Our staycation at Momentus Hotel Alexander had been a ball of fun. You can read our Part 1 here. Because of its location, we actually managed to explore quite a few interesting places.
1. Alchemist Coffee at The Mill
A gothic tower in the middle of a factory area, I have to admit that this blown me away. It helps that there was a nice coffee joint within the building. So you don't have to make your way here just to only enjoy the architecture and take a few photos. We went during the offpeak period but it was still pretty crowded. We managed to snag a nice comfy and private couch seats to ourselves. My kids were terrors there but the service staff were really sweet and even gave them a cup of complimentary babyccino.
I would be back again because it gives a nice respite from the city life. It makes me feel as though I am overseas, but hey I am just in Singapore :P
2. ABC Birds Centre
This is pretty fascinating for me and the kids because we don't see this often now in Singapore. The kids were really intrigued with the number of birds. As for me, I am so tempted to be owners of a pair of lovebirds. But realistically I know I don't have time to care for them. Maybe for retirement, hehe. Worth a visit cos it is on route to a lot of yummy food within the area.
3. Ikea
You can't really forget Ikea which is right beside the Hotel. In fact, we went there at least once every day. The kids liked it because you could "somewhat" operate the ice cream machine. The kids area was super family-friendly. They could play at the room mock-ups and pretend play without judgment if your kids are below the age for their complimentary indoor playground (FYI, they do check their IDs). If we wanted light bites or was at a loss at where to go for a meal, the bistro was always an option. We grabbed quite a bit of snacks, toys and improvement stuff for the house. It was a very productive place to be. Tons of photos captured, but I only used the best. Hehe.
4. Comic Library (Anchorpoint)
This is the first themed library. If you are a manga lover, this is probably the place to drop by for a visit. If you have a NLB membership, you can just proceed to borrow the books. It was a nice place to chill because we were waiting for some of the shops to open. The nearest grocery store is at Anchorpoint, so this is already a place you would have dropped by. Other things which we love about Anchorpoint includes its good restaurant selection and Cotton On drop-dead prices. I always end up with a tons of new clothes when I pass by.
5. Gilman Barracks
Gilman Barracks was quite a disappoint for us, either that we are exploring it wrong. I think it depends the number of art galleries ongoing. While we were there, barely anything was open. We went to the one of the few opened galleries to enjoy aircon from the hot heat. Quite fortunately, the curator was kind enough to have a banter with with so that I could understand the trade for fine arts. There was a playground but they kid didn't really like it because there was too much nature element for his comfort - giant ants! I think you can give it a pass if you already have a packed schedule.