[council] *My* Guide to Singapore

[Mary.Wong at law.unh.edu]

Dear friends,
 
Welcome to Singapore! Quick question: what do you do for a break, on a 15-hour flight, when you're done reading the Applicant Guidebook? :) Write a very biased guide to Singapore, encompassing restaurants, bars, shopping tips and top sightseeing recommendations of course! So I updated a document I wrote for friends and family from abroad who came to my wedding two summers ago, and attach it for your pleasure and perusal.
 
Quite a few of you are already familiar with my hometown, so I'll be looking to you to add to and comment on the suggestions I've included. 
 
Here are a few additional informational tips I didn't include in the guide:
 
- Singapore Changi Airport is clean, efficient and pretty much open 24 hours (with plenty of eating, shopping and seating options). Upon arrival, you'll be unlucky to wait more than 10 minutes at Immigration, following which there's a Duty Free (before Baggage Claim) that's open late. There's a taxi queue that's rarely that long, and the ride to the Swissotel/Fairmont complex is about 20 minutes (more during peak commuting hours, when the freeway can get jammed up), and cost around US$18-25, depending on surcharges and time of day). There's also a subway that goes directly (with one change of train) to the Swissotel/Fairmont complex, and each Arrival Hall has several ATMs for withdrawing Singapore currency.
 
- Singapore's not a cheap city, especially for hotels and higher-end dining and shopping, but public transport is fast, efficient and cheap (the Swissotel/Fairmont complex is directly above a major subway interchange that will take you easily to the financial district and the Orchard Road shopping area). Taxis are plentiful and relatively inexpensive - but can be difficult to get when it rains, during peak commuting hours, and when the drivers are changing shifts (4 p.m. and 11 p.m.)
 
- Alcohol and cigarettes are heavily taxed, so they are probably going to be more expensive than you may be used to.
 
- Dress code is generally business casual. Even for business meetings, men rarely wear suits because of the climate, sticking with shirt and tie. Very few places will require dressing up for, but note that in most nice restaurants, bars and clubs, shorts, sandals, slippers and collar-less tee-shirts are not permitted.
 
- It will be HOT and HUMID. The only difference is whether it's sunny or raining :)
 
Let me know if there's anything else I can do to make your visit a good one!
 
Safe travels, and see you soon in sunny Singapore,
Mary
 
 
Mary W S Wong
Professor of Law
Chair, Graduate IP Programs
Director, Franklin Pierce Center for IP
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHOOL OF LAWTwo White StreetConcord, NH 03301USAEmail: mary.wong at law.unh.eduPhone: 1-603-513-5143Webpage: http://www.law.unh.edu/marywong/index.phpSelected writings available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at: http://ssrn.com/author=437584
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