The 360-degree views take center stage at this trio of venues sprawling from the 61st to the 63rd floors of 1 Raffles Place, which include a fine-dining restaurant and a sports bar. Habitués head straight to the rooftop lounge, which hosts long, wild nights 900 feet above the city – it’s quite a scene.

The two restaurants of the cool Fullerton Bay Hotel are great escapes while exploring the marina/harbor area. Clifford fronts the marina and boasts a classic French brasserie menu, while Lantern is a more casual option on the rooftop. The latter’s menu is mostly bar food and burgers, but the panoramic views are unbeatable. When it’s not too hot, this is a great spot; and at night, it’s one of Singapore’s most popular places for a cocktail.

Singapore’s hawker centers are the city’s organized solution to Southeast Asian street food. Instead of having food carts scattered around different neighborhoods, the stalls are gathered in large centers, many of them alfresco. The question about which ones are the best is an ongoing debate among the food-obsessed. A good “starter” place is Makansutra Gluttons Bay, which is on the marina esplanade with great views and an edited number of stalls that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Another favorite is Maxwell, which is more extensive. Newton Food Centre is the one featured in Crazy Rich Asians and another of the city's most popular. Lau Pa Sat (also known as Telok Ayer Market) is a bit touristy, but is housed in an ornate Victorian building with cast-iron detailing, which makes for a more elaborate backdrop than your regular hawker center. Traditional dishes to try at these centers include chicken rice, fried oyster omelet, carrot cake (not the one you’d expect), beef noodles and the bone marrow mutton soup (sup tulang) that Anthony Bourdain raves about in Parts Unknown. Wash it all down with pitchers of Singha or cups of sugar cane juice.