.All Trips / Asia / Dubai

A visit to the Top of the World — Dubai’s Burj Khalif

04 At the Top (11)

It seems fitting that the last major post in my series on visiting Dubai should highlight what I thought was its most spectacular attraction, namely the lovely Burj Khalif.  It is the world’s tallest building, with the world’s highest observation decks.  How could any traveler resist adding checkmarks to those bullet points on their bucketlist?

The Burj Khalifi has 1.85 million sq ft of residential space and 300,000 sq ft of office space, in addition to the Armani designed hotel and residences.   Here are some additional interesting facts about the building and its construction:
– It contains 11.6 million sq ft of concrete
– It took 22 million man hours to build over 6 years.  There were 12,000 people working on the building …

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“Pic of the Week”, October 12, 2018: The Waterfall at the Dubai Mall

10 Dubai Mall (48)

One of the most impressive works of public art I’ve ever seen was in the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall.  Located close to the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifi) and with views of it, are two cylindrical waterfalls that extend the full four story height (24 m) of the Mall structure. 

All that flowing water seems out of place in the desert, but the sight and sound of it is beautiful and mesmerizing.  To enhance the waterfalls are dozens of fiberglass figures giving the illusion of synchronized divers.  This art work can be viewed from each level of the mall, and the perspective changes so take the escalator up all the floors and take it all in.

The fountains are …

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“Pic of the Week”, March 23, 2018: Forrey and Galland Chocolatier, Dubai

01 Dubai Mall (33)

Like many people, I enjoy chocolate.  Especially goooood chocolate!  Not only is it delicious, when done right it’s beautiful.

An example of what I mean, I encountered this chocolatier while wandering around the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest mall.   The window displays were absolutely lovely — the chocolates were beautifully packaged and wonderfully displayed, as was an Easter-egg styled display of macaroons.  I picked up a few pieces which I enjoyed while exploring this vast Mall — an affordable luxury.

Forrey & Galland is a Parisian company, founded in 1912.  While the Parisian shops have disappeared, this shop in the Dubai Mall opened in 2008.  All chocolate is crafted right here by a staff of 50 artisans. 

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, …

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