Free holiday

[Nexus]

I can see where bitslice is coming from though...

Dubai does have a crass image to it I feel, it has opulence for the sake of opulence and does seem like its various Sheiks and Businessmen are trying to outdo each other for who can build the biggest/tallest/strangest properties. Of course there are some very rich people in the world, but there is nothing becoming about showing it off too much.

It might have similarities to somewhere like Las Vegas, but that has a history to it still and as to why it became so big and popular.

I have to admit I've not been to Dubai, but the impression I get is that the whole place just feels a bit 'fake'.

 

[Hamish]

I can see where bitslice is coming from though...

Dubai does have a crass image to it I feel, it has opulence for the sake of opulence and does seem like its various Sheiks and Businessmen are trying to outdo each other for who can build the biggest/tallest/strangest properties. Of course there are some very rich people in the world, but there is nothing becoming about showing it off too much.

It might have similarities to somewhere like Las Vegas, but that has a history to it still and as to why it became so big and popular.

I have to admit I've not been to Dubai, but the impression I get is that the whole place just feels a bit 'fake'.

It's opulance for the sake of standing out amongst a crowd of other oil rich middle eastern states who will all have nothing once the oil is gone unless they successfully diversify. Dubai seems to be the one who has done best as virtually nil of its income is derived from oil, and now is mostly derived from Tourism and import/export, just as planned.

And Dubai has 2 sides. You can easily entirely avoid all the pretentious ***** and biggest x in the world and the place is full of normal people living normal lives.

 

[Arsonist]

I think Russinating and Hamish pretty much summed up what my reply would have been.

I think I found some highlights from your post. Most of it was LOL worthy. Frankly I'm not getting my knickers in a twist over this, or anything else on here to be honest. I apologize for my initial comments about your being ignorant and living under a rock, that was silly to say.

Nonetheless, I don't think you can fairly or justly make such bold statements as you have, without actually visiting a place and experiencing somewhere.

What the Emirate states, especially Dubai have done, is amazing. The have had the beans to realise there huge wealth come from oil and oil alone, and this resource will soon run dry. They have invested massive quantities on this into building a tourist destination world renowned.
In 1975, the population of Dubai was c.200,000 people. Today it sits at well over 2 million. In your eyes, this carries no positive recognition, you are simply happy to say its all fake and of no substance.

God knows why people take a tourist destination so personally that they want to get abusive about it.

Ok, lets reverse this. "God knows why someone talks about a tourist destination so negatively when they have never even been there."

they just make they physically large and tend to repeat sections just to fill in all the empty space. It's all a bit childish really.

Childish? What? Not even sure how to respond to such a stupid comment. To build a city from nothing and become a leader in the global tourism business is childish. Well sign me up to being a child again if that's what they can achieve.

You add nothing to the forum.

I actually post on a regular basis. In fact my first post on this thread was nothing but a contribution to the OPs question. You point is invalid.

I've heard the name but whatever your opinions on life are then I've obviously found them forgettable.

You might want to go to a doctors. This might be a sign of the early onset of Alzheimer's. Not good buddy.

It's all faceless novelty over soul.

Ok....

Feel free to pick this apart, if you have a valid argument. But keep it factual, and don't give me opinions such as "the moon is made of cheese", because as much as it might be your opinion, it would still be wrong.

 

[Jimbeam3678]

Wouldn't catch me going fo shizzle

Don't get stoned/beheaded/sent to prison

Agreed totally plenty more natural beautiful places to see on this earth

Edit although I have now read the entire thread and it's rants don't judge me on this

 

[bitslice]

I think Russinating and Hamish pretty much summed up what my reply would have been.

Then you've saved yourself some typing because nothing there related to my point

Nonetheless, I don't think you can fairly or justly make such bold statements as you have, without actually visiting a place and experiencing somewhere.

That would be to assess its culture, I'm only talking about buildings

The have had the beans to realise there huge wealth come from oil and oil alone, and this resource will soon run dry. They have invested massive quantities on this into building a tourist destination world renowned.

In contrast India invested in its people and turned itself a superpower, Dubai's population is rife with indolence and nepotism, fast cars and only one road. I fail to be impressed with what excess money can buy.

In 1975, the population of Dubai was c.200,000 people. Today it sits at well over 2 million. In your eyes, this carries no positive recognition, you are simply happy to say its all fake and of no substance.

Well yes, 2/5's are non UAE, anyone can import of workforce of millions of asians if there is another concrete building to erect.

Ok, lets reverse this. "God knows why someone talks about a tourist destination so negatively when they have never even been there."

I keep saying this, nobody listens.
Post is about buildings, its pros and cons as a tourist destination are secondary. You went there, you enjoyed it, super, nobody is saying your source of enjoyment was wrong.

To build a city from nothing and become a leader in the global tourism business is childish. Well sign me up to being a child again if that's what they can achieve.

Except I didn't say that, I said to build a tall building simply because of the assumption that all western cities have tall buildings and this makes them modern in some way, is childish.
Which it is, Dubai has absolutely no need for super skyscrapers other than vanity, proved by the fact that 2/3's of the Burj Khalifa is empty. They could have saved the money and built a bigger Eiffel tower, at least a monument has some honesty about it rather than pretending it's full of businesses seeking a vanity address.

Feel free to pick this apart, if you have a valid argument. But keep it factual, and don't give me opinions such as "the moon is made of cheese", because as much as it might be your opinion, it would still be wrong.

Why take my opinion when you can have the opinion of actual architect?
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af3a5d76-eeae-11da-820a-0000779e2340.html‎

Google "souless dubai" for the opinion of many other journalists like Greer.

Every building has to somehow reflect it's surroundings and culture, simply handing out sandy plots to developers buys you a row of pretty concrete. And that is all that sustains Dubai, property trading and tourism. If you can sum up a city in a sentence then that city has no soul.

 

[Hamish]

Come on Bitslice, I can't even be bothered to debate now, you think that Dubai only has one road? and you compare Dubai (population 1 million) to India (population 1 billion).
Then you say your post is only about buildings, but then you end your post talking about how the place has no soul, despite having never visited.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I personally wouldn't visit because on a tourism level :-

1 - if I want to go shopping I'd go to New York or Hong Kong or Tokyo, or Paris or Rome, or even London.
2 - if I want water sports the list is endless, Dubai's water parks won't be on the list, though this is moot as I can't swim is water sports will never be a reason.
3 - hate the heat so...narh.
4 - if I want to go drinking, clubbing, live the single life then Dubai being a Muslim country would be way down the list, right alongside North Korea.
5 - there is nothing of interest, what museums are there? Theatre shows? Famous places to eat (or unique)? Historical places to visit? Like a place where Ghandi lived? Or Lincoln made his famous speech or even a world famous brand's factory (BMW factory tour for example in Germany).

Without the oil money the place won't be there, so when the oil runs out, I'd expect it to turn into a ghost town.

That's not to say its a bad place, it's just hollow and thus uninteresting to me.

I just can't think of a single reason to go there, things to do that I can get it from any part of the world with lots more to do along with it, and without the alcohol restriction.

 

[bitslice]

Come on Bitslice, I can't even be bothered to debate now, you think that Dubai only has one road?

Well yes, look on google maps it's a city surounding by desert, whatever road you go on takes you to a desert in about 20km. That to me is a cowboy town with one road, turn left at the tumbleweed, the phrase 'fast cars and one road' was expressing the pointlessness of it (I didn't think someone was going to literally count the number of roads)

and you compare Dubai (population 1 million) to India (population 1 billion).

No, I'm comparing the strategic choices here, what do you do with money and an uneducated populace.
You can either educate them into improving their lives like India has, or you can buy them off like children by giving them cushy allowances and fake jobs with foreign firms, and then prop the whole facade up by relying on the non existent value of a building that requires an eight hour flight to get to. It's ridiculous and unsustainable, even the drinking water to keep the flowers alive requires water to be processed from the sea.

Then you say your post is only about buildings, but then you end your post talking about how the place has no soul, despite having never visited.

It's easy to compare the same situation to other places like Milton Keynes and any new housing estate anywhere.
That's not to say architects don't fail at this too, there is an estate in Scotland with great architecture but still fails on a personal level.
If you know of any places developed primarily as tourist destinations that have what most people would call soul, then I'd be interested, I don't believe there are any, or inherently could be.

 

[Hamish]

a building that requires an eight hour flight to get to

sorry but LOL. Every building takes an 8 hours flight to get to from somewhere, are you actually complaining that they built a building too far away from you? I'm suprised you're not mad at New York too.

No, I'm comparing the strategic choices here, what do you do with money and an uneducated populace.

They are educated, they all go to top universities in the US and Europe and many Unis have opened in Dubai too. Do some research.

If you know of any places developed primarily as tourist destinations that have what most people would call soul, then I'd be interested, I don't believe there are any, or inherently could be.

Dubai was not developed primarily as a tourist destination. People live there. It is a business hub, import/export hub, travel hub as well as tourism and shopping etc. Maybe you just hear about the tourism stuff because that is what is advertised to you?

 

[bitslice]

sorry but LOL. Every building takes an 8 hours flight to get to from somewhere, are you actually complaining that they built a building too far away from you? I'm suprised you're not mad at New York too.

Are you going to pick one minor bit from every post just to say LOL, because really I have stuff to do here

Yes, as a business address it's pointless, nothing else is happening in UAE that's worth being there for (unlike New York which backs onto a global economic superpower).
So yes I would fly to NY or London or Berlin or Delhi, because everyone is there, nobody does anything in Dubai hence the biggest building is empty.

It's a tourist town pretending to have something to do with business, nobody is fooled.

import/export hub

Of what, fish?

 

[dowie]

Try and catch a few public beheadings, whippings and stonings. Fun for all the family.

eh? Dubai is an Islamic country - Islam is the religion of peace - I doubt they do that sort of thing over there...

I'm sure they have quite a reasonable legal system, give women equal standing and treat their guest workers well.

 

[Arsonist]

Hamish I do believe we are arguing with a brick wall. Like I said, he probably has the opinion the moon is made of cheese. That he is factually incorrect is of no substance to him. Let bygones be bygones.

 

[Gilly]

eh? Dubai is an Islamic country - Islam is the religion of peace - I doubt they do that sort of thing over there...

I'm sure they have quite a reasonable legal system, give women equal standing and treat their guest workers well.

 

[bitslice]

Hamish I do believe we are arguing with a brick wall. Like I said, he probably has the opinion the moon is made of cheese. That he is factually incorrect is of no substance to him. Let bygones be bygones.

No, you keep talking about stuff I never said, dude you are arguing with yourself.

I have no opinion on the moon's composition, if that's cheese I'm not eating it.

Please point out the areas where I am factually incorrect, I have afaik only offered opinions on buildings. Factual errors would be easy to correct, being either wrong or right, I've no problem with correcting simple errors. Actually don't point them out, I don't care, fix them yourself.

Basically you've run out of counterpoints or more ways to reword my posts so you wanted to leave some kind of smug, condescending last word, whilst dragging other people in to support this position. Personally I've said all I wanted to say in my first post, the rest has been unenlightening and predictable, so please don't take me not fawning over another pointless city so personally. I don't rate anywhere in Floridia or Wales either.

 

[Hamish]

Are you going to pick one minor bit from every post just to say LOL, because really I have stuff to do here

Yes, as a business address it's pointless, nothing else is happening in UAE that's worth being there for (unlike New York which backs onto a global economic superpower).
So yes I would fly to NY or London or Berlin or Delhi, because everyone is there, nobody does anything in Dubai hence the biggest building is empty.

It's a tourist town pretending to have something to do with business, nobody is fooled.

Dubai is undoubtedly the Capital city of the middle east and northern africa. a major gateway between Europe and Asia, and china (backs onto a global economic superpower). It is the economic and financial centre of the MENA area and many world companies have their regional headquarters there (think oracle, mircosoft, google, HP, PWC, most major banks etc.)

Of what, fish?

Dubai port at Jebel Ali is the world's largest man-made harbour and the biggest port in the Middle East.
Dubai airport is the 10th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic.[1] It is also the 3rd busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic in 2012, surpassing Hong Kong International Airport in the global rankings.[7] In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport was the 6th busiest cargo airport in world, handling 2.27 million tonnes of cargo in 2012.[1] The total number of commercial aircraft movements was 344,245 in 2012.[7]

Fact.

 

[Narj]

Interesting. My dad lives in Abu Dhabi too

Are you Fred Flintstone?

 

[[TW]Fox]

Obviously our fault in a way

In a way?!

You rented two vehicles and intentionally drove one into the other 'for a laugh'. No wonder the owners were somewhat irate!

 

[Bengaboy]

In a way?!

You rented two vehicles and intentionally drove one into the other 'for a laugh'. No wonder the owners were somewhat irate!

I get that and was prepared to pay repairs. Trying to get the amount of what they were worth for repairs is not awesome.

Crap country, backwards as hell, horrible place.

Also to the OP - do your best to not act drunk when you come out of a bar as it is illegal. Taxi driver will either take you to the police station or rape and murder you. You have been warned. Enjoy!

 

[dowie]

[*]This is the exception not the rule but how can Dubai stop dodgy recruiters in other countries mis-selling jobs. They can't

They can make it illegal for employers to confiscate passports... they ought to also give workers basic rights. They might not be the worst of the gulf states in that they at least have some protections on paper but they could do with having more of them and they could do with being enforced... Its just a token effort on their part - passport confiscation illegal on paper but a widespread practice still in reality.

 

[Russinating]

Love this thread. Bitslice has just got to be trolling.

And Benga, I don't know why you went to Dubai (you haven't said) but if you were expecting Magaluf in a Muslim country then lol. Respect their belief and religions and it's fine, and it's hardly difficult to find a place to drink - every hotel, bar and restaurant serves the stuff, and there aren't many other places to go to. And it's not illegal to be drunk.