Along the lines of the cool Abu Dhabi video we shared many months back, here is a 24 hour time-lapsed video of Downtown Dubai, starting at 4am local time on 11/11/11, by photographer Gerald Donovan. I love how the Burj Khalifa just dwarfs everything else. And it’s not like those other buildings are short –…
Yes to (Bani) Yas!
One of our must-do’s was a trip to Sir Bani Yas Island for a stay at the Desert Islands resort. A 15-minute ride off shore about 2 hours west of Abu Dhabi, the island is home to a wildlife reserve, an old Christian monestary and beautiful coastline. Sheikh Zayed, founder and first president of the…
How the world’s tallest building does fireworks
Go big or go home. That’s the UAE’s motto. You can see photo and video examples here with the Burj Khalifa’s fireworks display for New Years. Happy 2012! A live action shot is just a click away!
A Maryland Christmas!
Family and food – those are the terms which best describe the second half of our U.S. tour. Heading south to Williamsport, Maryland, we kicked off our “second Christmas” with a visit to Uncle Dave’s Pizza Hut, where met up with extended family, including some who were in town from Florida. Given how short our…
Christmas in CT!
Our first port of call back in our native land was NYC where we spent a quick overnight en route to CT. Christmas came and went quickly in the US with a short four days in New England. In looking through our photos, we realized we took a lot of photos of Alex, and not…
First Class All the Way, Baby!
So, having never even experienced business class before, it was quite a (delightful) shock to get upgraded to first class on our flight from Abu Dhabi to New York for Christmas. We had two of twelve spots on the plane, and relished every bit of those 17 hours on flight (versus what it would have…
An Emirates Winter – Our New Year’s Gift to You
There have been a few videos floating around that highlight the beauty of the UAE. Here’s one – Emirates Winter – that expands beyond the cities to capture the vast and varied landscapes of the country. It took filmmaker and artist, Lewis De Mesa, five months and over 300,000 pictures to create this video –…
A Whole Different Christmas This Year
Christmas 2011 looks a lot different than in 2010. There’s a massive difference in temperature, no beach in sight, and the concept of all-you-can-eat-and-drink high-quality buffets will be missed. Yep, that’s right, our Christmas moved 7,000 miles West to the good ol’ US of A! But the positives far outweigh the allure of Christmas in…
We Did It! All 7 Emirates with Umm al-Quwain
So, our journey to stay in all seven Emirates came to an end this month with a quick stay in Umm al-Quwain – the Emirate in between Ajman and RAK. Not known for its 5-star hotels, we had a brief encounter in UAQ before heading back through Dubai for a festive Friday brunch! Not the…