aka Let's talk about it!

I wanna go. One of my homegirls proposed a trip to the UAE this year and I think I'm down cuz I've been wanting to check it out since they built the Burj al Arab hotel.

Anybody been there? What's it like? Spill the tea!

I wanna see that aquarium.

JerseyKRS said:

With the restaurant in it?

Ask PricelessHo, I believe he's been.

I went to Dubai for Christmas 2006. My wife has family there. We stayed about 17 days. We had a great time.It was interesting but felt very fake, almost like visiting Disney. I was hoping to see more of the "old world". Everything was shiny and new. The road ways were horrible. Every major road was under construction at the time. They said it was due to the fact that the infrastructure was way behind all the building progress. They were building more and more highrises but the roads and sewer systems were outdated.I was a bit put off by the class system there as well. If you are local (family has been there for generations), you are the top dog, with preferred seating at restaurants, etc. However, other people are treated very poorly and are viewed only as workers or maids / nannies. Americans and Europeans were treated very well.
We did do some of the tourist-y things like the desert excursions in the range rovers which was fun. We also drove a few hours outside of Dubai to a mountain type of region which was pretty cool.Fortunately we stayed with family and did not have to pay for a hotel.
[Edited 2/4/10 19:46pm]

isn't there an orger who lives there or near?

Do women have to cover up?

Can they drive cars?

Do women have freedom of movement?

JustErin said:

I thought he lived there.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

Near there, I think.

luv4u said:

Well, everyone has to cover up to a certain degree, it's a Muslim country.

The UAE is pretty liberal, and I have seen plenty of women drive cars. The traffic situation is horrific though. Everytime I got into a car I felt like I was entering the track for the Indy 500, you really have to be a speed freak or adrenaline junkie to appreciate the way people drive there.

SCNDLS said:

Alright: okay, I have been there for work on photo shoots, but those work trips never allow you to see stuff because you're on a schedule and pretty much too busy and never really move outside of where you're sleeping and where you're shooting, but later....what had happened was I used to date a Japanese pilot based there ( I exercised my stylist skills to decorate the flat he bought, them shits was 4,000 square feet and I was like a kid in a candy store )...and this is what I was able to gather after going back and forth a few times:

-Still strongly influenced by their British past

-The abundance of oil and dough makes it more pleasant to be in vs. the poverty stricken Muslim countries I've visited. More money, the less people are stressed. and there are less shakedowns for tourist traps (which can't be helped in a poorer country because those folks are just trying to survive, y'anno?)

-If Beirut is the Paris of the Middle East, Dubai is the Manhattan hands down, but with worse roads.

-Even though it is party central with high rollers rollin' urry which way, please still be respectful of the tradition of modest dress and rather than dress like a Luke dancer hoochie mama cause it's hot, it's better to go the "feminine southern belle" route. They LOVE fashion in Dubai, just don't dress like you're on a Tila Tequila dating show and you're cool, more specifically:

When dining/partying at clubs & Western restaurants: Pretty much anything goes as long as you don't look like you stepped off the show "Rock of Love".

In malls & "Western" areas: knee-length skirts & tops that cover the shoulders (and stomach) & are not too deep-cut are fine ( I wear pencil skirts in light fabrics and fitted t-shirts with pretty shoes and big sunglasses). Just make sure your skirts hit the knees and you're cool.

When visiting souks, mosques or the museum: it's best to wear long skirts or trousers & loose tops to cover down to the elbows as not to offend anyone & not to attract any unwanted attention.

..if you show too much skin in Dubai, everyone will assume you are a prostitute, as the country is the 3rd most recognized sex-tourism destination in the world after Bangkok and Amsterdam.

Instead of going back to the hotel & changing every few hours, to be on the safe side: wear long skirts or light pants & tops that cover the shoulders. I *always* carry a light cardigan or shawl / pashmina with me to cover my shoulders in case of visiingt a more "conservative" area... it's also useful to keep warm, cuz the airconditioning in malls & restaurants will freeze your ass off.


- The class divide in Dubai is harsh (although poverty doesn't seem to be the I issue): local families have all the inside connections to the best clubs, restaurants, etc and are given first priority. Next comes tourists, and they LOVE tourists cause y'all got money. Be your pretty Texan self, wear your prettiest shoes and smile alot, you'll be treated very well.

- You won't be able to get a drink anywhere other than your hotel, a club, or a restaurant.

-There is a zero policy against drugs of ANY kind. Please refrain from bringing any medication with you into the UAE, or if there's something that you need for crucial health reasons, you need to check the contents of that medication, and have it cleared beforehand through proper authorities. There are no if ands or buts, and they accept no excuses, rather than send you directly to jail if they find anything. It's not a joke, doctor prescribed pain medication can get you 4 years on the spot....and our embassy will NOT be able to help you.

I'll pop back into this thread with clubs and restaurants after lunch. Imma haveta look in my lil folder and see what I little notes I made, matchbooks I kep, etc.. I do know they have a "TimeOut Dubai" paper though,just like we have in diff. cities in the states for finding out where to get your groove on. Maybe have a look see online for it ?

Now I wanna go....

This shit makes me wanna act like Ataru from The Neverending Story on his way to the Ivory Tower

JustErin said:

yep, i'm in Riyadh (an hour flight away).

as for the city, i think Ottensen pretty much covered it all in her post, Cynda.

although i'd say you don't have to make any extra efforts or be over cautious there as nobody really gets up in your business in there (unless you're an Arab, ironically).

now if you can't tolerate traffic & want to stay somewhere where everything is right outside your door then there's the Jumeirah Beach Hotel for you.

its basically got it's own downtown (although God help you with the men there-they're tireless. hot but tirless )



but for your shopping, you must pay a visit to the recently opened Dubai Mall, which is like a whole nother city in itself. it's bloody huge it took me 4 days to cover it.

this is it's main enterance (you can spot Burj Khalifa right behind it, it's part of the area):



although i ended up sticking to the other side of it thanks to the creepy ass built in gigantic aquarium they got going on

the dining area in it is gorgeous and is all set partly outdoors if the weather's cool for you. i loved the Switch lounge:




and speaking of hot lounges, this month they're opening this place called Caramel, which is supposedly going to be a mini Vegas. i'm psyched to see it my next time there!

bboy87 said:

they seriously need to stop with all these new buildings though. it's just too much, their roads really just can't take anymore of them it's terrible!

I'm gonna be visiting Abu Dhabi (the second largest city in the UAE) in summer 2012. I have a good buddy who's from there, an he's going to take me to Dubai too. So very exciting.

That's probably one of the few places in the world I have absolutely no interest in seeing. That's pretty rare for me...

luv4u said:

No, yes and yes.

CarrieMpls said:

Why?

Dubai is gorgeous, I've been there couple of times(prior to the Burj Al-Arab opening) and its so exciting.

But the prices are just, oooh

Harlepolis said:

When I saw the pictures, I added it to my list of places I wanna visit

London
Cardiff
Tokyo
Toronto
Sydney
Dubai

bboy87 said:

i've been to several of those. i'd trade them all to live in the Bay Area like you do, though.

(well, maybe not anywhere in the Bay Area, but still...)

CarrieMpls said:

The garish display of obscene wealth is a tad off-putting...but I'd still love to go just for the esthetics.

Harlepolis said:

It may be a lovely place with lovely people, but what is presented to the world at large is flashy, over-consumption – which doesn't interest me at all, and clearly women are still second class citizens if you have to be concerned about how you’re dressed in public. With all the other places in the world to see, that leaves Dubai at the end of the list. I'd much rather give other places my tourist dollars.

CarrieMpls said:

that's actually not the case at all Carrie. you can dress as freely as you do back home there with nobody telling you anything. it's something i've witnessed myself

the city is deeply mixed and cosmopolitan you'd feel it's an extension of NYC.

but i can understand flashy part because it's true.

Ottensen said:

I KNEW I could depend on you, Ottie-boo!

Speaking of fashion, I was watching a show called Exploring Dubai, and they featured a cool fashion designer who wore hijab. She had the coolest styles, colors, and fabrics. I can't remember her first name but she went by the last initial "Z" I would totally rock her stuff.

PricelessHo said:

Thanks!

I MUST see all of this with mine own eyes. Amazing!

CarrieMpls said:

Like Bangkok?

JustErin said:

My sentiments exactly.

I love dubai

My sister and her family live there.....

But to my knowledge , the traffic issue has been solved because they created this metro:

seeingvoices12 said:

Their architecture is so freakin' futuristic!