Old Dubai New Dubai

The most striking observation during my Dubai visit was the metro system. Growing up in Dubai, I had thought to my self, “How could trains ever move in Dubai ?” After all, my understanding of trains were the heavy locomotives in India. Train tracks don’t work in the desert. The Dubai metro is a sleek modern metro system for the most part, above the ground level.

Time travel is how I would describe the new Dubai versus Dubai in the early 80s. The pace of growth in infrastructure, population, shopping, dining, entertainment and business is second to none. Dubai in 2018 is a juxtaposition of the relatively older emirate I grew up in with the new modern metropolis

I lived in Southern California for several years and was used outdoor shopping and dining. I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon several outdoor malls, shopping and dining beachside developments and around and within residential communities and offices.

La Mer and CityWalk shopping and dining developments brought Southern California nostalgia. It’s amazing how this desert city has transitioned to a bounty of outdoor malls. Box Park is another example of modern and contemporary shipping container like stores.

Dubai Marina is my favorite of all the outdoor spaces. This gigantic man-made Marina together with an 8km walking path, buildings, dining establishments and entertainment is among the pinnacles of Dubai’s developments.

Coming back to the metro system, in my opinion, this is among the best in the world. The reason is not because of its expanse or quality of the vehicle. It is because the metro system together with modern Dubai’s urban planning makes it highly convenient and cost effective. From ease of use and accessibility of the metro stations to precision timing of arrivals and departures, the accolades are too many to list.