Around the World: Ski Dubai

Posted at 7:22 am by Patrick under Around the World

I couldn’t believe it either. Apparently it snows here in Dubai, every night before Ski Dubai opens. Like most everything else here, it is a surreal mix of technological genius and over-the-top erstazness. You can snowboard, ski, go on tobaggan runs, or simply freeze yourself as you watch others do these things.

One thing that makes Emerati quite proud is to have the most superlative everything in the world. While this is *only* the third largest indoor ski facility in the world, fear not. The world’s largest one is being built into the Mall of Arabia (which will also be the biggest mall in the world).

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Around the World: More Name that Brand

Posted at 6:57 am by Patrick under Around the World

In the Mall of the Emirates you can find just about any store in which to scratch that shooping itch. It covers about 50 soccer fields of turf, and is the largest mall in the UAE.

When you need a coffee break, there are loads of options — Seattle’s Best, Costa and Coffee Beanery among them. The most obvious choice, pictured here, also has dual language signage — a must for any true “global” company.

What’s also somewhat surprising is the number of foreign (and specifically American) outfits there are here. So far I’ve seen Chili’s, Fuddrucker’s and Caribou Coffee, and all of them have dual signage. Is it just the price of doing business in the UAE, or just good business?

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Around the World: El Burj Arab

Posted at 3:35 am by Patrick under Around the World

Here it is — that 7 star hotel I mentioned earlier.

Designed to look like a sailboat, this place is pretty plush — helipad (of course), rooftop restaurant that is cantilevered over the water, and spectacular (gaudy?) architectural detail. It’s become such an attraction that the entrance road is gated. You can’t enter the compound without having reservations at either a restaurant or one of their 2 floor suites. And with a spot of tea costing a couple hundred Dirham ($60 or so), I think this is as close as I’ll get.

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