the esplanade - present and past

ask any young person today where the esplanade is and invariably you will be directed to the structure that resembles a durian. in the past, when we referred to the esplanade, it was to this waterfront that begins where the singapore river ends. the tree-lined promenade is actually called queen elizabeth walk. the name esplanade is used to refer to the park.

the esplanade park was where lovers strolled hand in hand along queen elizabeth walk as they listened to the waves crashing against the sea walls. within the park, there are a number of monuments like the tan kim seng fountain, the lim boh seng memorial, the cenotaph and the indian national army monument.

before the esplanade theatre was built, there was a semi-circular building which was a restaurant and cafe of sort. in the day, especially in the morning, it was quite deserted. the crowd came only in the evening. as such, in the morning, this quiet and breezy place was quite conducive to some self-study or revision.

as our school was nearby, in my secondary four year, we - me and my friend chye heng - used to skip school to study either at his home or at the esplanade.