Singapore prides itself on being on par with even the most modern countries in the world. Despite being quite a small city-state, it harbors some of the best prospects in many industries. Traveling to Singapore, you’ll find that there is a unique culture shock that you feel even on the way to the city. There are so many different people that all live and work side by side, that there is no distinct heritage until you look for it. But flying over Malaysia and into Singapore, you’ll immediately notice that the city-state is very contemporary. The skyline is incredible and stands out as one of the main attractions. The financial district has its own series of high rise buildings, the central area has so many museums, art galleries, indoor sporting activities and of course, theaters. The lights of the city at night are something to behold, the neon all around the moonlit night sky is phenomenal. However, you have to explore Orchard Road where the majority of the shops are located. This stretch is famous for having around twenty-six separate shopping malls. If there’s one place to be during the day, it's here.
Shopping on an empty stomach?
There’s no way you can shop when your stomach is growling for food. So make your first stop Kim Dae Mun a Korean restaurant. Singapore is full of so many cuisines, but Korean is somewhat rarer than others. It's just as well then, that this restaurant is rated 4.3 stars on Google for it's hot spicy soups, and sticky red fried chicken wings. Sesame seeds are not just for fragrance in the Korean cuisine, but after being carefully roasted and lightly salted, they add a unique twang and crunch to any dish they are added into. Try their spicy noodles with fresh seaweed, with raw spring onions. It's a local heart dish that fills you up but isn’t very heavy. If you just want some familiar but still Singaporean, try their fried omelette roll with spicy red pepper sauce. If you do want something rich and filling, try the braised beef in roasted sesame seed oil, with fried garlic, parsley and again, a fiery hot red pepper sauce.
Pitch your tent close
You have a lot to cover if you’re going to explore the full length of Orchard Road, so you should pitch your tent close to avoid the rush hour traffic. Rather than a hotel or even a bed and breakfast, open your options with a modern hdb rental flat. You have more than enough room for up to four people, for even the average apartment sizes. There’s around 1,450 feet-squared which you have to play with, for the run of the mill modern flat. This is great for when you are traveling with friends because you have around three bedrooms and two bathrooms to yourselves. Yet, if you work it out it’s only around $500-600 rent a month. The location is brilliant as you are in walking distance of all the shops.
In the heart of the strip
Right in the center of Orchard Road are some of the most well known brands in the world. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Celine, BOSS, and Estee Lauder to name a few are all present. They have some exclusive items for sale only in Singapore sometimes. This is because Singapore is seen as a wealthy city that often acts like a test zone for some of the newest fashion lines in the world. However you also have many shopping centers to explore with domestic brands also. The Heeren is particularly popular with young and older shoppers alike. Western brands are everywhere such as Robinsons, Nike, McDonalds, Only & Sons, Victoria’s Secrets, and Lego to name a few.
Inside the shopping malls, there are independent artists that sell handcrafted sculptures, figurines and paintings of the city if you want something to take home with you about the city-state. You’ll also find Christmas trees everywhere if you are visiting toward the end of the year. There’s a lot things for children to do also such as indoor playrooms and plenty of candy stores. There’s something for everyone if you look hard enough and it's easy to get around since the main signs are all in English.
Every country has a place where the best stores are all located. London, New York and Tokyo all have their own zones where these famous brands can be found. For the city-state of Singapore, the Orchard Road stretch is where you can feel right at home.
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