What is Abang Long talking about? Well, take a look at the picture. Have you seen the building in the photo before? If yes, do you know what is the name of the building? What do you like about that building? Okay, Okay. Enough of guessing and questioning. Abang Long shall reveal to you what's the name of this building in the picture.
It's The Cathay.
The Cathay has came a long way before it became what is is today. Let's go back to history and learn more about this building.
History
Cathay building is one of the most stunning architectures with a rich historical background. It was opened in 1939. The Cathay building was meticulously designed by Frank Brewer and was completed in the year 1939.
Cathay Building is visited by tourists round the year. The history of the place goes back to the year 1941 when Colonel Ferguson Warren from the Royal Marines came to Singapore to train the guerrillas in order to infiltrate Malaya.
This is when Cathay Building played an important role as the headquarters of the Special Operations Executive Orient Mission. This also became the military base for his operations.
In 1942 in the month of February, before the British surrendered to the Japanese, Cathay Building was the shelter for hundreds of British army deserters who sought refuge from the Japanese aerial and artillery bombardment.
Well, there is alot of history behind this building.
Let's take a look how it appear now.
Nice right? You have not step in yet. But before we step in into this building, for the benifit of doubt of those who are not sure how to get there, Abang Long will point it out below.
How to get there?
There are four ways we can get there. There are:
1) By Train
2) By Bus
3) By your own vehicle
4) By taxi
One of the easiest way to get to The Cathay is by taking the train. Take the train and alight at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. It takes around 55 minutes to reach Dhoby Ghaut station if you come by the North-South line from Jurong East. It takes about 2-6 minutes if you come from City Hall or Raffles City.
View the video below to navigate yourself once you reached Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station.
Another way to reach The Cathay is by bus. There are quite a number of busses that you can take to reached there. The name of the road that you need to look out for is 'Bras Basah Road'.
Watch out for the main building itself. The bus-stop is near a church.
If you are driving, follow the instructions below to reach The Cathay. There are many ways to reach The Cathay, but the instructions below is for those going through the expressway.
1) Drive to Pan Island Expressway (PIE)
2) Whitley Road, Take Exit 19 - Whitley Road / Stevens Road, onto Whitley Road
3) Whitley Road - Slight right to stay on Whitley Road
4) Stevens Road - Turn left at Stevens Road
5) Scotts Road - Slight right at Scotts Road
6) Orchard Road - Slight left at Orchard Road
7) Handy Road - Slight left at Handy Road
8) The Cathay Carpark - Turn right at The Cathay Carpark
If you have the GPS, better still. Use it!
Take note of the carpark rates.
4) By Taxi
Last but not least, you can take the taxi to reach The Cathay. No instructions needed. Just tell uncle that you're going to The Cathay. He better know.
When you talk about The Cathay, what will come out from your mind first? I'm sure most of you will say that the big screen will be one of the few things that will come out first. But do you know that there is much more than that? There are shops that can cather to different types of people and needs. We'll take a look at what type of shops are there.
Did you know that The Cathay have been entertaining generations of Singaporeans for over 70 years?
Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day are around the corner. Still unsure about what to wear or doing some last minute shopping? There are shops that cater for both men and women.
Fashion
From what Abang Long have seen from the shops, there is a wide variety of clothes available. If you are looking for beautiful Cheongsam, it can be purchased at Dressmakers Inc. which is located at #01-09. There are cool and nice looking sneakers readily available at Leftfoot Entrepot, #01-19/20. Other than those, there are streetwear clothes shops located around The Cathay. I was spoilt for choice.
Beauty
Those beautiful clothes will look nice on you, but it won't be complete if you don't pamper yourself first. There are products and services like facial for guys, providing wellness and beauty from within, salon, spa and nail services. Thinking of brazilian wax anyone?
Gifts
For those lovebirds out there getting some gifts for your love ones, there are a number of stores that sell gifts. You can purchase gifts from Artica, The Gift shop. If he/she is a music fan, you can head down to Gramophone to get hold of the latest music album in town. If your love one is stylish, you can head down to Totally Hot Stuff to get unique products that can make people crave for. Thinking of getting a couple ring? Head down to Metallurgy to check out for the various jewellery collections specially designed to suit different lifestyles.
Beach
There's the coming long weekend break during this Chinese New Year. For those guys who are thinking about hanging out somewhere during this festive season, why not head down to the beach. But before you go, you need to be in the appropriate attire. Visit NUMflipflops.com shop at Level 1 to get yourself some tops. Beach attire won't be complete without the sunglasses. Visit The Vault, which is located nearby, to get your hands on those sleek sunglasses.
Lan Gaming
The number of game shops are getting lesser throughout the years. I miss those times when I played Counter-Strike with my friends. For those gamers who love to have a game with your buddies, visit E2Max located at Level 4 for electronic gaming, music, movies to the latest digital facilities.
House Warming
Just bought a house? Visiting a friend's or relative's house warming? Not too sure what to get for them? Need something to make your house interesting? Visit Three3Three and Jenggala located at Level 3 to have an idea and view the wide range of designer furniture, lightings & accessories collection from Italy and ceramic and glass tableware ranges and accent pieces.
Fitness
Thinking of losing that flab around your waist? Enrolled yourself in dancing classes from Jitterbugs Swingapore. At first I thought it was Singapore, but I realised it's actually Swingapore. Anyway, Jitterbugs Swingapore is located at Basement 1. If you prefer to carry weights instead, go up to Level 4 and go to Fitness First for your workout with an impressive view of the Fort Canning.
Others
Thinking of getting a new pair of spectacles? There is something wrong with your Motorola phone? Want to bedazzled your gadgets? All of these services are available in The Cathay.
Tired?
Feeling tired from walking and shopping? There are seats available from the fountain seats at Basement 1, the log seats at Level 2 and the Blue cushion seats at Level 5. Personally, Abang Long like the Blue seats, you can have the view of the streets infront, and it's comfortable.
Hungry?
I'm sure for most of us, after a long day of walking and shopping, we will be tired and hungry. From Abang Long's observation, there are so many variety of food available in The Cathay. You can eat outdoors, by the fountain, or snack while walking. The main bulk of the food stalls at located at Basement 1. For those kids who are following mummy and daddy, if you behave yourself you might satisfy your sweet tooth with some ice-creams from Ben & Jerry's.
So as you can see, there are so many type of shops available in The Cathay that can satisfy different needs. That's the reason why Abang Long like about The Cathay. From relaxing, to shopping, to catching up with friends over ice-cream, the windy and cooling atmosphere while sitting outside The Cathay during night time, to getting to know the history of The Cathay? Yes, history of The Cathay.
For those who want to know the history of The Cathay, visit The Cathay Gallery at Level 2. You can see unique collection of memorabilia includes items such as photographs, cameras, the old-skool seats available back then to preview of some of the movies in the past. There is so much history in them!
Talking about history, Abang Long found something interesting about The Cathay. So Abang Long decided to do a video survey. Yes, you are seeing right. A video survey. Abang Long go around looking for preys. Haha, no. Not preys, but visitors to The Cathay and asked them a few questions. Out of all 7 that agree to stop, two boys were sporting enough to do the video survey done by Abang Long.
So do you want to know what's the answer for the first question?
"Do you know which is the first tallest building in Singapore?"
From the visit of The Cathay Gallery, Abang Long found out that:
The Cathay was the first and tallest skyscraper not only in Singapore but also in South-East Asia, with a height of 79.5 meters.
Interesting? That's a piece of history for you.
What about you my friend, What do you like about The Cathay and why?
Now, who says The Cathay is just about the big screen? With all sorts of shops ranging from fashion, beauty, lifestyle, entertainment and mouth watering dining experience, no doubt The Cathay is a great place you can spend your day.
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