Star City Casino is currently undergoing a $575 million facelift. The waterfront side has changed substantially, being brought well forward of its original boundary. Though I have to admit that the architecture involved looks quite good, and certainly better than the "downmarket Vegas" façade that was there before regardless of how the previous design sloped back from the street more noticeably. However the entire building is being gutted in stages, not just one part of it. That includes the construction of a second hotel at the back, (on ground that was previously a bare, semi-paved car park) which will be a mix of standard rooms, suites and penthouses. The hotel claims that this will be "the first new hotel to be built in the CBD since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games".

Yyyyeah.

Those of us who used to work in the real CBD and who now experience an extra 40 minutes return commute each day know that whatever Pyrmont is, the CBD ain't it. But I digress.

Regular (and some casual) visitors to my galleries have seen this hotel before; in my 2010 PADs of 15 February and 22 March last year, though no-one would recognise it now. Back then, it was nothing more than steel poles in the ground or extensive scaffolding respectively. And now; a thrusting, angular monolith. Which I must admit that I wouldn't mind staying in some time, because those views are gonna be bitchin'. But hopefully long after I've left Pyrmont behind on a day to day basis to move onto, I trust, bigger, better and more fulfilling things, when the 20 minute trip to and from there will be a novelty rather than a chore.

I had a circular polariser on for this shot, but given the angle of the sun it didn't make a great deal of difference from the unpolarised shots.

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