In the interest of creating mental escape routes for the rainy season, I’m starting a new category exclusively for cafes in Shanghai to duck into out of the rain.
Since I’m off til mid-September (mostly- I do have exams and papers to mark this week) and don’t want to become completely house-bound, bed-ridden and 500 lbs (though it is tempting), I’m starting my quest today.
Today I have a bazillion errands to run in preparation for our upcoming month in Myanmar and wanted to start the day in a cafe that has both drinkable coffee and free wifi (I have priorities). Boxha (57 Fuxing Xi Lu at Wulumuqi Lu, just after the Iranian consulate, just before Boxing Cat Brewery) was one of the featured anti-Starbucks cafes listed in one of the free magazines that come out every month in this city.
It may have been City Weekend or That’s Shanghai. I forget which.
It has 15rmb Lavazza coffees, an intelligent English book collection, comfy seats, chilled vibe, free wifi, and cheap fried-egg-n-toast breakfasts.
I chose it mostly because, in my muddled morning reasonings, it was near our flat and quite walkable on such a floody, torrential day. Our flat is so humid from the endless rain that all smooth glassy surfaces are dripping with condensation. I wanted to go somewhere that was a bit less wet.
Remember how I said I chose it because it was near our flat? How it was raining like crazy with floody floody streets and I didn’t want to have to haul my laptop too far?
Yeah, no.
I forgot about the messed up angles of French Concession streets. We live in the block between Yongjia Lu and Fuxing Lu (to the south and north, respectively). This cafe is on Fuxing Lu at Wulumuqi Lu. If you walk west down Yongjia Lu, Wulumuqi Lu is maybe 3 blocks away. If you decide to walk west down Fuxing Lu, Wulumuqi Lu is, oh, maybe 10 blocks? Yeah. I chose the Fuxing Lu route. In the rain. It took over half an hour slogging through puddles to get here.
Good stuff: I got their toast and 2 egg breakfast (25rmb) and it came with butter and jam and a quite good cup of sturdy black Lavazza coffee. No complaints there.
Also good are the free computers, the many little-kid vending machines filled with toys, the thoroughly unmatched throw pillows on every chair, the book collection, the white fairy lights on the ceiling, the black and white photos on one wall and splotchy art on the other. They have a boozy happy hour between 5:30 and 10:00pm but unfortunately it’s only 9:30am so I’m too early for that. Pity.
Bad points? They played that song by that grating, whispy girl from ages ago (forget her name)- I’m a big big girl in a big big world and it’s not a big big thing if you leave me. They also played Celine Dion and Lady Gaga. Not my comfort zone, musically, but hey, breakfast for 25rmb! With good coffee!
I’ll probably come back but I’ll take Yongjia Lu, not Fuxing Lu, to get here. And on sunny days.
I’m dreading the walk back. I can see the raindrops bouncing high off the deep street puddles. Ugh.
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