Anonymous wrote:I live in Singapore. It can feel a bit oppressive when you live here, but as a tourist just exercise common sense and you will be absolutely fine. Don’t bring in drugs, guns or chewing gum.

And don't try to hail a cab or uber near a bus stop. Our cab driver told us this was strictly enforced.

Many wealthy Asian cities are obsessed about being "world class".
Singapore has "world class" shopping. On the cultural front it's as exciting as Dubai.

Anonymous wrote:Never been before. I'm interested in visiting, but am worried about its reputation as a place with many stringent rules and harsh punishments for citizens and foreigners alike who violate them. If you have been there, how right am I to worry? And are there any special rules or laws I might not otherwise be aware of that I should know about?

Why do you want to go to Singapore? You could go to Tysons and have a similar experience.

Singapore is amazing. You can spend 5 bucks at hawker stand for an incredibly delicious meal. And then Bali is then just a short flight away!

Anonymous wrote:It's a really nice, easy country to visit. Public transportation is very efficient. Food is excellent and inexpensive. The country on the whole is safe.

This. Do not jaywalk, do not bring drugs, declare your medicines at Customs, and do not bring gum.
Normal polite law-abiding visitors will be fine.

Sights I recommend:
Jurong bird park, daytime zoo, night time zoo (different from daytime), shopping, and Sentosa.

The flight time is very long from either California or NYC, so I would fly there in Premium Economy or better. SQ is by far my favourite airline in the whole world.

Anonymous wrote:Never been before. I'm interested in visiting, but am worried about its reputation as a place with many stringent rules and harsh punishments for citizens and foreigners alike who violate them. If you have been there, how right am I to worry? And are there any special rules or laws I might not otherwise be aware of that I should know about?

Why are you intending to violate the rules of a place you intend to visit? What rules are you intending to flout?

The typical suburban mom will have no issues in Singapore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Singapore. It can feel a bit oppressive when you live here, but as a tourist just exercise common sense and you will be absolutely fine. Don’t bring in drugs, guns or chewing gum.

No chewing gum??!

Yeah the gum part is slightly over the top. You can bring a small amount in for personal use. You just can't import it for sale. And when you discard it, be a normal person and just put it in the trash and you will be fine.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewing_gum_sales_ban_in_Singapore

Anonymous wrote:I live in Singapore. It can feel a bit oppressive when you live here, but as a tourist just exercise common sense and you will be absolutely fine. Don’t bring in drugs, guns or chewing gum.

No chewing gum??!

It's a really nice, easy country to visit. Public transportation is very efficient. Food is excellent and inexpensive. The country on the whole is safe.

I live in Singapore. It can feel a bit oppressive when you live here, but as a tourist just exercise common sense and you will be absolutely fine. Don’t bring in drugs, guns or chewing gum.

Don’t litter, don’t bring or do drugs, don’t act like a boor and you’ll be fine.

Whoops shows you how memory fades over decades. It was 1994 and he wasn't dealing drugs, he had vandalized a bunch of cars (including smashing a windshield) and stolen things like street signs. So don't do that (or bring in drugs).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Michael_Fay

Ha ha not just don't be an a--hole and you will be fine. The story about that kid in I think 1995 who got caned, it became an urban legend that it was because he spit out gum on the street or something. In reality he was a drug dealer- they HATE drugs there (at least the government does). When I was filling out the customs forms on the plane in (this was a long time ago when they still had paper forms), there was huge lettering onto the form which said "drug trafficking is punishable by death".

For a visitor it's a great city to visit for a few days. The food is incredible everywhere and cheap at the hawker centers. Everything is clean and operates really well, like the trains and buses and such. Mind the sun though, remember you are right at the equator and it is really strong. Only time I have been burned where it really hurt the next day.

Never been before. I'm interested in visiting, but am worried about its reputation as a place with many stringent rules and harsh punishments for citizens and foreigners alike who violate them. If you have been there, how right am I to worry? And are there any special rules or laws I might not otherwise be aware of that I should know about?