Day 004: A year ago, we were visiting Dubai with Jay's sisters. At the time, we tried to book reservations at the Dubai's Museum of the Future. Unfortunately that visit coincided with the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference. There was not a free day to be seen because of visiting delegates. We did get a closer look at the museum's amazing building but only from the outside and the lobby.
A month ago, Jay was clever enough to check online and found the site is perpetually booked. He snagged tickets for today as we knew we'd be in town.
In order to visit for 10:00 am appointments, we left the apartment at around 9:15. The museum is on the Dubai Metro Red Line and only four stops west. The Metro system is clean and efficient but totally over capacity. We got to the museum early.
We marveled at the beautiful interior of the 3D-printed building. Shortly after, we boarded the 'shuttle' from the space port knowing we were in the year 2071.
We went directly to the fifth floor to work our way down, sometimes by the spiral stairway and at other times in the lifts. The two higher floors do not have exhibitions. On one level we were able to exit to 'The Void' or the area for visitors in the cut out center of the building.
After descending through the floors except for the children's level we got to the lobby in around two and a half hours. We walked around the parameter of the structure.
I was more impressed by the building than the exhibitions. As I own a small 3D printer that prints in plastic, I was aware of some of the limitations in the process of 3D designs. The building's Arabic script has sayings from Dubai's ruler. The black spaces are all windows. I could even see the internal 'supports' that are required for some shapes. Basically, 3D printing is an additive technology, so designs can be created that are impossible by any other means.
We didn't get home until early afternoon. We rested up for a bit of shopping near the Union Metro Station, one stop away as we travelled through a transit tunnel beneath the creek. It was a really full day and we walked a little less than yesterday but still managed over 10 kilometers!
