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Dubai's Trouble Deepens: Burj Khalifa Closes and QE2 Ship Up For Sale

Remember a couple years ago when all the cool news was coming out of Dubai, like they had all the money in the world and were using to build the adult playland of the future? Well, Dubai is still turning out all the news, but it's just that the headlines have gone sour, and this week has brought another rush of bad news for the showy Emirate.

First, the newly opened 124-floor Observation Deck in the Burj Khalifa building has closed. The reason they're giving for the closure is that they've had far too many electrical problems, and with people paying $27 in advance or $109 on the spot for the privilege to simply look out their windows, they can't afford to have any hiccups. Really—they can't afford it. Maybe they also can't afford to keep the lights on right now too?

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Dubai's Annual Month-Long Shopping Festival Begins!

Even though it's mired in financial woes, Dubai refuses to scale down the excess. The city's hosting its 15th annual Dubai Shopping Festival, which is best described as a non-stop 32-day party.

Despite its name, the Dubai Shopping Festival is all about entertainment. It features mini festivals, including an international jazz fest, a bike festival, a pet show, a weight-loss conference and a food festival—hopefully the latter two aren't near one another. On each day of the fest, the DSF is raffling off a Lexus LS 460 and an AED 100,000 cash prize ($27,225) , and on the weekends, you can win a custom-edition LX 570.

After the jump, even Bob the Builder gets some action

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What to Expect at the World's Highest Observation Deck in Dubai's Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, opened its observation deck this month in Dubai and we did some digging to see what the experience is supposed to be like. Perched on the 124th floor, the observation deck is supposed to give an airplane-like view of the area.

To get to "At the Top," the observation deck's, you have to enter through The Dubai Mall’s lower-ground level. Before you pop your ears on the elevator up, brush up on your knowledge of Dubai and the building with multimedia displays like "Dubai Then and Now," "From Earth to the Sky" and "From Vision to Reality." You'll also see a big illuminated model of the Burj Khalifa, formerly called the Burj Dubai, where you can learn about the skyscraper.

A video of the view, after the jump.

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The Burj Dubai's 124th Floor Observation Deck Opens Today

See that ridiculously tall building pictured above? That, my friends, is the Burj Dubai, a 200+ story building just completed in the United Arab Emirates that is celebrating its official birthday today. How old is it, you ask? Well, it's 0 years old really, since today is only its official opening to the public, although not all 160 accessible stories are ready for occupancy.

The only piece seeing public footsteps today is the 124-floor observation deck—because Dubai is in a tourism and property slump and knows that any way of digging extra cash from the pockets of locals and visitors is a great thing. Actual tenants won't begin moving into the Burj until February, when the owners of the Armani residences move in, to be followed by the guests of the world's first Armani Hotel in March.

And even when everyone is settled in and the workers in the business floors are typing away at their tasks, the Burj won't be full; occupancy rates may only reach 75% this year thanks to Dubai's slump, and many of the condo buyers are purchasing simply for investment. So for those of you anxious to take the elevator to the 124-floor, you'll just be visiting a husk of hope.

Related Stories:
· Dubai Opens Tallest Tower, partially leased in slump [BizWeek]
· The Impossibly High Burj Dubai Will Have 124-Floor Observation Deck [Jaunted]
· Dubai Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: jasab]

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In Dubai, It's The End Of 'The World'

In order for Dubai to survive the worldwide recession and nurture their burgeoning reputation as a must-visit destination, the weak and frivolous projects must suffer in favor of things that actually contribute to the city. Thus, we are only somewhat surprised to learn of the failure of the multi-billion-dollar project of man-made islands called "The World."

After all, the islands were only due to be accessibly by the richest of the rich, with no dynamic plans for the future after the many moneyed residents built their homes on the islands. The Burj Dubai and Dubai metro system will however positively impact both locals and tourists—that's why they get the go-ahead during these rough times while The World ends.

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The Impossibly High Burj Dubai Will Have 124th-Floor Observation Deck

To tell you the truth, we're torn on the issue of tourism in Dubai. Is it a theme park of a city that caters to tourists versus travelers, or is it worth the visit for the unique experiences? Who knows when we'll find out since the place is so firmly out of budget anyways.

Just in case you also like to entertain the thought that a trip to Dubai is in your future, you'll either be delighted or scared shitless to learn that the famous Burj Dubai skyscraper is due to have its observation deck on the 124th floor. Of course the 160+ story building needs to be completed first, and that won't be happening until early December. In the meantime, the building is readying to open the world's first Armani Hotel in the first 37 stories. But let's hear a little more about that vertigo-inducing observation deck, shall we?

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Plane-Spot In Private From Dubai's JW Marriott Hotel

As much as we would have loved to have a video of a plane landing over the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai in this story, it seems as though there is a serious dearth of photos and videos from plane spotters at DXB-Dubai International Airport. So let us then recommend a spot at which to make some: the aforementioned JW Marriott Hotel.

By requesting a room facing the runways, which usually run around $250 per night, you will get for yourself a truly awesome view of takeoffs and landings at the neighboring airport. The hotel sits at the end of a runway, so you won't feel as though you are sleeping at the airport, and it's luxurious enough to banish all thoughts of airport concessions. The key, however, is in asking for that runway-facing room without seeming suspicious.

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Dubai's First Subway Opens, And Not Of The Cold Cut Combo Variety

Dubai is a city of many superlatives, and as a result of their trying to build for themselves a great entertaining metropolis, the city seems constantly under construction. At least one major product was finished this month however, as the Arabian Gulf's first metro system opened on 09/09/09, transporting more than 366,968 in its first week and some 60,000 people this last Friday alone.

The metro is comprised of 11 trains and two lines, green and red, and is already seeing congestion with passengers more than eager to leave their cars at home. The five busiest stations even have attendants wearing "ask me" buttons; they are: Al Rashidya station, City Center, Union Square, Mall of Emirates and Nakheel Harbour and Tower. According to PSFK, "Dubai has been attempting to diversify its oil-dependent economy for some time... [and] has come to be seen by many as a leader in forging the Gulf’s way to more sustainable infrastructural development."

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Dubai's Latest Flashy Statement Of Wealth: Designer Seatbelts

Good old flashy Dubai might be one of the world's largest consumers of gold-covered cars, but apparently they think they're too cool for school to use a seatbelt. Thanks to Luxist, we hear that drivers in the United Arab Emirates are so loathe to use seatbelts, that the country is lauching its own aggressive seatbelt safety campaign a la the US and France.

WIth only 11% of Emiratis deigning to strap themselves in, auto accidents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi especially are oftentimes more serious than what should be. As a result, the seatbelt safety campaign wants to appeal to residents' love of luxury and fashion by painting the seatbelt as a statement, as well as safety, item.

How will they do this, you ask? Well, by printing seatbelts with logos of luxury brands, or your favorite team, or the Emirati flag. We imagine a taxi cab picking us up from Dubai's airport, and we climb into a back seat to buckle up with Armani belts. Luxist points out that luxury brands aren't exactly liberal with the use of their intellectual property and might poo-poo use of logos, but we bet that soon you'll able to buy seatbelts in Dubai slathered with the (unofficial) Louis Vuitton Damier pattern nonetheless.

Related Stories:
· Will Dubai Drivers Wear Gucci Seatbelts? [Luxist]
· Dubai Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: uncle boatshoes]

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Dining In Dubai Now Requires You To Sign Food Poisoning Waivers

It's 8pm in Dubai and you've been holed up in your hotel room working straight through dinner, and now your stomach is rumbling for a yummy shawarma. Be prepared to sign your life away in return for some Dubai take-out, as our friend Neal Ungerleider informs, because restaurants in the glittering capital of high-rise construction cranes are requiring diners to sign releases in case of possible food poisoning.

This comes after the food poisoning deaths of a 5-year-old boy and his 7-year-old sister, children of an Air France flight attendant who lives in Dubai. And since litigation is no fun thing, restaurants in the city are arming themselves with warning stickers on food bags, advising customers to consume food within two hours of purchase. Even more direct and unsettling is being presented with a release form, as you are at the Kempinski Hotel Mall. The waiver goes a little something like this:

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Casper the Friendly Ghost Will Live On With A Dubai Theme Park

The Dubai Festival City, full of luxury hotels and entertaining shops, is getting a kind of spooky addition: the Casper Theme Park, due to open up early in 2010. Our favorite friendly ghost has decided to haunt ever-expanding Dubai and no doubt make the developers a pack of money, especially since a new Casper TV series is due to launch later this year.

The Casper Theme Park will include the biggest monorail in the Middle East along with a rollercoaster and various other rides and games. They're obviously hoping this will put Dubai onto the list of places kids beg their parents to take them too, and it sounds like more child-friendly attractions might be in the pipeline.

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Tags: Wine Travel / Dubai Travel / Airport News / → All Tags

Only In Dubai: A Duty-Free Bottle of $27,000 Wine

When you go to Dubai, the general consensus says to go big or go home; this idea applied to duty-free shopping at Dubai International Airport means just as great a broad a luxury selection in the airport as on the main shopping drags.

Not to be left behind in the luxury duty-free party is fine wine, the best of which is now available at Le Clos within Terminal 3, which prides itself on featuring the rarest of rare vintages. Staffed by six wine advisors and two spirits advisors, Le Clos will help you make that difficult decision between prized bottles of $12,500 Château Petrus 1947, $15,750 Château Cheval Blanc 1961, and $27,778 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2005. At this shop, the vintages begin with wines from 1945, but we'd be pretty happy popping the cork on that last one in the list.

Considering that there's this pesky recession and you might be in a bit of a hurry, exchange the visibility and time of in-store browsing by pre-ordering your bottles at their website and picking up at the airport.

Related Stories:
· Le Clos at Dubai Airport [Official Site]
· Shop Opens In Dubai Airport Selling Some of World's Rarest Wines [Decanter]
· Dubai Airport's Ultra-Pricey Wine Shop [Luxist]
· Dubai Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Emirates Airlines]