Where does Dubai rank as a major city?

[Shinjuku]

How international would you consider Dubai, compared to other major cities like NYC/London/Singapore?
Was wondering in terms of dining-out (is there a wide variety of choices e.g. japanese, french, mexican... - both cheap and expensive) things to do (e.g. museums, theatre, cinema), nightlife (wine/cocktail bars, pubs, clubs)?

[flossie]

Although Dubai has many plus points, culture such as theatre, museums, etc is not amongst them. You cannot compare Dubai to a city such as London. If you want to live in a City with great plays, many museums, art galleries, then Dubai is not for you.

Loads of eating out options, though. If you're happy to go out to eat and not have alcohol, there are many great, inexpensive places to eat. If you want a glass of wine with your meal, you're limited to hotels which tend to be more expensive. The best Indian food I have ever eaten is in Dubai. When we return to Australia, I'll be sitting and reminiscing about the great Indian food.

[flossie]

There are loads of cinemas, though. Even more being built. Which I find ridiculous. I've never been in a Cinema with more than 10 people in it!!!

[Maz25]

I was actually reading the result of a study conducted last week about the best countries for expats to relocate to. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, after Singapore! I think that the results of the study speaks for itself. Just in case you are interested, USA ranked third. I live in London at the mo and I personally feel that the UAE has a number of advantages over London. Sure London has loads of museums and is a 24-hr city but it also comes with a lot of problems associated with modern cities such as increasing crime levels, rampant drug dealing and the likes. Whilst the UAE is not crime-free, I think in regards to safety, it is certainly doing a lot better than a lot of cities. In the end though, it all comes down to personal preference and what you are looking for.

[flossie]

Dubai came second because it topped the list in affording luxuries (such as a live in maid) and for earning potential. If they took into account the things Shinjuku asked about, it would not have rated against NYC, Singapore or London. So it all depends what you're after. Do you want somewhere you can afford a nice car and a maid, or do you think you can't live without the cultural side?

Dubai is more interested in making itself the shopping and financial hub of the world. Abu Dhabi are the ones trying to make itself the cultural hub of the Middle East. I'm sure with time, this side of things will improve in Dubai, though.

[Elphaba]

There is a Dubai museum and numerous galleries. After the summer and Ramadan you will see that there are quite a few 'cultural' events. I go to theatrical performances, comedy nights, music events. You just have to make an effort to support these things in their infancy if you want them to grow.

The Dubai International Film Festival is held each December. We have film premieres and many 'stars' visit. I went to a great talk with George Clooney last year. The Annual Art Fair is held in February. These get bigger each year.

There are more restaurants than you can shake a stick at! Everything from fine dining to street food, from every country.

As I keep telling everyone Time Out is your guide to what's on and provides a restaurant and bar guide.

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[Maz25]

Originally Posted by flossie

Dubai came second because it topped the list in affording luxuries (such as a live in maid) and for earning potential. If they took into account the things Shinjuku asked about, it would not have rated against NYC, Singapore or London. So it all depends what you're after. Do you want somewhere you can afford a nice car and a maid, or do you think you can't live without the cultural side?

Dubai is more interested in making itself the shopping and financial hub of the world. Abu Dhabi are the ones trying to make itself the cultural hub of the Middle East. I'm sure with time, this side of things will improve in Dubai, though.

You are quite right in regards to the earning potential. I for one, am moving to Dubai for the money and that is my sole motivation, apart from the increased career prospect. I can certainly live without a lot of museums and personally, if someone's move is all to do with the cultural side of things, then maybe Dubai would not be the ideal place. I do think though that Dubai has a very interesting history and that in itself might make up for everything else. London's museums for e.g. are not all filled with objects showing its past; a lot of the museums are displaying other types of objects that have no relation to London whatsoever but that are nonetheless still interesting from a historical point of view! However, being originally from a very small island, I am not used to an excessive amount of museums and nightlife, which probably explains why London has now fallen out of favour with me and I am moving. The British weather though might be the biggest culprit!!

I think that we both agree that the choice of location always come down to what you are looking for in your new home! I think that the results of the study were based purely on the views of expats and covered the UAE as a whole rather than just Dubai on its own; after all, none of us considered Dubai on the basis of a few museums. I think at some point all of us were seeing $$$!

Might be worthwhile though for anyone considering a move to visit Dubai and then make up their mind based on what they see when they get there.

[Shinjuku]

Just read the survey...pretty interesting. Confirms what i think the primary lifestyle benefit of moving to UAE is...$$$
(Its the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey '08 for those interested. Would have posted link, but don't have enough posts)

I agree that UAE is probably not the place to move to for culture. Sounds like its developing into one though, which is good coz i've found that cities with a vibrant arts/cultural scene usually have a certain buzz that other cities lack. Also they attract a much more diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Personally food ranks much higher up my list, and it sounds like Dubai's quite well catered for in this area.

[Maz25]

Originally Posted by Shinjuku

Just read the survey...pretty interesting. Confirms what i think the primary lifestyle benefit of moving to UAE is...$$$
(Its the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey '08 for those interested. Would have posted link, but don't have enough posts)

I agree that UAE is probably not the place to move to for culture. Sounds like its developing into one though, which is good coz i've found that cities with a vibrant arts/cultural scene usually have a certain buzz that other cities lack. Also they attract a much more diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Personally food ranks much higher up my list, and it sounds like Dubai's quite well catered for in this area.

The survey is available online. The link, for anyone, who is interested in viewing it is HSBC Offshore | Expat explorer lifestyle survey

Personally, I think that the UAE will always rank quite highly and once its infrastructure programme is complete, I think that it would be quite a task for other cities to topple it from the top position.

Considering that 90% of the UAE's population are expats, I do not think that you will have any problems experiencing diverse culture! In regards to museums and arts, as you have rightly said, I think that we will get there in the end. The UAE certainly deserves to be at the top as they have put in a lot effort and the Government is investing a lot of money into turning the country into a top destination from the points of view of expats, tourists and other residents alike.

In my case, as long as there is $$$ to be made, I'm happy!