The team of Adam (lumber baron) and Griff (Haibao trader) proved too mighty last night at the Shanghaiist Scrabble Happy Hour at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu. The duo rode fancy words such as "saltpeter" and "xeroxing" to a record-setting win. Nine-hundred-and-forty-six points! That's a lot of 2-for-1 beverages. For their efforts, Adam and Griff get to share an RMB 250 Cotton's gift certificate. Check out some "action" photos! more ›

It's Scrabble week again! After the excitement of wordsmithing passes, there's more to check out this week, including a Thai photoexhibit, a French fashion show, and drinking for a cause. more ›

Oops, so we had meant to post the winners of our Shanghaiist Scrabble happy hour earlier last week... but, well, holidays called. It's a shame, because this last time was a doozy. Not only did we manage to use up all our Shanghaiist Scrabble tiles before the end of the night, but our winners got the highest score ever reached so far: 372. None of their words were particularly large scorers; nope, these guys won through sheer persistence, coming up to our Scrabble board 14 times in the two-and-a-half hours they were there. more ›

Come on out and have a drink with us! more ›

Yes, there have been a couple hiccups with our original plans to have semi-monthly Shanghaiist Happy Hours, but with the weather cooling off into nice, comfortable weeknights, we're ready to get back on schedule. more ›

And if you happen to have any John Hughes films you'd like to see, bring them on over - lest we have to play The Breakfast Club twice (Shanghai DVD stores had a surprising dearth of good 80s flicks this week). more ›

This week, escape the Shanghai rainstorms by exploring Norwegian electro funk, learning about traditional Chinese medicine, or trying to score some free booze by playing pool and beer pong. Just don't forget to stop by the Shanghaiist Happy Hour on Tuesday, when we pay our tribute to the late John Hughes. more ›

We're not sure what John Hughes meant to the rest of the world, but for American teens, he encapsulated every struggle and every triumph we ever had or wished to have. We wanted to go on Ferris Bueller's Day Off, we wanted our crushes to blow out our Sixteen Candles with us, we were desperate to experience some Weird Science (or, for the 90s kids, be left Home Alone). more ›

In case you're looking for a chill place to hang out tonight and celebrate French National Day, come on over and hang out with us at the Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Cotton's on 294 Xinhua Lu. more ›

There's no reason to be bored this week, as Shanghai is offering plenty of options to keep you awake in this muggy heat. Take a stab at salsa dancing, crash a fusion jazz concert, listen to some lectures, just don't forget to stop by our Happy Hour on Tuesday and say bonjour! more ›

If you're a Francophile looking for something a little more special (but maybe a little more low key than a six hour ladies' night, though if that's your thing then chacun ses goûts) to do on Bastille Day, come and hang with us at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu. more ›

Yep, it's tonight. Come on over to Cotton's on Xinhua Lu for the Shanghaiist Happy Hour, which will feature yet another live performance from Philadelphia based musician Brian Seymour (MySpace). Want to read up on him? See more on our Seymour interview. more ›

He graced our Happy Hour two weeks ago and liked it so much he's returned. Yes, Brian Seymour is performing during the Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Cotton's on Tuesday. more ›

What does Shanghai have in store for you this week? You can chill out at the Shanghaiist Happy Hour on Tuesday, watch Optimus Prime and Megan Fox battle for your attention on Wednesday, prove your smarts at Thursday's quiz night, then end the week listening to Spanish jazz. more ›

Philadelphia's Brian Seymour (MySpace) will once again be performing an acoustic set of his original music on Tuesday, June 23 at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu during the Shanghaiist Happy Hour, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Seymour is in town doing a series of shows at the House of Blues & Jazz — it's called "The Piano Has Been Drinking" and he's playing, naturally, the piano and singing the music of Tom Waits. For us, he'll be playing guitar and performing songs from his albums. more ›

Hope to see you all tonight at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu for the Shanghaiist Happy Hour featuring a live performance from Philadelphia based musician Brian Seymour (MySpace), who is town doing a series of shows at the House of Blues & Jazz (he's playing piano and singing the music of Tom Waits). For us, he'll be playing guitar and performing an exclusive acoustic set of his originals. Based on what's happening outside our window right now, it looks like Brian will be playing indoors at Cotton's, which is fine by us (the speakers are better inside). more ›

It's been close to three years since Philadelphia based musician Brian Seymour (MySpace) last visited us, but he's back. And he's playing an exclusive acoustic set of his originals Tuesday night at the Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu. As usual, the Happy Hour runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and features free entry and 2-for-1 specials on selected drinks. Brian's set will kick off at around 7:30 p.m. more ›

Just a reminder for everybody hankering for an after work drink. The Shanghaiist Happy Hour starts at 6PM tonight! Come for the music, the company, the drink deals (20RMB Tsingtaos, 30RMB other select drinks) and the chance to win one of THREE vouchers for Aegis Co-op! more ›

Things you can do: meet up with fellow music-lovers tonight, watch the Suzhou Creek Dragon boat competition before heading off to what's bound to be a super interesting talk on Shanghai writer Eileen Chang on Thursday, and maybe even go to a fashion show on Friday! more ›

Wondering what to do tomorrow after work? Why not join us for our next installment of the Shanghaiist Happy Hour? Since it's the third one since we're restarted hosting these things, we're raffling off THREE gifts this time. more ›

The rain, which had been irking us all day, let up at around 7pm - surprising us all with a pleasant, cool night. We tossed back our drinks, hummed along with the best tunes of 2009 and raffled off a series of amazing prizes. Thanks to everyone who came along and lent a hand to Hands on Chengdu. more ›

Thank you for commemorating the Sichuan Earthquake anniversary with us. Without your help, it would have never been as successful an event. For event photos, go here. more ›

So the weather forecast is somewhat on the drearier side, but never fear - come rain or shine, we will be heading to the Xinhua Lu Cotton's to pour one out in commemoration of the anniversary of the Sichuan Earthquake. more ›

The next Shanghaiist Happy Hour at Cotton's on Xinhua Lu falls on the one-year anniversary of the devastating Sichuan earthquake, so we have decided to team with Hands On Chengdu, an organization committed to supporting the long term redevelopment of the areas affected by the earthquake for this Tuesday's gathering. Entry to the Happy Hour is free, but we'll be holding a lucky draw with some great donated prizes — all proceeds will go to Hands On Chengdu. Hands On Chengdu will have an informational booth at the happy hour and will be accepting donations and signing up volunteers on site. more ›

Yep, we had so much fun last time around that we've decided to host it twice a month from now until eternity. Which means, come this May 12, you can once again head over to Cotton's Xinhua Lu location to take advantage of (hopefully) good weather and great drink deals. Don't front like you're not excited! more ›

Just like we promised, it was a beautiful night over at Cotton's Xinhua Road location. We drank, we chatted, and we gave away a free night at the Shangri-La (thanks to Ctrip.com) to one lucky winner. Be sure to come on out to our next happy hour on May 12! more ›

Entry: FREE! more ›

Just a reminder for all of you fans of after-work revelry: tomorrow night, from 6pm to 10pm, you can enjoy the company of fellow Shanghaiist readers. According to weather reports, it's going to be a beautiful night - perfect for the outdoor area at Cotton's Xinhua Lu location. more ›

Guess where you could be exactly a week from now? Drinking with us at Shanghaiist's first happy hour of the year! Assuming the weather gods decide to bless us with as sunny a Tuesday as today was, we'll all be hanging outdoors, chatting and listening to great (if we may say so ourselves) music at Cotton's Xinhua Lu location. more ›

Thanks to the couple hundred people who attended our Election Hangover get-together last night at Sasha's, co-hosted by American Craft Beer Partners. It was a great end to a wonderful day (unless, of course, you wanted the other guy to win). more ›