I just got back from a trip to Shanghai with my family. I lived in China for a few years when I was young and went back briefly for my honeymoon a couple of years back. On this trip, I was able to spend some time in Shanghai and see the city in greater depth.

Located in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River, which divides the metropolis in half. Originally a fishing town, Shanghai became a multicultural city in the 1930s and grew to become the largest center of commerce in China.

The city has changed drastically in the last decade. When I left 11 years ago, there was only one subway line. Now, 13 subway routes sprawl across the city, taking people from one end to the other in no time. My parents, who spend quite a bit of time in Shanghai every year, said that they see at least a handful of new buildings each time they return.

Shanghai is a city with contrasting images. One minute I was dining in the nicest 5-star hotel, the other minute I was walking through an old neighborhood that doesn’t have consistent hot water. It is not uncommon to see old residential neighborhoods with two-story brick townhouses converted into bars, restaurants and art galleries.

Suffice it to say, I ate every kind of food I could get my hands on. I’ve always loved cuisine from Shanghai and neighboring regions, which is sweeter and more delicate compared to food from the rest of the country. Many of the dishes use soy sauce and sugar as the basic flavorings. I will share some recipes inspired by food from this trip soon.

Like all big cities, Shanghai has food from all over the country and the world. From Cantonese food to French cuisine, you name it, Shanghai’s got it. I went to an interesting restaurant that sells fish from rivers in China’s northeastern provinces. These large fish with firm and fatty meat are cooked with vegetables and tofu in a flavorful broth in a deep pot built into the table. The soup is served with bread made out of cornmeal that’s cooked on the sides of the pot.

Of course I couldn’t go to Shanghai without seeing the Expo. The event, also known as the World’s Fair, started in London in 1851 as a way for countries around the world to showcase their industries. In the recent fairs, countries also build their own pavilions in the fair ground that represent their culture.

The theme of this year’s Expo is “Better City Better Life”. Many of the exhibitions focus on environmentalism and the green industry. The Expo site, which straddles the Yangtze River, is breathtaking. The Chinese pavilion alone is the equivalent of 35 football fields. The city built many new roads, doubled its subway lines and opened a new airport terminal for the event.

Despite its size, the Expo site is extremely crowded. Be prepared to stand in line for hours if you want to get into some of the popular pavilions such as the Chinese, Japanese and Germany ones. It is crowded because this is in many cases the only chance for Chinese people to get a glimpse of foreign countries. Chinese from all over the country flood into Shanghai for the event.

If you want to hit the major attractions, I suggest you get there early in the morning at around 6:30 a.m. to line up before the Expo opens. If you don’t care to see every single pavilion, I suggest you get there in the early afternoon, stroll around the site to see all the amazing architecture and drop in whichever pavilion that doesn’t have a long line.

My favorite pavilions are ones that focus on a theme rather than a country. Some of the bigger ones include the Chinese Railroad Pavilion and the Aerospace Pavilion. They are much less crowded and are more informative. I really liked the Pavilion of Footprint, which centers on the roots of civilization, and the Pavilion of Future, which looks at what cities will become in the future.

That’s it for now. I think I am done traveling this summer. Back to work and errands. I will come on soon for new recipes.