New in Town

[Shuja]

Hi All,

Just moved to Dubai about a month back from States, other then the rush hour traffic & humid weather, Dubai seems like it got everything going for it. After spending the last month in settling down with work, apartment and getting used to the roads, I am ready to make some new friends, and enjoy Dubai to its fullest! A little about myself, 28 Male, from Minneapolis/MN. Big time Baseball & American Football fan, Yankees & Packers fans don't bother replying to this thread J/K

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

[pooji]

did u bring your US tvs and any electronics with you and are they working fine in dubai, we are from canada and coming in august

[Longhorn]

Hey, I will be there sometime in July to set up an apartment, get my visas etc. and then moving there in August for a few years. I'm planning on looking for a place in the marina, where did you end up moving?

I have the same question as pooji about the TV's as far as NTSC or PAL and how all that works. I figure as long as I bring my LCD with dvd's and my ps3 from the states I will be ok for awhile.

Let me know if you find a good bar close to the marina to watch baseball and hopefully somewhere we can catch college games...I have a feeling sports will be drastically different for me in the next few years...

[Iron Horse]

Ohhh no, a Viqueens fan! Sorry guy, I couldn't resist. Welcome to Dubai. Can't say I'm a big American Football fan, but grew up watching San Diego and Dan Fouts in Southern Cal. English Premier League is where it's at.

Will catch up when time permits or hopefully the next meet up.

[Shuja]

@ Viqueens!
I'm open to all sports, and am looking to forward to watch the Euro Cup

Pooji - No I didn't bring any of my electronic goods to Emirates, & I'm regretting the decision as the price on the same product is at least 20% more.

Longhorn - I ended up moving to Oud Metha, its next to Dubai Healthcare City. I work at the Airport, and the apartment is conveniently located close to work, less then 10 mins drive. It's in a prime location, close to pretty much everything in Dubai, with the exception of Marina (about 25 mins) I saw a few apartments in Marina, but it would have taken me 45 mins to get to work, not to mention the apartments were ridiculously small. My personal opinions on the apartments in Marina & Downtown burj, the builders are cutting corners. A 750 Sq Meter 1 bedroom in Downtown Burj was 130K, little too much for the size.

[pooji]

how big is ur aprt and how much you got ir for any range idea in ur area. are the building new,
Also the company is proving us with a 3 bedaprt in the AlNahda are i believe on ittehad road .Do you have any idea abt the Al nahda area.or any on on the forum if you know please share ur thoughts.
Thanks

[alli]

You're all grossely misinformed.



Rugby is where it's at.

[nakamozu]

I land in Dubai on July 8. WhatI have heard is that electronics is slightly cheaper compared to US (40" LCD TV would be around 5000-6000 AED), which I think is reasonable. I did dig into getting the US TV to work in Dubai and we do need a NTSC - PAL converter which is about $400 plus the voltage converter.

Shuja, you mentioned 3 BR being extremely small in Marina? How big were they??? Internet sites do not mention the size and I have been narrowing down the choices to Marina area. I have heard the range of around 190K AED for a 3 BR but do not know the size of the apartments there..... ANy insights would be appreciated.

[Shuja]

Pooji - I got a 1 bedroom for 110K. The apartment is pretty spacious compared to the ones I was looking at in Marina/Downtown Burj area. The building is a year old, has all the amenities such as gym,sauna, pool, cable & Indoor Parking.
Al Nahda I believe is close to Sharjah, rents are relatively cheaper on that side, but its hard to find cabs in that area, or so I've heard. Also, where would you be working at ? If you are working in Media City or surrounding area, than you'ld be stuck in traffic for couple of hours to get to work, whereas if you are working near Airport, Al Nahda wouldn't be that far off from work.

Nakamozu - You are misinformed on electronic prices, in my opinion they are far more expensive compared to states, not to mention, the newer models are released in states atleast 6-8 months prior. I was our LCD hunting & noticed the significant price difference. 40" Samsung LCD 5 was running me about AED 6500, whereas in states you can get a 46" for that price. Also concerning the voltage transfer, lots of LCD's & Plasma's are now dual voltage, we do need an NTSC - PAL converter though.

Concerning the apartment, I saw a 2 Bedroom for 140K in Marina, about 950 Sq Meters, about the same size of my 1 bedroom, not to mention that the finishing wasn't that impressive either. Some of these builders are cutting corners big time by using cheaper materials (tiles, door knobs, kitchen appliances) Don't take me wrong, there are lots of nice apartments in Marina / Downtown Burj / Sheikh Zayed road area, they were just out of my budget. I had a budget of 140K for the apartment, and for that price, the apartments I saw were not something I was willing to live in. For 195K I'm sure you'd find spacious apartments in Marina or downtown, just gotta spend some time with the realtor's.

[pooji]

Thanks so much shuja for the info, so what do u think should i bring the tvs with me a . I have a 40" samsung 1 yr old but its not dual voltage, same with the 46" sony . i guess i need to decide on that. do the sell warranty like US or canada on tvs and appliances.
My hubby will be working close to the airport so i guess that area might work,
did u get a chance to look at the home threaters ?
keep us informed.