Dubai Mall....the Galleria on Steriods!

We ventured out this morning on the road to Dubai!  It took us a little over an hour to get there.  We saw a few camels along the way...no they were not on the highway LOL!  We passed the UAE National Forest...yes they have a forest LOL!  Well they are planting a forest in a designated area....

So what did we do in Dubai...we went to the Dubai Mall!  It is HUGE...GIANORMOUS!  For some of us Texas folks the largest mall we have ever seen is the Houston Galleria Mall. Well folks the Dubai Mall is the Galleria multiplied by 4!  The Galleria Mall has 375 stores while the Dubai Mall has 1,200 stores.  The Dubai Mall covers 12.1 million sq.ft. , to me that is amazing!!!!

The Dubai Mall has some of the same stores that you would see in the states, American Eagle, Gap, H&M, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Gucci...and more.  Some of those I will shop at and some I have never shopped at!  Too rich for my blood folks!  There are also many stores that I have never heard of before.  There is a huge food court and even some big name restaurants such as Chili's, Cheesecake Factory, Rainforest Cafe, Outback Steakhouse...etc.  It is beautifully decorated!  They have spared no expense in the furnishings or the decor...

Besides shopping you are not at a loss for entertainment there... Just name it and they probably have it!  The Underwater Zoo & Aquarium, ice skating rink (that is the same size as a hockey rink), indoor snow skiing, and movie theater.

This mall is geared mainly toward women and children because in the UAE, although some women work, most do not.  The expat women are here usually do to their husband's job and the nationals (Emirate women) are married to the ancient money in this nation!  So what do the women do all day..SHOP!  Clint said that this place could break a man!  Honestly, I am sure that I will make a few shopping trips but I am not going to be frequenting the malls on a daily basis.  Believe me there is no shortage of malls around here!  There are probably 7 BIG malls just here in Abu Dhabi!  So I could get to a mall in a matter of minutes anytime!