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
Everyday became an adventure when we visited more of Abu Dhabi.
After a quick breakfast in the morning ( I am sure everyone was tired of me talking about the amazing buffet at the Marriott Courtyard but it is that good!), we were off on our next day of touring around the City which started with a visit to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office. I have to say that it was not the same as the visit to the Dubai Tourism Office.
Our class at NYU taking notes on the PowerPoint presentation at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office for our final projects that were done at the end of the class.
They gave us a through look at the city and the recent developments made to attract more tourists from North America. Some of the issues with this is that in the US, we already miles of beaches on three coasts and access to the Caribbean Islands and the South Pacific, which are all much closer to us. This on top of the fact that we have hundreds of malls in this country and we pretty much invented in the modern indoor mall starting with Paramus Park in Paramus, NJ in 1978.
I thought where the Tourism Office should concentrate on is the wonderful palaces, the trip to the Oasis and developing the Convention Business, which I think would bring more people to the region who might stay on for Business/Vacation type of trip. You have to give people a reason to come here and it can’t all be the beach and shopping malls. We in the US can do all of that at home. I do not need to travel ten hours to do any of that. Plus with the amount of immigration in the New York area, I can find Arabic food from Lebanon, Syria, Saudia and Egypt in Paterson, NJ, (ten minutes from my home), whose Arabic population has doubled.
Our NYU group picture at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Office that morning.
When people travel somewhere, especially at these distances, they want to see something that they can’t see or experience at home. It is nice to have McDonald’s, a mall and a beach if you need a piece of home nearby and that option is nice but as a rule that is usually at the end of a trip when you are tired of touring around (I found this out after five weeks in China and needed something from home). When I was here, I wanted to experience something different (yes, you can ride a camel in the United States).
The Visitors Center in Masdar City.
https://www.mycitycentremasdar.com
My review on TripAdvisor:
After our trip to the Tourism Office, we traveled to Masdar City, a planned futuristic community that was being developed. That was an interesting concept in modern living.
The City of Masdar layout of city blocks.
The whole place was sustainable and built with every modern feature. Unfortunately like all places like this in the US, I can see it turning into public housing one day if not carefully planned correctly. Just read Jane Jacobs “The Death and Life of American Cities” and you will know these places never work in the end. Neighborhoods need to develop at their own pace with the people that live there and it is the people themselves who make up a neighborhood.
Walking through the maze of the complex.
Masdar City is a groundbreaking urban community and a world class business free zone and technology hub with innovation in our DNA. Driven by the UAE’s commitment to sustainability. Masdar City is driving global solutions to climate change and helping create cities of the future (Masdarcity.ae).
The Masdar City layout in the Visitors Center.
Us touring through the wind towers.
The city set up was pretty amazing. We walked through the city through the mazes of buildings and offices to see how the whole complex was set up. We drove in a driverless car around the complex which I thought was interesting. I hope this does become the wave of the future because I hate driving.
I broke away from the group while they were choosing restaurants and was able to explore the complex a bit. They even had their version of Central Park towards the back of the complex.
Central Park in the back of Masdar City.
I was searching around the complex for a place for lunch and there were some places in the complex that were quite interesting but some were closed and some had a lunch menu I was not in the mood for a afternoon meal. Nimesh and I headed back to the Thai restaurant that my classmates were all eating at that afternoon, Simple Thai. All I have to say is that this place was Simply Delicious! The food is excellent!
Simply Thai at Masdar City
https://www.facebook.com/p/Simply-Thai-UAE-100090015915148/
My review on TripAdvisor:
This is one of the best restaurants that we ate at in Abu Dhabi. The food is more than excellent. It was superb in everyway from taste, presentation and in price. This type of quality in the US would have been double the price and I thought everything about the restaurant was very reasonable in price with excellent service.
Nimesh and my lunch was a selection of items off the appetizer menu.
I was still stuffed from the hotel breakfast buffet so I just ordered two appetizers, the Shrimp Patties and the Thai Spring Rolls. Both in plate presentation and in taste this was some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten.
The Thai Spring Rolls.
The Shrimp Patties were crisp and sweet.
After an amazing lunch, we headed to the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre Museum which was impressive. We had a wonderful private highlights tour of the artwork and of the museum.
The entrance of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is an impressive piece of architecture. When you walk inside, you can see the metal work in the walls and ceilings with a lattice appearance. I had never seen such an creative looking building where the building is as important as the art. The museum is impressive and in awe when you walk inside of it.
The ceiling in the entrance to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The product of architect Jean Nouvel’s unique vision, Louvre Abu Dhabi was constructed as the heart of a new urban quarter for the United Arab Emirates’ capital city. A symphony in concrete, water and the subtle play of reflected light, its design was inspired by the region’s rich architectural traditions and the museum’s unique location at the point where the Arabian sky meets the sands of Saadiyat Island and the waters of the Arabian Gulf (Museum website).
Some of my favorite pieces from the collection:
The golden masks
The Twins
Middle Eastern Ancient Art
The Winged Sphinx
Some of my favorite pieces of early art
Now considered as one of the modern urban wonders of the world, Louvre Abu Dhabi is not only the Arab world’s first universal museum but a powerful symbol of the United Arab Emirates’ ambition and achievement. Inspired by the cupola, a distinctive feature in Arabic architecture, Nouvel’s dome is a complex, geometric structure of 7,850 stars. These stars are repeated at various sizes and angles in eight different layers (Museum website).
I was dazzled by the museum and all its treasures. What I thought this museum could be is the display for all the treasures locked in storage and finally bringing them to light in revolving shows. This would really highlight the extensive collections of art the museum owns.
When the tour was over, we had some time to walk around the museum on our own and it really was unique set up as a building. It had beautiful views of the water and the architecture was amazing. It made me late for the bus.
Traveling through Downtown Abu Dhabi with the buildings glistening in the sunlight.
Our next stop on the visit was Abrahamic House, a place of Moslem, Catholic and Jewish worship and faith. Since commercial photography is not allowed, I can not use my personal pictures on this blog but I attached the link to it:
https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae/visitor-guidelines
The Mission and Vision of the site:
Our vision is for people to come together in peace, diverse in our faiths, yet common in our humanity. Our mission is to bridge our common humanity through the exchange of knowledge, dialogue, and the practice of faith. Our values are peaceful coexistence, inclusivity, and the centrality of human fraternity. They embody the multiculturalism and diversity of the UAE, where communities from more than 200 nationalities live together peacefully (Abrahamic House website).
At the heart of the Abrahamic Family House are a Mosque, a Church and a Synagogue, each established to welcome Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities to practice their individual faiths. The three houses of worship are designed of equal stature, size and materiality to eliminate any sense of hierarchy. The three structures border an elevated landscaped garden that becomes a shared space for gathering and connection. The Mosque is oriented towards Mecca, the Church towards the East and the Synagogue towards Jerusalem (Abrahamic House website).
The site was very touching to me. I thought this was a wonderful way of understanding each other’s religions and faith. Since all three religions are interconnected through the belief in God, it showed me that the country was trying to bridge this belief that they are so different when they aren’t. They are just different ways to celebrate God. It was a very enlightening tour of the facility.
After we left the Abrahamic House, we got a chance to go back the hotel and relax before dinner. This would be the last time all of us would be together before we went our separate ways. Some of my classmates would be leaving right after dinner for the airport, some would be leaving the next morning for either home or to another country they would be visiting.
I was staying another night because I could not get a flight out and in the end that was a God send. I needed a day to myself away from all this togetherness. I really wanted to visit the city of Abu Dhabi on my own and really see it from the ground up.
Our Farwell Dinner was held at Bu Tafish Restaurant in a really nice section of the city by the water. The restaurant was in a beautiful complex of apartments, parks and hotels. The restaurant had beautiful views and wonderful food.
The complex where Bu Tafish Restaurant was located was very upscale and elegant.
https://www.facebook.com/butafish
My review on TripAdvisor:
The menu and history of Bu Tafish Restaurant.
The Crab & Seafood Soup to start the meal.
I had the grilled meat entree over the fish one. It was excellent but a HUGE portion of food. I think I was the only one who finished my meal. Barely! I could not believe the American sized portion for dinner. It was sad that most of the food on the table was wasted. Still the food was excellent.
Our final group picture of the trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai at Bu Tafish Restaurant. It was an evening of good food, a lot of laughter and stories and a wonderful Professor who ran a great trip. Thank you Dr. K!
We really had wonderful time at dinner. It was nice to talk about the class and about all the places that we visited over the last five days. I could not believe that amount of sites that we visited and places we went. The desert tour the day before had really wiped us all out the day before so everyone was tired from that.
There were a lot of laughs and good conversation over dinner and then it was time to go. Heading back to bus meant none of us were going to see each other again until classes started. In my case, not until March when I finished my last class before graduation.
I had been a great class. God, it went by quick!
Places to Eat:
Simply Thai Masdar City
MBZUAI 1A Podium Level Unit G10
Masdar City – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 55 352 6188
https://www.facebook.com/p/Simply-Thai-UAE-100090015915148
My review on TripAdvisor:
Bu Tafish Seafood Restaurant
Al Quffal St – Al Bateen
Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 2 666-6108
https://www.facebook.com/butafish
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-1:00am
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
Abrahamic Family House
Jacques Chirac St – Al Saadiyat Island – Cultural District
– Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae
971 2 627 5900
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Masdar City
Masdar City Hall
Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
My review on TripAdvisor:
mywalkinmanhattan 
It was another interesting day in Abu Dhabi for our group of NYU students grasping the enormity of the tourism industry of Abu Dhabi. It is a very interesting place to visit and I am glad that I took this class.
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Very useful post — I learned a lot from this. Appreciate the effort and research behind it!
visit: Properties for Sale in Dubai
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Dear Adam,
I am glad that you enjoyed the blog. I learned a lot from the Country when I was visiting and hope it promotes Dubai. There is so much potential for foreign tourism in the old section of your city. I hope it was one of your properties I provided the link. When I admire buildings that stand out, I am happy to provide the owners information on the blog for renting and leasing information.
I hope you got a chance to see the other four blogs on our NYU GFI trip last year.
Have a good day.
Sincerely,
Justin Watrel, Blogger
MywalkinManhattan.com/VisitingaMuseum.com
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