Geylang

It depends on the hour. Geylang Serai Market & Food Centre, at 1 Geylang Serai next to Wisma Geylang Serai, suits a morning of Malay food: nasi padang, kueh and, during Ramadan, the bazaar. It's about eight minutes' walk from Paya Lebar MRT. For dinner, Old Airport Road Food Centre at Block 51, technically in Geylang, is near Dakota MRT. After 9pm, Geylang Road and its lorongs serve frog porridge, zi char and durian. Parts of the lorongs are a red-light area, so stay on the busy food stretches.

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow at #01-138 cooks one plate at a time in a drier style, usually from 11.30am to 7.30pm, and closes on Thursdays. Lao Fu Zi at #01-12 holds a Bib Gourmand, Michelin's nod to good cooking at modest prices, and closes on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We'd queue for Dong Ji first, and on a Thursday swap to Lao Fu Zi. Those are usual hours, so check before you go.

Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery, in Wisma Geylang Serai, is free and open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. City Plaza next door is a mall of cheap fashion where you can bargain and get clothes altered. During Ramadan, the Hari Raya bazaar fills the whole area with satay, kueh and crowds, so go after 8pm and come by train rather than car.

Go early in the evening, ideally by about 6.45pm, because the famous stalls often pack up well before the centre closes. The centre typically runs 6am to 10.30pm, and the lunch rush is noon to 1.30pm, with seats easiest before 11.30am. Dakota MRT Exit A is about two minutes from Block 51. Each stall keeps its own hours.

Yes, the Singapore Jain Religious Society's prayer hall at 18 Jalan Yasin welcomes visitors, and Eunos MRT is the nearest station. Morning puja and darshan run 8am to 11am on weekdays and 8am to 12.30pm at weekends and public holidays. In the evening only darshan is offered, from 6pm to 8pm, Monday to Saturday. Puja follows set rules, so read the society's visitor notes first.

Yes, G.Spa 24-Hour Escape at 102 Guillemard Road #02-02 is open 24 hours, and guests may walk in at any time. One admission covers up to 24 hours from check-in, but you can't re-enter once you leave, so eat inside. It has hot and cold pools, a sauna, a steam room and a nap lounge, and massage costs extra. It's about seven minutes' walk from Mountbatten MRT Exit A.

NEA's list includes nine markets and hawker centres in Geylang, among them Old Airport Road Food Centre, Geylang Serai Market and Kallang Estate Market. The rest are the Circuit Road markets at Blks 79/79A, 80 and 89, the Aljunied market at Blk 117, Eunos Crescent at Blk 4A and Sims Vista at Blk 49. For a first meal, we'd go to Old Airport Road.