Dubai Shopping

Over 500 students from five GEMS Education schools around Dubai are taking part in the Mirdif City Centre community art project that will be a highlight of the mall’s opening entertainment schedule.

The celebrations will include the unveiling of a giant 36 x 7 metre mural that the students have dedicated over 3000 hours painting in the weeks leading up to the opening and a unique dance performance, based around the environmental themes depicted in the artwork.

Mirdif City Centre is the most recent landmark shopping mall development in the UAE by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, after the success of Mall of the Emirates and Deira City Centre.

Students from The Millennium School, a GEMS Education School, in Dubai rehearse their dance routine in preparation for their performance on March 18th at 4pm, during the Mirdif City Centre opening week celebrations.

This HD video shows a trip on the Dubai Metro Red Line. It was shot on September 10th 2009, the first day the Metro was open to the public.

Things to look out for include:

• The train arriving at Rashidiya Metro Station from the depot (0:07)
• Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 Metro Station (1:35)
• Going past the Deira City Centre shopping mall before going underground (3:10)
• Dubai World Trade Centre (4:30)
• Trade Centre Metro Station (4:59) – not open yet
• Jumeirah Emirates Towers hotel (5:20)
• The Address Dubai Mall, Dubai Mall, and Burj Dubai (5:43)

The video was shot on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera.

This video shows some of the adrenaline rides and motion simulators at SEGA Republic in the Dubai Mall.

Rides featured are:

• Initial D4 (0:10)
• Let’s Go Jungle! Special (0:18)
• Wild Jungle (0:36)
• Sonic Hopper (0:41)
• Half-pipe Canyon (0:46)

This video shows some of the rides at SEGA Republic, an indoor theme park at the Dubai Mall. It was shot on the opening day, August 21 2009.

Rides shown include:

• Sonic Hopper (0:24)
• Half-pipe Canyon (0:27)
• Storm-G (3:15)
• Spin Gear (4:27)

A preview publication for Cityscape Dubai contains an interesting interview with the one of the key players behind the City of Arabia project in Dubai.

Alex Vacha, Deputy Director for Projects, stated the following concerning the state of the development:

• Mall of Arabia – Piling works are now complete. 89 percent of the gross leasable area of phase one of the mall is leased and committed.
• Wadi Walk – Shoring works and bulk excavation complete.
• Elite Towers – Construction work on Wadi Tower, I&M Tower, and Metro Tower has begun.
• Restless Planet – 70 of the 110 animatronic dinosaurs being made in Japan by Kokoro are finished.
• Completion – The project will have a phased opening, commencing at the end of 2010.

The City of Arabia is a mixed-use development at Dubailand. Key components are:

• Mall of Arabia – Expected to be the world’s largest shopping mall once complete.
• Restless Planet – Theme park, earth science museum, and planetarium.
• Wadi Walk – Waterway lined with apartments, cafes, and shops.
• Elite Towers – 34 commercial and residential towers.

When the developers, the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group announced the project in 2005, they claimed the Mall of Arabia and other components would be finished by 2008.

City of Arabia Dubai

Wadi Walk at the City of Arabia, Dubailand

This video shows Jambase, a supper club and live music venue at the Souk Madinat Jumeirah.

Signature dishes include Beef Fillet and Lamb Shank.

The BurJuman Centre is a shopping mall in Bur Dubai with a good mix of designer and high street shops.

It includes a newer area, anchored by an 80,000 square foot Saks Fifth Avenue store. Others shops include Zara, Massimo Dutti, Burberry, Donna Karan, and Christian Lacroix.

Here’s a short video tour of the shopping centre:

Video of the Virgin Megastore at the Deira City Centre shopping mall in Dubai.

This video shows the Robo Coaster, a ride at the Magic Planet indoor amusement arcade at the Mall of the Emirates.

With more than 40 restaurants, the food court at the Dubai Mall is the largest in the city.

Options include McDonalds, Subway, London Fish & Chips, Cantina Mariachi (Mexican), Taco Bell, KFC, Magic Wok, Fujiyama (Japanese), Burger King, and Johnny Rockets.

The food court has seating for 3000 diners, including several outdoor terraces.