SINGAPORE: The New Marina Bay Sands

The three most iconic structures in Singapore are the Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens by the Bay and the classic colonial Raffles Hotel, representing modern ambition, green vision and rich heritage.  The next three are The Merlion, Esplanade--Theaters on the Bay and Helix Bridge.

The Marina Bay Sands opened in June of 2010 but had an official grand opening early in 2011.  I stayed there a month later.

• The integrated resort cost $8 billion ($10.3 billion S)
• 2561 rooms.
• Major convention center.

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  Built by the Las Vegas Sands.
• Designed by Moshe Safdie.
• Now 87 year old, born in Haifa, Palestine of Syrian Jews.
• At the age of ten was gending goats and kept bees in a kibbutz.
• Family left for Canada when he was 15, and while a student at McGill University, created Habitat 67, the central feature for the 1967 Montreal World Expo.
• Taught at Harvard and Yale,
• His architectural firm gained world class status, and he went on to build the Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, the one with the worlds' largest man-made waterfall.
• Currently headquarted near Harvard University, with offices in Jerusalem, Toronto, Shanghai and Singapore,

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  Casino with 500 tables and 3000 electronic gaming machines
• The largest in Las Vegas is the Wynn/Encore Resort and Casino with 240 gaming tables and 2200 slot machines.
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  Supposedly the WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma is the largest casino in the world, with 10,500 electronic games, 85 gaming tables and 1700 hotel rooms.  Watch this video.

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  Seven celebrity chef restaurants.
• Art and Science Museum.
• Topped by a 1280 foot long Sky Park with a 492 foot long Infinity Pool.  That's me.  I felt like I was at the edge of the universe.

• Watch this video for a full tour of MBS.
• I visited the Marina Bay Sands three years ago, for our Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise from Dubai docked here.  A couple of photos I took.

Below is The Merlion, the official mascot of Singapore, mentioned at the top as another iconic structure.

• Now comes the New Marina Bay Sands, also at a cost of $8 billion, designed by the same architectural team, led by Moshe Safdie.   No name yet, currently referred to as the Integrated Resort 2 (IR2) or The Fourth Tower.

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  570-all-suite hotel.
• A 15,000-seat arena for entertainment.
• Why not connect the top of the two?  Why will it cost so much?  Watch this video.
• Opening set for January 2031.
• Other Singapore megaprojects.
• Also, Insane Mega Projects Singapore is Unleasing in 2025.  Below, the Sentosa Brani Master Plan.

• Watch a video of  Singapore's 7 top billionaire mansions. 
• My question is....Why aren't these kinds of projects occurring in Hawaii...or the USA?  Certainly nothing much happening in Honolulu.  So I asked Google AI this question:

Transportation & Rail

• California High-Speed Rail: Estimated at $77–$135 billion, this is the most expensive infrastructure project in the U.S., aimed at connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco.
• Sound Transit 3 (ST3): A $54 billion expansion of the Seattle regional light rail system.
• Brightline West: A $12–$21 billion private high-speed rail project currently under construction to connect Las Vegas and Southern California.
• Hudson Tunnel Project (Gateway): A $16.1 billion expansion to improve rail connectivity between New York and New Jersey. 

Technology & Manufacturing

• TSMC Arizona Fabs: A $165 billion investment to build three advanced semiconductor fabrication plants in Phoenix.
• Stargate Data Center: A $15 billion AI-focused data center campus in Wisconsin that broke ground in late 2025.
• Eli Lilly Manufacturing Expansion: A $27 billion investment to double domestic pharmaceutical production capacity.
• Meta Hyperion Data Center: A $7.5 billion facility in Louisiana that commenced construction in late 2025. 

Energy & Infrastructure

• Calcasieu Pass LNG Terminal: A $15.1 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal and pipeline in Louisiana.
• SunZia Wind and Transmission: An $11 billion renewable energy project delivering wind power from New Mexico to Arizona.
• Rio Grande LNG (Phase 2): A $9 billion project in Texas to expand natural gas export capacity.
• Delta Conveyance Project: A $20.1 billion water infrastructure initiative involving a 45-mile tunnel through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. 

Real Estate & Urban Development

• Hudson Yards (Phase 2): Ongoing development in Manhattan with a total estimated cost of $20–$25 billion.
• Las Vegas Convention Center Loop: A $52.5 billion underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company. 

Saw the movie, Crazy Rich Asians?  Rotten Tomatoes scores of 91/76.  A lot of detail here.  There will be sequel, but maybe not a film.  A series for more depth.

Sideline players like Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina and Ken Jeong later became more famous.

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