Trip Report. Early January 2017
I'm not going to bore you with a day-by-day account, so here are my experiences by topic.
Judy's / Manhattan. Went to both places at least 3 nights. My take away was that Manhattan has some better looking ladies however Judy's is more laid back. Forget about price because it will be 1,000ST and 1,500 LT on average at either place. Me personally I prefer the atmosphere at Judy's. There is a contingent of ladies at Manhattan who dominate the bar area and talk shit if you don't take someone home with you. And they are obnoxious about it. Drunkenly obnoxious so it isn't a pleasant experience. The owner has to get rid of these bitches. Ladies at Judy's tend to be older but honestly there are some young hotties at Judy's too. I took 2 out of Judy's and it was 1,000st. The other night I went too late (or early - 4 am).
HOTEL. Hilton on Huashan. - The Hilton is a total shit-hole for a western traveler who has a certain level of expectation. My room had a carpet that was so old and worn I was leary of taking my socks off. Also in general the room was just really tired.
Hostess Bars. PLENTIFUL across from the Hilton. I only went to 1 at 4 am after no ladies could be found at Judy's or Manhattan. I went to Tiger Cats. This was a small, dark, run down bar. A dive bar but I liked it. The ladies weren't impressive looking but fun conversation. They offered a special massage for 100 rmb and an extra special deal for 500 rmb. I never took them up on the offer but I feel like anything may be available.
Regular bars and restaurants. Shanghai Brewery is a good place for a nice IPA and pizza. I went to Zapatas on Tuesday and the food sucks. Worst burger ever. The margaritas are also shit. I'm not some food connoisseur, I'm just saying don't go to Zapatas and expect a good margarita or a good burger. I also visited the bar at the Steakhouse. Shangri La. GREAT. Go see Phillip. He is a great drink engineer. Also. The SPOT down the street from Judy's. Meh. The staff is attentive and there are plenty of westerners but just not impressed. Blah. I also get the impression from The Spot that while westerners are there, they just don't like us. That's OK as there are plenty of other options. AVOID.
Shanghai Nightlife Guide. I was very disappointed by the overall selection and will probably switch to Rain in Shanghai. The girls seem hotter there. It seems that although SNG has many girls, HALF are never available like Susan, Nancy, Bella. It seems the SNG owner wants to list them but the listings are irrelevant as they are NEVER available. I did have a meeting with Tessa and it was a COMPLETE FAILURE. She arrived for the 1 HR appt which was cut short by 30 minutes. Of the 30 minutes I spent, she spent 15 minutes in the bathroom, 10 with me and 5 changing / unchanging. WHAT A RIP-OFF!
I would recommend using a different service as SNG's ladies do not do a good job.
I hope this info helps anyone visiting soon. Of course you can always email me and also I will be in Shanghai again in mid-Feb.
Peace Out!
H1.
Bottled beer is the way to go a Zapata's
[QUOTE=Hobbiest1;1988522] I went to Zapatas on Tuesday and the food sucks. Worst burger ever. The margaritas are also shit. I'm not some food connoisseur, I'm just saying don't go to Zapatas and expect a good margarita or a good burger.[/QUOTE]The last time I bought anything but bottled Heineken (Other people advertise here so why not me?) at Zapata's it was a margarita.
I had watched the seemingly drunk waiter make it. He had one shaker full and two glasses for two orders. The first one he filled to the top with the drink plus an ample filling of ice. The second only came half way up the glass, also with an ample filling of ice. He scratched his head for a second then filled the rest of the glass with ice and tossed a lemon wedge on top. Also it isn't the sort of place where they use Cointreau.
I remember thinking that I hope I'd get the first and full one. No luck. I got the one that was literally half nothing but ice. Really half.
I showed it to the manageress who told me it was a real margarita and that was that. I just gave the drink back to her. It seems like a great place for people but how can a bar suck that bad?