Merlion and Public Art in Singapore

The Merlion, a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, is the official mascot of Singapore.  The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village and the lion head represents Singapore's original name, Singapura, meaning "lion city."  The city's famous Merlion statue was originally located at the mouth of the Singapore River, then later moved to Merlion Park on Marina Bay, facing the Marina Bay Sands.

 Merlion

The streets, passageways, parks, and buildings of Singapore are packed with art:  paintings, sculptures, and other works decorate, delight, and intrigue us as we wander through the city.  Here are a few.

What incredible art to brighten up this fabulous city!  We like Singapore!

Marina Bay and Marina Gardens in Singapore

Marina Bay is a prime waterfront development on 360 hectares (890 acres, 1.4 square miles) of reclaimed land along the Singapore River.  The iconic towers, Marina Bay Sands, owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, was the most expensive standalone casino property at its opening in 2010 and includes a hotel, convention-exhibition center, shopping mall, museum, two theaters, restaurants, floating pavilions, art-science exhibits, and the world's largest atrium casino.

 Marina Bay Sands

Inside, the mall is huge, stretching along the water, with 93,000 square meters (1 million square feet) of retail space and over 300 shops and restaurants.

 Inside the mall

Walkways lead onto the roof of the mall, with its own paths, gardens, and great views of the city.

 On top of the mall

We follow the signs to the food court where we have a hard time choosing our lunch.  There are so many options and we settle on a plate of 3 Mix Duck and a Beef Salad, which cooks on the hot plate in which it is served.

 Food court and duck options

 3 Mix Duck

 Beef salad:  raw, cooked in place

After lunch, we wander over to the Gardens by the Bay, a 101 hectare (250 acre) nature park featuring the largest glass greenhouse in the world and a grove of Supertrees, metal trees ranging from 25 to 50 meters (82 feet to 164 feet) in height with an elevated walkway connecting the trees.

 Super greenhouses

 Supertrees

Scattered around the park are displays of petrified wood, thousands of years old.

 Petrified wood

Leaving Marina Bay, we pass through more gardens and head across the pedestrian bridges to the other side of the bay

 Heading out