Top 12 iPhone Apps You Need to Download Now

For iPhone users, there’s pre-iPhone life and post iPhone life. Few devices have changed the way we live, work, and play the way Apple’s little mobile gem has. Ultimately, the change is less about the actual phone and most about the ability to carry around a pocket computer optimized for mobile use; The buzz about the iPhone largely has to do with the apps.

A number of new and prospective users have asked me what I use, and hopefully the following list of iPhone apps I can’t live without will help them get the most of their new Jesus phone. In addition to this list, O’Reilly’s Best iPhone Apps website is a terrific resource where you can discover new apps vote for your favorite apps each week.

Raise Cingular from the dead. There's an app for that.

A few words about this “Top Dozen” list and the biases I’m going into this with are in order. First, I’m a sucker for slick design, so several of the apps listed below sport stylish interfaces. I’m also particularly partial to social and location aware applications, which the iPhone enables unlike any mobile device prior to it. In fact I’d argue iPhone applications which do not leverage the network effect are incomplete. Finally, a word on free apps bias: all else being equal, I recommend the free app over the paid for obvious reasons, and denote paid apps whenever referenced with this: ($).

So without further ado, I humbly present the top dozen apps I strongly recommend checking out..

 

#12. Starbucks Mobile Card

What is it? A digital prepaid card which can be scanned from the iPhone itself to purchase a beverage at your local Starbucks.

Why it Rocks: If you’re like me, you often leave gift cards in your car or otherwise forget to carry them on you, particularly when you happen to drop by your local coffee shop impromptu. Since it’s unlikely you’ll forget your phone, it’s a handy little app to have.

 

#11. Photoshop Mobile

What is it? A small app which allows frequent picture takers to quickly edit and share photos with simple gestures directly on an iPhone. Photos can be cropped, rotated, resized, and color adjusted among other options.

Why it Rocks: Posting a picture from the iPhone without an editing app is an all or nothing proposition: you take a picture and upload it as is, or use a computer to upload it later on, if you get around to it. The photoshop app i simple to use even for non artistic types like this humble blogger.

Dont like Photoshop? Try Photogene($), which provides several cool features over the simpler Photoshop app. While not free, the app is surprisingly powerful for such an inexpensive app.

 

#10. Amazon Mobile

What is it? The app allows iPhone owners to quickly search, shop, compare prices, read reviews, and make purchases on Amazon.com. The application also includes a new feature called “Amazon Remembers” which allows roaming users to use the Phone camera to create a photo list of items for later purchase on a desktop. The Amazon Remembers feature is fully tied into user accounts, and lists can be accessed from a computer’s web browser.

Why it Rocks: Let’s be honest: the shopping and searching is boring, mundane table stakes stuff. The Amazon Remembers feature is why the app makes it on my Top 12. I’ve often taken pictures of interesting things I’ve found while away from my Mac with the iPhone, only to return to my desktop later to find Amazon has organized and identified my photos into a shopping list. Awesome.

Don’t like Amazon Mobile? Want to snub your nose at “the man” and use Craigslist instead? Try CraigsMobileList($) instead, which has a killer interface and responds very quickly. I’m hoping the CraigsMobile team includes location aware searching in the future rather than having users self select their location, but all in all a nice second hand sales option.

 

#9 Skype

What is it? An iPhone version of the popular Skype application, which provides free calls and instant messaging capabilities to iPhone road warriors.

Why it Rocks: Because Skype to Skype calls are free, which saves you cellular calling minutes. That’s particularly handy considering (at the time of this writing) Phone data plans are priced at flat rates. While there are a number of instant messenger clients available for the iPhone, no one ties together voice and text like Skype does.

Don’t like Skype? Yahoo Messenger is also available on iTunes, althoug there are no voice based capabilities on Yahoo. For those who prefer Mandarin language-based chat, Tencent QQ provides Mobile QQ.

 

#8 AT&T myWireless

What is it? An application which allows mobile users to manage AT&T wireless account settings, view remaining minutes, and shop for additional service options on an iPhone.

Why it Rocks: Who wants to make a call and go through an automated voice response system just to look up your remaining minutes? This app is far easier than using mobile Safari or calling 611 for info.

Don’t like AT&T myWireless? Try Cell Minute Tracker, which looks pretty sharp as well.

 

#7 Evernote

What is it? A GTD productivity app allowing mobile users to remember anything that happens, be it via snapshots, notes, or recordings. Evernote synchronizes from the iPhone to the web, and organizes all the bits of information debris collected on the mobile device.

Why it Rocks: It goes beyond creating GTD checklists and allows integration of data points from among different types of media. The best thing about it is that the iPhone app syncs with the Evernote desktop app, ensuring users won’t miss a beat.

Don’t like Evernote? Evernote is less a checklist than a system for organizing chaos into a pseudo-list. If the Evernote approach doesn’t work for you and you prefer a more structured approach to recording GTD items, Things($) might just be the .. thing.. for you. Things also syncs with a desktop just as Evernote does.

 

#6 Textplus

What is it? An application which allows mobile users to exchange text messages on the iPhone data network, which means there’s no SMS metering and no SMS costs.

Why it Rocks: First of all kiss SMS overage costs goodbye. Beyond the cost savings, the Textplus app also threads conversations with multiple chat partners in an slick interface. The best part about the Textplus app is how it turns SMS messaging into a tool similar to Twitter, where a single message can reach several conversation parties with minimal effort. Frankly, I can’t believe this app is free.

Don’t like Textplus? Check out Textfree.

 

#5 Mint

What is it? a mobile personal finance tool which allows users to track, budget, and manage money on the go. The iPhone app syncs seamlessly to the Mint.com web application

Why it Rocks: Online banking and budgeting sounds boring, but Mint is one of those apps you will not want to give up once you try it. Mint syncs with the web app, it’s free, and best of all, it combines several online banking accounts, obviating the need to load several apps if you bank in several places. Mint’s budgeting tools extend typical online banking tools.

Don’t like Mint? Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase all provide native iPhone applications you can use if you bank at any of these providers. I’m expecting other banks to follow suit, and some may already have as you read this.

 

#4 Urbanspoon

What is it? An application which uses your GPS enabled iPhone to list nearby restaurants and select one for you based on criteria you select (type of food, budget, etc). The app also allows users to recommend or forward restaurants to members of your social network, and provides a summary of user reviews.

Why it Rocks: The interface is what sets Urbanspoon apart from the pack. The slot machine look and feel is pretty clever, but the scope feature by far the coolest thing about Urbanspoon. The scope features allows users to position their phone and provides a line-of-sight view of local restaurants (see this link for photos). Point the camera at the horizon and on screen you see nearby restaurants in a kind of periscope view, projected on the world. For each restaurant, users can see distance and popularity, and tapping on a restaurant provides additional info and reviews. Very nicely done, and worth paying for, but is free for the taking.

Don’t like Urbanspoon? Opentable also provides a convenient way to find local eateries and even book a reservation online.

 

#3 Facebook

What is it? If you haven’t heard of Facebook, please find your nearest 20 something and ask him/her about it ASAP. You need an intervention.

Why it Rocks: Because it’s Facebook without the tether to a laptop or desktop. Facebook by its very nature lends itself to mobile applications, although I’d love to see new friend connections on the mobile app (rather than just existing friend lookups).

Don’t like Facebook? Linked in is Facebook for business relationships, and probably the best mobile “CRM-lite” system on the iPhone.

 

#2 Foursquare

What is it? As a Foursquare user, you can “check-in”, which is a way of telling your social network your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, we’ll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places – cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices. as your friends use foursquare to check-in, you’ll start learning more about the places they frequent. Not only is it a great way to meet up with nearby friends, but you’ll also start to learn about their favorite spots and the new places they discover.

Why it Rocks: Foursquare isn’t just useful, it’s fun.  Building a social network while earning brag rights as you achieve badges or other rewards for checking in is a particularly engaging way to discover new places recommended by members of your social network. Foursquare sounds a bit similar to Urban spoon mentioned above, but there’ a difference: Urbanspoon is restaurant specific, whereas Foursquare is broader in scope, which makes it that much more indispensible. More info on why I think Foursquare rocks here and  here.

Don’t like Foursquare? There as a few potential alternatives, but HeyWAY in particular stands out due to privacy management features not found in most location based social networks.

 

#1 Tweetdeck

What is it? TweetDeck is your personal browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter. Tweetdeck mobile allows users to sync with the Tweetdeck desktop version, create Twitter groups, and easily post tweets, photos, and links to twitter from the iPhone. In a nutshell, Tweetdeck is my defacto social desktop on the iPhone.

Why it Rocks: A Twitter app was almost certain to take the top spot on this list, given the obvious synergies between the iPhone and Twitter. Tweetdeck earns top billing with a solid design and terrific functionality however. The interface is uncluttered, responds quickly and provides fantastic group management features. Adding photos and links is a breeze, and the added location aware capabilities Tweetdeck provides are a potential boon to local businesses.

Don’t like Tweetdeck? Tweetie($) is absolutely terrific, and is what I’d use if Tweetdeck wasn’t available. The interface is clean, responsive, and obviously designed for Twitter power users.

Driving Social Media Laggards.. with Baby Pictures

This will be by far one of the fun posts to read on this blog, mostly because it’s full of baby videos. I’m able to take a moment to blog about the birth of my son, but with a bit of a social media twist you’ve come to expect from a blog focusin on social media economics (among other things). It turns out there’s a bit of insight to be drawn from this other than the insight of learning to be a parent.

But First..

First, here’s a snippet  of newborn cute overload, starring Ian E. Gonzalez, born Sunday, February 13, 2009. We proud parents couldn’t be happier.

It’s been quite a ride as any first time parent can attest to, which includes taking far more pictures per minute than previously thought possible.  What’s different about newborns born in the last few years is of course the proliferation of images and videos on social media sites. Predictably, a number of friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, and Friendfeed were quick to join the conversation. It was also interesting to connect with others who friended my wife and I. What we didn’t predict is how much the social media information sharing dynamic has fundamentally changed behavior in our extended family.

How Grandmothers Find Facebook

For starters, family members who couldn’t care less about social media immediately became social media adopters, including little Ian’s grandmother. As soon as word got out that Facebook is where all the new infant pictures go, a number of our family members made the effort were quick to sign up. Nobody wanted to be late to the party! The trend was fun to watch as it developed. I can’t help but think of  10 common objections to social media adoption, of course.  It seems there are four broad 4 broad themes at play here, which apply to either consumer or business use:   

1. “I don’t have the time, patience, skills, or (insert resource) to get involved; the cost in time is high. It seems like it takes alot of time and energy.”

2. “The benefits aren’t significant to me.” Variant: “The discussion is too geeky or is meaningless and I have real work to do.” 

3. “I feel exposed, and I’m concerned about the security of my information.”

4. “I don’t know where to start.”

All four objections get blown away when the driver to adoption is a wedding, birth, or some other life changing event (especially if the event is geographically distant). In our case:

1) newborn cute overload is worth the time to look into, especially for grandma.

2) The subject matter is fun and certainly not geeky.

3) The need for security is relatively low (but not zero) when sharing pictures of kids or weddings

4) and there’s no need to figure out where to begin – just go where the multimedia is posted.

The Key Takeaway

As I reflect on the last week, I’ve come up with a hypothesis. I think early adopters, the utility and and network effects of social media tools drive adoption. For adoption laggards on the other had, a personally appealing, life-changing event may provide just enough drive to push them over the ledge. Absent such an event to drive interest, few laggards see a high enough of a benefit/cost ratio to jump in. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts about this.

In any account, we’re happy we baby Ian’s friends and family reach out on Facebook – it means alot to us. To wrap up, one more cute video for your enjoyment below. We’ll post many more here and here.

2009 New Year’s Resolutions

It’s that time of the year where everyone reflects on the previous year and commits to promises to oneself.. so here are mine. In many ways 2008 will be a tough year to top – despite some of the global economic wildfires and the renewed flare ups in the Isreali-Palestinian tinderbox, it’s been a remarkable year. Who would have thought 2008 would be the year I got married, conceived a son, and even saw an electron with my own eyes. Professionally, 2008 was a terrific year – I started off slowly but quickly transition into a career working with terrific people focused on scaling and monetizing social media and gaming. Awesome.

So here’s my list of resolutions in 2009:

• Blog twice as much as I do now
• SXSWi – missed the last 2 years.
• Find at least one new exotic tea in China.
• Be conversational in Mandarin.
• Travel to at least one country I’ve never been to.
• Zazen.
• Video blog with baby Ian.
• Hit the gym at least 4 times a week, like I did in 2007.
• Produce an alpha version of a super-secret project of mine.
• Convert 10% of my energy usage to renewable.
• Buy a new non-suburb home.
• Read at least 2 quality books a month.

Back From Wedding in Florida

I’ve been in Florida enjoying some tunage, sun, and a cousin’s wedding in beautiful Coconut Grove in Miami, FL. It’s been fun, but back to bay area and blogging with me. Clickable pics below.

And a little Miami Beach tourist trap shop zen:

Punctuated Equilibrium

Beware intrepid reader, this post, being entirely personal in nature has nothing to do with startups, web 2.0 stuff, sales, business development, or ecology. However, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I can think of no more apt title for this chronicle of the last 2-3 weeks – what a wild ride it’s been! Let’s see.. I’ve gotten married, I am no longer living solo, and I’m much happier on a personal level for it. That and my mom, who has been persistent in her appeals for grandchildren, is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry mom, you still have to wait. I’m not jumping into that hornet’s nest just yet.

So I’ve taken about a 3 week hiatus on the blogging, preferring instead of drip out little snippets of my trip on Twitter instead. But here’s the 411..

That’s us right there before the wedding ceremony – Ling ling looked stunning! The Chinese dont’ really have a hangup about the groom seeing the bride prior to the wedding – in fact, we hopped into a limo and rode out the wedding at Mingzhu Seaview together. The idea seems to be that weddings being more of an “coming out event” rather than a “joining event”. We stood outside the wedding hall for about an hour or so joking around with my brother Javier, welcoming guests and photo-oping with anyone within arms’ reach:

Then the organ music queues up and we walk in, while blasted with confetti and indoor fireworks. Yes, indoor.

We then lit two candles, and symbolically joined the two at the wick of a larger, heart shaped candle to kick off speaking from Ling ling’s father, my father, and finally me. It’s a guy thing, kind of like football. Her father kicked off a heartfelt “farewell” as he tearfully spoke about the past. My dad followed up with a heartfelt “welcome to America”, which I could tell was difficult for him. You see, Ling ling’s dad is a practiced public speaker, as he’s on his company’s board of directors and often is a featured speaker at company events. I’m basically fearless when it comes to public speaking. My dad however is the quiet, introvert type and isn’t used to the spotlight at all. He delivered beautifully nonetheless, as did my mom..

We then took a bow to both sets of families and exchanged rings (she almost teared up, so she started doing the whole roll-eyes-up maneuver to suck up the tears – you folks who cry at the movies know what I’m talking about). Here’s what Ling ling looked like and here’s what my mom looked like at that moment. The officiate then announced the wedding had reached its’ end, to applause from packed house of over 200 people.

Ling ling then changed into a red dress, as is customary in China (the bride goes from white dressed pre-wed to red dressed post-wed). She looked absolutely beautiful in any color as we went from person to person who congratulated us. As is typical, we toasted to each person present, which got me close to smashed by the time I was done. Boy, was it fun though.

We later went off to a studio to take a couple of shots. Here’s my favorites of the bunch:

What a rush. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and apparently there’s something in the air as this was the first of four weddings I plan to attend this year, hence the post title. There’s usually one humourous surprise at weddings – something that doesn’t quite go according to plan. For us, it was a nonevent: we took a bow prior to the officiate announcing it. Ling ling and I could barely contain our laughter and the crowd giggled away. The only other surprise is that my prankster kid brother didn’t try to Rick Roll the festivities.

Fast forward to last weekend, here’s the blushing bride at Pier 39 in San Francisco having a little wardrobe fun..

If you’d like to see more, here’s our Shanghai and Suzhou trip pics, our full wedding set, and some glamour/cheeseball pictures with me in a funny hat.

Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year! As many around the globe welcome the year of the rat, I thought it would be fun to share what year I was born in: the year of the tiger. According to fables passed down the ages around the tiger lunar year, the following attributes apply:

“Tigers are also incorrigibly competitive – they simply cannot pass up a challenge, especially when honor is at stake, or they are protecting those they love. Tigers are unpredictable and it would be unwise to underestimate their reactions. They may appear cool, but they have the Big Cat’s instincts to pounce at a moment’s warning. Natural leaders, they have a strong sense of their own dignity, and if they find themselves in the ranks, they can be stubborn and obstinate. In positions of power they can be difficult though stimulating bosses. Tigers are intelligent, alert, and farsighted. They have their fingers on the pulse. Good strategists and tacticians, they often have a hidden agenda. As long as they do not risk their luck too often, and keep their restless nature under control, their tactics usually pay off in life.”

While I don’t believe in astrology, the above is pretty accurate aside from the hidden agenda. I highly value honesty and try to be genuine with others.

Which are you? Do you believe the archtype represents you? Tagging Javier, Mukund, Scott, Damien, and Ling ling (spoiler: she’s a dog).

New Blog Look for Chinese New Year

Whaddaya Think?

Gong Hay Fat Choy.

My Biggest Influencers

Tagged my Mukund Mohan, here’s my little contribution to the meme floating around the internet begun by Paul Gillin. In writing down my list of biggest influencers, the only parameter I set for myself is that the list must consist of people I’ve actually met, even if briefly. This knocks out a few thought-influencers, such as the ancient Chinese warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu, whose seminal book has influenced my thinking more than any other I’ve read.

It was instructive putting this together and seeing the big recurring theme (I’m sure you’ll see it). I hope you enjoy reading this list as much as I enjoyed reading Mukund’s.

1. Mom, Dad, and Ling ling (my fiancee): I’d call my parents’ story humble yet amazing. Both fled a repressive communist regime and settled in New York City, without a dime to their names and without knowing a lick of English. They found each other, and forged ahead together to create a new life in a strange land. Imagine the USA collapsing and having to move to Finland with nothing but the shirt on your back and a high school friend’s couch to sleep on awaiting you and you’ll get a sense of how daunting their journey was. They found each other, and found a renewed sense of community among others similarly displaced. After 2-3 years, they moved beyond living paycheck to paycheck and eventually raised two sons and bought their dream home. Most importantly, they learned and passed along to me that no matter what life is like today, your future is yours to create.

Ling ling’s story is similar – blue collar roots in a small town in China. She could have chosen the “safe path” and remained in her hometown, surrounded by familiar faces, and lead a familiar life. She instead decided China was fast moving to join the rest of the world, and she would do the same – move to Beijing, go to business school and focus on international business, and work for an American company. It was a risky proposition, but she always felt compelled to follow her ambitions. No surprise despite the cultural gap, she and my parents understand each each quite well.

So how do they influence me? All three are a daily reminder that the best is yet to come. Always.

2. Peter Drucker: Drucker is the original futurist – a guy who got it right nearly always in a field where batting 20% is considered brilliant. Drucker was an unlikely candidate for guru status – born into a humble family of Hapsburg civil servant in the village of Kaasgraben, Austria. He fled Austria to pursure a better life in Germany. When history dealt him nazisim, he fled again to the U.S. where he became a prolific author.

I own a copy of nearly everything Peter Drucker has ever written, and was fortunate enough to speak with him for a few minutes after a lecture he delivered during my college days. I learned more in those few minutes than in the rest of that year in college. Drucker impressed upon me the value of community as the primary driver of career success and productivity as opposed to mythical “efficiency”. This is of course considered common knowledge in the current age of social networks. The thing is, Drucker was writing about this 1939. That’s not a typo. He was also a standout in an age where management thinkers wrote obsessively about profits. Drucker on the other hand wrote about profit as not the primary goal, but an essential condition as a going concern fueled by doing the right things (i.e. serving clients internal and external).

So how does Drucker influence me? In his own words: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

3. Duncan Stewart: Duncan and his family are what I consider my “west coast family”. He gave me my first opportunity to move into my current career path, and believed in my ability to make it. He too moved to California to make his fortune after overcoming some difficulties earlier his youth. He’s one of the very best at knowing what makes people tick, and is someone whose “read” on any situation I have come to regard highly. He also has a knack for coming up with creative solutions. Some of my most memorable times both in the bay area and overseas have been spent with him and his family, and I can honestly say they played a key part in making California feel like “home”.

So how does Duncan influence me? He’s taught me to take the time to read people, and also to think creatively when faced with a seemingly intractable problem.

Honorable mentions (some I know more through writings, some personally): Amelia Baldwin, Guy Kawasaki, Mimi Stewart, Ross Mayfield, Jeremiah Owyang, Clark Wheatley, Ping Dai, Guiping Dai, Tim Ferris, Pedro Reyes, Javier Heredia, Paul Graham, and last but certainly not least, Mukund Mohan.

Who are your biggest influencers? Tagging Ling ling Dai, Javier Heredia, Jeremiah Owyang, and Damien Mulley to keep the meme going. Update: Tagging Niall Larkin and Ross Mayfield too.

I’ve Caught the Web 2.0 Bug in a Big Way

So I’ve done what career counselors advise people to do – I’ve made a hobby into the next stage in my career, by accepting a role at Socialtext in corporate sales.  I’m thrilled to have joined this organization – this a company with fresh funding, fresh ideas (many of which will reach fruition in the coming months), and a new CEO who’s dynamic, focused, and determined to drive growth. It’s been great getting up to speed with the help of Kris Duggan, and Ross and gang have been good enough to school me in the foosball way in addition to the wiki way.  I’m convinced Socialtext has the ability to capitalize on a vast market opportunity. But don’t take my word for it, take Stephen Colbert’s. You know Enterprise 2.0 has arrived in the mainstream when it becomes a part of our collective humorbase:

  

Facetiousness aside, I’m quite impressed with the thought leadership and vision I found at Socialtext.  Funny enough just as I write this post, Mukund Mohan sent over a tweet to his network lauding Ross Mayfield’s Power Law of Participation as still visionary despite having been written nearly two years ago (an eternity in silicon valley, mind you!) If you haven’t had a chance to look it over, I highly advise reading it. 

While I’m at it, a quick blurb on Halloween, which was a blast: I was lucky enough to crash Cnet’s Halloween bash at the Holy Cow in SOMA (thanks to Terry Chay for the great pics!)  I first made a pit stop, and I figured I’d share it here in the tradition of Scobleizer’s fun-to-read Silicon Valley Moments post. I arrived at Twitter HQ after work to join a little office partying, after hearing there was a bit of liquor to be had. I arrived a bit late for the wine tasting and revelry, but I enjoyed eavesdropping on Blaine Cook’s chat with a couple of pals.  A geeky way to spend a Halloween night for sure, but I being a geek myself, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Robert Scoble took a much clearer picture of the office front door, which I thought was pretty awesome:

 

Here’s two pictures from the foyer and from Blaine’s workstation (with Blain from Twitter dev on the right), courtesy of my iPhone: 

   

Yep, I’ve caught the Web 2.0 bug in a big way – I’m even streaming my wedding on the web in 2008. I hope you’ll join Ling ling and I.

Romance of the 2 Kingdoms 二国演义

My life has been busy lately. Ling ling is moving to California soon, and this would be one of my last trips to China prior to her move. I’ve decided to take you along, albeit in virtual fashion, hopefully to both entertain and inform those of you considering a trip to China. We spent time in three cities, and invite you to click on the place names to jump over to our flickr photo album for more eyecandy.

Lianyungang

“One never goes so far as when one doesn’t know where one is going”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Those of you who know me well know this summarizes my life in a nutshell. I’ve always envisioned an end goal and never work via a checklist; I prefer flexible planning and taking calculated risks to catapault me forward. Rigid planning precludes serendipity. So much to my surprise, I met the most radiant, vibrant, and loving person in my world a year ago. Serendipity personified. I went back to see her in China one last time before she moves here to the US, and microblogged the trip. I figured I’d share some thoughts and sights here as well.

Ling ling and I segmented our trip between Beijing, Shanghai, and a small town she grew up in called Lianyungang. Her birthplace the home of the mythical Hua Guo mountain, as well as some rather humourous signage. It’s a port town between Beijing and Shanghai, and the location of the Han people’s most widely known epic play Sun Wukong (aka The Monkey King). If you ever take in a Beijing Opera performance, the legend of Sun Wukong is what you’ll be treated to. Aside from the breathtaking mountain range, the other popular place to go hang out, of course, is the windswept oceanfront.

We had a wonderful time as always with the Dai clan. As it turns out, the buzz on the trip was Ling ling’s father buying his first car. You’ve probably read about how China is moving from “green” bicycling and mass transit to commuter traffic. I was able to see the transition from the ground floor, and as such I have mixed feelings about the transition (which I’ll spare boring you with). Regardless, it was quite an adventure riding in the backseat behind a neophyte driver in a place where traffic rules are more like suggestions. He managed well enough to get us all over town, including to the beachfront to take the following picture on our last night in Lianyungang.

The other big change in their lives is the purchase of a new home in Lianyun, just a stone’s throw from their current home. They’ve purchased into the new Dacheng development, currently under construction and due for completion in 2008. According to Chinese tradition, they were delighted to inform us they will “preserve” on the three bedrooms for their daughter and news son. They’re simply the most awesome in-laws I could hope for, and I look forward to seeing the new home next year. Unfortunately, Ling ling will have to part with her favorite next door neighbor, seen with her below.

On our final day, we spent the day in a number of scenic spots at the foothills of the largest mountain in the city. The staff at Qingyu Works, who we hired to immortalize these moments was a pleasure to work with, and had a great sense of humor throughout the marathon photo shoot (which took hours). While the professionally produced photos are not yet ready, here’s a preview of things to come:

Beijing

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts”

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

My life is typical of the information age: distributed yet ironically connected in ways unimaginable 20 years ago. In this age, home is less defined by a dot on a map and more by where you feel as though you know everyone. By that measure, Beijing certainly feels like home in every important way. The place feels comfortable the way a broken in pair of jeans does.

One of my favorite lunchtime haunts in Beijing is Bianyifang in Chongwenmen, where the prices are great, the Peking Roast Duck is delicious, the service is spotty, and Ling ling manages to get into a hysterical spat with the waitress every time we arrive. One of my favorite pics I took this trip is the following picture at the entrance to Bianyifang.

We spent some time there and then shopped around the Chongwenmen district for a bit. No sightseeing, price haggling or tourist traps this time around; I think I’m starting to feel like a local after getting the local scoop. We spent the time window shopping at the Grand Pacific, and taking in a Beijing Opera performance at the Liyuan theater. After reading about Lianyungang above, you can probably guess what epic play was photographed below.

The superbly-acted opera performance proved more elaborate than the foreigner-friendly Lao She Teahouse performance, yet the ambiance was missing. Lao She perfects makes Peking Opera an experience to be savored the way tea is to be enjoyed, while Liyuan‘s auditorium seating feels a bit more like watching a movie. On the other hand, Lao She felt rushed and incomplete compared to vibrant Liyuan; Lao She put on a performance designed for ADD foreigners taking in the local culture. I would love to combine the ambiance of Lao She with the meticulously choreographed Liyuan performance.

Shanghai

“I believe totally in a capitalist system, I only wish someone would try it”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Surging, electric, ostentacious, dubiously architectured, China meets Buck Rogers. That’s Shanghai. If Beijing is the civic center of China, and Hong Kong is its Hollywood, Shanghai is its capitalist center.

A center crowded with people on China’s national holiday, as you can see above. In fact the crowds of folks venturing out were so thick, I would liken it to being in a crammed elevator all the time. Hailing a cab took us about half an hour at times – I was beginning to feel like Danny Glover there for a while.

Most of our sightseeing centered around Chenghuangmiao (“God’s temple in the city”) , which was originally buit in 1403 during the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty. As the name suggests, the walled city was build to beseech the gods to protect the city. Today, it’s the largest street market I’ve ever seen. While there are a number of outstanding local eateries, it’s worthwhile to purchase the local delicacies from the sidewalk vendors who hang out a shingle within the temple walls. These seems to be popular with the locals as well as travelers from afar.

Much like the rest of the city, Chenghuangmiao was packed with local visitors taking to the streets as is common during the National Day holiday.

By nightfall, we took a walk down the colonial promenade and called it a day. The next day we made our way to the to the Oriental Pearl Tower seen below; Easily the most recognizable fixture in the Shanghai skyline.

We made our way up the tower, to an expansive view of the rest of the city from the observation deck of the tower. Before hitting the observation deck, we stopped over at the revolving floor restaurant in the middle of the tower. It was pretty cool watching a constantly moving view of the Shanghai skyline, and I managed to catch a nice snapshot of the view outside the window which includes the two tallest buildings dotting the Shanghai skyline: on the left is the Shanghai World Financial Center, to the right is the Jin Mao Tower.

Much like Las Vegas or New York City, Shanghai really shines at night. I wondered if the cornucopia of neon lighting would end up making the city look like a large scale amusement park, but far from it; the rainbow of neon lends a beautiful glow to the city.