Dubai

Dubai is known for having a lot of expats and a lot of international schools.  I have five friends who live and teach there, so over a long weekend in November, I went to check it out.  Sadly, I didn't take any pictures with my friends, b/c we were having too much fun.

While I see the Las Vegas parallel, I was consistently surprised by all that Dubai had to offer.  

The grid reminded me of Chicago.  

We went to the spice market.  It was amazing- colors and tastes and smells everywhere.  I got some great Arabian tea, and amazing garam masala.

The Burg Kalifa at sunset from my friend's patio

The street outside the Burg

As I said, I was pleasantly surprised by Dubai.  This huge park, which has 5 playgrounds, also has a food market every weekend.  The food was tasty, there were expats from every country, and the park was beautiful. 

Dubai was built on a "creek."  It's a pretty big creek, full of commerce. 

The Burg Kalifa- we didn't go to the top, but we did enjoy the tourist
activities ssurrounding it, especially the DANCING FOUNTAINS