downtown
![](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5698/30330996161_c1e85924fa_z.jpg "Spicy Miso Ramen \")
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal and houses the large majority of the city’s skyscrapers.
Above, view of Downtown Montreal and Rue Sainte-Catherine from my room at Hôtel des Gouverneurs.
Au Sommet Place Ville-Marie
Au Sommet Place Ville-Marie is an observation deck located on the 46th floor of the Place Ville-Marie skyscraper in Downtown Montreal. At 185m, it is the highest observatory in the city. The main deck is fully enclosed with glass but the 44th floor has an outdoor terrace.
San Francisco: Market Street, UN Plaza, City Hall
On my last morning in San Francisco, I checked out of my hotel early then walked around Market Street until it was time to go to the airport.
Abu Dhabi: Corniche, Emirates Palace, Marina Mall & Abu Dhabi Theatre
In December, a few weeks after Dubai, I came back to the United Arab Emirates, this time in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country. It was just a single day layover on my way to Amsterdam but I was able to see a lot.
After I arrived at the airport in the early morning, I took the shuttle bus to downtown Abu Dhabi. I then walked along the Corniche, a pedestrian path along the coast, until I reached the road that leads to the Marina Mall. Instead of going there, I continued along Corniche Road to the Emirates Palace, a 7-star luxury hotel. Part of the hotel is open to all visitors, so I got inside. It was indeed quite nice… After that, I took the bus to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was actually pretty far away. It was a bit of an adventure so I will make a separate post about it later. After the Mosque, I took a taxi to the Marina Mall and had a quick look inside. Then I headed towards the Heritage Village nearby but there was an event for the Volvo Ocean Race so I went in. It hadn’t really started yet so it was not very interesting. I continued on the road, past the Heritage Village, until the Abu Dhabi Theatre. There was a great viewpoint on the skyline of Downtown Abu Dhabi from there. Finally, I walked on the road towards the Etihad Towers but stopped at a café for sheesha and diner until it was time to go to the airport.
At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY: 148th floor observatory
On my third and last day in Dubai, I went back to Burj Khalifa, this time for the so-called “At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY” experience. At 555m, it is the highest observation deck in the world (as attested by a plaque from the Guinness World Records). It opened a few months ago and is located on level 148 of the tower. There are 163 floors in total so it is almost at the top.
Dubai Marina, Atlantis The Palm, Burj Al Arab & Dubai Fountain
On my second day in Dubai, I had to be at the Marina early for a boat tour I had booked (I will write a full post about it later). After the tour, I continued walking through Dubai Media City to the Palm Jumeirah Monorail Gateway station. The Monorail leads to the Atlantis hotel, built on the artificial Palm Jumeirah Islands. A small part is open to the public. Besides the hotel, there is also an aquarium (The Lost Chambers), a waterpark (Aquaventure) and a dolphin park (Dolphin Bay), where you can swim with dolphins.