Where to go, right now: Singapore
By Dennis Lennox
Only in Singapore. That was the headline of a short article I wrote a month ago, when I was getting ready to spend a week in the Asian city-state.
After the piece was published I received several messages from friends and followers. Some said they were adding Singapore to their list of places to visit. A few talked about Singapore’s world-class airline, its famed street food, the Singapore sling cocktail of Raffles Hotel fame and the city-state’s reputation for law and order. There were also just as many questions. The common refrain — “Singapore, that’s by [insert famous Asian city here], right?” — only confirmed what most of us who travel know: Americans are really, really bad at geography.
Regardless of how much or how little you know of Singapore, it’s a place you should go, right now.
Not only is Singapore big enough (the population is about 5.3 million) to rival the biggest and greatest cities, but it’s small enough not to overwhelm. Plus, the strict enforcement of laws means Singapore is super safe. (When I was there, I was told a handful of recent purse snatchings constituted a crime epidemic.)
It was also fascinating to see just how Singapore is balancing cutting-edge architecture and design with sensible urban planning. Yes, there are massive new buildings going up everywhere, but the city-state also has incredible amounts of green space—from tree-lined roads and urban parks to the awe-inspiring grove of supertrees at the heart of the 250-acre Gardens by the Bay.
And with Singapore having celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence last year, I found it interesting to observe life in a country that is among the leaders of what many call the Asian Century.
What to do
I wasn’t in Singapore to experience the food, as so many others have written about this before. Instead, I came for an only in Singapore experience.
On top of my list was the National Gallery, which opened late last year after a nearly $350 million transformation of the old city hall and the colonial-era courthouse into a world-class space with art from across southeastern Asia.
Literally at the center of the new National Gallery is the striking modern lobby with its curved metal and glass awning that connects the two previously separate buildings opposite of the Padang cricket field.
The architects at Studio Milou did a truly splendid job at balancing the building’s history and beaux-arts architectural style with the demands of a modern art museum.
Not only can you stand in the foyer of the old Supreme Court with its black-and-white checkerboard floor and see the city hall chamber, where the Japanese surrendered in 1945 to the legendary Lord Mountbatten, but you can discover works of art that you won’t find elsewhere.
Nearby are other buildings, including St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, that serve as more reminders of Singapore’s history as a British colony.
For the perfect selfie be sure to visit the lawn in front of the Victoria Theatre, where the original statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of what’s now Singapore, stands. The one on the waterfront, where Raffles is said to have landed in 1819, is a reproduction from 1972.
To learn more about Raffles and how this city-state went from a small trading port to one of Asia’s leading cities, I visited the National Museum of Singapore.
Housed in an equally impressive colonial-era building near Fort Canning Park — Singapore’s version of Central Park in New York City or Detroit’s Belle Isle — the National Museum has several permanent collections that tell the country’s story from before Raffles’ founding of the then-Straits Settlement to its independence in 1965.
And it’s this history that is truly fascinating, especially when you consider just how much Singapore has changed since the devastating Japanese occupation of World War II.
I also enjoyed walking the traditional neighborhoods of Chinatown, Little India and the Muslim quarter of Kampong Glam, where the rich diversity of cultures that is Singapore’s melting pot are on full display.
Another must-visit is the nightly light show at Marina Bay Sands, the large spaceship-looking casino and convention hotel with spectacular views from the rooftop infinity pool. I recommend skipping the observation deck and instead having a drink at Sky on 57.
Be sure to also visit the Botanic Gardens and the Art Museum, the latter of which is in a former Roman Catholic school near the National Museum.
Where to stay
I stayed at The South Beach, which calls itself a “hotel of design.” Service was great — I think the staff would have jumped off a bridge had I asked — and the location was unbeatable for those wanting to explore Singapore by foot.
The landmark Raffles Hotel is located across the street and the National Gallery is, at most, 10 minutes by foot. Best of all, I felt as if The South Beach was my own private residence as it’s still in a “soft opening” phase and, as a result, isn’t overflowing with guests.
A special promotion, including the wonderful breakfast buffet at the in-house restaurant ADHD and a complimentary but somewhat limited in-room mini-bar, starts at approximately $328 per night.
How to get there
Out of New York City, airfares are consistently about $1,200 throughout the summer before dropping to as low as $736 in September and October, according to a search on Google Flights.
Airfares out of Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto are fairly consistent between $621 and $1,000, depending on the airline, for most of the next six months, also according to Google Flights. From San Francisco, a new non-stop flight on United Airlines begins in June.
