Life's a Mall

Just when I thought Singapore had reached its saturation point, Orchard Road outdoes itself again. On the corner of Orchard and Scotts roads, Singapore's major shopping district, yet another mall has opened. And this one is a monolith to say the least! "Ion Orchard" is a immense shopping structure that boasts 8 levels of shopping, offers 66,000 square meters of retail space, and crosses 12 lanes of traffic below ground. Housing everything from Dunkin' Donuts to Steve Madden, this new mall puts its neighbors to shame.

Jumping water fountains line the sidewalk by its main entrance; a grandiose spaceship pod-like entrances makes you feel like you're entering another world; and the multi-screen jumbo tron plastered on the building's facade dwarfs the massive TV screen advertising new release movies across the street. This intersection's only saving grace from mall supersaturation is a Marriott perched on the northeast corner. To add to its grandiose feel, the new mall is attached through above- and underground links to neighboring malls. My commute home now involves about a quarter-mile of indoor, air conditioned, and crowded mall hallways.

But with so many malls, you would think competition would minimize crowds. Not so. Apparently malling is a Saturday night activity. Returning home this past weekend around 10:30pm, the party was just starting at the Ion. Thousands of shoppers crowded the malls as they hung with friends, window shopped, and socialized. In Singapore, life truly is a mall...and all its men and women merely shoppers.