Id kill to live here. Oh wait dont you need too anyway?

See that first brick on the lower east side of the island? That's when I drove from L.A. to Chicago last year.

And the Jedi Knight counsel goes where?

Just goes to show where our trillions of dollars of oil money is going.

I for one, approve. Just don't let it get over $4.00 a gallon...

I can't wait for the bubble to burst in Dubai. It'll be the best exploring site ever.

@Michai: You would want to live in the middle of a desert, confined all within that city? Plus what will happen when the UAE run out of there only source of revenue, oil? Yes the city might be cool but very unpracticle and will probably not be able to sustain itself, unless they figure out how to sell sand as a power source.

@dvicklund: Sorry to burst your bubble...

My girl is from Guatemala where the rebel base was filmed (first movie, Tikal, old Mayan ruins) so I'll just move there.

Isn't this just a very ambitious attempt to replicate the whole New York/Manhattan thing?

@ab3: Actually only about 4% of their reveneue come from oil, according to 60 Minutes. Still I wouldn't want to live there... Fine for vacations, but the city has no soul. From what I understand, much of it is like a ghost town.

wow?

The plan, according to Dubai's prince, is to use all their oil money now to create a place so fantastical that tourists will rush to visit it, thereby replacing the oil money with tourism money.

Here's the flaws with that plan- How will the planes to get the tourists to Dubai be powered when there's no more oil? Before that happens, where will the millions of tourists who can afford 5-6 figure vacations come from (cause that's how much it'll cost with the rising price of oil)?

I had a friend play in a basketball tournament and another friend in a kickboxing tournament in Dubai.... they both want to move to the UAE now.

Oh, yes. Oh yes. Dubai is just teh awesome:

[www.dailymail.co.uk]
(I know it's the daily mail, but it is in fact true)

To summarize:

One man was sentenced to a jail term of four years in Dubai because a microscopic bit of cannabis weighing only 0.003g was found on the bottom of his shoe.

Another man was sentenced to jail for four years because three poppy seeds had been found on his shirt that had come off of a bagel which he had purchased in the airport in the U.K. before his flight. The man's destination wasn't even Dubai. Dubai was simply a lay-over.

The minimum jail sentence given for possession of banned psychotropic substances is four years.

Banned substances include:

Melatonin (a health supplement that can be purchased over-the-counter in any grocery store in the U.S.)

Prozac and other antidepressants

Pain-killers of any kind even if one possesses a prescription for them.

Muslims are farking crazy assholes. (As are Christians, Jews, some Buddhists and Hindus.) Can religious extremism, or just religion of all sorts, die now? Pretty please.

Dubai isnt a country. Its a business. It'll be down in ruins as soon as the rich folk realize theyre investing in buildings that'll drown as soon as "The Day After Tomorrow" hits the entire world in 2012.

@Samifumi: In my opinion the Dubai skyline beat out Manhattan yeaaars ago. Manhattan was built by stodgy white guys, Dubai was built by architects from all over the world. I mean they have the Death Star, a giant sailboat and islands that look like the world and palm trees.

The escalator tubes make me think of New New York in futurama

@shikaningen: So, yes, it's the future. Awesome architecture and totalitarianism go hand in hand.

@shikaningen: yeah that's my problem -- who wants to be sober when vacationing?
I for one do not

@lafond66: I call whatever's in the Death Star.

we really, really need to get an alternetive energy source... the whole world should be like this. not just Dubai.

yes, i'm jeleous :(

All I can say is what do the Dubai women look like...

kibets: like women anywhere else.

@JWhitney: Awesome architecture, totalitarianism, and carefully hidden slums far outside of town filled with imported slaves that make all this possible...

Yes, it actually does sound like most science fiction novels I've read. The future fucking sucks.

@shikaningen: Does Islam have some sort of issue with recreational substances? I know next to nothing about religion, but I was under the impression that the harsh drug penalties in Dubai are similar to the ones enacted in Singapore--caused not by religious fervor, but strictly because of some strange need to adhere to some frighteningly totalitarian vision.

@ab3: Actually the whole reason they are building a city is to switch from oil revenue to businesses and tourism. All major corporations of the world already have or are in process of opening offices in the Emirates. As for living in middle of a desert confined to a city... have you heard of Las Vegas, Phoenix..etc?

@JustThisGuy: In Islam, you cannot drink alcohol or abuse any substance that would compromise a person's rational thinking or inhibitions. The purpose behind these rules are not to curtail your fun, but to prevent the collateral damage that's regularly caused by their use.

shikaningen: Assholes come in all shapes, colors, and religions, even those "religions" that don't consider themselves religions like agnostics, atheists, satan-worshipers, etc. It's not the religions, it's the people.

Actually, I have been in Dubai three times as a tourist, and I hope to go back there later this year. If you like shopping, it's a paradise. Gadgets, electronics, gold, jewels, can be bought at discounts as high as 90%, if you have a lot of time to discuss with the merchants. As for the alcohol, only recommendation for foreigners is not to drink it "in the streets". Women dress normal, but cannot go in a bar if under 18 years. Al-Jumeirah Beach Hotel (former Chicago Hotel) is pure luxury, and not very expensive: I'd spend more in a good hotel anywhere in Europe. By the way, now the Euro is strong and the UAE money is linked to the dollar.

The best part of Dubai will be when global warming, which they helped to spread, takes over, melts the ice caps, and floods the whole freakin area!

Dubai depends mostly on tourists .. and only 3-4% of their annual income is from oil !

and its funny how people try to make it look as if dubai is trying to be like New York and Chicago, when it looks nothing like them .. unless ofcourse you mean they have buildings .. then sure .. they really are the same is that way !

and as for the strick rules about people that carry illegal substances .. 4 years beats a death sentense .. which is what singapore does in similar cases ...

and its not 4 years actually ... you are sent to jail for a week or two, then you are deported back to your country !!

P.S. .. the UAE is building the first "green city" in the world =) .. atleast we're trying to contribute in the fight against global warming :P "wonders what america, the country that still uses ingredients that cause global warming, are doing to stop G.W :O"

@ethanrik: did you fail economics AND geography?

From what they are building right now, you should try and imagine what they will be building towards the ice caps melting. And if Dubai is under water, don't think close to a billion people won't be affected either, and that includes both of us.

Well some stupid laws aside related to substances and public sex seams like a nice place. To people from US
complaining look at Patroit act and the like no better
then those stupid laws. Aside from nice buildings you also get no TAXES resident or not corporation or individual there are no taxes to pay 0, basically only banks and oil companies pay taxes. If you think it's only oil look up Dubai Internet City also factor in that the money is used for investment including into many US companies and while the projects are ambiteus the real eastate prices are very reasonable

Hahaha, why do people in here always have to turn a normal article about a nice building for a great architect into a political argument just because it is being done in Dubai?

Seriously you guys, I live in Dubai, I don't see that much problems as you may think, if not nothing at all; Labor problems are being dealt with, and Shaikh Mohammed is taking good care on making sure that workers get what they need to live; he will never give them castles or oil rigs, other wise it will be really wrong, but the government will make sure everything goes well, and the news you keep reading or hearing about Dubai from news channels and newspapers are like 4 years or more long, seriously outdated! even the Human trafficking thing is down to 40% (and less) which is a huge advancement, also you should know that Shaikh Mohammed wasn't so happy to know about all of this, he just needed sometime to plan it out with the people under him, they can't throw 30,000 prostitutes (USA has over 400,000 human trafficking cases) out of the country in a single day or even year!

And about the Oil thing, Trust me, Dubai and the UAE in whole has enough oil to cover money income for the country for at least another 60 to 80 years; and despite many of you not being able to afford coming here, the tourism numbers are rising like crazy, which talks for itself.

And finally, about the city life, I do assure you that it filled with life, no ghosts nor people with weapons running around and calling them selves "gangsters" and crap like that and no "black white" crap also; many people who come here and have normal brains to think can live happily like living in any another country in th world if not better; there are up and downs, but the ups are much more than living in many "modern" countries around the world. You have to use your brain though, this is not the USA where a running president lies about another running presidents just to through out some "hope" messages then screw the country later, and it isn't a country like the USA where laws are broken easily and new laws keep popping up everyday, and NO FREKIN TAXES! Yes, in the other hand you pay for your health for cheap ($400 for a full national plan for an entire year) and the best part is that freedom of speech is nicely controlled over here meaning that you'll not wake up the next day to find your picture in a newspaper and something like "Mother f**ker" written under it, controlled speech is good for all, and less headaches for all too.

I hope you guys don't judge the city and the country until you give it a visit, and don't tell me that it is expansive, and if you still incest that you will need lots of money, give me a cheap plan of a visit to some nice city in Europe and I will give a cheaper price plan with its source for you to stay in the UAE with no problems. :)

Enjoy your nagging; I will enjoy my life here! :)

@Biggy: "controlled speech is good for all, and less headaches for all too."

Seriously? Either that's subtle satire of swiftian proportions or you are really are completely out of your mind.

@Biggy: Are you a citizen of the Emirates, or living off the OPEC $25/barrel plan?

I think it's a fantastic city to look at and read about, really shows that money can do just about anything in this world.

I have friends that have moved there, from the US, to work in the oil and healthcare industry. They seem to like it, but I don't know if they like Deathstars, which is what you have there with this new island city

@PJK: Whatever you like to think; I only care that I'm enjoying it. :)

@karnak: Living off the OPEC $25/barrel plan; working at an advertising agency and getting a monthly salary of $2,600 (9500 AED), knowing that a normal can of Pepsi costs 0.27 cents (1 AED); I'm renting a nice apartment in one of the fancy tech equipped buildings; saving money; enjoying my life and best of all: Yes, money can do anything in this world, not only in Dubai. :)

Don't be such wossies you guys, give Dubai a visit, and you will know what I mean.

Yeah, Dubai's great. Especially when you consider stories like the British woman who was arrested at the airport and held in custody for two months for having painkillers in her system. Painkillers given to her at a hospital in Dubai.

[thetruthaboutdubai.com]

I used to live in Dubai, before it turned into the world's most over the top and frankly silly place.

Since I left (1999) they've done so much to Dubai, its insane, projects like the apartments around the Marina just look horrific, its a sea of largely identical towers. They look horrible, and they totally didn't think about people parking and the like meaning there isn't really enough space for everyone.

The 'old Dubai' used to be a fantastic place that felt kinda 'out of the way' and different living there, now that they're just trying to get every man and his dog to go there the effect is ruined.

Don't even get me started on the ridiculous island projects, these also were made without provision for transportation, there are gonna be some serious traffic jams when that thing is full...

I love how people keep harping on how oil money is financing Dubai's projects like this, when fossil fuels comprise 6% of the $37 billion economy.

As for the other criticisms leveled at Dubai, based on everything I've read, it doesn't sound like my kind of place.

Somebody said it right.Dubai is a ghost town.Not because of sand and oil but life there is pretty boring.And yeah Islamic rules are really strict too(I heard they cut off a man's hand for some petty stealing case!)Well to someone here who was bashing up the religion,we should learn to be politically correct rather than type any shit of a crap as comments.And yeah no greenery out there(maybe),only attraction being some architectural wonders.

@ Mac_mohan -

its called - nip the evil in the bud -

The difference between catching a robber - proving his guilt - and chopping off his hands - at times in PUBLIC.

and

Catching a robber - putting him in jail where he can work out for a year and eat free food - is this ...

in scenario 1 - that guy wont do it - and those who knew him or were around him when it happend - wont do it either...

in scenario 2 - that same guy will do it - and those who know him and think he is all buffed up and got away with it - will do it as well....

Keep in mind - these are not ISLAMIC ways - these are the cultural and traditional ways of the middle east countries... which i firmly believe are a reason of why the crime rate is waaaaay waaaay lower than the western or european countries.... i am not saying its a 100 percent clean and everyone over there is free of impurity - but i believe the strictness in those countries is there for a reason and even though it might seem like its a little too much - but in the bigger context - its extremely necessary.

@Biggy: you summed it up nicely

I visited a lot of the big cities in the states (New York, Miami, Houston, Seattle, and more..) and in the rest of the world (London, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Cairo and a lot more..)

And all i have to say is this. I would choose living in Dubai over any city in the world any day of the week. I've been here since 1989 and let me tell you, It's been absolutely amazing watching this city grow in what it has become today.

Although I got to say I really liked Seattle :)

@xaflatoonx: Your oversimplification of the entire criminal justice system in two countries is mind numbing.

You really think they do any "proving his guilt"? You really believe in that legal system? I'm all for strict punishment, but it has to fit the crime. Jailing someone for four years if highly sensitive equipment can detect any molecules of a banned substance seems a bit much don't you think?

Its not that I think this type of crime should not be adequately punished, but the problem for me is that the people making the decisions just have too much power and latitude. That kind of authority over another human being leads to the corruption of the jailers and subsequent abuse of the authority. (And the US is not immune to this corruption either.)

In the end though, it all comes down to this: There is a direct relationship between the severity of punishment and that punishment's deterrence against future crime. And it comes down to finding a balance between being afraid of criminals and being afraid of your government. In the US, we would rather fear the criminals. Elsewhere, you would rather fear your government.

Its a cultural decision and neither one is right or wrong, its just the way we choose to live. I for one will be staying clear of Dubai and view its amazing architecture in photos and videos. If they want to encourage tourism there, they will need to revisit their customs policies as the frequency of these ridiculous accusations and experiences of tourists there is only keeping the rest of us from visiting.

Is this page hosted out of UAE? Just had my comment censored!!!!!!

Well i have visited many cities in the world too. Currently living in Paris, i wouldn't live in Dubai for 20 000 $ a month (from 3000 euros in Paris). Money can buy anything ? Uhh no .. You can only buy something that it a look-a-like, but in the end, it is all FAKE. Dubai's story, i have already seen before, it was called Michael Jackson.

The only thing that matters is TIME, to get anything of value you need TIME and a whole lot more than what money can save you.

Despite living in a place that is seen as the most beautiful city in the world by many people, there are MANY other places where i could live instead. And guess what ? 90 % of theses citiess are .. in Europe. And outside of the fact that you need the right geographical conditions, it took several hundred years to make these places what they are. Now you can still find recent cities that are pretty cool with a nice identity despite a short history, i could definitly live in San Fransisco for example. But that's pretty rare.

i swear that thing is from aperture science doing experiments for the ones who are still alive.. just bigger.. much bigger and i doubt it could be thrown into a furnace.. WHERE'S MY CAKE!!!???

So when is the USA getting one of those?

I know a friend who moved there from Jordan said things are progressing quite fast. The city looks good and all but it's becoming like most large cities in the world, not very nice to live. Once you get to certain age, a small house by a river far away from people is much appealing.