One of my favorite neighborhoods in Singapore was called Haji Lane. It was a vibrant, colorful, and lively part of the city that felt a lot different from everywhere else we had been. Most of Singapore was so orderly and clean - I wasn't surprised but still disappointed that there was no street art almost anywhere in the city. By “street art,” I generally mean more murals than graffiti, but there was neither in Singapore.
Except in Haji Lane. It was such a colorful and exciting little slice of culture tucked away off the main road. I especially loved how much of a surprise it was in a city filled with super modern, metal skyscrapers. I mean, look at this place!
Every store front had its own interesting decorations, and walking down this pedestrian-only street was so much fun. There were restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and fancy hipster stores selling soap and whatnot. It was a small area, in terms of the geographical footprint, but I got the sense that we could have spent hours walking in and out of places. We walked around for a few blocks, saw this giant mosque and some really nice art leading up to it.
We went to a Sri Lankan bar/restaurant for dinner, mostly to try their famous drinks made with an ancient, traditional liquor called Arrack (that’s how they spelled it - it’s also commonly spelled arak or araq). The drinks were really good, by the way.
Then we walked one block down to a jazz bar called Blu Jaz, split a pitcher of beer, and waited for the band to start up. I had enjoyed passing the place in daylight, but I enjoyed it anew (and even more) once the sun set. What a cool spot!
We hadn’t made specific plans to visit Haji Lane - we only went on my last night in town - but I’m so glad we did. It was a really cool place and gave a whole different side of Singapore than I had previously seen.