I was walking down the stairs from the Commonwealth MRT and heading towards the shophouses along Blk 46 Tanglin Halt Road. I obscurely remembered that Tanglin Halt Road was derived from Tanglin Road and the Malayan Railway. There was a train station around Tanglin Road where trains came to a halt, hereby the name Tanglin Halt Road. Bounded by Queensway, Commonwealth Drive and Commonwealth Avenue, it was a long stretch of road which many residents considered as the "backyard" of Commonwealth within the Queenstown Estate. To my right, was a multi storey carpark catered specifically for the mammoth 40-storey HDB flats where most of the residents were relocated after their original worn down buildings were torn down. Let be discover the history of the Tanglin Halt Road one day before I embarrassed myself with my miniscule knowledge.
Tanglin Halt Road from the Traffic Lights (Oops)
I crossed the traffic lights (it used to be a zebra crossing and two-lane pathway) and approached the yellow painted shophouses. On Sundays, perhaps it's livelier and exuberant. However, shops in the wet market were already closed. The hawker centre was still full of residents! There were several wet markets rumoured to be closed elsewhere in Singapore, but I was glad that this wet market and hawker centre was not. In fact, a bigger market was undergoing upgrading and residents I've spoken to looked forward to the the brand new market in increasing patronage in the small area of shophouses.
These shophouses do not have the grandeur of ION Orchard, nor the colourful neon lights of Orchard Central. But they still remain an important meeting point and source of convenience. I disagreed with the newspaper articles labelling wet markets as past tensed. They do bring a new life, in a youngster like me. They do bring new hope to Tanglin Halt.
The Carpark behind the shophouses
Shops that are closed on Sundays
More shops closed on Sundays!! Oopss..
Even more shops closed! Erms no need to work?
The Saloon that is OPENED!!
The Hawker Centre that remains BUSTLING!
bLK 46-2
The Stretch of Road that is nameless in your street directory
There are benches for you to relax too!
Walkway of Appliances, Toys and Necessities..Bought yours today?
The Cobbler and his familiar corner..
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
POST COMMENT
0 comments:
Post a Comment