Neato Gang! Neal News Here...: First trip to Arab Street

Yesterday was rather rainy and dreary, so I spent much of the day just relaxing and uploading photos. I kicked off the morning with what I thought would be a short walk in search of a latte. Little did I know that all the American coffee shops (Starbucks, Coffee Bean, etc.) in the Central Business District are closed on Sunday because it's pretty empty compared to the week. After about 30 minutes of walking around in the drizzle, I finally just grabbed a low-fat latte at the McCafe (that's right - McDonald's, where they only have low-fat, not skim milk...oh well).

After Skyping with Brian for a while and watching an episode of my new obsession, Mad Men, I headed out for a real walk once the rain finally let up. I walked past the Merlion and the Esplanade and headed towards Arab Street, which is true to its name in terms of cultural feel, restaurant options, and goods sold. But first, I passed a few other local landmarks.

This is War Memorial Park, and includes a large statue erected in memory of those who died in the Japanese occupation during WWII. It's quite near the Esplanade, just across a main thoroughfare.

I don't know the name of this building in real life, but everyone calls it the Gotham Building because it looks like something out of Batman.

About 3-4 miles later, I reached Arab Street. I wish I had gotten a photo of some of the fine fabrics and Oriental rugs sold there, but it started raining and I didn't bring my umbrella. (When will I learn?!)

But I was able to get a quick picture of the beautiful Sultan Mosque. Built in 1928, it is the oldest Mosque in Singapore. There were lots of visitors with the Hari Raya holiday in a couple of weeks.

Last night I went to a BBQ at Whitney and Josh's condo. Whitney grilled some fish and dished out some delicious Mexican fare. I'm not sure why I didn't take any photos of that because we had a great time.