My Stories 

The gates of Ibn Battuta mall Despite living only 45 minutes to the south of Dubai, I don’t get up to the big city much. So when an odd lunch invitation is extended up there, I accept it willingly. I agreed to meet a friend who I have not seen in a bit to catch up over lunch. While we could eat anywhere, we opt for easy. Ibn Battuta Mall is the southern most mall in Dubai, it’s easy in and out and thus the perfect place for people from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to meet up. I parked

Watch out! Moving plants! If I were waiting for a sign to return to blogging, this was it. I was driving south on the E-10 in light traffic, which those of us who live in the UAE know is a rarity. I pass this crazy sign every trip home from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, but I am always driving too fast or in too much traffic to take its picture. Today, I was the only one on the road, so I pulled over. Back home, no one ever pulls over on an interstate unless they have a true emergency,

The Beloved Sheikh Zayed N. The House of Nahayan The house of Nahayan has ruled the emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1793. The erstwhile Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates. His wisdom, foresight and inspired leadership have made him a beloved leader. You can see his face all over town and just about every road is named for him—this can get very confusing. I have also heard that ruler of D

Say hello to my little friend, er…goodbye… Every now and again you face a foe so fearsome you quake in your flip-flops. I met my match in a restaurant on–yes, you guessed it, Saadiyat Island–my favorite place in Abu Dhabi. On Wednesday night, I came I saw and I conquered a lobster. My foe was a crustacean, and he wouldn’t have seemed so formidable if I had not already been so sated. And, here I am, of course, talking about eating the darn thing–not slaying him. Someone somewh

Al Bahar Towers, the Honeycomb, Pineapple buildings, if you will. I have always loved Architecture; it is the academic companion to Art History, which is what I chose to study in school. I almost became an architect. I used to spend days on end, as a school girl, studying Architectural Digest and drawing every beautiful home I saw in the magazine pages. I stopped drawing them long ago, but I still am enamored by the creativity it takes to create a new and visionary style of d

Circle K logo There are some things you take for granted in your daily life in your home country, like self checkout aisles in grocery stores, ice, and fully stocked, one stop drug stores. Perhaps, like me, you sorely miss a few small conveniences you had back home when you move out of your country; they vary from expat to expat. I would have never thought for a second that Circle K might be one of them for me, but it no longer has to be because it’s “coming soon” to a comple

Saadiyat Island Public Beach Saadiyat Island is hands down my favorite place to be in Abu Dhabi. If you haven’t been, please go! Gazelles free roam the dunes. Sea Turtles idle on its famous beaches amidst bathers. There are fabulous hotels, beautiful beaches with actual waves and there is so much to do there–night & day! In the coming years, we will also see Saadiyat Island become the city’s cultural hub with institutions like the Manarat Al Saadiyat Museum already there, and

Burj Khalifa It’s been a LONG weekend. Not only do I have the pressure of coughing up the final installment of the Road to Al Ain for you, but now I simply must let you know how we celebrated Easter here in Abu Dhabi today (yes, a day early, but who cares?)–it was decadent! Tonight, I offer a really cool HD Video of the World’s Tallest Building—And a Plane Seen From Space. I stumbled upon it on the Atlantic yesterday. An American company, named Skybox Imaging brought us this

Scooby Dooby Doo! Abu Dhabi-Do! I bring you 5 Things You Might Find Funny About Abu Dhabi (aside from the name). Some friends, in the states, love to say Abu Dhabi because it sounds just a bit like Scooby-Dooby-Doo! I like to say it too. For those with a more complex sense of humor and those who need a bit more to be perplexed/amused by, this is for you. Here are five things that I Find Funny (funny strange, not funny haha) about Abu Dhabi from a western perspective. They hav

Here is a photo of the morning glory plant that I bought at the Plant Souk here in Abu Dhabi for my balcony. It’s still alive?! When times are tough, celebrate life! I have a brown thumb. This plant has made it a week. This is a small, good thing. Balcony Morning Glory #YasIsland #Flora #Dubai #AbuDhabi #PlantSouk #DailyPhoto #AlMuneera

World Islands, Dubai For those crazy people that move to the mild winters of the United Arab Emirates and yet somehow still long for rain, snow, cold and the gray of winter, don’t worry! There are plans to bring a micro-climate just for you to the Middle East! The World Islands being constructed and developed off the coast of Dubai will soon be home to inclement weather! Hooray?! While the rest of us ponder if 70 degrees is too cold to be classified as a beach day or not, you

Over-The-Top Decorated Cars Filled our Streets Yesterday! Yesterday, the United Arab Emirates turned 42. It was a holiday here called National Day. It was marked by parades, celebrations, fireworks and some of the most over-the-top, flamboyant decorations I have seen since the Puerto Rican Pride parade in NYC. Schools and the private and public sectors were all closed in observance. We were told told not go out because people can get a little crazy. In a land where drugs and

What a fitting title to my first real attempt at blogging. Confusing? Probably! It seems to summarize my existence to some degree. I own so many blogs. I have had so many seemingly fantastic ideas for blogs that just never took—I never thought I had anything interesting to report despite a clever title or catchy tagline. I know a decent writer can make even the most blasé incident sound interesting, and I have never been confident enough in my ability to do so. Here’s my test