Once we resolved to linger no longer over the skeletons of old buildings, it only took a few minutes to walk down to the river. (We reached it well south of the Bund, near the Cool Docks and not far from the Expo site.) There, with two weeks to go until Expo’s opening, we found a frenzy of final preparations — still some construction underway, and brick sidewalks and sod being laid by the truckful.
The “16 Pu” was blocked off,
but we got a sense from the signs.
that it will be a multi-level park, shopping mall, and point of departure by boat for the Expo site (assuming that “hydrophilic platform” means “dock”).
From there, we headed north along the just-reopened Bund promenade. There are acres of newly planted trees along the narrower road,
and the field of hide-’n'-seek fountains is already a hit with the younger set, even on a still-cold day. 
Everybody in Shanghai seemed to have the same idea — go down to the Bund and pose for a photo. 
