Boat Quay in Singapore, with the towers of the financial district behind.
Boat Quay was once the center of Singapore's busy port, back in the middle of the nineteenth century. The location was considered propitious according to Chinese feng shui beliefs, so many of the Chinese traders built shophouses in the area. But once the main port moved in the early 1980s, Boat Quay no longer had any purpose, as the trading companies moved out.
The area was then gazetted as historic in the late 1980s and redeveloped into an area that is now mostly restaurants and bars. Boat Quay's main attraction is that almost all the dining area is right on the river. Across the river, the neo-classical museum is brightly lit at night, making a highly romantic setting for an intimate dinner. After dinner, take a stroll down past the end of Boat Quay where the plaza of a large modern office complex affords many places to sit and watch the lights play on the water.