hkskyline's 2016 in Singapore

[hkskyline]

More photos on my website : http://www.globalphotos.org/singapore.htm

[Nightsky]

Now I really must go to Singapore soon!

[mrnyc]

very nice work and familiar.

did u happen to notice if the south beach towers are all done?

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

did u happen to notice if the south beach towers are all done?

This one?

[mrnyc]

yeah thats it - we had a view of them under construction from one of our hotels when we were there. it was fascinating to watch and it wasnt loud or anything. i thought they would turn out well and wondered about it. they look great - thanks!

btw i dk where singapore gets it boring rep? there are hookers galore, gambling, booze, just no visible drug use. or gum chewing - ha. and there are plenty of neighborhoods to explore and of course great food. far from boring!

[hkskyline]

Tiong Bahru is a low-rise residential area not far from the CBD. Being the country's first public housing project in the 1930s, it has been gentrified in recent years into a hip and trendy community with its interesting Art Deco buildings.

[Nightsky]

Great pics from Singapore, it might be my next destination! I have noticed on many pics it is very often grey or half cloudy in Singapore.

[Coldrsx]

I always find that Singapore is alluring and incredibly boring at the same time.

[hkskyline]

[Nightsky]

Nice updates! I have a friend from Singapore and hope to go there.

[hkskyline]

I looked for a lunch venue with a view, and went up a bank tower to find it.



















Unsatisfied with the cloudy view at lunch (but the food was great), I went up another skyscraper for their rooftop bar. The skies have cleared a bit by then and I enjoyed my sling in the cooler altitude.

























More : http://www.globalphotos.org/sin-walking.htm

[plinko]

Wow, wow, wow.

SimCity in the jungle.
The skyline seems to have doubled since I was there in 2006.

Making me crave kangaroo (I had it in a really nice restaurant along the riverfront).

[hkskyline]

The Europeans lived around Little India in the 1840s as the race course was here. The street names still bear this history, with many being named after its 19th century residents.









































More photos on my website : http://www.globalphotos.org/sin-bugis.htm

[Shawn]

Great pics, looks like you hit up all the major spots save Sentosa.

Originally Posted by mrnyc

btw i dk where singapore gets it boring rep? there are hookers galore, gambling, booze, just no visible drug use. or gum chewing - ha. and there are plenty of neighborhoods to explore and of course great food. far from boring!

It gets its rep from ex-pats who live there as opposed to visiting for a few days. Visiting is fun. Try living there for a few years. How many times can you go to a hawker center or try yet another chicken rice spot? There is a reason why Bintan exists as it does today: a 45-min ferry ride from Singapore and you're in an Indonesian playground developed solely to meet the leisure demands of bored-AF Singaporeans and ex-pats.

[Shawn]

To be fair, Singapore has an excellent skyline, the Marina Bay Sands is actually very fun and the pool lives up to the hype, the hotels are always a top-notch experience, and it's basically Japan-level safe.

[mrnyc]

oh thats nonsense. there is much more variety of food than just the hawker centers. as for the locals taking a break in indonesia or malaysia or where ever, thats no different than anyone living anywhere else doing the same in their nearby regions.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

oh thats nonsense. there is much more variety of food than just the hawker centers. as for the locals taking a break in indonesia or malaysia or where ever, thats no different than anyone living anywhere else doing the same in their nearby regions.

There is a variety, but not all that much. Considering Singapore is a mixture of four distinct cultures and their culinary offerings, there's surprisingly little variation in the types of Indian, Chinese, and Malay you can get. I can get much better Indian food - with way more regional options - in Tokyo than I can get in Singapore.

As for having to leave Singapore to take a break - that's the point. Want to take a break from NYC or London or wherever? You don't have to leave the country and deal with immigrations and border controls. Singapore is a nation-state the physical size of municipal Philadelphia, and the vast majority of it is faceless 1980s state-owned apartment blocks we like to make fun of on this site. So you have to leave the country to take a break, and your two quick options are Malaysia (and Pasir Gudang isn't the type of place anyone visits for fun) or Indonesia - which you can only get to by boat or plane, reserved decently in advance. No spur of the moment "let's go to the beach!" or "let's go for a hike!" options.

I have been in Singapore for about 2 months of the year when you add up all the days for the past 5 years. For me, it lost the visitor allure a long time ago.

But again, I can totally see why people would have a nice opinion of the place after visiting as a tourist for a few days or a week.

[mrnyc]

of course, just as i bet you cant find better singapore hawker center foods elsewhere. but as i said you can easily and readily find foods from around the world in singapore just like any big city, so you are in no way limited by only their cultural legacy food.

as for the place itself, you are over estimating what a country is supposed to be. singapore is rather unique. its to its benefit, not detriment that it lies in the middle of the sea states (that happen to be other countries? so what? its not the 19th century, not to mention singapore was malay until modern times). yes the borders are a hassle, but i dont have to tell you thats not only because singapore is hyper-cautious, its also because bazillions of people travel in and out of there every day. also, that airport, there is none better. not exactly unpleasant, is it? quite the opposite - its practically a destination in and of itself.

you dont even have to leave the country to go to the beach or take a break though. i suggest you visit sentosa or palau ubin for that sometime. and pay some attention to the attractive old peranakan row house legacy instead of just the people boxes.

so while i have been there a quarter of your time i could certainly stay a lot longer and i disagree. its not boring, unless you are a drug fiend, there is plenty to explore and its a great place to stay to easily jump off to other nearby sea countries.

[hkskyline]

The boring aspect needs to be taken into context. There is no overwhelmingly distinct "local" food. Hawker centres are not unique to Singapore either. Many Asian countries have open-air eateries or non-airconditioned spaces where groups of eateries congregate. The difference is whether it is more chaotically arranged and/or dirty. There is some culinary fusion, such as Nonya, but for the most part, the cuisine on offer are distinctly Chinese, Malay, or Indian. You don't need to go to Singapore to savour better examples of these foods.

I get far bigger culture shock when I eat in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

My impression of Singapore is an over-sanitized and over-regulated wonderland. It may be great for raising a family, but it is by no means an exciting, noisy, and congested city that Asia is all about. I got a bit sick of those do not do signs after a while. To fill the void, just hop across the border for a cheap getaway in Bintan, or for the more brave, Johor.

[The North One]

Singapore is so fascinating, thanks for the pics.