The further one gets from B'game the more one tells people "I'm from San Francisco" even though you don't really, really mean it. The good news is the most common reaction is "Oh, that's my favorite city in the US" to which I always smile in a Herb Caen-like, Baghdad by the Bay manner. I'm thinking of B'game as I visit Singapore for a couple of days. It's a beautiful blend of the old and new with rich walking tours of two historic districts, perfectly annotated with street signage and plenty of brochures to tell you what you are looking at. The Raffles Hotel, the Fort Canning Park military history, and the old churches bring a strong sense of an historic city.
But there is plenty of modern development, too. Here is a photo of the stunning, 57 story Mandarin Bay Sands hotel with the Sky Platform atop like a space ship that has landed and the aluminum science museum blossoming next to it. Commerce is alive and well in Singapore and yet there is plenty of respect for the less-commercial aspects of the cityscape. We can and should learn from such an approach.
Comments