First of Casablanca is where I live and I decided to Post about it because it’s a great city!!ENJOY!!
Casablanca (Spanish for “White House” and generally abbreviated by locals as “Casa”) has long stood in the western imagination as a hub of romance. Most travelers associate Casablanca with tales of the Marrakesh Express and, of course, the film, Casablanca. Of course, the reality of this fast-paced Moroccan city is quite different.
It would be impossible for Casablanca to live up to the romantic, perhaps adventurous, connotations we associate it. However, the truth is that the city is pretty grubby, with endless traffic and a uniform layer of grime that makes this more of a gray city, than a city sparkling white. It could use a good scrubbing, that’s for sure. But if you can scratch beneath this cruddy exterior, Casablanca offers up some of the best, most international dining in all of Morocco as well as a feel for what modern Morocco is to the people living and working here. As the country’s foremost business hub, the vibe is decidedly more urban, with people constantly chatting on their cellphones, with men in their sharp Armani suits and women executives flaunting their Louis Vuitton bags, hurrying off to a power lunch or important rendezvous.
Most travelers arrive to Morocco at Mohamed V International Airport (CMN), about an hour away from Casablanca’s city center, depending on traffic. Traffic, of course, is a problem in Casablanca, but you can avoid a lot of the traffic on the using the train and new eco-friendly tram! The tram connects with the train for the airport at the Casa Voyageurs and Gare Oasis stations and makes stops around the city, including Place Nations Unis (next to the entrance for the old medina and the Art Deco downtown of Casa) as well as Aïn Diab Plage if you’re heading to the beach. In a pinch, you can always flag down one of the numerous red petit taxis, though it’s best to have the name and the street address of your destination written down. Many of the most popular destinations (such as the Hassan II Mosque or the Morocco Mall) are well understood.!
