Shanghai is unbelievable and somehow a modern day version of 1941 Casablanca.

The most striking thing is the architecture. It drives commerce, it drives tourism and conferences, it drives the economy. Once seen and understood by decision makers nobody would again allow another bridge across the Grand River that isn't spectacular or one more round-about that doesn't highlight public art. Its really simple - it makes a wonderful community first class and the art and architecture in itself becomes a financial engine. End of rant but if you agree tell somebody!

Things are back to normal, at least in terms of the cost of taking a taxi. The city is outstanding and the Paris of the far east. Shopping goes from a block of stores you would see on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to a block flogging plastic Buddha and knock offs from the previous block - very weird. Unfortunately some will pester you to go with them to see their stores. Actually played cat and mouse with one woman who at first I would not acknowledge. I walked faster and she ran beside me....finally I waved her away sternly saying NO. It did not work. I ducked into a nearby store and found another exit putting me on a side street....within minutes she found me so I turned with her in tow and circled a telephone pole, a truck and hightailed it across the street. She stood on the side walk calling Mr.! Mr.! Seems funny now but it really was annoying.

My first meeting was in the evening at Ke Centre for Contemporary Art, a privately run gallery. It opened in 2007 and had several exhibitions including one by Yoko Ono. They have since morphed more towards the performing arts and who knows, perhaps they could visit Waterloo Region.

As darkness descends I am being whisked across an expressway not unlike the Gardiner Expressway near Bay Street in Toronto. I feel very fortunate to be experiencing everything I've seen in the last nine days and I feel alive. The buildings light up with their evening colours. It is magical. I return to my hotel, a famous hotel, called the Peace Hotel which opened in 1929. It reminds me of Kubrick’s The Shining. It just reopened after a three year renovation and it is not something I could normally afford but it was secured for me at a "family and friend" rate. It is stupendous and I fully expect to see Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan come out of the Jazz Club. Speaking of the Jazz Club I caught THE best warm up band of all time - check out the video.

The Peace Hotel is across from the Bund, a walkway on the western bank of the yellow brown Huangpu River. It faces the most unbelievable skyline of Pudong, the financial district in the eastern part of Huangpu District. It demands that you take photos. I walked the Bund both at night and during the day and it is wonderful to watch the people. Somehow it reminds me of Chicago and with its outstanding public art. So inspiring.

The next morning I had two meetings. The first at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art which shares the building with a children's museum ..... art centre. Both are operated by the municipal government and the facility is smaller than THEMUSEUM. There is much synergy and it just feels like a place that we could craft a Friendship Agreement with. There is interest in our exhibit RAM and we discuss corporations in both our countries which could help.

Before heading to the airport and my final domestic flight this time back to Beijing I meet with Joe Zhou at the Shanghai MoCA. Joe is a fun guy and has worked at many famous museums including a decade at the Guggenheim in New York City. He is coil about RAM but leaves the door open to talk. He also gives me a name and number of another man not associated with MoCA and says "you need to talk to him about RAM, he will help."

It is now raining which is welcome and before putting me in a taxi for the airport the Interpreter (we made arrangements to have our own in Shanghai through the Consul General) takes me across the park to see the most outrageous thing I have ever seen. Even though it is raining there are hundreds of mothers and fathers all in a row with documentation about their son or daughter. The event takes place on weekends and it is a market of sorts. The intent is to find a potential mate for your child and set up the first date. It is a wild scene out of a Fellini or Woody Allan movie. Alas, there is little interest in the photos of my children but smiles all around.

After heading to the airport the plane is delayed on the tarmac due to the storm. As I wait I'm reminded of the last line of a movie - "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."