Atop Singapore's First Vertical Mall, Orchard Central

Orchard Central is Singapore's first vertical mall. This fact wasn't apparent to us during our earliest visits, so we got to explore only the first few levels then. It was through friends that we learned the entire building was actually a mall, and that the upper levels were worth checking out. Last week, in the company of friends, we decided to spend a few hours of our Saturday afternoon wandering through the place.

We had a grand time gallivanting around the 18-month-old establishment going shop by shop, floor by floor. Some of the things that made a lasting impression were the indoor climbing wall, the Asian Food Channel's kitchen studio, the virtual indoor golf simulation center and the dance studio. (More on this, including pictures in a future post.)

We also didn't pass up the opportunity to go see the roof garden. Aside from giving a view from above of Orchard Road and its neighboring surroundings, the roof garden also features several restaurants — Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese and Singaporean —, and exhibits a number of artworks. Waterfalls, pools, garden walls, hyacinths, orchids, bamboo groves, and other types of trees and plants make the rooftop an oasis of calm in the center of the city.

Trying out the different restaurants is certainly a good reason to come back. There shall be more pictures to take too — hopefully there would be no lovers talking by the waterfalls to interrupt next time around. ;)