Author: Jason

One Day in Dubai

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Have an upcoming layover in Dubai? First time visiting the city and you’ve only got a day to spare? I’m a big fan of beaches and architecture, and on a recent trip through Dubai, here’s how I spent my 24 hour layover in Dubai:

Walk around the Dubai Mall
(~1 hour)

Grab a taxi or uber to visit the Dubai Mall, one of the largest malls in the world. Not only is the mall a great escape from the oppressive heat (even at night!), but there’s something new and interesting. During my visit, there was a game going on in the ice rink:

Ice rink at Dubai Mall

Ice rink at Dubai Mall

Watch the Dubai Fountain Show
(~30 minutes)

The highlight of the mall in my opinion is the Dubai Fountain. Designed by the same creators of the fountain show at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, the fountain show at the Dubai Mall is the world’s largest fountain performance. I’d recommend going in the evening to take full advantage of the accompanying light show, which you obviously can’t appreciate as much during the day. Evening shows happen every 30 minutes, between 630pm – 11pm. Additional information on the Dubai Fountain

Dubai Fountain Performance

Dubai Fountain Performance

Be mesmerized by the Burj Khalifa
(~15-20 minutes)

After the fountain show, walk around the Burj Khalifa lake to get to the base of Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. One of the first things you’ll notice when standing at the foot of the tower is just the immensity of the building. I’ve visited a handful of other super-skyscrapers in the past (the Willis Tower in Chicago, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, or Taipei 101), but none of those buildings compares to Burj Khalifa. Simply put, this building is enormous!

Burj Khalifa at Night

Burj Khalifa at Night

Indulge in high tea at the world’s highest bar: At.mosphere at the Burj Khalifa
(~1-2 hours)

I absolutely love architecture. And drinking…tea. And in a city known for towers sprouting up like weeds, there were really only two places that made my shortlist to grab high tea: the Burj Khalifa and the Burj al Arab. Both towers offer guests the option of having high tea from a prime location: at the Burj Khalifa, at highest bar in the world; at the Burj al Arab, at the world’s only 7 star hotel. I opted for the Burj Khalifa, mainly because I wanted to check out the view from the world’s tallest tower, and more importantly there weren’t any reservations available at the Skyview Bar at the Burj al Arab.

Waiting for high tea at the Armani Residences at Burj Khalifa

Waiting for high tea reservation at the Armani Residences at Burj Khalifa

The At.mosphere is located at Floor 124. I’ve never been at a floor so high in my life! At AED580 for a window seat, the experience indeed was definitely a treat. was definitely one of the highlights of my layover. Although it’s not the highest floor in the tower (there’s an observation deck on the 148th floor), it was certainly an experience to remember.

Window table at At.moshpere at Burj Khalifa

Window table at At.moshpere at Burj Khalifa

High tea starters

At.mosphere at Burj Khalifa high tea starters

High Tea Shrimp Course

At.mosphere at Burj Khalifa high tea shrimp dish

High tea desserts

At.mosphere at Burj Khalifa high tea desserts

At the At.mosphere!

Me at the At.mosphere!

Make sure to book your reservation by either filling out this form, sending an email to reservations@atmosphereburjkhalifa.com, or calling them at +971 4 888 3828.

Check out JBR Beach
(1-2 hours)

After high tea, I was keen to check out Dubai’s beaches. While there are a lot of beaches in the emirate, JBR (short for Jumeirah Beach Residence) beach, located about 20 minutes away from the Burj Khalifa, is one of Dubai’s more renowned beach areas. A quick uber ride later, I had my feet in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf!

JBR Beach

Muslim women at JBR Beach

Sun shining down on JBR Beach

Sun shining down on JBR Beach

Soaking in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf

Soaking in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf

Go on a sunset cruise around the Dubai Marina
(1 hour)

After hanging out and people watching, walk over to the Dubai Marina and grab a ticket for a ferry ride on the Dubai Ferry. I caught the 5pm ferry ride, which lined up perfectly right around sunset. The ferry is a great way to see a lot of Dubai’s architecture from the water in a relatively short period of time (the ferry tour lasts about 60 minutes). Tickets for the ferry ride cost AED 50.

After the ferry ride, I grabbed a cab at the Dubai Marina (it’s pretty easy to find cabs and ubers in this part of town), picked up my stuff from my hotel, and headed off to Dubai airport for my connecting flight later that evening.

Dubai Marina

Dubai Marina

Yacht at Dubai Marina

Yacht at Dubai Marina

Sunset in the Persian Gulf

Sunset in the Persian Gulf

Getting Around:
If you’re strapped for time, and want to make the most of your short stay in Dubai, I’d highly recommend using a taxi or uber to get around. While I did take the Dubai Metro from the airport to my hotel, walking from the metro station to your final destination in the oppressively hot Middle East heat is no joke. Do yourself a favor and just take a cab or uber!

 

Things to Do Around DC

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Downtown DC from above.

Downtown DC from above.

This week marks my sixth year anniversary as a resident of the DC area! As much as I love to travel, I truly believe that you can experience that feeling of adventure and discovery right in your own backyard. I put together a list of over 50+ different and off-beat activities that, despite this being my 8th summer in DC, I (mostly) have yet to experience. Moreover, I’m a fan of art, history and being outdoors, so a lot of these activities are geared towards those types of activities.

Whether you’re new to DC, been here for years, or just looking for something new to do. Here’s my list of 100+ mini-adventures around the DC area that you can start doing today!

Northwest DC

  • Adams Morgan
    • Participate in the Sunday Drum Circle at Meridian Hill Park
  • Columbia Heights
    • Monday Night Trivia at Wonderland
  • Farragut Square
    • Visit the White House. Request a tour through your state representative or senator.
    • White House Garden Tour
  • Federal Triangle
    • Visit the FBI Education Center
  • Georgetown
    • Twilight Tour of Potomac or Stand Up Paddleboarding at Key Bridge Boathouse
    • Check out the Soundscape at Dumbarton Oaks Garden
  • Logan Circle
  • Shaw / U Street
    • Thursday Night Trivia at Nellies
  • Woodley Park
    • Go on an Elephant Trails Tour at the National Zoo

Southwest DC

  • Waterfront / Navy Yard

Southeast DC

  • Anacostia
    • Kayak on the Anacostia River at Ballpark Boathouse
    • Visit the Frederick Douglass House and admire the views of the DC skyline
    • Visit Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
    • Check out the Anacostia Community Museum

Northeast DC

  • H Street
    • See a demonstration of Ethiopian coffee making at sidamo coffee Ethiopian 2pm Sunday

In Maryland

  • Annapolis Area
    • Have a dinner al fresco on Wednesdays during Dinner Under the Stars
    • Go sailing around Annapolis
    • All You Can Eat Crabs at Harris Crab House on Kent Island (M-F)

In Northern Virginia

  • Arlington
    • Friday evening concert at the Air Force memorial
    • Walk around Roosevelt Island
    • Watch planes at Gravelly Point
    • Night time at the pentagon 9/11 memorial
    • Arlington House at Arlington Cemetary
    • Visit the DEA Museum
  • Fairfax County
    • Lunch buffet at Woodlands
    • Rent a canoe at Burke Lake Park
    • Peking Duck at Peking Gourmet Inn
    • Bull Run – Picnic at The Winery

 

2016 EU Embassy Day – Where to Eat and Drink

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Eat your way across Europe during EU Embassy Open House Day!

Feeling overwhelmed with which embassies to visit during this Saturday’s 2016 EU Embassy Open House Day?

Included on this list are countries whose websites have additional information on what they’re planning for this Saturday’s open house. I’ve listed below what you can expect to eat and drink at each embassy. Here’s what I found:

Austria – Bratwurst, Eggenberg Pils and Stiegl Radler will be served (bring cash). Wine tasting seminars available throughout the day for $12. 3 sessions available. RSVP on Eventbrite.

Belgium – Free Belgian chocolates and cookies. Belgian fries and waffles for sale.

Czech Republic – Food and music also available, no specifics mentioned on the website. Sports themed day.

Denmark – No specifics on food or drink, though you can get a free tour of the ambassador’s residence. Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis and are available at the embassy.

Finland – Free food, no specifics mentioned on the website. Fun fact: this is the greenest embassy in the US.

Germany and France – German Biergarten and French Cafe in the Ambassador Gardens. No specifics on whether food and drink are free. Like the Czech Republic, the Germany and France embassy day will be sports themed, specifically on soccer. Julian Buscher from DC United will also be at the event.

Greece – Food will be served, but no specifics mentioned on the website. Flavors of Greece, music, dance and special exhibition from the National Geographic Museum.

Hungary – Hungarian goulash, sausages, stew and other foods made by the embassy chef available. Froccs, a popular summertime drink, and Hungarian Brandy will also be served. Hungarian Viszla’s will also be at the embassy!

Italy – Neopolitan pizza, ice cream and espresso from Lavazza and desserts from Ferrrero. From what I recall, you had to pay for the pizza last year.

Netherlands – Poffertjes (dutch mini pancakes), stroopwafels and kaas (cheese) will be served, not sure if it’ll be for free.

Poland – Food available, though no specifics mentioned. Interestingly, the embassy this year will have a video game theme showcasing Poland’s budding video game industry scene.

Slovakia – Taste Slovak drinks and foods, no specifics mentioned.

Slovenia – Slovenian beer and wine, prekmurska gibanica (layered cake), Slovenian sausages, potica (walnut-roll cake).

Spain – Live paella cooking class and free tasting. Sangria, Spanish wine and beer, and food from participating restaurants.

London March 2016. The UK doesn't make my list of embassies to visit during the 2016 EU Embassy Day.

London March 2016. The UK doesn’t make my list of embassies to visit during the 2016 EU Embassy Day.

Recommendations:
So where will I be attempting to hit up this Saturday? And why?
Belgium – for the Belgian waffles and chocolates
Hungary – for the goulash and stew
Slovenia – for the interesting sounding desserts
Spain – for the Sangria and other Spanish wines
Austria – for the wine tasting seminar

Conclusion
28 embassies, six hours, and endless lines of people! EU Embassy Day is truly a day when DC itself becomes an amusement park. You might not be able to skip the lines with a fast pass like at Disneyland, but with some planning, you’ll know where it’s worth waiting and where it’s worth skipping. Have a great EU Embassy Day!

Additional Resources:
Shortcut to Europe: EU Embassy Open House 2016
EU Embassy Map

2015 in Review

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2015 was another incredible rollercoaster of highs and lows. I can’t believe this is the fifth year I’ve been writing an annual review! You can check out previous ones here: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

In no particular order, here are the top ten things that I’ll remember from this year, both the good and the bad:

Fitness:

Hitting the gym regularly. Here’s the breakdown month over month:

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Visits 2 0 4 13 20 13
Month Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Visits 19 21 15 13 9 18

Since April, I’ve averaged about 16 visits/month to the gym. Overall, I’m glad that I’ve fallen into the routine of working out in the morning before work. Hoping it continues in the new year!

Running:

I had planned to run several half marathons this year, specifically the DC Rock and Roll and the Brooklyn Rock and Roll. Unfortunately, I ended up doing neither. In fact, since April, I’ve focused much less on running workouts in favor of more strength training. In the new year, I hope I’ll finally find that balance between strength training while picking back up on a regular running schedule.

Half Marathon Bibs

 

Bibs from half-marathons I’ve ran in the past. I hope to run more in 2016!

Career:

At the beginning of this year, I would’ve never expected that I’d have switched jobs twice in one year — but that’s exactly what happened. In April, I was recruited out of the education technology startup I had been working for the past year and a half and joined a healthcare startup. In November, I was again recruited out of that healthcare startup to join a university. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that something like this would’ve happened, in turn increasing my salary by 60% in just 12 months. I’m glad to say that I’ve found my niche within marketing, and am so thankful to be in a career that I find interesting, challenging and rewarding.

UMUC Swag

Swag from my new job at the University of Maryland, University College.

Business:

I’ve always wanted to start my own business, and when I turned 27 earlier this summer, I set out a goal that by Labor Day 2015, I’d earn my first dollar from consulting work outside of my day job. While I didn’t meet the end-of-summer goal, I did manage to find consulting work with a former employer, and finally got my first payment as a freelance consultant in December!

First freelance paycheck!

My first check as a freelance consultant!

Travel:

My 2015 travel highlights post (see here) goes into detail on this topic, but suffice it to say, 2015 was another incredible year of travel. I would’ve never imagined that in the past 12 months, I’d be fortunate enough to visit six countries, 28 cities, flown over 100k miles on some of the most luxurious first class products (Singapore Suites Class, Etihad First Class Apartments, JAL Business Class), and do this all for leisure on vacation time. Not only did I travel way more than I could’ve imagined abroad over the past year, I also traveled a lot domestically, visiting Hawaii three times this year, exploring the beaches and lakes of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast throughout the summer, and traveling to California and Chicago. 

2015 Best Nine

My #2015bestnine according to Instagram. Most of which had to deal with travel.

Travel Burnout:

I always thought that there was no such thing as “too much traveling,” especially given how much I enjoy traveling, exploring and discovering new places. Well, without any notice, by mid-November, after a whirlwind three-day trip around the world, I was feeling major burnout from travel. In 2016, I’m hoping to find that balance between continuing to do the thing that I enjoy the most while being mindful of knowing when enough is enough.

#RTWin80hours

I can’t believe I did this routing in just 80 hours.

Driving:

2015 was a memorable year in driving, for two reasons. The first happened earlier this year down in Australia, where I rented a car in Tassie. It was my first time driving on the left, as well as the first time I’ve ever gotten a speeding ticket. The second reason why driving was so memorable happened just last month, in November, when I purchased my very own car! Again, I would’ve never imagined at the start of this year that I’d have a car, but I’m glad that I made the purchase. Otherwise, I’d have a 2-hour commute each way on my way to work, no thanks.

Driving on the left

My rental car in Tasmania. Looking forward to driving in foreign countries again in 2016.

Jason's Toyota Corolla

My very first car! Hoping to put on some serious mileage and do some road trips with this one in the coming year.

Breaking up:

I learned about relationships this past year, having broken up from my first serious relationship with a guy this past summer. It’s been a slow healing process, but by and large, I’m thankful for all the memories and experiences I had in that relationship. This was definitely the biggest life-learning experience I had from this past year.

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A simple reminder that every beginning begins with an end.

Friendships:

I met some amazing people this year, a few of whom that I can already see as being solid friends for years to come. That being said, I do know that I could’ve been a better friend to others, and I’ve lost touch with others, but am hoping to rectify this in the new year.

2015 Friends & Family

A snapshot of some of the wonderful people that I’m grateful to call my friends and family.

Spirituality:

Whether I was traveling abroad or somewhere around the States, I was fairly consistent at attending mass every Sunday at least once a month throughout the year. I’ve also continued to practice being more mindful, listening to more instrumental music to help calm and make my mind clear.

Sunday Mass at St. Patricks, NYC

Mass at St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City.

Conclusion: 

Overall 2015 was a positive year for me. It certainly was filled with challenges, many of which were completely unexpected. Despite the challenges, I can honestly say that this was another fantastic year where I truly lived my life to the fullest. No holding back, no regrets, nothing. Life is such an awesome and crazy adventure, and I can’t wait to see and experience what’s to come in the new year!