Yas Island

This post is incredibly overdue, but since it is such a cool place I think it's still worth posting the photos...

A couple months ago, I tagged along with Jared to an American Chamber of Commerce: Abu Dhabi event at the Yas Hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Yas Island is a (man-made) island on which the new Formula 1 Yas Marina Circuit racetrack recently opened. It was completed last fall and Abu Dhabi hosted its first Formula 1 race last November. The whole island was built exclusively for that purpose, and the hotel is located, literally, on the racetrack (part of the track goes under part of the hotel). The hotel is completely crazy contemporary architecture, and I thought worth sharing...

Front of the Hotel... Racetrack is to the left and down below.

Crazy Roof-deck Bar... I enjoyed some cashews and white wine here while Jared went to his meeting.. I think I got the better end of the deal...

Another part of the crazy rooftop bar, where the post-meeting cocktail reception was held, which I did attend... As like so many aspects of the UAE, the Yas Hotel was truly unlike anything else I have ever seen. And we got to get a tour of the hotel and see the rooms after the meeting and before the cocktail hour. Probably the most hyper-modern hotel rooms I've ever seen. Everything is controlled by remote, including all the lights (because, you know, rolling over in bed and hitting the light switch on the night stand is such an inconvenience, or flipping on the light when you enter the bathroom.... oh completely unnecessary and over the top technology)... Not sure if we'd ever stay there or come back (Jared's attitude about the Grand Prix is lackluster at best), but definitely worth seeing and visiting once.