Never, have I ever encountered a place so perpetually “under construction” as Abu Dhabi. You could be in the heart of this truly cosmopolitan city and find awe-inspiring feats of architecture popping up everywhere–just breaking ground! I am used to “old country” cities like New York and Boston–don’t laugh, world! Please remember, I am an American. Our relatively young cities are all built up for the most part. All we can do is “grow out” and grow our suburbs further and further or “grow up,” in terms of altitude. The U.A.E. has the luxury of both space and height, at this time, in their very recent history as a global hot spot.
In good rising civilization form, the U.A.E. is choosing to grow up, out and everywhere it can; thank you very much! There is no time like the present! In the big scheme of technology and construction, the U.A.E. is a young adult, and it’s, of course, full of brazen architectural ideas.
So, how this affects me daily is that EVERYWHERE I venture is ALWAYS under construction in Abu Dhabi. Sometimes, it can be almost beautiful (at least, I think so, but I’m sure most are like “What? Tire Tracks in Dirt? NOT beautiful!”). I say: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Behold:
Under Construction, Abu Dhabi
Having said that, most of the time, it looks like big hunks of sand which are always in the process of being moved here and there:
