Singapore

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

We just wrapped up a busy three days in Singapore. There is an incredible amount to see and do, and we tried to do it all. Our feet are really sore as I begin writing this on the plane to Bangkok!

The biggest highlight of our visit was a meeting with David Adelman, the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. Before his nomination, he was a partner at Sutherland in Atlanta where I practiced intellectual property law and Sara coordinated the firm's public service and pro bono efforts. We really enjoyed our visit, and it was a treat to see a familiar face in a faraway land! The Adelmans also graciously provided several wonderful recommendations for things to see and do in the city. We had a great time. Fingers crossed that we will not require any other visits to American embassies along the way though!

Singapore grew as a trading port on the route between India and China. Its people are a mix of various Asian ethnicities known as Peranakans (as we learned visiting the Peranakan Museum on our first day). There are several ethnic neighborhoods around the city including Chinatown and Little India. We stayed in Chinatown, which was bustling day and night and convenient to everything. It was a good place to base ourselves for exploring the city. We visited Little India on our first night for barefoot dining at a great little Indian restaurant called Lagnaa. It turned out to be our favorite meal in the city and one of the best of the trip so far. They offer spice levels between 1 and 10. Apparently no one can eat number 10. You get your picture on the wall if you can handle number 5. The folks working there said that they do not go higher than 3. Our mouths were on fire at number 2. Afterwards we went shopping at a 24-hour mall that was an intense shopping experience. I came away with some new wrinkle-free slacks that came in handy for the visit to the embassy.

Singapore has become the fourth-largest financial center in the world and is an extraordinary, super-modern, very wealthy city. Instead of coffee shops, there are Louis Vuitton stores on every corner. The first day we enjoyed walking down Orchard Road (Singapore's Fifth Avenue). We stopped in quite a few of the dozens of malls to get out of the blazing heat and humidity (it's less than 100 miles from the equator).

Orchard Road in Singapore

Another highlight was visiting the Marina Bay Sands. This hotel is straight out of the future! There are three towers with a "Skypark" spanning the top of all three. We wanted to see the infinity pool at the top, but they restrict access for riff-raff like us off the street. No worries. We noticed a group going into the restricted area and just tagged along at the back. We got in and had a taste of the good life at probably the most amazing swimming pool in the world.

Three days were just enough to scratch the surface of Singapore. But I have a feeling that I will be back again someday.

-David

Skyscrapers in Singapore