MMM
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Wow, The Singapore. Between this and The Caribbean, it's my favorite of all the Wildwood Motels. Actually, I probably lean towards The Singapore, blasphemous as it sounds. Now, I'm not quite speaking of The Singapore in its current state (though I still feel it's a gem, even if in the rough somewhat), but at its best, it was just spectacular. Look at the pictures over on Eric Bard's RetroViews when it was new. The garden, the colors, the trim, everything looks *right*. The Pagoda is outstanding. The rooms' furnishings even look acceptable to modern sensibilities.
Yes, the family that last owned The Grand and the Palm Beach owns The Singapore, the Patitucci's. John's daughter's name is Mimi. I've only met John. I won't say much except that they do have a reputation through the area. Supposedly if you catch John on the right day, he's pretty nice. My first encounter with him was decent. Subsequent contact with him wasn't the best.
When I toured The Singapore in April 2005, it was during their renovations that they started over that off season (which I think are still ongoing). I give them credit for putting some work into it, but the choices made in the renovations are in many ways not appropriate, IMO. The doors with the divided pane windows, its colors, REGULAR SHINGLES ON THE PAGODA ROOFING INSTEAD OF WOODEN SHAKES!!! I don't know if they ever redid the bathrooms, but they were tired when I saw about a dozen of them. The rooms themselves were overall just OK, but I think they've worked on at least some of those by this time. The restaurant (onetime Bamboo Noshiri) was still original and intact, and looked good. I hope they've left it alone, but I have my doubts. It was nice.
I've heard rumours that the infrastructure of the place is not the best, but who knows how true that is. People sometimes like to hear themselves talk. I put that out there only as a warning, if it is true, not to just spread possible BS. JimD stayed there in 2006. Maybe he'll see this thread and post a few comments...
I think The Singapore has the potential to be one of our finest attractions, if things were done really right, from start to finish. It's a very special place, even among our other treasures, past and present.
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Doo Wop Discussion #24: Singapore Motel (Read 10632 times)
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