Happy New Year, everyone! I am sad that my “dog baby’s” year is over, but excited for whatever the year of the pig has in store. This year we didn’t know my husband’s travel schedule in time to book a getaway to a warm, tropical island. So, our CNY was spent right here in Shanghai. When my husband initially proposed this idea, I was totally bummed out. I hate the cold and love exploring new countries. But when we looked at the price tag for an Asian destination, we just felt it was silly to spend so much money.
So, what is it like staying in Shanghai when everyone tells you there’s nothing open and no one around? It was awesome! We wrote up a big wish list of things to do and ticked off maybe half of them. We stayed at the Kerry Hotel in Pudong to attend a big Super Bowl party, which was a ton of fun since I am a Patriots fan. 😊 We went to every open play place in Shanghai, met up with friends, had a date night, and even made it to the gym a few times. The strangest part for me was that many places we went to were super crowded. While the streets around our house were empty, the gyms and the play places were jam packed. For someone who always wants to run for the beach at the first sign of a school closing, I was pleasantly surprised how much fun we had.
Don’t get me wrong, though; I was still mega-jealous of friends’ WeChat posts of holiday vacations. But this was the first time we had ever hung out at home as a family of four—no need to rush to work, to school, or even to the airport. It was truly a relaxing time for us.
How did you spend your holiday? Was it better than you expected?
An Ocean Away 
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