[rosndo]

> I haven't ever been in a place that felt so fake and liveless. The only thing you can do is go to the mall.

That’s not true at all. Mall is probably the last place anyone should go to in Dubai.

Instead of going to the Mall, you could drive a little and go view the wonderful collection at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

You could also go eat excellent sushi at the little (and cheap) 3 Fils at the local Fishing harbor in Jumeirah. There’s also a decent seafood restaurant next door run by local fishermen.

On Palm there’s the excellent Ibn AlBahr run by a group of Lebanese(?) fishermen.

Deira too is full of nice authentic places.

But sure, if you’re a mall enthusiast then a shitty mall is all you will find. If you seek out nice authentic places, they’re easy to find.

[ethanbond]

Dubai sounds decidedly better than the towns that surround it, sure, but it's pretty clear based on this description (and every other) that it is not even close to a world class city.

[doldols]

I mean I’m deliberately neglecting to mention all the European restaurants like L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, LPM, Gaia, COYA, Zuma, Cipriani and so many others.

Most of these aren’t my favourites, but they’re definitely well loved in world class cities like London.

Do I think Dubai is a world class city? Nah. But it’s not very far.

Personally I’m really not a fan of the place, I’d only ever visit to meet with lawyers. Too warm, too much sand, most of the restaurants can also be found in much better cities (Monaco has most of the aforementioned within a short distance, and vastly better beaches)

[ethanbond]

I think what makes a world class city is not that it has those sorts of restaurants/shops/etc, but that it incubates those things. Quite a long way from that.

[jacquesm]

Sockpuppet alert: doldols = rosndo