The View from the Top!

We finally made it to the top of the world!  After opening in January this year, we've done nothing but stare at the tallest building in the world in our backyard, while we waited for my parents to arrive so we could all go to the observation deck together.  Finally 11 months later, the moment had arrived to join the Guinness Book of  World Records and become one of the many visitors who have been to the worlds tallest observation deck.  The deck is on the 124th floor and the elevator gets you there in a little under one minute - which is pretty amazing.  The building has 36 more floors above where we could go, for a total of 160 floors.  Floor was 160 is residential -can you imagine?

I don't consider myself afraid of heights, but even I was afraid to get near the windows!

Here's a list of all the World Records the Burj Khalifa currently holds:

• Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m/1,671 ft)
• Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m/2,121 ft)
• Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m/2,063 ft)
• Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m/1,815 ft)
• Building with most floors: 160 (previously Willis Tower – 108)
• Building with highest occupied floor in the world: 160th floor
• World's highest elevator installation, situated inside a rod at the very top of the building
• World's fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
• Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m/1,474 ft)
• The first world's tallest structure in history to include residential space
• Highest outdoor observation deck in the world (124th floor) at 452 m (1,483 ft)
• World's highest mosque (located on the 158th floor)
• World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)
• World's highest swimming pool (76th floor)
• World's highest nightclub (144th floor)

 The tunnel ride from Dubai Mall to the base of the Burj is illuminated with a ton of projectors which tell the story of Dubai.

Welcome to the base of the Burj.

The bird's eye view is meant to look like this...a cross section of the hymenocallis or spider lily, a desert flower.

The view looking East down Sheikh Zayed road.  This is the Dubai financial and business center.

Great view of Sheikh Mohammad's palace.

Looking East towards our neighboring emirate Sharjah.

There's still 36 floors above us!

The iconic Emirates towers, one of my favorite buildings in Dubai - I used to work on the 49th floor.

Taking in the view.  Can I see Iran from here?

Glad to enjoy the moment with Mom and Dad!

The view looking West towards the Marina.  You can only slightly see the Burj Al Arab - we had a hazy day!

Looking down our our neighborhood.  Our building is in the upper right hand corner.

The top of Dubai Mall, Souk al Bahar, the Palace hotel and you can see the Dubai fountain mechanisms.

 

The crescent moon pool at the Address hotel

It's hard to believe that just last weekend we visited the world record holder for the tallest building for the last 4,000 years!  The Great Pyramid at Giza held the title for 4 millennia before more modern structures took over.  Let's see how long the Burj Khalifa holds on!