Orchard Street Singapore

Singapore is a place people come to shop! Hugh shopping malls are everywhere.  Chanel and all the other top brands have many, many stores here.

Orchard Street, Singapore

The main shopping street is called Orchard Street which is a lot like Fifth Avenue in New York or the Champ Elysees in Paris with one crazy difference:  almost every third door opens into a mall that not only goes up several stories but also down several stories.

Orchard Street, Singapore

We were enjoying a walk down this large beautiful tree lined street which has blocks that stretch well past a normal length when we came to a very large intersection which had barriers that prevented you from crossing in any direction. Well, being the very savvy travelers we are we looked for a way to go under the ground which in most situations involves a small tunnel that takes you to the other side of the street, so down we went.  You can imagine our surprise when we ended up in a giant underground mall three floors deep and sprawling in every direction like a human ant hill. 

Orchard Street, Singapore (Under Ground Mall)

We looked and looked for signs of a route to guide us to the other side of the street. The mall was bustling with so many people and so many stores. This mall was so big that it had men in black suits standing by black booths who would tell you where to find things. We stopped at two of these booths and were directed to the way out. We had been wandering in these tunnels of stores for about ten minutes only to come out at the exact same location.

Orchard Street, Singapore

 After a good laugh, I thought there has to be an easier way that we didn't understand. So I asked a passerby “how can we get to the other side of the street?” and she said “You have to go back down into the mall, go down two flights on the escalators then head past the Gap turn right up the escalator next to the stationary store pass the food court then up the escalator near the tea store …..” At this point my mind started drifting away in confusion and hopelessness.   

When I approached my husband with this information, he informed me very nicely that there was absolutely no way he was going back down there again. So we ended up headed back the way we came eventually grabbing a cab to take us away from this shopping heaven or hell depending on how you see it.

Orchard Street, Singapore