Dubai Towers

America White House

The White House

For two hundred years, the White House has stood as a symbol of the Presidency, the United States government, and the American people. Its history, and the history of the nation’s capital, began when President George Washington signed an Act of Congress in December of 1790 declaring that the federal government would reside in a district "not exceeding ten miles square…on the river Potomac." President Washington, together with city planner Pierre L’Enfant, chose the site for the new residence, which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As preparations began for the new federal city, a competition was held to find a builder of the "President’s House." Nine proposals were submitted, and Irish-born architect James Hoban won a gold medal for his practical and handsome design.

Construction began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800, when the White House was nearly completed, that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and additions. The White House is, after all, the President’s private home. It is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public, free of charge.

The White House has a unique and fascinating history. It survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 (during the war of 1812) and another fire in the West Wing in 1929, while Herbert Hoover was President. Throughout much of Harry S. Truman’s presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated while the Trumans lived at Blair House, right across Pennsylvania Avenue. Nonetheless, the exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed two centuries ago.

Presidents can express their individual style in how they decorate some parts of the house and in how they receive the public during their stay. Thomas Jefferson held the first Inaugural open house in 1805. Many of those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol simply followed him home, where he greeted them in the Blue Room. President Jefferson also opened the house for public tours, and it has remained open, except during wartime, ever since. In addition, he welcomed visitors to annual receptions on New Year’s Day and on the Fourth of July. In 1829, a horde of 20,000 Inaugural callers forced President Andrew Jackson to flee to the safety of a hotel while, on the lawn, aides filled washtubs with orange juice and whiskey to lure the mob out of the mud-tracked White House.

After Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Inaugural crowds became far too large for the White House to accommodate them comfortably. However, not until Grover Cleveland’s first presidency did this unsafe practice change. He held a presidential review of the troops from a flag-draped grandstand built in front of the White House. This procession evolved into the official Inaugural parade we know today. Receptions on New Year’s Day and the Fourth of July continued to be held until the early 1930s.

President Clinton’s open house on January 21, 1993 renewed a venerable White House Inaugural tradition. Two thousand citizens, selected by lottery, were greeted in the Diplomatic Reception Room by President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President and Mrs. Gore.

Hyatt Hotel abu dhabi

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company has confirmed that the exclusive new 200 room, 5 star hotel in Abu Dhabi’s absolutely stunning Capital Gate building, adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, will be operated by Hyatt International.

The hotel will open in 2009 and will be the first Hyatt operated facility in the UAE capital city. In recognition of its significance and its stature, Hyatt International has named the hotel ‘Hyatt at Capital Centre’. It is expected to be one of the most exclusive hotels in the world.

His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nayhan, Chairman of Capital Centre and ADNEC said, “Capital Gate is a unique building which will become famous around the world and as such it was essential that the hotel was operated by an organisation which matched its status, I’m delighted that this operator is Hyatt International. The fact that “Hyatt at Capital Centre”, has been developed specifically for this project indicates an understanding by all involved that this is not an average hotel, in an average building in an average city – this is something unique and very special, which will exceed expectations. It will delight those that visit it and will amaze those who view it from afar. We look forward with anticipation watching this magnificent creation rise from the ground”
Gebhard Rainer, Managing Director, Hyatt International (Europe, Africa & Middle East) LLC added, “Hyatt International is under a major expansion strategy in the Middle East. We have been monitoring the incredible developments taking place in Abu Dhabi for some time and, for us, Capital Gate is the right building in the right location at the right time. Capital Centre is one of the Middle East’s most significant developments and I am delighted that Hyatt at Capital Centre is able to play its part in driving this unique project forward.”

Preparatory construction has already begun on Capital Gate. When complete, Capital Gate will be 160 meters and 35 stories tall and, in addition Hyatt at Capital Centre, will provide some of the most exclusive office space in the UAE capital city.

Capital Gate forms a major part of the Capital Centre development, the AED8 billion business and residential micro city being constructed around the newly opened Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Portofino

With its dramatic tree-lined cliffs, ocean views, warm weather and delicious food, Portofino Italy is the incarnation of La Dolce Vita. Located in the province of Liguria, on a section of the Italian Riviera known as the Levante Riviera, this quaint little fishing town has become the darling of the rich and famous. Since the 1950’s, Hollywood stars and European royalty have flocked to Portofino hotels for a little rest and plenty of relaxation.

There are numerous ways to travel to Portofino Italy. Along with the regular train route, you could opt to fly into Genoa and then drive down the coast or you enjoy a ride on the sea taxi that runs from Cinque Terre to Portofino.

While Portofino is certainly a tiny little town, there is plenty to keep you busy during your stay. Portofino tourism relies upon many activities including upscale shopping, sight-seeing, water-sports and Italian fine dining - they are all within easy reach of any of the Portofino hotels.

Portofino vacations take on a glamorous edge when you book at the Hotel Splendido. Incorporating parts of a 16th-century monastery into its design, this upscale Portofino resort has been receiving guests for almost 100 years. The 64-room hotel is reputed for its five-star service and has a salt-water heated outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court and an indoor gym. Rooms and suites offer a garden or ocean view and feature cable television as well as free Wi-Fi internet connection. For a truly unique dining experience, make sure to spend an evening at this Portofino resort’s restaurant, La Terrazza. You’ll be able to feast upon fine regional cuisine on the open-terrace while enjoying Portofino Italy’s stunning landscape, including views of the port and the Mediterranean Sea.

The San Giorgio is one of many Portofino hotels located in the centre of town. Conveniently located just a short walk from the town’s famous Piazetta, this boutique hotel offers 25 rooms and suites ranging from double standard to suite size. Double superior rooms have a small terrace or French balcony as well as a shower and bath while the suites offer breathe-taking views as well as a cozy place sitting space. All rooms feature plasma televisions and guests have free use of the Turkish bath and sauna found on the lower floors. Breakfast is included with a night’s stay, but the San Giorgio does not have a restaurant so guests will need to explore Portofino Italy and discover its fine regional cuisine for lunch and dinner.

Portofino vacations aren’t complete without a trip to Castello Brown and make sure to bring your camera! Along with a lovely garden to stroll through and learning a good dose of Italian history within its walls, the castle offers picturesque views of the harbour and the town. If you’re looking for an energetic hike to work off those Italian meals spend some time in the Portofino Natural Park. Opened since 1935, its 31 miles of hiking trails offer scenic landscapes featuring lush chestnut and olive groves.

Portofino vacations can often be an expensive proposition. For those looking for a slightly more budget-conscious option, book a room at the Eden Hotel. Located on a quiet street in downtown Portofino Italy, this 12-room hotel is the picture of simplicity and charm. During the warmer months, meals are served outside overlooking its peaceful garden. Rooms come with all basic amenities including colour televisions, phones and wireless internet connections.

The Eden Hotel is located just a short walk from the marina, where you’ll be able to hop on a water taxi and take a daytrip to nearby Santa Margherita, located just 15 minutes down the coast.

Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert has been a novelty since the beginning of time, spanning over 3000 miles north to south, and across the entire northern cap of the African continent to Morocco. But, what remains the most amazing and mysterious part of this magical land is: how did they get all that sand there in the first place? Did they truck it in? And where did they get it? Aliens, I'll bet. Actually, it turns out that the area used to be lush with green forests and lakes. But, a massive climate change (probably due to the green house effect that the dinosaurs caused with their aerosol experiments in the early pre-historic times) caused the whole place to dry up. Wind and erosion turned the petrified land into sand. Anyway, despite its mystery, beauty and serenity, the desert is not an accommodating environment: the difficult terrain, the heat, the dry climate, and bad-smelling camels—it's not the place for everyone. Although, I must admit, there are some benefits: my sinuses were clear, there are no street lights, no television, and above all, school shootings are mostly unheard of. Of course, you can't completely escape Western society. Even in this remote area where there are very few Starbucks stores, there is still one phrase uttered frequently that reminds the American traveler of home.

Golden Pavilion

The history of Kinkaku or the Golden Pavilion began in 1397 when Ashikaga Yoshimitusu abdicated in favor of his son and began to build this villa as a retreat. The photo to the left shows the Golden Pavilion from across Kyôkô Pond, while the photo to the right is of the Shôrô or Bell Tower, which dates from the period of Ashikaga Yoshimitusu. By 1407 it was a large complex with a three story pagoda, a seven story pagoda and numerous temples. Upon his death a year later the Golden Pavilion itself became a Zen temple, renamed Kinkakuji. The temple was destroyed during a civil war in 1467, rebuilt, and destroyed again in 1567. By now only the pavilion and an annex survived. The Golden Pavilion survived intact until July 3rd, 1950, when a novice monk, who apparently believed the aesthetic qualities of the pavilion detracted from religious concentration, burned it to the ground! It was rebuilt in 1957 and renovated in 1987 (and is currently undergoing some touch-ups when we visited in 2003). The interior architecture of the Golden Pavilion consists of three floors and three different types of architecture:

First floor (Ho-sui-in): Shinden-Zukuri: This is the palace style floor, reflecting Heian architecture

Second floor (Cho-on-do): Buke-Zukuri This is the Samurai house, and reflects the Kamakura style

Third floor (Kukkyo-cho): Karayo This floor is a Zen Temple in the Murmachi style

The Golden Pavilion takes its name from the second and third stories, which are gilded inside and out with approximately 48 kg. ( rough 105 lbs.) of gold. The panorama below offers another glimpse of the Golden Pavilion.

Golden Gate Bridge

Colored in 'International Orange', the Golden Gate Bridge is amongst the most amazing architectural marvels of the world. The bridge, being part of both U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1, connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. When it was completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world and became the global symbol of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, its span length has been outdone by eight other bridges. However, it boasts of the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States. In 2007, the Golden Gate Bridge ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. To know more such interesting and fun facts about the Golden Gate Bridge, read on.

Interesting and Fun Facts about Golden Gate Bridge
The actual 'Golden Gate' is the strait that the bridge spans. Initially it was named "Chrysopylae" connoting "golden gate" by Captain John C. Fremont in 1846.
The Golden Gate Bridge is colossal. Its total length is 1.7 miles (8,981 feet or 2,737 m), middle span is 4,200 feet (1,966 m) and width is 90 feet (27 m). It is built at a height (average) of 220 feet (67 m) above water.
It weighed 894,500 tons (811,500,000 kg) when it was built. Today, it weighs 887,000 tons (804,700,000 kg); the weight got reduced due to new decking material.
Its strong towers stand 746 feet (227 m) high above the water and 500 feet (152 m) above the roadway. Each leg of the tower is 33 x 54 feet (10 x 16 m) and each tower weighs 44,000 tons (40,200,000 kg). Moreover, there are about 600,000 rivets in each tower.
Only 11 workers died during the construction work of the bridge which is a safety record for the time. Around 35 people were expected to die during the construction by the builders. At the time of the bridge's construction, a net was suspended under the floor which saved the lives of 19 men.
The total steel used in the bridge was made in New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and was shipped through the Panama Canal. Its total weight is 83,000 tons (75,293,000 kg).
The bridge has two main cables which pass over the tops of the main towers and are held in concrete anchorages at each end. Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire, and there are 80,000 miles (129,000 km) of wire in the two main cables. It took more than six months to spin these cables. Each cable is 7,260 feet (2,332 m) long and its diameter is 36 3/8 inches (0.92 m).
On the bridge roadway, about 128 lights, which are 250-watt high pressure sodium lamps, are installed. While the 24 tower sidewalk lights are 35-watt low pressure sodium lamps. An airway beacon tops each tower, and 24 lights of 400 watts each illuminate both the towers.
Since its establishment, the bridge has been closed only for three times due to adverse weather conditions: on December 1, 1951, due to gusts of 69 mph (111 km/h); on December 23, 1982, due to gusts of 70 mph (113 km/h); and on December 3, 1983, due to gusts of 75 mph (121 km/h). The Bridge was also closed on its 50th birthday.
On an average, about 40 million vehicles cross the bridge every year, including both north and southbound crossings.
The construction work of the Golden Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933.
On May 27, 1937, the bridge was opened to pedestrians and to automobiles on the consecutive day.
The bridge is painted in orange vermillion color, also known as international orange. Irving Morrow, the architect of the bridge, chose the color because it goes well with the bridge's setting.
Initially, the bridge was fully painted and then touched up for the next 27 years. In 1965, the original paint was removed due to corrosion and was replaced with an inorganic zinc silicate primer and an acrylic emulsion top coat; the project took 30 years. These days, its paint is touched up regularly.
The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York replaced the title in 1964.
The bridge was built with a whopping construction cost of $35 million.
The fog around the Golden Gate Bridge is called "advection fog." Such fog forms when humid air from the Pacific swoops over the chilly California current. The bridge has an influence in directing the fog as it pushes up and pours the fog around the bridge.

eiffel tower

Once the tallest structure in the world, the Eiffel Tower is probably Europe's best known landmark and Paris's most famous symbol.
You couldn't possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Even if you do not want to visit this world famous structure, you will see its top from all over Paris. The tower rises 300 meters tall (984 ft); when it was completed at the end of the 19th century it was twice as high as the Washington Monument, at the time the tallest structure in the world.
1889 World Exhibition
The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the architecture of Paris.
Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light.
Gustave Eiffel
The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's iron framework.

The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of the about 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and fit together using approx. 7 million nails.

The Tallest
Inaugurated March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower would be the tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930.

sydney harbour bridge

Location: Sydney Harbour, Australia

Architects: Dr J.J.C Bradfield

Date Completed: 19 March 1932

Height: 134 metres

Length: 1149 metres

The Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened on March 19th 1932 after six years of construction. Made of steel the bridge contains 6 million hand driven rivets. The surface area that requires painting is equal to about the surface area of 60 sports fields. The Bridge has huge hinges to absorb the expansion caused by the hot Sydney sun. You will see them on either side of the bridge at the footings of the Pylons. Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world's largest (but not longest) steel arch bridge, and, in its beautiful harbour location, has become a renowned international symbol of Australia.

Its total length including approach spans is 1149 metres and its arch span is 503 metres. The top of the arch is 134 metres above sea level and the clearance for shipping under the deck is a spacious 49 metres. The total steelwork weighs 52,800 tonnes, including 39,000 tonnes in the arch. The 49 metre wide deck makes Sydney Harbour Bridge the widest Longspan Bridge in the world.
Some interesting facts about the Bridge

Length of arch span 503 metres
Height of top of arch 134 metres above mean sea level
Height to top of aircraft beacon 141 metres above mean sea level
Width of deck 49 metres
Clearance for shipping 49 metres
Height of pylons 89 metres above mean sea level
Base of each abutment tower 68 metres across and 48 metres long
(two pylons rest on each abutment tower)
Total length of bridge 1149 metres including approach spans
Bearing pins Each of the four pins measures 4.2 metres long
and 368 millimetres in diameter
Thrust on bearings Under maximum load approximately 20,000 tonnes
on each bearing
Number of rivets Approximately 6,000,000
Largest rivet Weighed 3.5 kilograms and was 395 millimetres long
Longest hanger 58.8 metres
Shortest hanger 7.3 metres
Total weight of steelwork 52,800 tonnes including arch and mild steel approach spans
Weight of arch 39,000 tonnes
Rock excavated for foundations 122,000 cubic metres
Concrete used for bridge 95,000 cubic metres
Granite facing used on pylons and piers 17,000 cubic metres
Allowance for deck expansion 420 millimetres
Allowance for arch expansion The arch may rise or fall 18 centimetres due to heating or cooling
Number of panels in arch 28, each 18.28 metres wide
Record tonnage erected 589 tonnes of steelwork was erected on the arch in one day on 26 November 1929
Paint required 272,000 litres of paint were required to give the Bridge its initial three coats.

Bora Bora

Bora Bora, The Romantic Island

Under a one hour flight from the island of Tahiti or Moorea, the island of Bora Bora, with a lagoon resembling an artist's palette of blues and greens, is love at first sight.

Romantics from around the world have laid claim to this island where the castle-like Mount Otemanu pierces the sky. Lush tropical slopes and valleys blossom with hibiscus, while palm-covered motu circle the illuminated lagoon like a delicate necklace. Perfect white-sand beaches give way to emerald waters where colored fish animate the coral gardens as they greet the giant manta rays. This could be easily be described as the center of the romantic universe, where luxury resorts and spas dot the island with overwater bungalows, thatchedroof villas, and fabled ambience.

Simply said, Bora Bora is the most beautiful island in the world.
Pora Pora - the ancient name, meaning "first born," came from legends describing this as the first island to rise when Taaroa,
the supreme god, fished it out of the waters after the mythical creation of Havai'i, now known as Raiatea. Although the first letter "B" does not exist in the Tahitian language, when Captain Cook first heard the name he mistook the softened sound of the Tahitian "P" for "B" and called the island Bola Bola.

Romance on Bora Bora
Truly, the most romantic island in the world. From the dramatic scenery to the privacy and amenities of the overwater bungalows, everything in Bora Bora equals a 10 on the romance scale.

Resorts have been welcoming couples for over 40 years and their special amenities have been fine tuned to perfection. From sunrise to sunset, each resort has designed their own blend of unique romantic experiences for their guests to choose from.

For The Visitor, The Majesty of Bora Bora offers:

- Enchantment from the neon-lit turquoise lagoon waters with unending days of exploration through snorkeling and diving.

- Excitement above the lagoon by outrigger canoe, Boston Whaler, wave runner, jet ski, and dramatic sunset cruises aboard a catamaran sailboat.

- Exploration of the panoramic overlooks found by hike or 4x4 accompanied by entertaining local guides.

- Discovery of the world-renowned shopping for local and international original art, Tahitian pearls, perfumes and oils, and precious wood handcrafts.