Days 1 and 2 - Arrival
Day 3 - Dubai
Day 4 - Dubai to Doha
Day 5 - Doha
Day 6 - Doha
Day 7 - Departure
Dubai and Doha
Jumeriah Mosque for a fascinating look at Islam, including a first-hand look on what makes a mosque (and what is just window dressing), male and female perspectives from our guides, and of course, realizing that Jumeriah Beach is definitely one of the high-snoot local areas of Dubai right on the water if you're sick of the tourist stuff.
Then back to the airport for the 45 minute flight to Doha. United uses the same 777 that does IAD-DXB so it's a mostly empty flight with surprisingly good service, arriving in a surprisingly old school airport in Qatar. (supposedly a new airport in Doha opens on 30 April 2014)
More cab confusion, but we make it from the south end to the north end of Al-Corniche, to the City Center mall at the north end of West Bay, check in, wander a bit. The view here is also impressive, even if most skyscrapers are a "mere" 300 to 500 feet tall instead of 800+ feet in Dubai. Clearly it's all a matter of perspective.
Brief walk down streets filled with construction down to Al-Corniche, then back to City Center Mall where we evidently found the ghetto food court for a so-so dinner of kebabs. City Center Mall is massive, but not as massive as Dubai Mall, and clearly not as well-populated with shops as Dubai Mall. Distinctly more ordinary feel, which is fitting as Doha clearly has yet to blossom as a city.