Spellbinding

The day started like this...



...and ended something like that...



...and in between there was oh, so much!

Ok, let me catch my breath. What an unforgettable day. So many superlatives, but if I had to sum it up as succinctly as possible, I could do it with one word...

Dubai!

At The Top

Today is the day and it isn't even half over yet. The photos here were taken from the 124th floor of the Burj Dubai this morning, which opened first to the media and subsequently to the general public.

But don't hurry just yet to make the trek up to the top. The observation hall is spread over about 3/4 of that level with another 1/4 comprising the outdoor observation deck--a terrace if you will, though not exactly. That terrace is not open, yet--presumably it will open on the 5th (tomorrow).

There were a couple of big questions that got answered for me today, 1) how much would a ticket to the top cost and 2) what is the observation deck really like? As to the first, it is AED 100 for adults (ages 12 and above) and AED 75 for children. If you think that is a bit steep, then you're welcome to pay AED 210 for a speedier trip. That is, if you are not prepared to wait your turn to take the journey, you get to cut ahead of the line, as it were.

There are two elevators to ferry passengers up--each carrying no more than a dozen or so persons. I have read that there are split level elevators--two levels each--but it didn't appear that these elevators were like that.

As to the second question, the photos here will do most of the explaining. The enclosed hall which extends 3/4 around the 124th floor is very spacious inside in some places, narrower in others. The clarity of the view depends as much as anything on the angle of the sun. Windows, while not perfectly spotless, were clean and clear enough for good panoramas and good photography. But this will never replace the fully unfiltered balcony views, once the outdoor viewing platform is opened--closed for the day in preparation for the fireworks display this evening.

Many people have wondered about the elevator experience. We did the 124 floors in approximately 65 seconds. That's almost 2 floors every second; but it didn't feel very fast at all. The change in air pressure was perceptible but not uncomfortable.

The elevators are not of the glass variety which offer panoramic views as you ascend, but are completely closed. The lift interiors are for the most part darkened with twinkling lights that flicker in relation to the soft music being played. There is hardly any opportunity for those uncomfortable elevator moments due in part to the subdued lighting and speed of the trip.

Overall Impressions

This morning was a media event. The observation deck was buzzing with media professionals punctuated by a brief visit from Emaar chairman Mohammad Al Abbar. The employed assistants who guided visitors from the attraction entrance up to the top welcomed everyone with warm smiles. It was a beautiful thing to experience the success of this engineering marvel. Almost as much as the towers exterior finish, Dubai itself shines as a city to marvel at when seen from this tower's lofty heights.

Thank you Emaar and thank you Dubai for giving the world one more amazing spectacle.

Approach from the newly opened Burj Dubai/Dubai Mall Station

The station is open, for at least its second day today. On departing the station passengers can wait for the F13 bus to shuttle them to the mall--the public entrance to the observation deck starts in the Mall at the Lower Ground Food Court, just beside mOre Cafe. If one prefers to walk, certainly suitable in the pleasant cool climate, there is no clear path to take.

One basically exits the station and heads toward the side of Dubai Mall. With no apparent pedestrian entrance, one has to make his or her way through the parking structure. The stroll from the station will take at least 10 minutes, depending on how lost one gets.

At the opposite exit, toward the Jumeirah side of SZR, there are still no feeder buses running and none to come online very quickly, it would appear. The station itself is also one of the smallest among the Red line's with no particularly distinctinve features.


The travelator which takes one through toward the observation deck elevators.


A first glimpse of the magnificent tower once you step off the travelator.


One more passage way where the construction of the tower is illustrated.


The elevators to the At the Top observation floor. They don't appear to be double-decker.


The view inside the elevator, with camera pointed at the mirrored ceiling. Subdued lighting and soft music creates the desired ambiance.


Shooting into the sun, the Burj Dubai downtown 124 floors down.


View toward the Burj al Arab.


View toward Deira.


The open terrace--closed for the day.


Electronic telescopes provided for closer views, with credit card payment of AED 10.


It was a field day for the media.


All crowd around for an appearance of the chairman of Emaar.


The Chairman, Mohammad Al Abbar, makes a brief appearance.

Burj Dubai Station & the Big Day (Tomorrow)

It was open today, ahead of the big opening day of the Burj Dubai. Media reports were that the station would be open for the event and it makes sense that they have started a dry run at least a day before. I expect the station to be inundated tomorrow.

I presume I am one of the first users of the new station. The numbers on the platform this evening could be counted on two hands. One of these, strangely, was a white shaggy bearded elderly man in backpacker attire. When I sat next to him on the platform he began to advise me of the train schedule, supposing that this was all new with the opening of the new station.

He apparently is here for the opening of the Burj tomorrow. He presumed I was too but when I told him I was working here, he expressed amazement that a foreigner could have such an opportunity. How is that so, he asked. He described himself as a 77 year old (or was it 87?) Denmark citizen. I would describe him simply as Santa Claus.

Could that be a sign of things to come with the events surrounding the opening of the Burj Dubai? Maybe. This man is a totally new breed of visitor to Dubai. The newspaper says 2 billion people will be watching the event worldwide. I can't say I would expect anything like that. We'll just have to see how far the excitement goes.

It hasn't much penetrated the thick walls of the office where I work on Sheikh Zayed Road. As far as I could tell I'm the only one buzzing about the event tomorrow. A colleague happens to be renting a flat in Business Bay with a view of the tower, so he'll be able to see the spectacle from his own windows. How lucky is that! But he seemed totally nonchalant.

Not me. I'm so excited. I had thought I'd take the whole day off from work tomorrow in order to secure the best public viewing spot. I have my sights on the promenade at the Burj Dubai residences, which will provide not only a clear view of the tower and part of the lake, but also the viewing screen on which a special showing will be presented for Sheikh Mohammad and his 6000 invited guests.

With those thoughts in mind I got an unexpected call while in the office this afternoon. The caller was a person I had met at a publicity event a couple of weeks ago. It turns out their photographer is unavailable for a visit inside the tower tomorrow morning. He asked if I could fill in!

Wow, you bet I will. So 8 a.m. tomorrow I'll be heading into the Tower of Dubai with camera in hand, ahead of the grand opening. So excited I was that I failed to get the details of the visit. I'll be ready with a full report and pictures tomorrow.

Stay tuned...