Long time no see. Got a subject to write about. At least.
Well, due to circumstances, bouncing from place to place, we ended up in Dubai. Nobody knows for how long. Anyway, the place is absolutely new for us, so there are some things to describe. Please don't take my nagging seriously, I do love the place and all the cons I'm gonna write about are just tiny things absolutely uncapable of spoiling anyone's mood. Just some observations of the things one way or another uncommon for me. And I'm not the grumpy old fart, this is the way I'm expressing myself (that is another curious topic about one distinctive feature of my compatriots).
One point at a time. First and foremost thing that bothers and befuddles me: a problem to get into the city block. I mean go from outside the block to inside the block. Or cross the occupied plots of land. All the plots (if they are occupied with hotel highrises or residential towers for instance) have a fence. Their entries usually situated from inside the block and they often don't have entries from outside the block. And there are no pathways between the plots, so if you're walking on a sidewalk outside and you need to get to the building inside the block you may walk long and long distances until you finally find a way through the private territory of a multyunit building (you gonna cross the private parking area), or there will be a pathway between the fences, or a driveway with pedestrian sideways. All this makes a city fabric nontransparent for pedestrians and I can't consider it a good quality for a city. I believe, I was a student when the city I lived in started to lose this kind of transparency. Almost all the adjoining areas and yards of residential buildings were gradually enclosed and locked letting in only its inhabitants. Previously you could walk through any residential plot shortcutting your way and finding sonething new along the rout and that was cool, but then all the sudden you could use only streets. For the pedestrian city dweller that wasn't an improvement. And I still feel this way now.
















