The Palm

May 13, 2003 2:13 PM

Visit The Palm. For a day, for a lifetime.
posted by xmutex (14 comments total)

More evidence that an excess of wealth does not necessarily mean an excess of taste.
posted by gottabefunky at 2:28 PM on May 13, 2003

Amazing as it is, apparently there are only 4 PalmFacts.

Seriously though, I think this sort of visual symbol of excessive wealth is a suprising window into international finance; it gives you a view through the other end of the gas pump. Perhaps their benefactors will be gracious enough to raise the sea level just enough to dampen everyones enthusiasm?
posted by copmuter at 2:31 PM on May 13, 2003

It's the stuff of stories on the surface... I wonder what will lay underneath...
posted by dopamine at 2:34 PM on May 13, 2003

With just a six-lane feeder bridge at the base of the trunk and all those hotels, stores, marinas, and homes, it looks to me like a traffic nightmare waiting to be constructed.
posted by Inkslinger at 2:46 PM on May 13, 2003

Well, I like it. It reminds me of some science fiction idea of a planet, where the topography all has fixed shapes, etc. I'm sure in practice it won't be all that impressive, but I'm all for crazily engineered landscapes (Venice Italy, hell, even originally Venice CA). Then again, take my comments with a grain of salt, as I have been known to have more money than taste.
posted by jonson at 2:48 PM on May 13, 2003

I already spend too much time visiting the palm. If ya know what I mean.
posted by horsewithnoname at 3:00 PM on May 13, 2003

Wow, it took six comments before someone made the palm reference.
posted by xmutex at 3:01 PM on May 13, 2003

After looking at some of the model homes, I can't help but notice some of them look like ordinary tract homes from Southern California. If you go to the extent of building an island, and you're in an exotic part of the world, why on earth would you mimic suburban cookie-cutter houses from the US?
posted by mathowie at 3:22 PM on May 13, 2003

There's a landfilly housing development in Contra Costa called "Discovery Bay." Every house is on the water, which appears to be the intention of "The Palm." There's a shield wall protecting the houses from the open water, and most everyone has a back deck and boat docked there.

But this is not, actually, very classy in practice. What you get are: pollution, jet-skis, barbecues, water-skiers, etc. Hardly a tropical paradise. More like a wet suburb.

Highly nasty, as I bet "The Palm" would be in practice.
posted by scarabic at 3:32 PM on May 13, 2003

Mmmmmmm, nothing like the untrammeled beauty of nature itself...
posted by Samizdata at 3:36 PM on May 13, 2003

Yeah, who in their right mind wouldn't want to live in conspicuous luxury, in the Mideast, in a place designed to look like a bombing range target?

Might as well just paint a bullseye on your forehead.
posted by groundhog at 4:46 PM on May 13, 2003

Gotta love the "Check our status" link. I expected something different.
posted by donovan at 4:53 PM on May 13, 2003

I wonder if they're photoshopping it on fark even now. Not that I'm going to go and look or anything. Still, if somehow you could reprogram the filling operation so that it formed some other symbol....

The classic Calvin-whizzing-on-something would be good, but I'd settle for a series of dollar signs.
posted by George_Spiggott at 7:51 PM on May 13, 2003

I love the last "Palm fact" -- they've won an award...for great corporate branding!
posted by BT at 8:07 PM on May 13, 2003