, for cityscapes.
Mostly acclimated now; first morning on The Bund.
What I expected: sunrise, against a world-class skyline. 📷
What surprised me: the proactive friendliness of locals. Especially, given our current political situation.
So many lovely conversations, most of which I didn’t even initiate.
10/10 ⭐️
Happy, limber electrons
Sadly, I may never make it outside of the hotel. I’ve fallen in love with my $115 room’s Star Trek-level toilet. And the breakfast buffet is maybe the best I’ve ever seen. Plus, the delivery culture here is bonkers.
🤖 They are everywhere here! 🤖
And: Not a photo trip. Mostly. More of a post-photo, see-the-future-we-could-have-had trip. 👍
Upon check-in in Shanghai last night, a robot escorted me to my room. As an American, my first thought was how much do I have to tip it.
Thanks. Not worried. If Istanbul gets dragged in, worst case is I just might have to spend a little longer visiting the future over here. 👍
😐
Thanks much. Will monitor.
Fun fact: I knew David Byrne’s mom. Emma Byrne was a barely-five-foot, hard-core liberal advocate who you could often not even understand due to her righteous fury and thick Scottish accent.
Pretty iconic
I’d play that album.
It’s all in the game
JFC.
That’s actually the essence of caffeine, captured for the first time ever on film
It’s good. But to my mind, Hanoi still wins 🇻🇳 ☕️
