Singapore, Singapore

Man was Singapore a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. Coming off of a few weeks where we felt like all we did was sweat and roll around in the dirt, assimilating back into city life was something we enjoyed a little too much.

As for the city, from the moment we stepped off of the plane, you couldn’t help but notice how green and clean everything is. From Changi Airport to their subway system to side walks and drinking water, it is evident that Singapore strives to not only reduce carbon emissions, but also improve the well-being of its citizens and visitors alike.

For us, Singapore had three major themes: green spaces, light shows and great food.

Green spaces: we spent the first few days around the Marina Bay, taking in the awesome 360 views of the city from the Singapore Flyer, touring the Cloud Forest and Flower Garden (the dome like buildings in the picture at the top), and checking out the tall tree like structures in the Gardens by the Bay. You might call us crazy, but we swear we felt better breathing in the oxygen from all of those plants.

Light shows: Each night, you found us checking out some sort of twinkling lights. The highlight for us was at the Gardens by the Bay where we waited for the last time slot to walk among the tall trees on the skywalk while the light show was going on. Only 15 people were up there during the show and it was nothing short of magical. We also made sure to check out the laser light/water show in the front of the Marina Bay Sands.

Great food: Singapore’s food scene lived up to the hype. From the food stalls in Chinatown, to traditional Dim Sum and some Western food thrown in here and there (hey, everyone needs some tacos every once in awhile, keeps ya sane), we felt like our list of places to try was only growing as our time in the city diminished.

Favorite parts:

Matt: Marina Bay Sands Casino (Matt made sure to whip out his Bethlehem Sands Casino player card so they knew he wasn’t messing around.)
Erin: Gardens by the Bay light show and exploring on scooters

Where we stayed:

• Naomi Hotel

What we did:

• Marina Bay

  • Singapore Flyer

  • Shopped in the Marina Bay Sands Mall

  • Marina Bay Light Show

  • Casino

• Gardens by the Bay, Cloud Forest

• Areas of the city:

  • Orchard Street

  • Chinatown

  • Arab Street

  • Clarks Quay

• GRAB scooters

  • We rented scooters in a few locations and had a blast exploring the city. Really easy & inexpensive

• Botanic Gardens

Where we ate:

• Clinton Bakery & Co: their breakfast was so good that we ate there every day. They also had a 2-for-1 brunch special that didn’t hurt either

• Lunch & Dinner:

  • Tess Bar & Kitchen

  • Papi’s Tacos

  • Gastronomia de Paolo

  • Bistro & Oyster Bar

  • Yum Cha

  • Maxwell Food Center:

    • Great recommendation from Erin’s friend Amanda. Had great local food in Chinatown

• Drinks:

  • Singapore Slings at The Raffles Hotel

    • The history: At the turn of the century, The Raffles Hotel was a type of watering hotel for the community. While the men were at the bar drinking gin and whiskey, etiquette dictated that women couldn’t consume alcohol in public, so most had a variety of teas and juices while they waited for the men. A Hainanese bartender at the hotel saw an opportunity and created a cocktail just for women that was gin based and looked like fruit juice, and with that the Singapore Sling was born.

  • Ce La Vi: Bar at the top of the Marina Bay Sands

  • The Warehouse in Clarks Quay. Great live music!