Reaching for Heaven in Shanghai

In Shanghai for Christmas I ate at Stiller's, an excellent continental restaurant run by an affable German chef. It is located in a new development called "Cool Docks" (more prosaically "Old Docks" in Chinese, Lao Matou). Lot's of new restaurants and trendy little boutiques selling fripperies and accessories. All more or less empty, which was not particularly surprising. Great view of the Pudong skyline though.

The new World Financial Center (the tower on the right) rather dwarfs Jinmao Tower, which used to be Shanghai's tallest. They will both in turn be put in the shade by the $2.6 billion Shanghai Tower, on which construction has just begun (great timing, boys). It will rise up between the two and, if all goes according to plan (a big if these days), will be around 140 meters taller than the 492 meter Financial Center. Jinmao  has a Grand Hyatt on its top floor. The World Financial Center a Park Hyatt. What will grace the top floors of the new champ do you think? A Heavenly Hyatt? Cosmic Conrad? Stratospheric Shangrila?