Where would you take President Obama?
Even world leaders need R&R. CNNGo took to the streets to ask Singaporeans where they'd take Barack Obama, or any APEC leader, if they were appointed official chaperon for a day.
Little India
"It's the only place in Singapore which still wholly maintains
their roots. There’s authentic Indian food there and temples to visit. Mustafa is a nice place to go to for 24-hour
shopping. Above all, it’s a
mecca for people who love cooking. The spices available there are the
best you can get anywhere around Singapore."
-- Irene Chow, 55, IT manager
Little India stretches along Serangoon Road from Bukit Timah Road to Kitchener Road. Take the Northeast Line (NEL) and alight at Little India or Farrer Park MRT stations.
The Heartlands
"It would be interesting to take them to an actual Housing Development
Board (HDB) estate where you can see the real heartlands of Singapore.
Maybe a place like Tiong Bahru? It’s one of the older estates and it
has a style of its own. You get to see how the real Singaporeans live
with the hawker centers and all. Seeing the 'aunties' and 'uncles'
walking around the estate might be a refreshing view for them."
-- Vasu Dev, 46, financial planner
HDB estates stretch across the whole of Singapore. The easiest way to reach them is via the MRT system -- just pick any station out of the shopping and business districts.
The Night Safari
"At the Night Safari you can experience something that many Singaporeans have
given their thumbs-up on, which is a big deal because we're a hard
crowd to please. It being the only night
zoo in the world, I think the APEC members will get a sense of the
country's innovativeness and that we're capable of bringing big ideas
to life with great success despite our small size."
-- Afiza Affandi, 23, student
80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
tel. +65 6269 3411
7:30pm to midnight, daily
www.nightsafari.com.sg
Last admission at 11pm
Restaurants and retail shops open from 6pm daily
City Hall
"City Hall is where you see Singapore as a vibrant city on its own. There’s the Esplanade and not too far away there’s the nice skyline over the Central Business District."
-- Jennifer Kunasekaran, 24, model
Located in front of the historical Padang and next door to the Supreme Court of Singapore along St. Andrew's Road.
Arab Street
"This is a pretty good destination. The area is quite culturally vibrant with traditional shop houses still around. You can buy textiles and eat Middle Eastern food. There’s also the mosque at Jalan Sultan. These APEC leaders surely would not have seen such places before."
-- Yusope Sarbini, 35, driver
Start from the Malay Heritage Centre at 85 Sultan Gate, Singapore, and work your way down along North Bridge Road. www.malayheritage.org.sg
Chinatown
"Singapore is more than just pristine glass and steel
shopping malls; we're a melting pot of migrant cultures. From the Islamic mosques, Hindu and Chinese temples and Methodist church all
along the same stretch of road, to the 'rojak' cuisine at Maxwell Food Market. The bustle of Singlish, mixed Chinese and dialect and
smattering of Malay and Tamil from the varied merchants in the area represent Singapore at its core."
-- Jonathan Ho, 30, publication editor
Take the Northeast Line and alight at Chinatown MRT station. Stop over at the Chinatown Heritage Centre (CHC) at 48 Pagoda Street, Singapore. www.chinatownheritagecentre.sg
How about you? Where would you take President Obama for a day? Drop us your suggestions and tell us why.
