Get your laptop. We'll wait. These are the sites you're going to want to bookmark to make your life in Shanghai easier.

When you're great, you're great, and credit needs to be given where it's due–to the Internet sites that make our lives a little bit easier. There are some familiar names that we all know, and others still waiting to be discovered, but we spend a fair amount of time on the Net and thought we'd share some of the sites and blogs we've come to rely on. Keep reading and you'll get 15 English website sites and dix Chinese websites that are based in Shanghai on Shanghai. You can't get any better than that. So sit back, relax and click.

Drink
If you've ever been stuck with the dilemma of needing beer but not wanting to make a beer run to Kedi, this website, http://www.justbeer.cn can save you the trip. Justbeer.cn is exactly what its name suggests–a delivery service for beer. The site was founded in 2007 by "a partnership of three blokes," according to Mat Ryan (one of those three blokes), who says they were "sick and tired of the nasty hangovers that the local draft beer was providing" and "decided that people needed a better choice." With a wide array of reasonably priced imported beer (mostly Australian) and a recently added wine list and some necessary munchies, you'll never need to leave the apartment again. And, as Ryan points out, "Who doesn't want beer and pies delivered to their home?" For those who want to leave the house but are sick of yelling a drink order across the bar three times and still getting the wrong drink, it's time to take your order into your own hands with http://www.Sinosplice.com, a general Shanghai blog page that offers Chinese translations of any drink you could ever want on the language "lists" section. Use it to get back at all those surly bartenders. Order complicated drinks in Chinese, and grin.

Eat
If you're sick of going into local restaurants, randomly stumbling onto a delicious dining experience and never being able to repeat it because you don't actually know what you just ate, turn to http://www.Likealocal.cn. Likealocal.cn is a blog site that offers a local restaurant guide to what food is great and what should be avoided. Mark Elliott, founder of Likealocal.cn, explains that he created the site because, "People forget why we're in China and I want to encourage people to explore China as Chinese people do." Part review and part informative knowledge about Shanghai cuisine, likealocal.cn lets you know what the buzz is on the street. If venturing out of your apartment is a chore but you're not up for the Sherpa's fee, then check out http://www.mealbay.com.cn and http://www.kk1717.com. Both services allow you to access menus online and have it all delivered to your door with less than the normal Sherpa's fee.

Move
If you've ever watched the 911 bus traverse up and down Huaihai Lu and wondered where on earth it could be going, look no further than http://www.msittig.wubi.org/bus. This detailed but exceedingly simple website lists all bus routes in English along with bus fares and lots of other useful bus information you didn't even know you needed. If buses aren't your style and you prefer the sardine can that is the subway, then http://www.urbanrail.net is worth a look. This comprehensive website has an easy-to-print subway map with all stops translated into English. A similar site, http://www.johomaps.com, offers a subway map layered over the road map so you can tell how close you are to your destination. Adventurous explorers of Shanghai's outer limits will think http://www.shanghaihighlights.com is a lifesaver. From train timetables for outbound vacations, maps and highway information to taxi phone numbers for booking (and complaining), travel woes will be a thing of the past.

Meet
Engage in the most traditional of Shanghai pastimes–networking. With http://www.shanghainn.com it has never been easier to meet up with interesting new people in this urban mosaic. Dedicated mainly to networking, the site offers events and even tips about what and what not to do in a networking exchange; a firm handshake is good, yodeling is bad. If you're looking for something broader, a group of like-minded people, or want to finally start that Dungeons & Dragons club, then click on http://www.meetup.com. You'll need to use a proxy server to access this international social site. It has a Shanghai page that helps you find or create groups according to your own preferences and location.

Ponder
For art buffs, http://www.artzinechina.com is a site dedicated to the ever-growing Shanghai art world. Filled with quirky art news, reviews, artist's profiles and auction details, if you've ever wanted to know how much a panda- inspired police uniform costs, this is the site for you.

Learn
Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to achieve when living in a foreign city, but http://www.wangjianshuo.com can lend a hand. A general blog with information ranging from housing to banking and living costs, the site even allows you to contact the owner and ask questions directly. Wang Jianshuo says he had the idea for the site back in 2001. "After I wrote an article in English about Pudong Airport ... I realized there were not many good English resources for visitors in Shanghai. So, I decided to provide a public service for people who don't understand Chinese." Wang says that although his most useful blog is still his Pudong airport one, his site is meant to provide "daily blogs and the most up-to-date information [for Shanghai readers]." Most importantly, he never writes about anything he hasn't personally experienced.

Speak
Living in Shanghai certainly has its advantages. For example, most non-Chinese speakers could now win any charades game thrown at them. But, if you're sick of jumping up and down like a madman every time you find a gap in your language skills, take the time to check out http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html. This online dictionary is simple to use and offers definitions, pinyin and audio files so you never need to look like Marcel Marceau again. If you're more committed, one of the better known language sites is http://www.chinesepod.com This site offers practical and simple audio lessons and online support, from the basic vocabulary for foods to language for dating.

Super Users

The City Weekend website is made up of people exchanging information about this fabulous city we all call home (at least for now). Here, some of the top City Weekend online users tell us why they spread their wisdom to the masses on the CW site.

emta
The best way to get the information I'm looking for is from my peers, so I try to do the same and give insightful, useful information back! It's also nice to feel like you're a part of the "CW Shanghai" community, especially for those of us who are new to the city.

jeremyseow
I wish to present my comments to provide another view for readers, especially when I strongly feel that some restaurants were either underrated or overrated by CW. I also hope that the restaurants will strive to better themselves through my comments. The customer feedback culture in China is almost non-existent, and it's my desire that the overall dining experience here reach a higher level.

mbe
Finding a good place to eat can be a hassle in Shanghai, what with all the options available ... I often go to the CW site to read people's opinions, it helps me make a decision ... I think that contributing is a way to help others, and to keep the ball rolling so that the site remains a viable source of info. Unfortunately I'm blatantly disinterested in anything not food related, otherwise I'd contribute to other sections.

Hanyu Honorable Mentions

Although awesome in their own right, you may need some help translating these Chinese sites. Enlist the help of your local friends / girlfriend to take full advantage of what the Chinese web has to offer.

1. http://www.rockyear.com A live music site for the latest bands coming into Shanghai.
2. http://www.yootu.com A Chinese site listing roads and maps so you can out maneuver your cabbie.
3. http://www.baidu.com The site most locals use to search online and Google's rival in China
4. http://www.taobao.com China's answer to ebay, you can find anything from clothes to that robot you've always wanted to build
5. http://www.dianping.com The most comprehensive Chinese food site with over 35,000 restaurants reviewed by dianping and users.
6. http://www.gsuo.com This website allows you to locate venues on a map, find cross-streets and plan your commute from Point A to B.

Krisha Bartlem