Dubai's always been a place that's held absolutely no appeal for me, I've always assumed that it would just be full of shopping malls and taxis. But hey, it's probably the second best city I've been to*. I like the fact that it's designed not just for cars (which is understandable given the temperature for four months of the year) but to actively inconvenience and endanger people attempting to walk. For example, you can't walk from the Dubai Mall metro station to the Dubai Mall without walking in the road - there's no pedestrian entrance so you have to walk down the car park ramp - which shows commitment to the cause. I like that there's no notices at any metro station to tell you that not all the lines shown on the map are working.
I like that in the Dubai mall there's a plaque celebrating the world's biggest piece of perspex.
I like that the buy-on-the-door tickets for the Burj Khalifa are reassuringly expensive. I don't know about you, but I don't feel that I've been up a tower unless I've paid £80 to do it.
Most of all, I like that the hotel I'm staying in pipes slightly too loud piano versions of MOR songs into the corridor - who doesn't love waking up to Chris De Burgh?
*Beginning with D, this year.
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