When taking my family to visit the iconic Wujiang Lu for some Yang's fried dumplings and spicy crayfish on their last night in Shanghai a short while ago, I found myself strolling along the newly renovated portion of the street marveling somewhat forlornly at how urban renewal seems to bring in all the big boys while Yang and his buddies get the boot.

What's new on Wujiang? Apart from the requisite Starbucks, Il Panino is soon to make its debut in the area along with other well-known names Awfully Chocolate and Bakerzin. There's also a frozen yogurt shop right on the corner of Shimen Er Lu and Wujiang Lu that, at the time I passed, was so new it didn't even have a sign up yet.

The remaining portion of Wujiang faces similar "renewal," come September according to Shanghai Daily. I can't help but feel an impending sense of loss, as commercialization pushes from the Louis Vuitton store fronts of Nanjing Xi Lu further south, pushing out something truly iconic, local and unique in favor of something branded, overly homogenized and ultimately unoriginal. Best get those garlic simmered scallops while you can.