My Year in Cities, 2013

As is my tradition, below is a list of cities I have visited in 2013. I count only cities where I spend a majority of the day or a night in. Cities with an asterisk (*) denote visiting the same city on non-consecutive days.

  • New York City *
  • Mumbai, India *
  • Goa, India *
  • Hyderabad, India *
  • Bangkok, Thailand
  • Dallas, TX
  • Shreveport, LA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Cleveland, OH *
  • Delhi, India *
  • Singapore *
  • Kerala, India
  • Agra, India
  • Kerala, India
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Cairns, Australia
  • Darwin, Australia
  • Chennai, India
  • Bali, Indonesia
  • Semarang, Indonesia
  • Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Udaipur, India
  • Columbus, OH

Three Places to stay in Singapore

Singapore is a vast, tiny, island nation surrounded by many places to go, which makes Singapore a welcome jumping-off point or a destination in its own right. There are a myriad of hotels which you can stay, here are three different hotels which will set your stay up for success.

Singapore Laneway

The Scarlet Hotel

Located just outside Chinatown, this boutique hotel offers small rooms, but great location. Located next to the Maxwell Food Centre – a quite wonderful hawker mart where there are many stalls to eat from. The rooms are quirky, with the hotel trying to fit rooms within a row of historic townhouses, and on the smallish-side. A bit more on the boutique hotel side of the equation, the hotel will arrange cars and has excellent desk staff. You are close enough to walk to the CBD, but are still about a 6-10 minute walk to the MRT. The close location to the CBD and food is the key feature of this hotel

The Scarlet Hotel
33 Erskine Road Singapore 069333
+65 6511 3333

Holiday Inn Express Orchard Road – Quick and Easy

Holiday Inn Express is a newcomer to Asia, and while it is not a full-service hotel (no room service or bell boy) it is well located just off Orchard Road. This hotel is brand new, and is tucked one short block from Orchard Road, so you get all the positives of Orchard Road without the noise of the street. Across the street is Paragon Mall and the MRT Orchard Road stop is a 8-10 minute walk from the hotel. The rooms are cozy (smallish) but contain a queen sized bed, free wifi, and free breakfast. This is a no-frills hotel, where you don’t need to be afraid of contacting a disease.

If you plan on being out of the hotel, and only want breakfast and free wifi, this hotel is for you.

Holiday Inn Express Orchard Road
20 Bideford Rd, Singapore 229921 ‎
+65 6690 3199
 
Singapore HDB flats

The Quincy – A place for business

The Quincy is located in the Mount Elizabeth area of Singapore, off Orchard Road. Further away from the crowds of Orchard Road than the Holiday Inn Express, this hotel offers a great balance of breakfast, free wifi, amenities, and room size which make it a great place to stay for business. If you are staying in Singapore for business, then I would suggest this hotel – you are close enough to the CBD but far enough away to not feel like all you are doing is working and not seeing any part of the city.

The rooms are well-sized, with a king sized bed and full black-out shades on the window provide the key ingredients for a good night sleep. The downstairs public space offers free breakfast, lunch and dinner, with the latter meals being really only good for snacks before you venture out on the town. But the hotel also offers a slim menu of food which will be delivered to your room. Extra perks are nice for business travelers include two free articles of clothing cleaned per day.

Quincy Hotel
22 Mt Elizabeth, Singapore 228517 ‎
+65 6738 5888

 

Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site is one of five built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1724 onwards, as he was given by Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables.

Of the thirteen instruments, three are quite large and remarkable:

  • Samrat Yantra, or Supreme Instrument, is an equal hour sundial in the form of a giant triangle. On either side of the sundaol is a quadrant with graduations indicating hours, minutes, and seconds.
  • The Jayaprakash are hollowed out hemispheres with markings on their concave surfaces. Wires were stretched between points on their rim so an observer could align the position of a star with various markings from below.
  • The Misra Yantra is a tool to determine the shortest and longest days of the year, including  indicating the exact moment of noon in various cities and locations regardless of their distance from Delhi.

The Jantar Mantar is centrally located and is easy to visit on any excursion to Lutyens’ Delhi.

 

Charminar

CharminarThe Charminar – or literally Four Towers – is a monument and mosque located in the center of Hyderabad. There are many theories about why the Charminar was built. The Archaeological Survey of India states, “It is widely accepted that Charminar was built at the center of the city, to commemorate the eradication of plague” as Qutb Shah (of the Qutb Shahi Tombs fame) had prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging his city.

The Charminar is a square structure with each side 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) long, with four grand arches each facing a fundamental point that open into four streets. At each corner stands an exquisitely shaped minaret, 56 meters (approximately 184 feet) high with a double balcony.

You can climb to the top, but expect a long line – and know that the Charminar is still a functioning Mosque and Madraasa. The neighborhood is quite crowded with many tiny shops: this being a major marketplace in Hyderabad. During Golden Hour at sunset the Charminar is a sight to see, with the bright Andhra sun shining on the limestone and granite of the minarets.

Pair a trip to the Charminar with a visit to the calmer Chowmahalla Palace nearby.

  • Hours: variable, closed on Friday
  • Address: Khilwat, Charminar, Hyderabad, AP 500082
  • Directions: Go to the center city – ask anyone for Charminar. They will guide you. I would suggest a taxi or hired car.
  • Charminar on Wikipedia
  • Charminar on Andhra Pradesh tourism site

 

Chowmahalla Palace

Chowmahalla Palace

Home to the Nizams – the absolute monarch of Hyderabad State before Partition – and  the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. The Chowmahalla Palace was completed between 1857 and 1869 – over 100 years since building commenced. Composed of multiple smaller buildings oriented around two courtyards, the palace is an interesting mix of mughal architecture and neoclassical motifs, fitting as the palace was built over the course of many years. The palace and grounds were restored to fairly good condition in 2005 by the current Nizam (Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, Pretender) and his family.

Qutb Shahi TombsThe Chowmahalla Palace is a nice and quiet refuge from the crowded streets around the Charminar. Expect to spend a few hours walking around the interior of the different palace buildings, be sure to check out the Nizams’ classic car collection, and relaxing in the courtyards around the fountains. The best time to visit is in the evening around Golden Hour, where the clear Hyderabad sun hits the pale yellow buildings and starlings circle above you. Pairing a visit with the Charminar is also a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

  • Hours: Regular Palace Timings for viewing: 10am -5pm (Closed on Fridays and National Holidays)
  • Address: Khilwat, 20-4-236,  Motigalli Hyderabad – 500 002
  • Directions: Go to the Charminar, head toward the Makkah Masjid – ask anyone how to get to the Chowmahalla Palace
  • Chowmahalla Palace on Wikipedia

DSCF0652

 

Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi

This complex on the edge of Lutyens Delhi is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun, built in 1570. This was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and inspired many subsequent tombs including the Taj Mahal. The Persian gardens and Mughal architecture is serene and calming stop which is an immense contrast from the hustle of the Delhi neighborhood surrounding it.

Humayun's Tomb

The tomb itself is in the center the four-folded gardens – in the charbaah style – complete with channels linking large pools, which depending what time of year you visit might be full. The mausoleum is composed of a series of red sandstone and marble octagons. In fact, much of the tomb and gardens are divisible by four or eight, an auspicious set of numbers.

Humayun’s Tomb and gardens are the beginning of a long series of dynastic tombs, introducing the monument in a garden motif to the subcontinent. Having travelled widely throughout the Islamic world during his reign, Humayun brought back ideas which were applied by the tomb’s architect under direct direction of  Humayun’s widow, Biga Begum (Hajji Begum).

Humayun's Tomb

If you are in Delhi, this monument is better preserved then the Red Fort and is less crowded – especially if you come in the morning before the heat of the day. You can stroll the gardens and not see anyone, which is a rarity anywhere, but especially in India.

Quantified Self meets Neo-Taylorism

Wow: Tesco accused of using electronic armbands to monitor its staff:

Tesco workers are being made to wear electronic armbands that managers can use to grade how hard they are working.

A former staff member has claimed employees are given marks based on how efficiently they work in a bid to improve productivity and can be called in front of management if they take unscheduled toilet breaks.

The armbands are worn by warehouse staff and forklift drivers, who use them to scan the stock they collect from supermarket distribution points and send it out for delivery. Tesco said the armbands are used to improve efficiency and save its staff from having to carry around pens and paper to keep track of deliveries. But the device is also being used to keep an eye on employees’ work rates, the ex-staff member said.

This sort of process engineering – and treating people like meaty robots – is not the way to a better business. Maybe better short-term profits, but not on a long term scale.

Talk about inhuman-centered business.