Things to do way past your bedtime
Shanghai is constantly compared to the original, "City that Never Sleeps" (and it seems the street food vendors here rarely do), so we want to see what else there is to do in Shanghai after midnight that doesn't involved the word "Dragon."

12am
We've already been at Windows Scoreboard drinking beers for the last two hours; it only makes sense to throw firearms into the equation. We stroll next door to the Shanghai Modern Military Sports Club, get armed with .22 caliber pistols and each take a lane.

1am
Beer, then firearms, and now reckless driving. We tear up the indoor track at Disc Kart in Changning. Between races, we take pit stops at the full bar upstairs. We can't figure out if we're getting buzzed from the alcohol or the exhaust fumes–probably both.

3am
This athletic activity makes us hungry, so we head to Badlands for the best 3am taco in town. At the bar we're swarmed by ladies who want to flirt over bar games. They're clearly interested in our good looks and charm.

5am
We get a cab and follow a faint thumping sounds to the entrance of I Love Shanghai. We survey the room and see the manager of Windows Scoreboard slumped at the end of the bar. Now we know we're out too late. Against our better judgment, we order one of owner Jeff Young's Strong Island Ice Teas–dangerous.

6:30am
Our friends have all retreated home but we persevere. As the sun comes up, we hail a taxi, slur something to the cabbie, and somehow end up at Lala Land. We're not ready for daylight yet.

30am
As we open the door, a shaft of light pierces the smoky air. Two people on the dance floor are suddenly reduced to dust. We stumble down Tongren Lu to City Diner. We don't even need a menu and we know exactly what we want–The Fat Elvis, a grilled peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich. This sandwich is strictly medicinal–clinically proven to prevent hangovers.

10am
In a pitiful act of redemption, we do our body a favor and crawl to Dragonfly on Xinle Lu for a Japanese Shiatsu massage. The massage therapist can see the hours of abuse in our eyes. She goes easy on us.

11:15am
On our way home, we make a quick detour to Yogo, near Xintiandi and toss back a shot of wheatgrass juice and order an Açai Smoothie to go. It's a failsafe, just in case the Fat Elvis doesn't work.

12pm
Home at last, we collapse on the couch, shoes and all.

12am
We begin the evening at a house party. Once the music begins to play and the booze begins to flow, no one is eager to leave —even in the name of more alcohol. Thankfully, we call MealBay to deliver the necessary Coronas (¥237 for 24) and another Bacardi 151 (¥168). All the alcohol and camaraderie you could wish for before 1am.

2am
There's a knock at the door. Our host is greeted by the police. We opt for a change of venue, so the party continues at Cash Box. It's got the best selection of English language songs and we're now lubricated enough to sing our hearts out to 80s hits, our personal favorite–Rick Springfrield's "Jesse's Girl." We load up on more alcohol and heaps of eat-only-when-you’re-inebriated munchies.

4am
By the time our KTV playlist is exhausted, our vocal chords are strained but we are more awake than ever. Stumbling into Fuxing Park, we have a stroke of genius and head west for a few games of late-night bowling at Orden Bowling Centre on Hengshan Lu.

6:30am
The world outside is surprisingly bright when we stagger out of Orden. We meander through the awakening French Concession, noshing on steaming baozi. We end up back at the Marx and Engels statue in Fuxing Park and watch the septuagenarian locals perambulating and doing morning exercises.

8:30am
After watching the action in the park, we decide to head in the direction of some caffeine. We walk a few blocks south on Sinan Lu to Kommune for a very welcomed cup of Joe.

9:15am
Invigorated by the coffee, we hit the streets after a brief hiatus and head back toward Xuhui. On Ruijin Er Lu, we are overtaken by a gaggle of school children wearing red ties around their necks. Do they really have to go to school today?

10:20am
We amble toward Jing'an, down Nanjing Xi Lu to Lynn Modern Shanghai Cuisine. After a big night out, the way to treat your body well is scrumptious, greasy Dim Sum. Nothing ends a night like a table full of all-you-can-eat Dim Sum and a never-ending pot of tea to start the cleansing process.

12pm
After stuffing ourselves, we hop in a cab back home to give our feet a well deserved rest and admired the blue-as-the-sky-get blue Shanghai day.

Paid to Party

Everyone goes out late, but for the people throwing the parties, it's a job. Check out what these night owls do once work ends.

Who: Benoit Thebaut
Job: Director, Riviera Events
After work I go straight to the gym because Shanghai's all about eating and drinking, so you need to take care of yourself. On late weekend nights, I head to one of my favorite restaurants (which closes at 5am). It's a little Japanese barbecue place on Changle Lu close to Maoming Lu. The place is small and fits 10 max, but has great food.

Who: Ling Lyu
Job: Attica, Media Manager
After a working night at Attica, if I leave our party, I usually lie to go check out other places with great music. Tanghui VIP has had some good DJs spinning there and Club G Plus gets in some international acts that are fantastic.

Who: Adriana Gámez
Job: Senior Manager, ZOCO Modern Tapas and Cuisine
After I get off a late (but not too late) night of work, I head to Barbarossa. It is a beautiful place with a fantastic view. After enjoying People's Park, if I'm still up for going out, I'll head back west to Jing'an and end the night at Velvet Lounge.

–Justin Fischer and Lisa Weir