ANY CITY IS ONLY AS INTERESTING AS YOU MAKE IT OUT TO BE
For tourists, Singapore offers many exciting attractions such as Gardens by the Bay, Mandai Wildlife Reserve, ArtScience Museum and Sentosa. As a resident, I’ve been to these places on multiple occasions and still enjoy them since there are always seasonal events that keep the rotation fresh.
However, Singapore’s smaller land size compared to the rest of Southeast Asia also make recreational choices limited. For example, while we take pride in being a city in a garden, we lack the natural landscapes that would thrill outdoorsy types.
An expatriate friend concurs, saying that Singapore can be a lot less exciting for expats if you’re comparing it to cities like New York, London, Hong Kong or Shanghai. But he added that if you’re looking for stability and a healthy living environment, Singapore offers enough to fill your days.
In recent years, there have also been more interesting events emerging such as thrifting, music acts and pop-ups. Even things as mundane as mall closures go out with a bang. In January, 47-year-old Peace Centre, which in its final days was a space for graffiti art and social enterprises, was bid farewell in a mall-wide party featuring DJ raves and wrestling shows.
Thanks to social media, it isn’t difficult to find something new to do over the weekend. And if you have a young family like I do, Singapore has plenty to offer from kid-friendly nature walks to indoor and outdoor playgrounds and water parks. While some are paid attractions, a bunch are free – you just need to look.
I would have dropped everything and braved the heat and rain to join my fellow Swifties at “Category 100” outside the Sports Hub to hear strains of the Eras Tour. But alas, I had commitments.
That doesn’t mean I wasn’t vicariously reliving the concert atmosphere through my friends’ social media updates. I was surprised to see my non-Swiftie friends joining in on the fun, which just shows that there is always something happening in “boring Singapore” if you let yourself be open to new experiences.
April Zara Chua is a freelance content developer and mother to a preschooler and a 7-year-old cat.
