We didn’t waste any time getting ourselves to the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa.
We needed to do some shopping. We carry about a week’s worth of clothes in our backpacks. After wearing and washing them over and over for the last 35 weeks or so, some are starting to get a little worn out. Brian already replaced some shirts but today’s objective was mostly socks and underwear.
Luckily, Dubai is a shopping mecca so we thought we’d get a two-for-one and go to the Dubai Mall attached to the Burj Khalifa.
We passed by Bloomingdale’s, Fendi and a whole host of other designer shops but didn’t feel those fit our needs. We had our success at Jockey. Then the kids sniffed out their favorite store for some browsing. Sometimes we’re sorry we taught them to read the store directory.
Dad was feeling generous and helped them ‘adopt’ some mini figures even though they are low on allowance.
After a quick lunch at the food court we headed outside to the water promenade and got our first view from the base. It was impressive.
The Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower) was completed in 2009 and is the tallest freestanding structure in the world at 2,722 feet (just over 1/2 mile).
It is mixed use as is the area around it and while we were there it was quite lively. Our entry tickets got us to the 124/125 floor observation areas. The elevator makes no stops as it speeds you up all those flights. The kids were just a little nervous as we popped our ears several times. You can go as high as 154 out of 160 floors but we were ok without doing that.
It was a bit hazy today so the panoramic Persian Gulf and desert views were missing. Still, seeing the city from that height was wonderful and dizzying. The kids said the cars looked like ants and you couldn’t even see people walking at street level – they were too small.
Once we had our fill of the heights, we headed back down to the promenade for some Turkish Ice Cream. It’s sweet, creamy, stretchy, and chewy and Suaram had a little trouble taking her cone from the vendor.
We also enjoyed a couple shows of The Dubai Fountain with its dancing water. It’s like the show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas but twice as big. The kids loved it and it’s a favorite of Tiffany’s.
Not just her apparently- lots of people were out tonight to watch (and record on their phones).
That was the end of our day. By the time we caught a cab it was full dark so we could catch a view of the sparkling tower on the way to our hotel.
5 Adventures Together 