By Robert Waite

I visited an old friend recently in a city relentlessly reinventing itself.

The old friend is the Goodwood Park Hotel, a heritage property with a last-century vibe.

The city is Singapore; an island nation nestled at the southern tip of the Malay
peninsula. Once a sleepy British Empire backwater, today it pulsates with energy and
extravagance, as anyone who saw the film “Crazy Rich Asians” can attest.

Much as Nebuchadnezzar II is credited with transforming ancient Babylon, it was
Singapore’s first post-colonial prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who began the process of
modernizing the Lion City.

When it came to the city’s infrastructure, there was seldom a project that failed to get a
green light from Mr. Lee, a strong-willed leader who held power from 1965 until 1990.

Disappearing Act

I saw this first-hand. When I first visited in 1981, there was a charming area along the… Continue reading →