I traverse the city through its jugular vein, Shaikh Zayed Road, almost oblivious that I am on a 5 way highway. This is not common to most cities in the world. I always smile as I veer onto an interchange, always afraid to take the wrong turn, but always impressed with the smooth civil engineering.
How can some people drive to Dubai Mall without looking up to the sky and the tallest building in the world, standing in a single column of glittering glass?
How can some people traverse the campus of DIFC without noticing the harmony of lines and the campus like harmony of the place?
How can some people be unaware of the skyline when returning from the desert or the beach?
The atmosphere is so XXI century! Everything in Dubai is of the latest technology, everything shines and looks sparkling new. The metro slides by as if Luc Besson designed it for Fifth Element. Many of us live in the sky. Literally. My family and my younger brother live at the same sky level: 42/43 floor. And my older brother and family surpassed it at the 68th floor. Who would have imagined? I never press the elevator button with nonchalance. I know that we live in the "fast lane".
Dubai: its bridges, its golf courses, its public beaches, the sports and the concerts, its traffic and hussle, the art galleries and beautiful hotels, its nostalgic stories, its baraka and its glitz.
Home sweet home....
Nmh son visiting from NYC once told me while I was driving home:you know baba you have the highest office and residential towers in the world,and you just pass them as if it is not extraordinary .
ReplyDeleteWhile sitting amongst Dubai friends who own some of those towers,those who own towers less than 60 levels,would not be comfortable mentioning it.I reminded them that when Dubai was young,a 5 story building was a project that young contractors would compete for.In the past decade,a medium size contractor would have a $ one billion turnover.
Its 2 am and I'm awake with jetlag. Thank God for catching up on PTB. I can't get enough of staring at the glittery Dubai skyline from my window. I'm forever mesmerised by the Burj K. What never ceases to amaze me is the flow of cars on SZR day and night. And the way the cars zoom by on Jetsons like cloverleaf overpasses.
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