Please check out all my blogs on our trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Exploring Abu Dhabi Block by block:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-abu-dhabi-block-by-block
My journeys with NYU did not end with Paris and Prague as I started the last of my electives for New York University and prepare for graduation in May. It has gone by fast. That is because I have taken nine credits in three weeks between the three trips. My Professor for the Prague class was starting to work on this trip when we were still in Prague so he had been talking about it for awhile and it peaked my interest.
I had not been to this part of the world since my trip to Egypt back in 1993. I had an interest in going back to the Middle East and felt this was the perfect opportunity to visit a much developed and fastly growing part of the world. Even with a four hour layover in Cairo, Egypt on the way there, I could see that Cairo has changed tremendously in thirty years.
Spending two days traveling from Newark to Cairo and then from Cairo to Abu Dhabi was a lot on me. It was a three hour layover in Cairo with not that many good restaurants to choose from at the airport. That and dealing with jet lag was not fun. I got into Abu Dhabi with no problems. It was only a ten minute cab ride to the downtown area where the hotel was located. There was no room at the dorms for us so we stayed at the Marriott Courtyard World Trade Center. It was a nice hotel in the middle of everything in the City.
The Marriott Courtyard in Aby Dhabi at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street – 5th St – Abu Dhabi.
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/auhcy-courtyard-world-trade-center-abu-dhabi/overview/
My review on TripAdvisor:
We had time to settle in and relax at the hotel. I unpacked, took a long hot shower and then fell asleep for three and a half hours. I felt so much more refreshed after that nap. I really needed it. Then the fun began. I got the phone call.
I had to switch rooms because the hotel put me in a room with no roommate(we had to share rooms in Abu Dhabi), so I had to pack and move. My roommate and I kidded about this. Then I needed more time to relax. While he went off with some of our classmates, I just wanted to stay in and explore the hotel.
Instead of running around my first evening, I went for a swim and dinner up by the pool. That was the perfect way to relax. The pool on the 12th Floor of the Marriott had the most amazing views of the City and it was nice to take a swim, have some dinner and just rest. Doing nothing is highly underrated. After a trip half way around the world, it is the best thing to do.
The views from the pool were amazing.
What I liked about the pool is that they had a really nice bar and restaurant right next to the pool called Up & Below and I ordered dinner. I just had some sliders and fries for dinner and I have to say that I was craving a good burger that night. The food at the pool bar was excellent as was the service. It was nice to relax, have dinner and enjoy the view.
The Beef sliders and fries with a Pepsi for dinner Up & Below
https://www.morecravings.com/en/venues/up-below
My TripAdvisor review:
They tasted as good as they looked!
All I know is that when I hit the pillow, I went out like a light. I did not even hear my roommate leave the room to change rooms. I slept for six hours straight in a deep sleep and woke up while it was still dark out. That’s jet lag for you. You get out of it and you do not know where you are. it took me a moment to gather my thoughts and realize I was in Abu Dhabi. I went back to bed when the Wake Up call came in and got ready for our first day of touring the city.
I was very refreshed but still worn out the next morning. The breakfast buffet made up for being worn out and it was a great way to start the morning tour. Talk about selections!
The food at Bistro by Marriott was really good! This was the hot line of entrees.
https://www.morecravings.com/en/venues/bistro
My review on TripAdvisor:
I was really hungry that morning and the Bistro, the restaurant on the second floor of the Marriott is where our group would be eating for the next six days more than made up for being so tired after a long trip. A good breakfast always wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. Especially with all the choices for breakfast on this buffet.
The buffet breakfast sausages, bacon and Spring Rolls.
The buffet baked goods and pastries.
The buffet fresh juice selection.
The seating in the restaurant that looked over the World Trade Center driveway.
There was so much to choose from and everything was delicious. After a wonderful breakfast, it was off for our first day of touring for our tourism class.
Our first stop on the tour of Abu Dhabi was the NYU campus located in the city. What a beautiful campus. It is modern and open air, nothing like the New York campus. It is so breezy and nice to walk around with the futuristic buildings and colorful gardens. We talked with members of the staff and faculty there and then got a great tour of campus. The weather was so nice to walk around as it was not quite 80 degrees that morning.
The tour of campus and the views from the main building.
New York University Abu Dhabi
The tour of campus and the views of the ocean from the main building.
After a welcome and refreshments in the meeting room, the members of the NYU Abu Dhabi campus took us on a tour of the campus and what a tour it was! The buildings are all so new and state of the art. Touring all the arts buildings and libraries were so different from New York City. It made me want to come here for a semester.
The tour of campus in the Library.
The tour of campus in the new Performing Arts Theater.
The tour of campus with a diagram of campus.
After our hour tour on campus and meeting our counterparts, we took our group shot by the college’s sign in the courtyard. I still could not believe that I was in Abu Dhabi. I never thought I would ever come here. What made it even better is that we heard that the major snow storm that we all missed was blanketing the New York/New Jersey area. Talk about the expression ‘dogging the storm’. We then we left on our tour of historical sites in the city. We toured several historic palaces that showcased the city’s past against the backdrop of the glittering new city.
Our first stop was the Qasr Hosn Palace. It is one of the oldest city structures in Abu Dhabi and shows the contrast between the old city and the new. The beauty of the structure is the location in the business district of Abu Dhabi and the backdrop of the the progress that the City has made.
The Qasr Hosn Palace at Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum St(2nd St) – Al Hisn – W3
My review on TripAdvisor:
The tour was interesting as we walked down the hallways and through the corridors of the palace.
The palace courtyard with the new business district in the background.
This is Abu Dhabi’s oldest structure in the city and you really do see a contrast of the old and the new. Qasr Al Hosn was built in the 1790’s and was once home to the ruling family of the country. The building also housed the National Consultative Council, founded by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the of the UAE. It was renovated and turned into a museum in 2018.
The elegance of the architecture of the past.
The Courtyard of the palace.
Our class group shot when we finished our tour.
After our tour of the palace, we went back to the World Trade Center Mall and toured the mall and had lunch. The complex was really busy that afternoon as all the office workers and expats were on their lunch break too.
The amazing thing about mall food courts all over the world I have noticed is the nothing changes. They are overloaded with fast food restaurants and junk food. I needed my McDonalds fix and was lucky there was a large one located in the middle of the food court. I swear I felt like I was right back in Paramus, NJ.
The one thing I did like about this McDonalds was the regional specials that they featured. I had the McArabia chicken sandwich meal for lunch, which was two chicken patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and a white sauce tucked in a flavored pita. I thought that this sandwich would work in the US. It was delicious.
The McArabia Chicken sandwich.
Talk about cross cultural at a McDonalds.
It always boggles my mind how McDonalds translates all over the world. I ate with our tour guide, Nimesh, who I would to know over several meals on the trip. He would give me good insights about the places we would visit for the rest of the trip.
After lunch and our tour of the World Trade Center was over, then it was off to our next historical site, the palace Qasr Al Watan. This is a working palace and I have to say one of the most beautiful and detailed buildings that I have ever seen. The palace was magnificent.
If you ever have a dream of what a palace is, Qasr Al Watan is it.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The amazing fountains outside the palace.
The back hallway.
Entering this Palace is breathtaking and I was impressed by the detailing to the building. There was no details left out and every part of the inside of this building was designed so tastefully. It was more than impressed. I was blown away by its beauty.
The entrance to the palace.
The center of the palace in all of its glory.
With a diameter of 37 meters and soaring to 60 meters, the central dome of The Great Hall is one of Abu Dhabi’s most imposing sights. he Great Hall incorporates Qasr Al Watan’s three signature colors: Blue, white and yellow. The blue represents the waters of the Arabian Gulf, the white stands for purity, while the yellow is inspired by the color of the desert sands. Together, they give the space a distinctive appearance that is filled with deep significance. (Palace website 2024)
The center of the palace in its glory.
The elegant and beautiful chandelier.
Geometric shapes play a prominent role in the architecture of The Great Hall at Qasr Al Watan. Mirrored cubes, curved glass panels, Arabesque patterns and symmetric marble panels all add up to create a visual feast that is both intricate and harmonious. You can even step into a cube and look out into the big, timeless space of the hall for a unique perspective. From the Palace’s Great Hall visitors can wander into any of the other zones to view and learn more about the Nation’s past, present and future (Palace website 2024).
The escalators in the back of the palace.
The Banquet Room
As we toured the first floor of the palace, the band came out and played for all the visitors.
The Royal Band playing “The Marines Hymn” in the main court followed by “Thriller”. I thought that was very clever.
The video of the band:
As the band left, we walked past one of the golden sculptures, “The Power of Words”, of the palace that my Professor claimed was made of solid gold. I would have imagined more guards around this but so many people were taking their picture by it I asked one of the guards about it. He laughed and said that is was gold leafed but not solid gold. Hence two guards by it.
“The Power of Words” Sculpture
Designed and crafted by the renowned Emirati artist, Mattar Bin Lahej, the Power of Words installations represent part of the legacy laid down by the UAE’s late founding father. Each sculpture features an interlaced inscription from an Arabic quote attributed to the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Gulf Today 2024).
Artist Mattar Bin Lahej
https://m.facebook.com/p/Mattar-Bin-Lahej-100069912092549
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattar_Bin_Lahej
Mr. Bin Lahej is an artist from is an Emirati painter, photographer and sculptor from Dubai. He founded Marsam Mattar, the first art gallery in the United Arab Emirates to be managed by an artist (Wiki).
The original Power of Words sculpture located inside the Palace features the following quote: “Wealth is not money or oil; wealth lies in people and it is worthless if not dedicated to serving the people.” (Gulf Today 2024).
The palace was extremely beautiful and tastefully decorated. The last thing we visited was the Presidential Room filled with gifts from other nations. Some of these items were impressive works of art that caught my attention.
The horse sculpture
The sign for the horse sculpture in the Gift Room.
After the afternoon band entertainment and tour of the palace it was on to the next part of the tour. Not before our group shot in front of this magnificent palace.
Our group shot of NYU students in front of the palace when we left.
The view outside the palace.
We were all exhausted after a long day of touring but next we were off to the AJC (American Jewish Committee) of Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding at the Al Khatem Tower. Our group was going to talk with the program director on current Arab-Jewish relations and how the group is fostering an understanding of these relations. With what was going on in the region with the War, I thought this was a really good step in trying to build a relationship. It is nice to see this happening.
Our group shot at the AJC Office in Abu Dhabi with our hosts and Professor.
We all got back to the hotel in the early evening and everyone was exhausted. Most of us were still dealing with jet lag and some people were hungry and left to get something to eat before they went to bed. We had another long day of touring in front of us early and it would be another long day on the bus.
While my roommate went off with everyone else in search of dinner, I went back to the room for a quick nap. Then it was off to look for a snack. This is what I love about cities and the nooks and crannies they have to explore. Right around the corner from the hotel was a small Philippine bakery, Manila Pinoy Bakery, that sold all sorts of sweet and savory snacks.
Manila Pinoy Bakery at E18-02 – Abu Dhabi
https://www.facebook.com/p/Manila-Pinoy-Restaurant-and-Bakery-UAE-100063643983458
My review on TripAdvisor:
This little hole in the wall catered to the workers of the local hotels and the people who worked in the mall. I was the only tourist in the place and the only one that walked in that night. I could tell be the looks that I was getting.
The food is fantastic. I had a Chicken Bun filled with chopped chicken breast cooked with soy sauce, a baked Chicken Roll and a Lumpia that will filled with fresh bananas that had been rolled in cinnamon and then the outside wrapper was covered with honey. God, I enjoyed the meal and it was so cheap. I think it was about ten AED and I could live with that. I ate it in the restaurant and I could see the owner of the shop liked the fact that I enjoyed my meal so much.
It was nice too that I could walk back to my room in about five minutes which is what I did. I swear I was not in the room for more than twenty minutes before I went out like a light. My roommate was so funny in that he said you could not wake me up for anything.
I slept sounding waiting for the next adventure the next day.
Places to Stay:
Courtyard by Marriott World Trade Center, Abu Dhabi
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street – 5th St
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
+971-800-62774688
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/auhcy-courtyard-world-trade-center-abu-dhabi/overview
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Bistro Restaurant inside the hotel:
https://courtyard.marriott.com/bistro
Open: Sunday-Thursday 7:30am-10:30am/Friday-Saturday 7:30am-11:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Dine:
McDonalds Food court – Abu Dhabi WTC Mall – Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971-606-588885
Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-11:00pm
https://www.wtcad.ae/en/dine/mcdonald-s
My review on TripAdvisor:
Manila Pinoy Bakery at E18-02
Abu Dhabi -United Arab Emirates
Open: Sunday-Thursday 9:00am-12:00am/Friday 9:00am-12:30am/Saturday 9:00am-12:00m
https://www.facebook.com/p/Manila-Pinoy-Restaurant-and-Bakery-UAE-100063643983458
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
Qasr Hosn Palace
Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum St(2nd St) – Al Hisn – W3
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:00am-10:00pm/Friday 2:00pm-10:00am/Saturday 10:00am-10:00pm
Admission: See website for group rates
My review on TripAdvisor:
Qasr Al Watan Palace
Al Ras Al Akhdar
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
+971 600 544 442
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am5:45pm
Admission: See website for the group rates
My review on TripAdvisor:
mywalkinmanhattan 
My first day in Abu Dhabi was a real eye opener on the history of the City and its cultural past.
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