Singapore Civic District Run - A Run Down Memory Lane (4KM)

The Big Fat Bird Statue. Original Name: Chubby Bird by Fernando Botero’s

Me, "So where are we going to run this week?"

BBG, "What you guys feel like eating?"

Ladies, "The Dim Sum breakfast at Chinatown is pretty good. Let's go there!"

Once again, the Unfit Runners decided on the location of their run based on where the good food is....

My usual route for the Chinatown run typically covers Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place area. Therefore this time, I decided to opt for a slight different route.

I decided to visit some of the most important historical sites in Singapore.



The first stop, Hong Lim Park. This is probably one of the most important park in Singapore, other than Botanical Gardens. Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia to help you understand its importance.

Created by Hokkien businessman and philanthropist Cheang Hong Lim in 1885, Hong Lim Park was the first public garden in Singapore. It was the venue for many election rallies and political speeches in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was selected by the government as the venue for Speakers' Corner in September 2000. Since then, it is the only place in Singapore where one can legally stage public protests. ~Source Wikipedia

First public park in Singapore; The park that witness the rise of the People Action Party in Singapore. The only place where you can legally stage public protests. While Botanical Garden is a place of beauty and pride of the than British Empire, the Hong Lim Park is where Singaporeans fight for their political survival.

A short distance from Hong Lim Park leads to the Singapore River and Raffles Place, the financial district of Singapore. This stretch of lane is where Sir Stamford Raffles reputably first set foot on Singapore soil, and the trading and banking hub that made Singapore famous, sprouted along both sides of the Singapore river.

Crossing the Singapore River, it is a pleasant run along Esplanade Park.

 Many historical landmarks are located at the Esplanade Park, including Queen Elizabeth Walk, the former Indian National Army Monument site, The Cenotaph (completed in 1922), Tan Kim Seng Fountain (moved here in 1925 from Fullerton Square), and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial (which was unveiled in 1954). ~Wikipedia

Looping around Padang, we have the most important political buildings in Singapore. Namely the Old Parliament House and the City Hall  .

Hong Lim Park

Homage to Newton @ UOB Building. Artist: Salvador Dali

The Banking and Finance District of Singapore

Esplanade Park. Beautiful place to run

The Cenotaph. One of the most important
War Memorial in Singapore

The Padang, Old Supreme Court Building and
the City Hall under renovation.

Maybe I should rename my blog SG Unfit Running Tour Guide... Hmmm...

Anyway, back to the run. The verdict for the run: It's a very nice run on a Saturday morning as the traffic is low and you can literally run across the many junctions around the area with minimal risk of being knocked down by the zooming cars. I will recommend this run for any tourists who is here for a short stay and need to visit all the important historical sites in Singapore in a hurry.