SHANGHAI — China's biggest city and financial hub is known for designer boutiques and fine dining. Yet wallet-draining Shanghai also offers activities that cost nothing, from walking on the riverfront Bund to sculpture parks and historic sites. Here are five of them.

NEW YORK — You can recycle your waste, grow your own food and drive a fuel-efficient car. But being socially responsible isn't so easy when it comes to the clothes on your back.

I have to admit that this column is going to have few readers. For one thing, here is the only mention it will have of the name Jodi Arias. That’s it. Sorry.

The prom is making a big comeback.

Cathy Garcia’s T-shirts have been in high demand since the Grammys and Oscars where they were included in gift bags for celebrities.

Since then, the Glendale resident has stayed busy with orders for her T-shirt line, Cha-Cha ChiC, named after her Chihuahua, Cha Cha.

In a small thrift shop on a quiet stretch of Arizona Avenue, a group of women sift through piles of clothes and household goods, looking for anything that might catch the eye of someone who has happened upon hard times or someone who is looking for a great deal.

This time, Oil Conglomerates and Petroleum Rich Nations, I’ve got your number. You know, the big two-foot tall ones in front of gas stations. You’ve tried to sneak up nasty price hikes on us before, literally by nickeling and diming. Well, I’m here to warn you, I’ve got you figured out. Yessiree. I am no longer going to be Mr. Nice Self-Serve Customer.

Naming herself after the provincial flower of Alberta, Canada, Loca Rosa is a performer with international flair.

On a chilly Thursday afternoon, Desert Vista High School junior Ava Posta worked contentedly at Pomegranate Cafe in Ahwatukee Foothills, stamping pastry bags and coffee sleeves with the local cafe’s signature pink logo.

Rivers & Moorhead, a boutique CPA consulting firm, moved to a new office on Mill Avenue in Tempe.

"This Is 40" is every inch a Judd Apatow movie, from the pop culture references and potty mouths to the blunt body humor and escapist drug use. Like all the movies he's directed — and it's amazing to think there have only been three previous ones, given his name-brand value — it's a good 20 minutes too long.

One trip to Chandler Fashion Center, a call to Ticketmaster, two online transactions and several stops at East Valley mom-and-pop shops in the bag, and my Christmas shopping is complete.

With cacti and strip malls obstructing the views at times, visitors could easily write Phoenix off as a place where water and culture are scarce. But this metropolis — which includes upscale Scottsdale and college town Tempe — is a nature lover’s oasis with pristine peaks and the vast Sonoran desert.

As the wife of a battalion commander and 20-year veteran of the United States Army, Bianca Caryl knows the kind of sacrifices made by members of the military.

As the wife of a battalion commander and 20-year veteran of the United States Army, Bianca Caryl knows the kind of sacrifices made by members of the military.

In all the rush to conquer holiday shopping, don’t forget the pets on your list.

The Desert Vista Spirit Line is seeking donations from community members wanting to clear out their garages and closets so they can be sold in a boutique holiday sale to help fund a trip to California for competition.

For 12 years Ahwatukee Foothills resident Cynthia Laymon and her friend, Mary Chavez, have been making the holidays a little brighter for charities across the Valley by donating beautifully decorated Christmas trees they can reuse year after year.

On Sunday, My Wine Cellar in Ahwatukee is inviting the community to enjoy jazz, boutique wines and good weather.

The Ahwatukee Prickly Piecers have been working to complete an “opportunity quilt” to raise money for their guild chapter to pay rent for the church where they meet, to pay for the charges to their sew-in’s for charity, to buy fabric, batting, thread, webbing, and more. It will also pay for workshops with teachers to learn sewing techniques that can be used in charity work.

The Mesa Unified School District governing board told school leaders Oct. 2 to look at removing unused and older portable classrooms from elementary schools to help deal with pockets of declining enrollment in the district.

Just three years ago, business owner Lisa Looney and her daughter, Kathleen, were bedazzling flip-flops for friends. Now they dream of spreading their Chandler-based fashion boutique Valleywide.