Malls are a huge deal in Dubai.

There is a shopping season (more than one, actually) and an entire culture centered around purchasing things, celebrated by both residents of U.A.E. and tourists visiting from around the world. There are two especially giant malls — the Mall of the Emirates (right near my hotel) and the Mall of Dubai (right near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building). Both are easily accessible via Dubai’s above-ground railway.

As my visit coincides with the days leading up to Christmas, you can imagine how bustling these malls are. Stores and restaurants stay open until 1am, with certain establishments remaining open until 3am! And the malls have spared no expense decorating for the holiday season; it’s really quite lovely.

While there are many coffee places to pick from — including Western favorites like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts — I get coffee two days in a row from a place called Barista Espresso in the Mall of the Emirates. They have delicious flavored lattes to pick from and a nice selection of pastries.

On my first full day in Dubai, I barely explore Mall of the Emirates, and instead take the railway straight to the Mall of Dubai — mostly because I’m eager for a glimpse of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. There she is:

It’s a long walk from the rail station into the mall (although mercifully the walkway is air conditioned, as Dubai is quite humid). On the way inside, this advertisement catches my attention — it’s for a place called Kidzania where children can play dress up to look like different professions. How neat is that?

Here’s me, posing with the Burj Khalifa:

Once inside the Mall of Dubai, it’s truly overwhelming. There are so many levels and wings to explore — all I want to do is stroll without a plan, but the endless layout isn’t conducive to that. I do my best to stay orientated and not get lost while seeing as much as I can over the next 6-ish hours.

Just check out this overhead signage — there’s an aquarium, underwater zoo, ice rink, and food courts plus multiple atriums. And there’s a waterfall.

These handy electronic maps are in a few places — you can type in the name of a store or restaurant and it’ll show you the fastest route to get there.

Here’s a shot of all three levels — and this is just one of many such junctures, with long corridors splitting off in multiple directions.

And another 3-level view:

UPDATE from 2017: For some reason the rest of this post has disappeared! So I’m going to attempt to fill in the rest of it.

Check out these mall hours — they are open until 3am on the weekend leading up to the holidays!

There is even a legit aquarium in the mall… how nuts is that!

I spy Santa swimming with the sharks:

A closer look at Scuba Santa:

Scuba diving is allowed for us regular, non-Santa people too — I don’t try it myself, but how funny to think about scuba diving in the Dubai desert:

If memory serves, this area was modeled after a souk, with lots of vendors:

No big deal, just an ice skating rink in the middle of a mall in Dubai:

A Beverly Hills mention, and a visually cool fountain with diving statues:

A holiday castle display:

Coffee options in Dubai include… Caribou Coffee, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Dunkin Donuts.

Some other dining options that you might not expect: a Steak ‘n Shake, Eataly, and Rainforest Cafe:

But the biggest surprise was running into chains that have already closed — like Bennigan’s, a popular chain that I frequented in college:

And Borders! I worked for them (at their smaller chain, Waldenbooks) throughout college. Brings back fond memories.

I couldn’t resist going to Magnolia Bakery:

And speaking of restaurants that have shorter lines in Dubai than in NYC… I ate at Shake Shack!

I stopped at Millions of Milkshakes… I think this one was the “Miley Cyrus” which has cookie dough and Reese’s cups.

And get this… there is an indoor ski resort. In the middle of a mall, in the middle of a desert. WHAT!?!?

A closer look at the slopes:

My friends Kelley & Irving skied here on their visit several years ago. I would’ve done it on this trip if I had more time and it wasn’t so expensive.

I must’ve been somewhat eager to get back to the States because I was craving American food… I ate at The Cheesecake Factory both nights. On the first night, I sat next to a woman from the States visiting her daughter, who teaches English in Dubai. We struck up a lovely conversation; she had so many questions about my travels and said she wanted to be me when she grows up. Incredibly sweet of her to say that.

Sorry this post got cut off — hopefully I’ve done a sufficient job recapping it 3+ years later!