I'm feeling blue...

My 2modern post is on hold, so don't go lookin' for it.
Unfortunately, whether it be on their end or mine, I am unable at this time to post images to the blog, and thus, will not be posting the blog until the issue can be resolved. I have notified Greg and hopefully he is helping out in any way he can, as I am too.
I thought it might be the fact that the MAC that I am currently using is old, but I also used Giuseppe's new laptop and I also am not getting the image icon. Could be a server issue, a search engine issue, who knows. I am bummed though.
Bummer, real bummer.
So, I will notify everyone with yet another exciting post saying that it has, in fact, been posted and then, well, you better go look for it!
Love d:)

2modern Post: Here it is!

Oky-dokey.
For those of you who read my blog regularly, this will be somewhat of a repeat, however, 2modern has heard nothing of this amazing modern architectural place called Saadiyat Island, the Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, the exhibit that Giuseppe and I went to when in Abu Dhabi a few weeks back. So, I talked to Greg and let him know that I would be posting on this topic, and got the go-ahead, so...I am so happy to be sharing what is going on in this booming area with all those interested in architecture and the millions (thousand?) of people who read 2modern.
I will be posting pictures on the 2modern post, but to save some time, and repetitiveness of images here, this is just the text-version (with some possibility of editing before I post live, so, it may not be exactly like this, but, oh whatever....enjoy and wish me luck!)

(I don't know when they will post live, so keep checking the 2modern site.) Yay!

Architecture of a New World: Modern Middle East

This is my first time posting for 2modern, so Hi! My name is Danielle and I writing from my flat in Dubai, and I am so appreciative of Greg and the 2modern team for giving me a place to spill my creative energy - other than onto the consciences of my architect husband and our families...

Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island (“Island of Happiness”) is soon to be home to four of the world’s most famous and prominent architectural accomplishments, including 3 museums and 1 performing arts center by 4 of the world’s most renowned architects: Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and Tadao Ando. In addition to being an uninhibited, ambitious, pedestrian-friendly developing island, Abu Dhabi is about to add to it’s roster of accomplishments: one of the world’s culture capitals of the world. If Dubai is like L.A., glitz and glamour galore, then Abu Dhabi is like San Francisco. It’s got roots. It has history. It has culture that is inherent and not manufactured. And it is about to have a whole lot more culture to speak of.

Over the course of 15 years, this 'happy little island' will phase into an art-meets-architecture wonder, quenching the hunger for a large portion of eye – and brain – candy. That is sure to make many people very happy.

Slated to open in 2012 is the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a sister satellite to the Louvre Paris, designed by Jean Nouvel. What can I say, this museum is like art come to life. A canopy of different patterns interlaced into a translucent ceiling allow for dispersed web-like shapes to bounce around every space like a million Tinkerbells. Magical, light-infused and organic all come to mind when trying to describe what Nouvel himself refers to as "an archaeological field revived as a small city, a cluster of nearly one-room buildings places along a leisurely promenade...covered with a large dome, a form common to all civilizations." It is a whimsical micro-world beautifully reflected in the surrounding water oasis; the conceptual renderings are so dreamlike, one experiences them as though it is photography of an already-realized museum. I can only imagine what the reality will be. On a more factual-basis, the museum, 24,000 sq. meters in size, will rotate between 200-300 pieces of the most influential and priceless works of art over 10 years and 4 temporary exhibits per year for 15 years. With the full support of France, French President Jacques Chirac says the agreement allows for the bridging of what the "world considers a clash of civilizations" between Islam and the West." If the universal language of art can't bring the globe together, what can?

Also set to open in 2012 is the 29,700 sq. meter Abu Dhabi Guggenheim Museum by Frank Gehry, a deconstructivist architectural amalgamation which will feature permanent collections, galleries, a center for art and technology, archives, a state of the art conservation laboratory and much more. At first glance, one might think, much like I did, having once been an architecture student: it resembles the thesis-floor leftovers after a mass model-making convention. But in fact, the museum incorporates into its many 'pieces' climate engineering practices, which, in my opinion, is a mandatory consideration living in the desert. Dispersed throughout the program, near the galleries, are a number of conical-shaped tubes that ultimately will create outdoor spaces, but provide a deeper function: "cooling outdoor spaces based on the very old idea of the open top teepee that draws the hot air out of the space." Although still in conceptual phase, the Guggenheim is sure to bring in a tourist - or millions - to navigate this four-floor multi-gallery art jungle-gym.

When one thinks of Zaha Hadid, the sometimes in-famous architect who is best know for questioning and redefining traditional architecture, one word comes - or should come - to mind: sculptural. The Glasgow Museum in the UK, The Contemporary Arts Center in Rome, The Vitra Fire Station in Germany. Her buildings (although some not realized) deal with form, abstraction, line, light, function, texture and architectonics in the most unconventional of ways. Happy to say, the Performing Arts Center in Abu Dhabi is no exception to this rule. I think of it as a smooth, simple organic arm growing and reaching out into the Gulf, almost swimming or gliding, as though ready to slide right off the island edge. It is so integral with the landscape, and yet somehow, stands alone. The overall form, cellular of sorts, is reflected throughout the entire building (considering that the concept for the building came from examining basic geometries of biological plants life, this comes as no surprise): "a sculptural form that emerges from a linear intersection of pedestrian paths within the cultural district, gradually developing into a growing organism that sprouts a network of successive branches. As it winds through the site, the architecture increases in complexity, building up height and depth and achieving multiple summits in the bodies housing the performance spaces, which spring from the structure like fruits on a vine and face westward, toward the water."
OH-MY-GOSH. I feel like I am experiencing poetry-in-motion when I read those words from Hadid herself. Set to house 5 theaters in total, I am eagerly awaiting to feed off of this architectural branch.

Water. Light. Simple. Modern. Serene. Tadao Ando. His architecture speaks volumes so quietly. I am a huge fan of Ando, I happen to be a huge fan of Japan and Japanese architecture and design as well, so it helps that he is, well, Japanese. There is something about the way he achieves 'modern' seamlessly and effortlessly. Tadao Ando is designing the Maritime Museum on Saadiyat Island, where Ando takes into consideration the nature, landscape and the maritime traditions of Abu Dhabi in developing this fluid, architectural volume. "With it's reflective surface, the water court visually merges site and sea...the volume shaped by the force and fluidity of Abu Dhabi's winds." Housing an interior like that of a boat, with floating decks and ramps, visitors will be guided "through the exhibition space, echoing the theme of the museum and creating a dynamic gallery experience. Dhows float over the voids of the interior space and help create an intense visual experience by relating objects to one another and to the museum architecture as a whole." The museum almost resembles a gate into the water from the island, an intentional move Ando was attempting to achieve by "defining a space of encounter between two important landscape elements of Abu Dhabi's culture."

Since none of these buildings will be completed anytime soon, I apologize that my experiences and explanations of them are merely skimming the surface, having only seen the huge exhibit at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and having read many, many articles discussing this future endeavor. But I hope that anyone interested in art and/or architecture in the slightest will at sometime, come for a visit in my new world of the UAE and take a little taste of what I hope becomes a huge success, tucking the world of art, architecture, travel and global communication onto a neat little "Island of Happiness."

Re:rooting: Looking back on Boston

Ok, I am totally enthralled with doing a little check-up on my old stomping ground, Beantown, USA, and I have started with checking out what all those little creative lab-rats have been up to late at night at MIT, producing nano-stuff and digital-whachmacallits while we all sleep...

Oh, how pleased my green-eyes are so far...

I am hoping that you all checked out the scooter post, but if not, scroll down a post and READ IT!
And if you are too lazy just click here...

I can't paste any images of this next fantastical architecture innovation, because it is a Flash
image reel, so you will have to click here to see this new liquid feature...MIT architects and engineers have designed: a building made of water. Yes, you read right, water. Just read the article. TIME Magazine named it one of the best inventions of the year. BOSTONRULES!

Here is some more amazing MITempting creative genius to satisfy your cerebral hunger:

Intelligent Infrastructure for Energy Efficiency

Printing out Rx eyeglasses

In addition, my old school, The Boston Architectural College, has some pretty exciting news on their site, about students taking part in the 2007 Solar Decathalon.

Check it out here.

Boston, we'll be seeing you again soon!
xoxo

Scoot!

This post in honor of my friend & obsessive (Vespa) scooter-lover Heather Parker:

The genius that is MIT, in Cambridge, MA has done it again: electric scooters.

The low cost and foldable design of these electric scooters, as shown in this rendering outside the Duomo in Milan,
could provide a convenient and efficient mode of transportation in urban environments.

Scooters & Vespa's alike are a live and well in each and every thriving urban-community across the globe, and it doesn't seem like they will be going away anytime soon...and thank goodness for that. It is energy efficient, clean, compact (it folds!) and simple and apparently, I am not the only one who thinks they are incredibly: cool.

A few facts about this new scooter from the horses' mouth, Professor of Architecture and Media Arts & Sciences, William Mitchell:

• The new design "was all about providing a clean, green, silent electric scooter that would provide, even better, the same kind of urban mobility..."
• As an added bonus, the simplicity of the electric design, which eliminates the powertrain by putting motors directly inside each of the two wheels, made it possible to design the scooter so that it could be folded up to about half its size, making it even easier to store in crowded urban environments.
• "A typical gas scooter has about 1,000 parts, but ours only has 150."

Now go and read this full article on these amazing street-chic creatures:

Enjoy! (And go get one, damnit!)

Anywhere, Dubai, UAE: World

Sometimes, do you ever think, as you are going about your day, seeing all walks of life, doing the same things you do, shop, eat, do laundry, that you really could be anywhere in the world?

Giuseppe and I spent a wonderful day yesterday out and about - only after sleeping and snuggling in for a few extra hours. We need that sometimes, well, I am sure he needs it more that I do.

So, we got up, and before I knew it, the clock said 12:00pm...to which I responded, "Oh my gosh, I have to get in the shower if we plan on getting to church at 5:00pm." That is typical for me, and anyone that may know of my grooming habits and the lengthy process it is for me to even get my feet in the shower (around 30 minutes usually, don't judge) - well, I knew that I had to get going, so I did.

So we headed out around 3pm (following a shower, waxing my lip, Giuseppe showering, blow drying my hair, putting on some eye make-up, changing clothes a few times, Giuseppe ironing a shirt, etc.), decided we would go to the earlier mass, at 4:15 (or 16:15 as they use Military Time here) and then to the movie. We haven't been to the movie theater here yet, and we thought it may be nice to go and experience the movie-going world in Dubai (more on this later). We picked The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller. We had to drive about 15 minutes to another part of the city called Jebel Ali, in the direction of Abu Dhabi, and we figured that we would check out the Ibn Battuta Mall again while we are there, that is where the theater is, so...



We arrived at Church Complex (a little dirt road comprised of about 5 different parishes) about 20 minutes before the mass was (supposedly) starting and we wandered in, our first time at mass (our second time at the church, we went a few weeks ago to check it out, and to make sure we don't get lost), until we realized that early mass was in fact, very early at 6:15 AM! Oh well...we decide we will come back for the 17:15 mass, and that one we are sure is really in the evening.

So, we took off to check out yet another Hyper Market, Geant, next to the mall to kill some time....we end up liking it a lot, not as hyper as Carrefour, and equally clean and easy to navigate. We bought a nice blender and a juicer, to make nice fresh juices, wheat grass, etc. Excited about that purchase! It seems at times redundant to be purchasing yet another blender and juicer (not even close to as nice as the ones we got for the wedding...) but we want to have certain things sometimes and so we just took the plunge. Anyway, in addition to a muffin pan, some raw cashews, prunes and an apple turnover for Giuseppe, we headed back out to the church for mass.

What came next was such a welcome and in some way, highly deserved, surprise for Giuseppe. We walked in, there were a few others at this time, and of different countries - Indians, Asians, us, the Italian and American. It was cool. We talked about that for a minute in addition to the meaning of the cross. However, we noticed while we were kneeling there that people were going into another room, which I thought maybe was for the children or for the washrooms. So Giuseppe got up and checked it out....and guess what?!?! It was another mass, being held in Italian!

Well, needless to say, I have now added another new thing to my list of 2007 experiences: an Italian Mass. It was really, really nice. The priest was soft spoken, closing his eyes often as he preached. And there was a hand-out with all the prayers written in Italian, so that was helpful. Giuseppe said later that he felt "weird at first, but then it felt normal." (And for me, being not the most religious person, all I can say is that I enjoy being in that place together as a couple. Yoga, church, walking, whatever. I know, I am a cheese-ball, but I love our time.) And the people in the room, about 35-40 total, were such lovely people. Those Italians - really good looking peeps!

And I just love to be there with Giuseppe, I hold his hand and can just feel him being so peaceful and excited to be there, and to be able to tell his family after that, 10 years after leaving Italy, he has been brought back to his roots. What a great Italian week - we even met 2 Italian architects the other night, one of which lives right here near us! Neat!

Well, enough of that, we headed back over to the mall, and got a nice quick bite before seeing the movie (I had a healthy tuna-avocado wrap and lemon-mint fresh tea & Giuseppe had some Iranian food) and headed through the many countries of the mall...
Let me explain. Ibn Battuta was a world-traveler in the 14th century...read about him here.
So, basically, the mall is broken up into countries - you can eat in Egypt and then hop over to China for a bit of treasure hunting for Christmas, and then make your way through India for some incense sticks and traditional attire. Of course, strewn in there is H&M, Topshop and Aldo shoes...but the architecture and spaces are all in theme-by-country. You can see some images below and the rest on Flickr.

So we headed to get our movie tickets - which ended up being equal to $7.10 USD - and got some water and popcorn and headed into the theater. The movie was great. We had assigned seating, you have to pick your seats before you go in and then an usher seats you and makes sure that you didn't steal someone else's seat. Strange, but organized.

It wasn't until the movie was over, and Giuseppe and I just sat there as the others worked their way down and out of the theater, that I thought to myself, and proceeded to say out loud - "we could be anywhere." Here are all these people, watching the same funny movie as us, but some are British, some French, some Arab, Lebanese, Turkish....and as they all ushered out, some wearing their dish-dash and beautiful & ornate abaya, some really fat & unhealthy British women wearing their high school sizes, and we were all just there. All different walks of life, and although we don't see dish-dash and abaya all that often in America, honestly, I just thought we could be ANYWHERE.

It is really neat as we become part of this new home of ours, this whole new culture, whole new country and world, that you can honestly go about your day - laundry, eat, shop, groceries, church, movies, and everyone is doing the same thing. We all look different, we all speak different languages, and if you listen close enough, you can hear the occasional gossip in Italian, Arabic, French, Chinese, Spanish and even less often, American - or English, like mum-English.
But here we are, in Dubai, this international hub of business, architecture, design, fashion, and everyday life.

That's it for my thoughts. Check out the pics. Check out Flickr too...
Love d:)

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving 2007 all!

(or tofu)

Although we don't celebrate the traditional holiday here in Dubai, we, Giuseppe and I, will be having a favorite meal of ours, something that we have been looking foward to: sushi! mmm, sushi!
In addition, I know that I have been a bit slow lately at getting some posts up, but I have a few things going on: namely, my first official post for 2modern, for next Monday. So, I have been focusing on doing something good and intriguing for them...
Also - brace yourself - I have started yet another blog, on another blog hosting site. I know, I know, I have already come to terms with (and blogged about) the fact that I am clearly a Serial Blogger now. But it is one that I am excited about and will focus more on my art, my own inspirations and drawings, designs, photography, etc. It will be where I live for a bit until my website gets up as of the new year. With my NEW APPLE!!!! Yipee!
So, in conclusion, I hope that you are all with the ones that you love, enjoying some tryptophan, and laughing and having a great time and most of all, giving thanks for the great things that have happened in your lives, and for the great people you are about to enjoy your day/night with!!
Although it will only be the two of us this year, which makes us quite sad and reminiscent, we too will be laughing and enjoying ourselves, with the help of a little sake!
Salute'!
Love d

Good Read

I don't know what has been going on lately, but Blogger has been blocking me out of my sign-in page...I got in just now, so I thought that I would take full advantage of what may be just a few minutes on here.

I was watching this wonderful episode of Oprah 2 days ago, and, although I never really follow an author, I think after hearing this woman speak, I just may start to.

Elizabeth Gilbert is her name, check her out here...


She was on the Oprah Show to talk about her new book called "eat pray love" and her journey through a year that allowed her to have experiences to create this book.
Her voice was so tantalizing and her eyes were so sincere, I felt like I was in a trance watching her, and she is genuine. I don't know her by any means, but I can tell. She is real.

Anyway, I fell in love immediately, with her, with her journey, with her sense of life and spiritual balance you could tell she had achieved. She really made a big impact on me. So, I went to buy her book today. The cover is clever: spaghetti strands to create the word "eat" to replicate her time in Italy, mala beads strung to spell the word "pray," indicative of her time in India and finally, beautiful orchid-patterns spelling "love" to imitate that feeling and her time in Indonesia. It is such a lovely cover and actually says a lot before you delve in.

Needless to say, I have begun the book and didn't want to put it down...as I suspected. I had to do some things around the house an wanted to clue you all in as well, but now, I am off to continue on her journey with her, eating our way through Italy (and gaining a few pounds while we're there!!!!!!)

Anyone who is looking for a new, funny, brilliant and warm book to read, get it! And then, think about these things that she has decided to take with her in each day of her life:
1. Enjoy the pleasures of life. Eat, play, talk, laugh. Enjoy.
2. Keep a happiness journal to remind you of the small and big things that bring you happiness, be it the sun or your husband and children.
3. Change your mantra. We all have one, and you don't need to go find a new one. Just change the one you have, it is what we all say in our heads. We repeat, "I am stupid," "I can't do this," "I don't have any friends," etc. If your mantra doesn't work for you, change it! If you have a good one and are working it, keep it.

She is someone that I will read again, and I hope you may feel the same...now go create your own journey!


Love d:)

POSIT studio/dubai:Update

Hey all....The boys had a great meeting last week, and the design for the Seddiqi Tower has been "selected," now the real work begins;)
They produced this incredible work, and all the designs were really innovative and provided a great solution, but the selected design is really crisp, clean and architecturally profound in its' simplicity.
Check out the images below and also the website for a more complete update on their work so far!
Go POSIT!!!!!!

(The first two were loved (i heart the first!!!) but not chosen, the last is the winner!!!!)

2modern:Blog Correspodent

Hi.
I have been in talks lately with a website/blog that I really, really admire and love, 2modern, and they are looking for people to contribute to their design blog...and I am hoping to get started soon, blogging on their highly-popular site about modern Dubai, interiors, architecture and neat modern finds across the city!
I am really looking forward to it, I am still just in talks right now, trying to figure out when I could begin, topics, etc., but keep checking back for when it all goes down!
I feel pretty lucky to have this opportunity, so....
d:)

Busy Busy Bee

Just wanted everyone to know that I haven't forgotten about my blog, I just have been a bit busy lately...getting out health coverage claims together, ironing out our Christmas gift list, etc. My Uncle Mark flew into Dubai this weekend as well, so we were his tour guides...it was a great time and I will be posting soon about our journeys!!! Also, check out flickr in the next few days for new pics....

I'll be back soon, and in the mean time, check out this cool website, 19.20.21, I just found last night...pretty innovative and worth keeping up with!

Quick briefing:
the rise of supercities is the defining megatrend of the 21st century...19 cities, 20 million people, 21st century...check it out!

Enjoy...
19.20.21

If your going to build, build GREEN

This especially goes for Dubai. This place is a crane-filled, sand covered, ever-expanding construction site, and it is nice to hear/see that Dubai and UAE are looking to green standards to protect and further enhance their environment.

In fact, there is even a new development in conceptual phase, surprisingly called EcoPark, the UAE's first attempt at a fully sustainable residential and mixed-use community. Sounds like a doozy!

But really, Dubai has such an ambitious attitude towards developing and creating a world-known future for itself, that it comes as little surprise that they also want to be a front runner in setting a standard of clean, healthy and eco-friendly living.

One example: a proposed tower by an experimental Italian architecture firm, Dynamic Architecture.

What they are proposing is a revolving sustainable skyscraper powered by wind turbines in between each floor. Each floor would rotate separately, so the profile of the building is different at any time. With 59 storeys and 58 turbines, they propose that the tower would generate enough surplus energy to power 5 more skyscrapers of its' size.

Pretty amazing. Read the full article here. It is quite extraordinary and seemingly possible!
Neat!

Enjoy!

d:)

Just Found: IF Boutique

I was researching some new boutiques in Dubai, and although I had passed this boutique many times, I always thought they sold art, not fashion. Silly me, never stopped in to confirm, but I wanted to share with you this cool family-owned and run boutique of international designers, many unheard of. With designers from Japan to Belgium, this boutique will surely be one of my next stepping-out stops!

IF Boutique, situated on Umm Al Sheif Street in Umm Suqeim, brings to Dubai the latest collections from renowned designers including, Comme Des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Junya Watanabe, Ann Demeulemeester, TAO, Johnny Farah, Ivan Grundahl and Marc Le Bihan to name but a few.

Maya Shehadeh has worked in the fashion industry for 22 years and is the lady responsible for bringing these amazing collections to Dubai, many for the very first time; 'Dubai is not short of designer labels but I saw the opportunity to bring something different to this exciting city - a refreshing location and mix of collections that truly put style on a different level'.

The discerning customer with an eye for classic, elegant and sophisticated designs will find the latest collections from 54 different brands, mixing avant garde haute couture, classic lines and fantastic accessories that look set to raise the bar for the style conscious women of Dubai.

Shehadeh added; 'Before opening the boutique I thought long and hard and researched the market to ensure there was room for another boutique. My objective was to set completely different standards in fashion retailing by finding a niche and need which I believe has not been catered for in Dubai until now. IF is a family business, my aunts and uncle opened the first IF Boutique in Hamra, Beirut in 1972, then in 1979 opened the boutique in New York. Their's was the first store in the Soho area. My family have since opened another two IF Boutiques in Beirut. Ours is truly a family of fashion pioneers.'

Stepping into the boutique is aking to entering a style oasis, cool and calm, with a richness that exudes from each design. IF Boutique and it's dedicated and knowledgeable staff cater to the shopper seeking to express their individuality and unique sense of style.

IF Boutique is dedicated to being at the cutting edge of fashion and style - Shehadeh herself dresses in the designers she carries, concluding, 'I have one basic philosophy in life when it comes to dressing - be comfortable and true to yourself.'

Art & Architecture Collide in A.D.

Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, just ended a wonderful exhibition on the Saadiyat Cultural District Projects, an exhibit opened up by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahayn, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for Saadiyat Island. What we saw is a far cry from the traditional Arab architecture you see both outside and within the cities in the UAE, but certainly more in line with the modern, tall high-rises and shiny envelopes you see developing minute by minute in Dubai, and certainly in some form in City Centre, Abu Dhabi.

It was really exciting that we got to see this exhibit. I think in some way, we were both really craving some thought-provoking, art-inspired educational experience (like we had when we were immersed in school at the BAC perhaps), and this was the perfect remedy. We had no idea that it was even on exhibit, so it was the surprise factor that was cool as well...for me at least.

Familiar names like Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry were the main attractions with other small exhibits for a dozen or so of the other buildings within the Cultural District, which will include the Sheikh Zayed National Museum for which 13 of the world's top architectural practices were invited to enter the design competition.

The master planning for the Cultural District on the "Island of Happiness" (direct translation of Saadiyat Island) is being prepared by SOM and will include: the world's largest Guggenheim Museum by Gehry, The Louvre Abu Dhabi by Nouvel, the Maritime Museum by Ando and a Performing Arts Center by Hadid. In addition, the island is said to be the largest single mixed-use development in the Arabian Gulf, planned by Gensler Associates, and upon completion, will house over 29 hotels, a 7-star property, 3 marinas housing up to 1,000 boats, 2 golf courses, elite villas, and a partridge in a pear tree! Kidding, about the last part, at least I think...;)

So, on with the show!

First up is my least-fave building by my least-fave architect: The Guggenheim by Gehry.

At first glance, I remember my exact words to be: "....it looks like they picked up the scraps off the floor of a thesis studio workshop and threw them on a base and called it architecture." Yup, that was it. I said that. I really meant it too.

In fact, this is the only image that we took of his exhibit, and we took it as a gag shot for Wayde, knowing that he would just about puke over it! I am not sure what the concept was or why there are translucent funnels and blocks tipping over onto one another...but I do know that it will house 130,000 s.f. of exhibition space to feature permanent collections, special exhibit space, centre for art and technology, a children's art education facility, archives, library and research centre and a conservation lab...and what do you think this monstrosity costs? Over $200 million. I need not say anything more. I have better things to get to...

(P.S. Anyone hear about MIT suing the pants off Gehry for the Stata Center and it's leaky issues? He better not pull that shit here in the UAE, they don't put up with that - they may not build things to last, but they certainly want the best to be the best while it's still standing!)

Second would be one of my faves, and since the remaining 3 are all noteworthy and beautiful for their own reasons, and my faves, these are in no particular order...

The Martime Museum by Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is known for his exceptional and creative use of light as well as creating structures that work with the landscape, rather than against it. With it's reflective surface and ship-like interior, this building is quite striking in form and it's simplicity and use of water are a clear reference to Ando. The site is clean and gridded with trees creating an "oasis-like border" to ensure a smooth transition from Abu Dhabi City Centre to the more "serene and contemplative space of the museum."

As stated by Ando himself regarding the museum,

"Our elegant architecture begins with a unique space carved out from a simple volume shaped by the force of Abu Dhabi's wind. The solitary form stands like a gate over a vast water court, defining a space of encounter between two important landscape elements of Abu Dhabi's culture."

In addition,

"With this concept of a simple volume with a unique carved-out space, we intend to create in a single gesture a museum that is itself an architectural adventure - a building whose space and abstract forms symbolise the new relationship betweenAbu Dhabi's maritime tradition and its future as a centre of the Arabic world."

I really love this project and can't wait to see where it goes from the design phase...it promises to be quite captivating and I can't wait to visit.

Third is the Performing Arts Centre by Zaha Hadid.

It resembles a tadpole swimming, reaching out to sea.

The presentation boards for Zaha were incredible...in fact Giuseppe made it a point to take a few extra images of them for reference when doing the POSIT boards. I personally loved her concept, taken from veins of the leaf, fruits, branches and stems and sort-of superimposed onto one another to create a design sketch, inevitably incorporating the programme requirements, circulation, etc. I can't quite describe it, but when you look at her Formal Development board and her other images and Programme Boards, and then you see the final design, you can see the original concept just breathing through. It is a clear abstraction, and yet the basic biological geometries are totally prevalent.

Hadid says of this project,

"A sculptural form that emerges from a linear intersection of pedestrian paths within the cultural district, gradually developing into a growing organism that sprouts a network of successive branches. As it winds through the site, the architecture increases in complexity, building up height and depth and achieving multiple summits in the bodies housing the performance spaces, which spring from the structure like fruits on a vine and face westward, toward the water."

One element of this particular building that I find facinating is the creation of a central axis that is a pedestrian corridor that stretches from the Sheikh Zayed National Museum right through and out of the Performing Arts Center, interacting with the seafront promenade. It is a sweeping, stem-like gesture that creates a direct tie from the waterfront, where the 4 major museums sit, through to the arch of the Cultural District, incorporating the various other elements of this area, including parks, boutique hotels, retail and commercial environments and luxury town homes and apartment developments. Check out the images and decide for yourself...

Last, but certainly not least...

The Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel

I think from the immense number of pictures that Giuseppe took of this project, this was by far his fave. It is actually really cool-chic and stunningly beautiful at the same time. Some of his presentation boards of interior perspectives actually look photographs or paintings. Amazing. In one of the images, you actually can imagine yourself inside, seemingly strolling under a canopy of trees and light, with the reflections on the floor creating lovely organic forms.

It is said that this museum will boast itself as the most lavish cultural museum centre in the Arab world...pretty impressive.

Nouvel says,

"We could not help but let our imagination drift into flights of fancy, forgotten chimeras of unknown cities buried deep into the sands or sunk under water through immemorial floods and earthquakes. These dreamy thoughts have merged into a simple plan of an archaeological field revived as a small city, a cluster of nearly one-room buildings placed along a leisurely promenade."

Sounds dreamy just reading that, huh?

The Louvre will carry some thousands of works from some of France's best museums, including the Georges Pompidou Center, Musee d'Orsay and the Palace of Versailles. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will become part of a new relationship with the International Agency for French Museums, with members including Musee d'Orsay, Pompidou, Musee Guimet, the Chateau de Versailles, Musee Rodin, Musee du Quai Branly and the Louvre.

Regarding the micro-environment that one experiences upon entering the museum, Nouvel says,

"This micro-city requires a micro-climate that would give the visitor a feeling of entering

into a different world. The building is covered with a large dome, a form common to all civilisations. This one is made of different patterns interlaced into a translucent ceiling

which lets light diffuse, magical light come through in the best tradition of great Arabian architecture. Water is given a crucial role, both in reflecting every part of the

building and acting as a psyche, and in creating, with a little help from the wind,

a comfortable micro-climate."

Sounds like a project too big for just Nouvel to handle, and it is said that the appointment of a local architecture office to work alongside Nouvel is imminent. POSIT, anyone???

I hope that we get to see many more exhibits as marvelous as this one, and I don't doubt that we will, being that we are living within an architectural BOOM!!!!

Check out all the pics we took at flickr!

Bye, d:)

Your home: style or just things?

Picking up and moving to Dubai was overwhelming to say the least. We had just gotten married on 7.7.07 in RI (a lovely and simple wedding, I must say) and we were living in one of our favorites apartments in Boston to date. Beacon Street. Washington Square. Brookline. I love Brookline.

I had lived in one apartment before Giuseppe and I moved in together, in Washington Square as well, and I wouldn't say that was a great apartment - nor was it terrible. As many people who have lived in Boston before know, character is something you can come by quite often, as many of the residential buildings and homes are old...thus have history, and charm. And character. This had character. Peeling fabric wallpaper. Smelly stairwell with old sea foam green walls. Worn out wood floors (but wood, nonetheless). Decorative mouldings around just about everything. A balcony railing that you dare not lean on - or even sneeze near. And a thick-pile floral rug in the dining room that was most likely there for the life of the 3-family home owned by the lovely Polish landlords, Hymen & Faya.

Giuseppe was not crazy about the place when we first started dating (I had lived there for 1.5 years already), but I found many aspects about it very charming. The walk-through pantry with shelves up to the 10' ceilings. The bowed wall in the living room. The pink and green floral stencil on my bedroom walls (well, not really). And most of all, the "things" that I had. I can say in all honesty, that, at that time, at the ripe old age of 24, I had things. No style. No rhyme or reason, just things. I tried to have style - organizing things in a certain way, hanging family pictures with Buddha postcards from the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, always purposefully not matching things. Fresh flowers in weird vases. And IKEA, oh yes, IKEA. Having a desk and some tables from IKEA to provide the base for it all. They sell style, right?
Now that I think about it, maybe that, those things, were my style.

Then we moved to Chestnut Hill. Not far from the city, quiet, and did I mention new? Ah, new. The kitchen, new. Bathroom, new. Hardwood floors? Yup, new. Charm. None. Character. None. It was like a blank white (pale yellow) canvas. Just a simple crown moulding to add a touch of sophistication. At the time I craved this. Clean. New. Simple. Charmless. Devoid of character and smell. I felt like I could create "interior art" in a sense, in this space. I didn't have to compete or work with the colors that already existed...or the textures, or fabric walls. This was the first time I think that I actually felt that I was creating some kind of style in our home. We still had some things we had to work with: the old couch my parents gave us (we were students, so money wasn't flying from the sky, if you know what I mean, but we bought a new caramel-colored cover which gave it new life), my grandparents finished oak round coffee table (oak is not my thing, but this is actually all hard-wood and good quality), an orange chair from Urban Outfitters, and my old bed on just a metal frame, among ther various small items, adornments, quirky collectibles, etc. We once again attacked IKEA for their LACK tables, EXPEDIT bookcase, paper lanterns and various other house items, as well as The Container Store for some stainless steel pieces and cutting board/wine stand. But we splurged on one thing that really made a statement, and moreover began to describe who we were and what our taste was...what our style was. We bought a large 6-8 person bamboo & espresso stained hard wood dining table. It is beautiful, still, as it sits in the basement at my folks house (we coudn't exactly pack it for Dubai), with square bamboo insets. It actually has character, and not the kind that felt old. It is modern and clean and simple, but us.

Although we couldn't paint anything in Chestnut Hill, since it was all new, I still felt as though I had actually created a sense of style, not just things lying around in arrangements, things that had little meaning, things I may have been holding on to because I was afraid of the blank space it would leave. But, upon leaving for Arlington, we ended up renting an apartment that we could paint, which was really nice for us. Now, given that the style of the house, again, old and with character, was not exactly in line with our mnimalist-simple-clean-modern ideals, we did choose paint colors that complimented what we had and the house...reds, greens, yellows, capuccino, white. Clean, a little traditional, but worked very well for us. And again, moving in there allowed for my style to progress, beginning to compliment furniture with vintage glass jars filled with single blooms, refreshing and chic candles, bamboo stalks just about everywhere in different-sized rectangular glass vases, bedding in aqua & green, or purple & red, the living room in pinks, oranges and reds, with accents of just about every other color from the incense holders, to glass pieces to book bindings (we have an incredible collection of art, architecture, design, etc. books and magazines), the dining room in white, browns and greens, the kitchen in greens and white. It was developing. For me, it was becoming a home with some style. Our style. Our choices, although still not all perfect and ideal, within boundaries that still worked for us...until....

Finally, we moved back to Brookline. Ahhh, Brookline. I just love Brookline. Did I mention that already? The environment there lends itself to an extension of the city-life. It is never too quiet, but never so loud you can't hear yourself think. It is filled with green spaces, but urban in context, filled with bistros, cafes and cool boutiques all along Beacon & Harvard Streets. The people are softer, there are apparent family-filled neighborhoods and on the Green Line C-train, you get picked up before everyone else in the city, ensuring a seat 99.9% of the time. Score!
Our apartment was right on Beacon Street, facing rear though. Quiet. Sunny. Great for our (many, many) plants. Not too big, and when we first saw it, it was a complete disaster - a college-girls-gone-wild disaster. 10' ceilings with hardwood in the rooms, white VCT lining the hall, and pink, black and white tiles in the bath. A small balcony in the rear. Bowed walls in the living room. Lots of closets. New kitchen. And after the maintenance crew came to paint everything from floor to ceiling in pure white, it truly was the blank white canvas on which we could create our design.

I have a facination with the returned paint in paint stores, it always seems to offer something, something that works. Typically neutrals, but I guess I got lucky this time around. The entry was decorated in purples. Our bedroom turned into a turquiose oasis, with one bright wall and white surrounding walls, black and white leaf-graphic bedding, bamboo area rug, and wall shelving. Our kitchen became sunshine yellow with IKEA downlights under the cabinets, a self-built dark-stained wooden breakfast bar on stainless brackets, stainless cutting board stand from The Container store and accent colors in orange. The living room became an espresso-orange-bright pink combo with stainless and dark-wood track shelving, still incorporating the old oak coffee table. Somehow it worked, vintage and modern, old and new. It looked perfect and even chic in that room. Out bath stayed pink, black and white - obviously - with only white accents and a black & white figure-ground shower curtain. The office was green and white, with only dark work desks and track shelving. And some red accents crept in that space - a'la Arlington.

We were married on 7.7.07, so this was our apartment into which we moved all of our wedding gifts - gorgeous plates, vases, bowls, decorative items, etc. But even without it all, just with our green plants accenting each and every room, with our mis-matched yet strategically placed items, our family photos and art work, even with just those things that we had - our extremely impressive and constantly growing magazine and book collection, etc. That was enough. That allowed us to stand there and say this was our style. Eclectic and clean. Simple and modern. Comfortable and youthful. You could really feel us and see us in this place. The colors, the patterns, the items, the smells. Giuseppe always says this was his favorite apartment we lived in.

Now we live here in Dubai. A brand new aparment with granite and stainless fit-outs just about everywhere, mahogany wood, crisp, white 12x12 floor tiles, 1x1 mosaic tiles in all the baths...and once again, we are here creating an interior style that works for this place. It feels very 'West Elm-esque'. It is clean. Modern. Crisp. Elegant and chic. It has the feeling of a lounge with tall ceilings and crisp, white tree-printed curtains hanging from ceiling to floor on black rods, chocolate brown chaise sofa, white and neutral area rugs, and expresso stained hard wood tables and cube-shelving from Marina. The overall feeling is fresh. White is the primary color with accents of burnt orange, celedon green, fuschia, aqua, red. Yet you cannot escape the Arabian feeling that envelops it. The railings on our huge balcony looking out to the Burj Dubai, the detail above the sliding glass doors, the view out our windows to the neighboring Arabian-style buildings, and the attention to detail. This is a thing of Dubai, of the UAE.

At this point in my designing life, I feel that I can say two things: first is that style is what you make it. Just because it hasn't been published in a magazine doesn't mean it is not style. And second is that style grows just as we grow. We change and progress and morph, and so do our choices and likes and dislikes. And in the end, that is how we express ourselves. At any given moment, at any age, in any place, our style - be it fashion, interiors, furniture, hair - is how we express who we are now. It is an expression of where we have been. What we have learned. Our mistakes. And we take with us everything that remains a part of us, and we use it to help us leap and grow into the next phase.

I can confidently say that I am thrilled for our next phase of style. As architects and designers, and now, world travellers (wishful thinking), I can only see our style, as well as ourselves, progressing into better and more sure expressions of where we are right now. Modern and eclectic collections from our travels mixed with vintage pieces from our grandparents. I hope one day to be able to see a style story like that evolve in our home...

d:)

Eye Candy (& Candy)

Giuseppe just brought home the new (well, October's bi-monthly) issue of Jumeriah Magazine, which is complimentary at the Emirates Towers, where he went for lunch today, and there was this incredible - and surreal - article about the high profile real estate developers & interior designers from London, Candy & Candy, who are brothers and very, very wealthy brothers at that.

Needless to say, I wanted to just see if your jaws drop as far down as mine did when I read the following excerpt from the article: (just a glimpse of how far some people take - and can afford to take - interior design)

"...We've installed chandeliers made up of jewelry you can take down and wear; installed moving projection wallpaper, infinity pools on yachts; a multifunction piece of furniture that converts into a pool, billiards or tappanyaki table; sculptures made from dollar bills; intelligent wardrobes and rails that automatically colour coordinate your outfit or match this week's trends; baths that automatically fill with your favorite temperature water before you get home..."

Now, their style is NOT my taste, at all, to say the least, but the fact that these guys have done or will do this type of interior design blows my mind - I like to call it "interior branding & blinging" rather than design...that small word just doesn't seem to fit this level of exclusivity. Agreed?

Just Found: Inhabitat

I just stumbled across this incredible website, Inhabitat and their post on the Indoor Eco Fabric Garden...just beautiful and innovative!!! This post if for my mom...the Green Thumb :)



Part hanging plant, part green art installation, the Indoor Fabric Garden from the recent 100% Design in London is a green and eye-catching collaborative project from fashion house Ted Baker and UK branding agency JAM. The installation merges tasteful fabrics and beautiful flora, giving modern dwellers a great way to integrate greenery into their interiors seamlessly and stylishly. Plus, the hanging vessels are made use from reused lampshades and their fabrics to reinforce the environmental focus of the project.

Enjoy!

What's it all about?

I have been spending my last week or so learning about blogging, and in turn, it has inspired my mind, and fed my spirit with the things that I get really excited about. Design. Fashion. Graphics. Green design & architecture. Interiors & furniture design. Holistic living. The list goes on and on, but through this blog, I have reinvented my passions, given birth to new interests and experienced insight into where I hope to be and what I hope to be doing in the future.

When I left Boston in September, I had been previously accepted back into school to finish my Masters in Interior Design, and I had to pass on my admission for the move to Dubai. I don't regret moving, but I certainly miss the opportunity to be back in school, and more importantly, be able to finish my degree (I completed 2.5 years of my M.Arch at the BAC in Boston, have many I.D. classes from RISD, etc.). So I have begun researching on-line classes again...the school here in Dubai, American University Dubai, has I.D. classes, but it is too expensive and they don't offer loan options, so that is out. So I am back looking at SFIA in San Francisco, a school that I seem to go back to a few times each year, and I am beginning to think it may be a sign...so stay tuned! I am applying for on-line classes starting in Spring, and will be posting my work, etc. which I hope will shed some inspirational light on architecture, design and sustainable & ecological design for all of you creative minds!

Besides that part of life come the New Year, I have also decided to get back to work on my website. I had started a site about 1.5 years ago, and slowly removed myself from it with our wedding, and work and basic life tid-bits that seem to take me off-track sometimes. I already own the domain and am thinking about purchasing another just in case I decide to change the name...as I mentioned in an older post. The website was for me to publish my illustration work that I have been doing for almost 10 years now. I do ink-line drawings, enhanced by water color, guasche as well as use my graphic design experience, editing in Photoshop, etc. I have done a few more since being in Dubai, but my goal is to do 4-5 each week. I will be sure to update you all when the site is up and running come 2008.

Finally, I will also begin using this blog to post more than just our experiences here and our travels...my original intention was to have a blog to keep our families abreast of our life here in Dubai, as none of us enjoy being so far away from each other. However, it is more my character to be inspired by all things around me, be it travel, buildings, flowers, birds, fabric, the lily pond spa girls, Arab men, children, paintings or local handmade crafts...and of course, all things camel! So, as of tonight, I will be giving spirited*s p a c e some much needed SPIRIT!

thanks for enjoying it all so far....d

The San Francisco of the UAE

Giuseppe and I decided to head to Abu Dhabi this weekend, craving to see the city that is talked about as much as Dubai around here - it is only about a 90 minute drive from where we live, so we packed up for the day and some extra things in case we decided to stay the night...
We were initially going to get up early and head out for the morning and afternoon and head back for the night...but that didn't happen.

We had never even driven too far past the Mall of the Emirates, in the direction of Abu Dhabi/Jebel Ali on E11 so that in and of itself was quite exciting for us, for there is another small city of buildings and mini-skyscrapers and new developments, so it was nice to see what was going on on the other side. It didn't actually take long before we stopped seeing buildings of any kind and began to see a lot of flat desert land...quite beautiful actually. The desert just popped out of nowhere again, just like driving out to Bab al Shams, where you actually realize that these buildings seem to be sprouting out of the sand like palms, something out of nothing. Literally. My favorite is when we see just a single structure, be it a villa or palace or just a huge, 3-D overly-graphic banner advertising some new development or shopping mall, sitting in the middle of nowhere. I always think, well who put that there?

A few things made us realize that we had finally crossed over to the emirate of Abu Dhabi - a huge sign of their beloved (and now passed) Sheikh, Sheikh Zayed (as in Sheikh Zayed Road, the main route here, or E11 and the man who is recognized as the Father of the UAE)), the towering electric tower wires slicing through the desert and finally, the greenery. There is so much green, plants and trees along the roadside, that you don't see in Dubai just yet. Dubai is still "rooting" itself, both literally and figuratively. But Abu Dhabi is more grounded and established, and it shows. There were rows and rows of palms and other beautiful, green wispy trees our entire drive there....in addition to these funny signs that were promoting roadside adviertising...I took pictures of them as part of my new obsession out here - signs. We found them to be quite amusing...see below:

Traveling to Abu Dhabi is quite simple...take E11 all the way there. Then follow the signs that say to Abu Dhabi (there is another main city, Al Ain, so you just don't go that way, but rather the other way ;D) and you are basically there...traveling down the main street, which is 2nd Street. Just amazing. Actual street numbers and names. Who'd a thunk?? The city is built on a grid system, based on a "T", with 2nd Street (Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum St.) running perpendicular to Corniche East/West, which is the street that runs parallel to the water, along the Arabian Gulf. It makes the city so easy to navigate just like New York or San Francisco. It is the one thing that I truly look forward to in Dubai, some sort of organization to the master road plan, where you can tell someone you live on a street, rather than "next to the Dubai Mall, to the left, look for the signs for Al Manzil Hotel, but actually go the other way toward Yansoon, and take your 3rd left at the stop-n-go guy."

Abu Dhabi is an island, so it is filled with views of the water, and lush green grass land and parks, trees and beautiful flowers. It is also highly pedestrian. I mean, more so than Boston. People are everywhere, out at the parks making fires and eating, lying under trees and walking and jogging at just about every turn. I don't know what I was expecting, but for some reason, it wasn't what we saw.

Upon entering into the City Centre, you see the same things you see in any city...retail, tall financial buildings, large residential towers, restaurants, busy streets with busy bodies, etc. But the one things that got our attention was that the skyline is not even 1/2 as high as Dubai, which gives it a much more human scale. And it feels older. It feels like it has roots. Like it has been here, creating for itself a history, getting its' feet on the ground, developing over time. Dubai still feels like the "1 minute city" to me. As in you could blink, and one minute it is not there, and the next it was all built, and built big and shiny and tall. Everything in Dubai still looks new, even the old looks fairly new, compared to Abu Dhabi. Driving into the city, the retail levels of buildings look as though they have been through a rough life, and there are residential buildings that look as though they may crumble in a brisk breeze, with clothes hung against the dirty exterior walls by a piece of string. (Dubai has that too, in Deira and various other small areas around the city, but it is not apparent to the naked eye simply looking down Sheikh Zayed Road at all the bling.)

Our day in Abu Dhabi was really great, we stopped to take pictures of everything, parking in Taxi Only Stops to jump out and get a shot of the azure water or city skyline from the other side of the water, and the theme park that runs each night next to Marina Mall at the Breakwater. One stop we made was to view this incredible palace-looking building, with the greenest grass and whitest sand private beach - the enormity of the place was overwhelming, and when we saw a sign that said "Presidential Palace This Way," we were sure that is what we were photographing. Wrong we were.

Since our day started later than expected, we decided to check out our Abu Dhabi city book and see where we could stay the night, and be able to tour around a little more the next day. One place that we noticed was the Emirates Palace, which of course, sounds totally expensive and exclusive, but Giuseppe insisted that we check it out, just to see what it looks like. Well, seems we had already seen it. It was that enormous and palatial place we thought was the Presidential Palace. That was the Emirates Palace Hotel.

Well, we went in. We drove up to the valet parking and walked in like it was nobody's business...including ours ;) It was beautiful and palatial, alright. Gold adornments everywhere (that is a color you get very used to being in the UAE, everyone loves GOLD!!!!!!) and glamourous outfitted women and men to open the door for you, offer to hold your bag, get you a date, have some water, try some tea, I am surprised they didn't take me to the little girl's room. Anyway, we went to the concierge and checked out the room availability, as Giuseppe and I often like to pretend that we are interested in something that we know we can't have or shouldn't have. It is fun and you get to see things and try things you may never get to. Tempts the senses a bit!

Needless to say, we.....well, ok, we stayed. It wasn't outrageous and we got a free upgrade from what we paid for b/c that room was all that was available - in addition to the lovely bouquet of orange roses I received and the dates Giuseppe was offered....he can never pass up a date! We had a view of both the private white sand beach and the green inland, the pool and park area. It was totally and utterly beautiful and majestic and just lovely. By far, the most fantastic hotel I have ever stayed in. That is not to say it was my taste or style, but the service was exemplary, the people were overly nice (what they get paid for) and we got free fresh-squeezed orange juice on a white cloth Italian napkin with rose petals upon entering into our room. #3414. On the 4th floor. A balcony that puts our Yansoon balcony to shame. Remote control lights. A 61" flat panel TV on the wall. Etched-glass shower enclosure with 2 shower heads. A toilet and a bidet, of course.

So we enjoyed it. We enjoyed every last bit of it - and took some of it to enjoy at home too!!! We talked, and bounced on the squishy bed, asked for extra Lady Primrose bath gels and shampoos (some to take home, they are complimentary), played with the remote, walked around the hotel holding hands, got tea, walked outside on the white sand beach and put our feet in the warm water at 10pm, all alone, read the newspapers, ate the free buffet breakfast worth every penny we would have paid. It was great! We were majesties for the night!

(And to our lucky surprise, we were blessed with an architecture exhibit, of all things! I have posted the images in a set called "Emirates Palace Exhibit" and you can see them in the general picture postings...just awesome! Total refreshed our excitement to see all the lovely models and boards - albeit the ugly-ass Gehry mess he calls a building and people pay him millions for! Yuck!!)

On our way out of Abu Dhabi, we stopped by to take some images of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world and the largest in the UAE. Just unbelieveable. It was extraordinary and we were, of course, approached by a militia in uniform with a machine gun strapped to his side (2 in 3 weeks, go figure!) inquiring our intentions, but we made sure to let him know we were just interested in taking pictures, nothing else. He seemed to be ok with that. Hey, I am here writing this, no? Kidding.

When I left Dubai, I didn't know what to expect. And upon leaving Abi Dhabi, all I have to say is that it is a lovely city, a place that exudes a calm and makes me feel good, like San Francisco. There is a history that you can taste, and see and hear, and gives way to being able to actually imagine the past of the city. Of the people. It makes me feel like when I fly to California from Boston, and I get out of the plane and am, for some reason, each time able to breathe deeply, inhale and exhale. My blood pressure drops. I feel relaxed. Such is Abi Dhabi...the Bay Area of the Middle East. I really, really enjoyed it and will look forward to going back..hopefully to the area of the Arts where we can see all the new buildings from the architecture exhibit.

Miss you all...love d:)