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"  Happy new year to ELLE.com readers! I have been traveling the world over the holidays and ended up in the Middle East for the opening of the Burj Tower in Dubai, now officially the world&amp;#039;s tallest skyscraper. By 7pm the night of the opening, everyone was packed like sardines. Literally, there was no place to walk on the sidewalks: People were pressed body-to-body, with women pushing strollers unable to maneuver through the masses. I had to stand almost 20 minutes on a crowded stairway at the foot of a bridge, sandwiched between strangers and pushed against a barricade, just to get back to my hotel. It seemed hopeless at one point, but once past the guards, I felt victorious. I looked at my watch: T minus 56 minutes to the opening of the tower, and I needed to get back to the hotel and get showered for the festivities. In and out asap, hair perfectly blown-out, I went down to the hotel&amp;#039;s pool area, which was nestled right along the water where the Burj was about to be christened in front of the entire world. Champagne bottles popped as lavishly dressed ladies lay on lounge chairs laughing while their mates sprawled out under the clear sky. Speeches were made and songs were sung, all leading up to what would become one of the most spectacular openings I have seen to date. Nothing could prepare me for the fireworks display that shot off from every bit of the almost-3,000-foot tower. I thought New York owned the fireworks department with our Fourth of July spectacular, but this was like nothing I have ever seen.  Fireworks shot up, down, around and about the building, spiraling, shining, and cracking away. At times, it seemed impossible that the Burj would be able to withstand that much firepower, but of course, it made it.  The most pleasing thing about it was that the building itself is magnificently designed and a wonderful example of modern architecture. Had it not been the case, all the hoopla would have resonated as being a overpompous show for a bout of mediocrity. So glad it wasn&amp;#039;t so. What a way to start the decade. \u2014Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin        Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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