My family's from Shanghai, so growing up I'd go every summer. The city changed *a lot* between '05 and '15, but it slowed down '15 to '20, and basically if you've been right before the pandemic, not a huge amount has changed. For such a big city, Shanghai's surprisingly easy to get around, and you'll mostly be sticking around Jingan and Huangpu Districts (I recommend getting a hotel in one of these two).

In terms of food, my top recs:

• 老虎春 for the best local pan-fried dumplings

• 裕兴记 for crab noodles

• 仁和館 for traditional Shanghainese

• Ultraviolet, the only 3 star Michelin in China, if you can go before they close for good

For things to do:

• Nanjing Road in the evening is a classic, touristy but still good

• INS is a bar/nightclub complex where all the young people go to hang (Sober Company is my favorite bar)

• M50 for more of a Brooklyn-esque warehouse gallery experience

• XC273 to shop SSENSE-type clothes

• 张园 is an outdoor mall with modern shops, food, etc

• 上生新所 is also an outdoor mall