Shopping in Singapore Part 1: Orchard Road

OK, this series applies to tourist shopping, but also to day-to-day shopping for people who live here but are new to Singapore ways. It also summarises a couple of previous posts on the retail subject. I will start with the most obvious:

Orchard Road               

This is the main drag – the Oxford Street of Singapore.. but with Bond Street shops on it. The busiest part lies between Orchard and Somerset MRT stations. And yep, all the megabrands are here in abundance in a huge array of glittering (and a few slightly less glittering!) malls. There are nice cafes, restaurants (mostly chains, but if you dig deeper into some malls, you can find more interesting, independent ones). And you will also see some very impressive decorations here over festive seasons, as well as wild, colourful retail displays you might not find in Europe, at least. On a reflective note, Orchard Road kind of symbolises the rampant consumerist culture in Asia – so many Gucci, Prada, LV shops.. and yet they’re all seemingly profitable! It’s definitely worth a visit as a tourist or as a resident.

Reaching your retail destination

The problem with this place is it is a complete nightmare to navigate. OK, malls are their own navigation challenge, if you are not used to them (see Malled to death from Feb 2012). But this is a town-planning issue! Orchard is just one long road, but you can only cross it at a couple of controlled points. J-walking is generally not encouraged here, but on Orchard Road, they have actually put fencing up so that you can’t do it. To add to this, there are endless building works going on, meaning that half the thoroughfares are boarded up and crossings are closed. “So what? A little walking never killed anyone,” I might hear some of you pout! But actually, walking outdoors in Singapore is NO picnic – there is 60-95% humidity and the sun can be merciless.

The Orchard Road scenario often goes like this:

“Oh look, there’s the bank / shop / restaurant we want to visit… but it’s a couple of metres across  the road. Oh no, I can’t cross the road!” Cue schlepping three blocks, dripping with sweat, to the nearest crossing point, then schlepping the three blocks BACK on the other side of the road to reach your destination.  It can get frustrating!

 

 

Underground walkways and the ludicrous interchange

Right by Orchard MRT station, there is a crossroads (to other prime sites such as Shaw House, the Marriott and Hyatt hotels..) which we are not allowed to cross. (And yes, for the past 12 months at least, it has come with ample building works!)

There is a series of tunnels supposedly helping us to reach our (extremely close, but nevertheless inaccessible at street level) locations on the other sides. But this is possibly the most complex and badly signposted setup I’ve ever come across in a modern city! My first experience was trying to go to meet friends at the Shaw House cinema. Which is clearly visible and very close to the main MRT exit! But of course I could not access it there. I was 25 minutes late.. as I got stuck in this claustrophobic tunnel system.

A lot of the escalators up to desired locations are quite well-concealed, so – especially if you are new to Singapore – you can easily miss them and just go round and round in the tunnels getting vexed. Add to this the fact the tunnels are packed, and you have to contend with the slow, chaotic Singapore Shuffle, and you can see why it took 25 minutes to, effectively, ‘cross the street’.

There are also airconditioned tunnels between certain large malls (not all of which allow you to cross the street, however). Unless you know these well, they are like the crossroads system – packed, slow to walk along, and most of all, confusing with signage and exits.

Don’t visit Orchard Road on weekends or Singapore public holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for visiting Orchard Road (if you make it on a working weekday)

You have two options here as I see it!

1. Ambling

If you have time and just want to mooch around, do this. It’s by far the most pleasant option, as on Orchard, intention = frustration!

·         Stay at street level for getting from A-B

·         Take a bottle of water with you as well as sunglasses, sunblock and I’d recommend a cheap paper fan

·         Make sure you have money from a ATM in advance

·         Take frequent breaks at cafes to relax and rehydrate (it will be nice and cool in the malls anyway)

·         Maybe start at one end, go up to a crossing point of choice, then work your way back.

2. A planned trip with purpose

·         Work out in advance where your desired destinations are

·         Plan so that you can do all of those on ONE side of the street together. Then, if you have to – find a crossing point and work your way back along the destinations on the other side of the street

·         Take a map of the area

·         Don’t think ‘I’ll have a look around then, go back’ if it requires crossing

·         Stay above ground, carry the fan etc as above

·         If you have to attempt the tunnel system, allow lots of extra time and treat it as an adventure, knowing in advance that it will probably drive you nuts. Look very carefully for small signs and concealed escalators!

·         If you have just one key destination and/or have a time-limit: take a cab.

Enjoy!

Guide to pix: (blogger won't let me caption them!) The CNY fan and flower decorations at Paragon; Apple tree decorations at Orchard Central (which is not, actually, central to Orchard, btw, but at the Somerset end!); Giant ice-creams somewhere near Somerset.