Singapore (Part 1)
Welcome Back to my City Journal, "Touring the World"!
All Cities shown are inspired by reality, but may have subtle differences with their real-life counterparts.
These differences may be due to game constraints... being in a Mirror Universe... or... just because.
For this entry, we'll be visiting Singapore!
SINGAPORE, a clean, safe, efficient and wealthy city-state located on an island in hot and humid Southeast Asia. Built on the tip of the Malayan Peninsula along the Strait of Malacca, it is a major trade, finance, shipping and tech hub and a popular tourist destination. The country (and the city) are built on a relatively small land area sandwiched between two much larger countries, Malaysia to the north and Indonesia to the south. Despite its small size, the country is the most developed economically in Southeast Asia with a standard of living that is among the top ranked in the world. It is home to many international businesses as well as first-class education, research and health facilities. Its infrastructure is also amongst the best in the world.
We begin by flying over Singapore. Here we see Singapore's Central Business District (CBD), the Marina Bay area, Sentosa Island (a resort island located south of the Singapore "mainland", where many Singaporeans spend their weekends) and some of the other surrounding areas.
And now let's begin our day in Singapore! First sunrise along the Singapore River which runs adjacent to Singapore's CBD. Usually at this hour it is fairly quiet with the only activity being morning joggers getting their exercise routine in before the weather gets too hot, though even at this hour, its usually around 80-85'F already.
As the day progresses, Singapore's CBD gets busier, bustling with office workers toiling away for both locally-based companies as well as major international and global corporations, especially in the areas of finance and banking, which has traditionally been a key industry of Singapore's strong economy. Local banking corporations such as United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) are based here. In addition, many global banks such as ANZ, Citibank, Standard Chartered, HSBC, JP Morgan, BNP Paribas have regional headquarters in Singapore's CBD. In the last decade or so, an ever increasing amount of global tech firms have also moved into the area, including the likes of Google, Apple, Samsung and ASUS.
Along the Singapore River is Clarke's Quay, a very popular dining and nightlife destination for both tourists and locals. Many restaurants and bars line the river and these businesses are operated in traditional Singapore "shophouses", a type of colonial-era architecture unique to Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia. Drop in here for some amazing seafood, or a nice cold locally-brewed Tiger Beer, or perhaps something stronger...?
Near the CBD is Marina Bay, home to the famous iconic landmark Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino, with its "surf board" infinity pool connecting the tops of three hotel towers, and Gardens By the Bay, a 250-acre nature park. Both Marina Bay Sands and Gardens By the Bay were built on re-claimed land.
And now let's take a short diversion to Sentosa Island, where Singapore goes to play and spend its weekends. The island features beaches, two world-famous PGA golf courses, some historical landmarks and some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world. We'll visit some of these areas in Singapore: Part 2, but for this entry, let's visit Resorts World Singapore, an integrated resort on Sentosa Island and the island's biggest tourist attraction.
Resorts World Singapore features a hotel, casino and mega-mall as well as Universal Studios Singapore.
An overview of Universal Studios Singapore. Although not as big as the ones in the United States, Japan or China, it is the only Universal theme park in Southeast Asia and is quite the popular attraction. Some of the more popular parts of the park are Jurassic Park, Springfield and Transformers: The Ride. The park can be accessed by road (the massive car park is located underground beneath the park itself - see if you can spot the ventilation shaft), monorail (followed by a short tram ride to the main entry area) or by foot through an air conditioned, semi-covered water-front "moving walkway" that connects the Resort with Vivo City (a mall on the "mainland") and the cruise ship terminal (also on the mainland).
Revenge of the Mummy, located in the "Ancient Egypt" section of Universal Studios. A roller coaster, with you guessed it... mummys!
Glass covered stage area for shows, Nickelodeon Nick Toons and Mel's Drive-In Diner.
The main park entry area featuring the famous "Universal Globe" that is present at all Universal theme parks around the world, as well as the construction site of the park's first major expansion since opening.
If theme parks aren't your thing, perhaps some shopping along Orchard Road, Singapore's high-end and exclusive shopping street, home to many top of the line designer brands. One of the more unique buildings is the pagoda-inspired Tang's Plaza, located at the intersection or Orchard and Scotts Roads. The base of Tang's Plaza is home to the flagship store of TANGS, a locally based high-end department store that sells everything from apparel/clothes to kitchen-wares and home goods. The top floors are occupied by the Marriott hotel.
Another view of Tang's Plaza as well as an ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) toll gantry. Singapore was one of the first places in the world to implement electronic-only tolling on its roadways. Singapore's CBD is also subject to "congestion pricing" where tolls vary based on time of day and demand. Given the lack of space, Singapore's government has encouraged its citizens to use public transit as opposed to driving. Unlike many western countries, Singapore's public transit system is top notch, clean, safe, efficient and always on-time. Taxis in Singapore are also relatively affordable when compared to other countries and taxi operators are governed by strict rules that ensure trustworthy and honest drivers and clean and safe vehicles.
After a long day of touring Singapore, its time to get some dinner. A popular spot is East Coast Seafood Centre, located in East Coast Park about half way between the CBD and Singapore's Changi Airport. Here you will find famous local restaurants such as JUMBO Seafood, Long Beach and others serving the famous Singapore Chili-Crab. Each restaurant does its own take on the dish, so its worthwhile to try them all. The restaurants are housed in open-air buildings and the tables are mostly located outside and along the water. A perfect atmosphere for seafood and beers!
How about an after-dinner swim? Let's return to Marina Bay Sands and check out the world-famous infinity pool with its sweeping 53rd floor views of Singapore's CBD.
And that wraps up our day in Singapore! Good night and we will see you again soon for Part 2!
Thanks for visiting!
You can also follow my CJ's and other content on Instagram.
-
16
6 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account