DougNagy

Here's some context on the rest of the neighborhood. (Photo 1) There are skyscrapers going up everywhere. This picture shows only a small portion. (Photo 2) A block down the seaside boardwalk there are cafes at the entrance of the Galleria Mall. (Photo 3) This is sunset from the main atrium of the Galleria Mall. CCF site is still under construction, but this is what the views will look like when complete.

I'm in Dubai for work and went up to Abu Dhabi on Saturday to snap some photos of the new CCF facility. Both the main building and the seaside location are stunning. There's a dedicated bikepath / boardwalk nestled between the building and the waterfront. If you walk down the boardwalk, there are seaside cafes and a beautiful, fancy mall. While there's some room for improvement in the plan (first floor retail along the board, the suburban-like campus entrance, etc), this is some of the best urbanism in the entire Gulf.

If this is the 1898 station, it's where my great great grandfather may have immigrated to Cleveland in 1901. At the time, you could buy a combined B&O/Atlantic crossing ticket in Hamburg. You came in through Fell's Point Baltimore and immediately got on a train. http://www.baltimoremd.com/charm/pointofentry.html

Exciting to see some lights on in the tower. It's been dark for so long.

An awesome night!

The snap of a few sparks, a quick whiff of ozone, and the lamp blazed forth in unparalleled glory...

National Terminal was in pretty terrible shape when I toured last month. Management doesn't seem to put much effort into basic things like a 24h front desk, decent gym equipment, way-finding, etc. The rental office was so cold that the staff was wearing their coats. And the whole building could use some pinterest-type love to brighten the dreary hallways & units.

Phase II of Flats East Bank went vertical today. This is the view from the Phase 1 office tower.