I first met Liz in Orchard Road at a long-gone emporium near Orchard Cineleisure.
She was working part-time as a promoter for a new kind of cigarette filter/holder. I was in the last stretch of my national service.
Together with Pete (whom Liz married) and Chiam and Eddie, we hung out in Orchard a lot. We would go to Pebbles Bar at the Singapura Forum Hotel (site now occupied by Forum The Shopping Mall), where Tania – one of Singapore’s top bands ever – made their name.
We followed Tania to Tanglin Shopping Centre, the place where they stayed till their final gigs as a complete band.
It was in Tanglin Shopping Centre where doctor-poet-dreamer Goh Poh Seng opened Bistro Toulouse-Lautrec in 1983. We hung out there too, mainly because we knew Dr Goh’s oldest son, Kasan, and he would often get us free drinks.
Also, as Eddie and I were members of the Young Writers’ Circle, we would go there for the poem-reading nights to support Dr Goh, who inspired us with talks about writing.
We would also frequent Rainbow, the late Dr Goh’s other establishment. It was Singapore’s first club of its kind, with disco lights, a sizeable dance floor and world-class acts. It was something special.
Dr Goh’s home in Emerald Hill, off Orchard Road, was a favourite meeting point in our 20s. That was how we knew him to be an extremely generous and tolerant man.
Before Orchard Towers gained its notoriety, Orchard Road had Tivoli, a sidewalk cafe and pub which was the scene of many fights between foreign sailors and local drunks.
I never stepped into Tivoli, but there was a joint nearby that I frequented in my early years as a journalist. It was Jack’s Place in the basement of Yen San Building. This was where another famous local band – Tony, Terry and Spencer – played.
I was there drowning my sorrows with pint after pint of beer when one of my long-time girlfriends left. I was there when another young woman, a colleague, cried on my shoulders for a reason I can’t recall. (Now you may think “cried on my shoulders” is a figure of speech, but that was exactly and literally what she did.)
Singapore band Tania (above) played at Pebbles Bar at the Singapura Forum Hotel and Tanglin Shopping Centre.
But mostly, I was there when nothing notable happened between pints.
My other favourite haunt was Jim’s Pub in Hotel Negara, and Celebrities in Orchard Towers.
We checked out Orchard Tower’s Top Ten disco occasionally too.
I think it was once a stop during a bachelor’s night party for another friend. Orchard Towers has survived till today, but it is probably somewhat sleazier now than back then.
My friends and I have witnessed plenty of change in the Orchard area. We were there when Planet Hollywood came and went. We were there when Hard Rock Cafe opened more than a quarter of a century ago.
But further back than that, we were there when Singapore’s first McDonald’s opened in 1979 in Liat Towers (opposite Lido cinema). The arrival of McDonald’s sort of marked Singapore’s coming of age for us. Like fast food, life in the island republic shifted to a higher gear almost overnight.
We gathered in McDonald’s a few times and at least once with beer concealed in a paper bag. Later, we were, like the rest of Singapore, surprised by the advent of the McDonald’s Kids – a huge nightly gathering of teens who spilled out onto the staircases and walkway, making a royal ruckus.
The social phenomenon was given due coverage by various newspapers, including The Straits Times. I recall being a little judgmental, like the rest of Singapore.
Little did I know I would, years later, marry a McDonald’s Kid. (I found out she was a McDonald’s Kid only this year.) I can assure you my wife is well-adjusted, well-mannered and an incredible mother and partner.
Today, none of our three children, nor their friends, hang out in Orchard Road. Like most Singaporeans (and foreigners), there are many other compelling alternatives vying for their attention.
I frankly do not know how Orchard Road can become a draw for the current generation. But for me and my generation, it will always be a special place.
With or without cars.
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