IT HAS been a tough day in Shanghai: the waitresses at the new Croissants de France coffee shop wasted time cooling down the coffee you wanted hot. The taxi driver chose the congested, old Nanjing-lu route when he could have taken the newly completed ring road. The construction dust is coating your throat and the air corroding your skin.
It is time for a drink. But weak tea on a street corner is not the answer, nor is that over-priced cocktail back at your hotel.
The original haven for Shanghai's expatriate entrepreneurs and bewildered visitors is Judy's Place, in the basement of a People's Liberation Army building. Judy's is still a place to eat, drink, dance and enjoy the gravel-voiced charm of waitress Lisa, as she serves Western and other fare in good quantities at decent Shanghai prices. That means about 30 yuan (about HK$27) for a pint of beer and 70-100 yuan for a hearty main course.
But, as with the landscape of the city, nightlife in Shanghai is changing - or at least expanding - to provide fresh cheer to locals and newcomers alike.
Shanghai Sally's is among the cheer-bringers: the new and increasingly popular English pub, housed in a disused Cold War bunker, is just across the road from Sun Yat-sen's old house.
Rob Young, the New Zealander from Taiwan who runs the place, spent two years getting it right before opening his doors to friends two months ago. Now Sally's is full most nights and making operating profits from a friendly blend of thoughtful service, home decor, comfy bar stools - and children's games.