This post should really be called "The Return of the Lazy Blogger"... I haven't posted in a long time. Unfortunately I haven't been inspired or motivated to write on this blog, but hopefully will be a better blogger in the upcoming future.
Two weeks ago John and I finally went up the Burj Khalifa... the tallest building in the world which dominates the Dubai skyline. You can see the Burj from just about anywhere in the city on a clear day. We have a (distant) view of it from one of our apartment windows, and you can also see it from the rooftop pool.
Anyway, for the "At the Top" experience at the Burj, you must reserve a ticket in advance by visiting the box office at the Dubai Mall (biggest mall in the world) or online. Tickets sell out days in advance and when you buy a ticket you must select a specific day and timeslot. We went up the Burj in the middle of the afternoon after having a nice lunch at Tim Horton's at the Dubai Mall. Being able to visit Timmy's in a strange foreign land of mosques and camels never gets old for me.
One general "At the Top" ticket gets you to floor number 124 of this crazy building which looks like a needle pointing up in the middle of the desert. This floor is located 442 metres above ground level. If you want to get the deluxe Burj experience, you can pay twice the price for a ticket and visit a swank lounge 24 floors higher, at 488 metres! Even at that height, you still don't come close to the 828 metres that the Burj reaches! The elevator up the Burj goes at a ridiculous pace of 10 metres per second. Despite it being the tallest building next to the hugest mall and fountain in the world, it doesn't have the fastest elevator... currently that honour goes to Taipei 101 which we went up last year in Taiwan, at a speed of 17 metres per second!
Enough about the facts... what does the "At the Top" experience get you? Not too much. You go up the fast elevator and then seem to be ushered out to the partially outdoor observation deck to see the views of this crazy city plopped in the middle of a desert. Depending on the weather, your view may be hazy. The only thing up on floor number 124 besides the deck is a gift shop and some public bathrooms. I think going to the top of Taipei 101 was much more interesting... we spent hours up there checking out all the stuff inside!
So after my "At the Top" experience, would I recommend going up the Burj? Probably. It's fun to say you've gone to the tallest building in the world. However, once you check out the view there isn't much else to do!
Here are some photos from the top:
Two weeks ago John and I finally went up the Burj Khalifa... the tallest building in the world which dominates the Dubai skyline. You can see the Burj from just about anywhere in the city on a clear day. We have a (distant) view of it from one of our apartment windows, and you can also see it from the rooftop pool.
Anyway, for the "At the Top" experience at the Burj, you must reserve a ticket in advance by visiting the box office at the Dubai Mall (biggest mall in the world) or online. Tickets sell out days in advance and when you buy a ticket you must select a specific day and timeslot. We went up the Burj in the middle of the afternoon after having a nice lunch at Tim Horton's at the Dubai Mall. Being able to visit Timmy's in a strange foreign land of mosques and camels never gets old for me.
One general "At the Top" ticket gets you to floor number 124 of this crazy building which looks like a needle pointing up in the middle of the desert. This floor is located 442 metres above ground level. If you want to get the deluxe Burj experience, you can pay twice the price for a ticket and visit a swank lounge 24 floors higher, at 488 metres! Even at that height, you still don't come close to the 828 metres that the Burj reaches! The elevator up the Burj goes at a ridiculous pace of 10 metres per second. Despite it being the tallest building next to the hugest mall and fountain in the world, it doesn't have the fastest elevator... currently that honour goes to Taipei 101 which we went up last year in Taiwan, at a speed of 17 metres per second!
Enough about the facts... what does the "At the Top" experience get you? Not too much. You go up the fast elevator and then seem to be ushered out to the partially outdoor observation deck to see the views of this crazy city plopped in the middle of a desert. Depending on the weather, your view may be hazy. The only thing up on floor number 124 besides the deck is a gift shop and some public bathrooms. I think going to the top of Taipei 101 was much more interesting... we spent hours up there checking out all the stuff inside!
So after my "At the Top" experience, would I recommend going up the Burj? Probably. It's fun to say you've gone to the tallest building in the world. However, once you check out the view there isn't much else to do!
Here are some photos from the top:
