THE DUBAI WORLD EXPO WILL END...BUT LIVE ON

I was mulling over my next global journey, and curiosity spurred me to check where we would have been if our world cruise did leave Los Angeles on January 19.  We'd just be leaving the Suez Canal, with the next stop being Ashdod to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  We were scheduled to next have a few Greek stops, with Rome early next month.  As of this moment, Italy remains in an emergency state because of this pandemic.

We would have spent March 13 and 14 in Dubai to attend their World Expo, which ends next week.  The good news is that they will keep 80% of the infrastructure, so we can at least appreciate some architectural wonders, something I experienced after the 1967 Montreal Expo.  For example, the Al Wasl Centrepiece:

Coldplay performed here last month.  Stopping by that day was Turkey's President Recep Erdogan.  Also making an appearance was Ranbir Kapoor.  Who, you say?  He is Bollywood star.  So did Prince William of England in February.  As the only hotel on the expo site, the Rove (left) has a room opening on the final day, March 31, for $380.  On April 3 this drops to $81, until May 10 when the price plummets even further to $54/night.  For some reason, the price jumps to $245 on August 30.

The Sustainability Pavilion is all about the environment to inspire the next generation about water and renewable energy.

The Mobility Pavilion features cutting edge technology, and will next house offices, while continuing exhibit these attractions. .  One elevator can carry 160 people.

Garden in the Sky is an observation tower.

The UAE Pavilion is falcon-themed with a legacy plan to reflect their hopes and ambitions.

The Saudi Pavilion is the second largest, and has earned a platinum rating in a global green index. 

This gravity-defying water illusion was designed by WET of Los Angeles, which also is responsible for the fountains at the Burj Khalifa and Bellagio.

The goal was to reach 25 million.  They won't, but passed 20 million last week.

There are World's Fairs/Expos, generally held in years 00 and 05, and specialized expos, in the middle of those years.

• The inaugural World Expo was the Great Exhibition in London (right) in 1981, with 6 million visitors.  About that link, it takes a while, but eventually gets to London.

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  The first in the USA was held in Philadelphia in... when else?...1876.  Our Centennial.  10 million came.  You can experience this event through this You Tube documentary.
• The 1889 Paris World Expo featured the opening of the Eiffel Tower, and drew 32 million.  This was a century after the storming of the Bastille.
• Paris has hosted 7 of them, and the 1900 World Expo had 51 million visitors.  Click on that link.  It's like you're almost there.
• You've seen the 1904 St. Louis World Expo in a film, Meet Me in St. Louis.  20 million visitors.  It was the most expensive yet, at $31.5 million.

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  The next extravaganza was the 1939/40 New York City World's Fair, $500 million.  Watch a fascinating 1 hr 46 minute summary.  I wasn't born yet, so did not myself get there.

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  The first one I went to was a relatively small Seattle World Expo in 1962.  From an opening day filming that occurred 60 years ago, with remarks by President John F. Kennedy.  This was the opening of the Space Needle.

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  My next was Montreal '67, after it was over.
• My third was the San Antonio HemisFair of 1968.

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  In 1975, Okinawa hosted the first Ocean Expo, featuring Aquapolis and the opening of the Churaumi Aquarium.
• I did not go to that one, but I did to the 1982 Knoxville Specialized World's Fair on energy.
• Two years later the New Orleans Specialized Expo.
• I was truly impressed with the 1985 Tsukuba (Japan) Special Expo.

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  Vancouver had an '86 Specialised Expo, followed by Brisbane in 1988.
• I attended the 1992 Seville (Spain) World Expo.
• 1998 featured the second Ocean Expo in Lisbon.  I was on the planning committee.
• I went to Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany.
• I also attended the 2005 Aichi (Japan, near Nagoya) World Expo.

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  My next was the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.  Fabulous.
• The third Ocean Expo was held in Yeosu (South Korea).  Disappointing.
• In one of my global adventures, I stopped by the 2015 Milan World Expo.
• I will miss the Dubai World Expo, but will definitely stop through this country on my next around the world journey.
• The next two will be the 2023 Specialized Expo in Buenos Aires, then the 2025 Osaka World Expo.  I'm mulling over the  one in Argentina, and if I'm alive, I go to the one in Osaka.
• Yokohama has a proposed Horticulture Fair in 2027 and Busan wants to host a World Expo in 2030.  Moscow, Rome and Riyadh are also in the running.
• The USA has served as host 11 times.

I'll end with some surprising music.

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