Dubai's Vertical City

Fireworks light up Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest buildin during the official opening ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. In a surprise move, Dubai renamed the gleaming glass-and-metal tower in a nod to the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi - the oil-rich sheikdom which came to its rescue during the financial meltdown.

Fireworks light up Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, during the official opening ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The developer of the newly opened, 2,717 foot tall tower said it cost about $1.5 billion to build the tapering metal-and-glass spire billed as a "vertical city" of luxury apartments and offices.

The Burj Khalif is illuminated during the official opening ceremony of the world's tallest building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The skyscraper stands 2,717 feet tall with 160 stories.

An Emirati man watches the city view at an observation point screen on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The building has more than 160 stories, the most of any other in the world.

Emirati men prepare to attend the opening ceremony of Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The tapering half-mile-high tower stands 2,717 feet tall.

A woman looks over the city view at an observation point on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa tower, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The deck offers 360-degree views of the city.

The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, casts a long shadow onto the ground in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The 160-story building is home to the world's first Armani Hotel, luxury offices and residences and will ultimately be the place of residence, work and leisure for a possibly encapsulated community of up to 12,000 people.

A few hours ahead of the official opening, workers put the final touches to Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. The Burj's developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower, which is more than twice the height of New York's Empire State Building's roof.

The world's tallest building, center, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 3, 2010. Besides an observation deck on its 124th floor affording 360-degree views of the entire city, Burj Khalifa is home to the world's first Armani Hotel, luxury offices and residences, and a variety of other sophisticated leisure and entertainment facilities.