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Is it hard doing your job with your head in your behind? As a new, temporary resident of this community I wonder which website you bought your Civil Engineering degree from? A one-way road consisting of five (sometimes three or ?? lanes) was a brilliant idea. It is particularly awesome how when I nip out to the shop it is a 20 minute return journey. It makes me warm inside to look out the window and see the one exit to SZR, accessible via the worst roundabout in human history, yet I must drive around the whole development to get there.

I do thank you for honing my driving skills as I have learned quite a bit. The technique of reversing on this one-way road with the flashers on means it is okay to go the wrong way, as you are still facing the right direction. That the one-way thing does not apply to motorcycles and heavy equipment. With such a densely populated community I am getting especially good at avoiding people, school kids and moms with prams on said road; I don't know why they don't use the sidewalk? Oh yeah. You didn't bother making one. That's okay, it really keeps me sharp at night.

If you give me the can of paint, I will put the lines on the road at the hairpin turn (the spot where it goes from 5 to ?? lanes). Maybe you ran out of paint at that point? Maybe the curvature of the road made it too tricky for the painters to figure out where the lanes should be?

Maybe they didn't teach this at 500rupeesforadegree.com university, but we have a cool concept in other parts of the world. Signage. It is a neat thing, you put two things we call "posts" in the ground and attach a board (could be wood, metal, anything you like) to said posts. BUT, and here is the cool part: before affixing the board, you paint/etch/otherwise indicate the NAME of the building. In the advanced course, they would have taught you that these "signs" are placed perpendicular to your awesome road, generally made of reflective material, and are of the most help if they are placed BEFORE the driveway/turn off, rather than after it.

In closing, as much as I applaud your efforts to keep people employed, the little man that is posted in the searing heat at your fantastic roundabout is going to get hit by a car. Probably the very car that he is posted there to watch out for, as your roundabout also has the magic "two-lanes-to-one-lane-to-???" style of paint marking. When I first arrived here, I almost got wiped out, as did my wife in her car because you have no idea that it is a roundabout you are approaching. (see above, re: "signage")

I assure you I am qualified to make the above comments as I, too, have a degree in Urban Planning. As soon as I get more printer ink and a gold seal type thing it will be official.

Sincerely,
DD

Oh well, not long now till you're outta there!

You got that right, BM! This place is ok, but we found a great spot in JBR that ticks all the boxes, so we are defo looking forward to that. We move in just a week now.

Watch out for the landlord, I've heard she's a right 'un. LOL

JBR is a ghetto in the sky.



Knight

JBR is awesome, for those who can afford it. For others it is a ghetto in the sky.

Bethsmum wrote:JBR is awesome, for those who can afford it. For others it is a ghetto in the sky.

You must be JBR's #1 Fan, never heard it described like this before.

OOOOhhhh, the stories I heard about that place!!!! Couldn't pay me to live there.

JLT is a disaster. You mss your turning and you have to go alllllll the way around again. Nothing is signed, it's impossible to find anything.

Sometime back went to view a few apartments at JLT. Really very spacious and rent was good. Problem was the buildings were near the overpass you had to take from SZR, one of which we looked at was the first building on the right. Had to drive to the arse end to the last building project and go back around!!! Then when you left you once again had to go around the back to the arse end to get on SZR. I think that there is now another overpass at the end, which really doesn't help other than give you a straight run to the first building (or last depending on how you looked at it). Husband said "no way!"

Bora Bora wrote:Sometime back went to view a few apartments at JLT. Really very spacious and rent was good. Problem was the buildings were near the overpass you had to take from SZR, one of which we looked at was the first building on the right. Had to drive to the arse end to the last building project and go back around!!! Then when you left you once again had to go around the back to the arse end to get on SZR. I think that there is now another overpass at the end, which really doesn't help other than give you a straight run to the first building (or last depending on how you looked at it). Husband said "no way!"

The rents and space in JLT are decent for sure, but the whole road business is annoying. Unless you live in the first few buildings at the Emirates Hills side, you are hooped having to drive around to get out again. I am 3 buildings from the crap roundabout, maybe 200m from it, so really annoying driving the whole way around.


Why the hacking on JBR people? I agree it had it's issues back in the day. I remember when I moved here in 2007, it was a nightmare. Seems quite swinging now with all the shops and restaurants open. I have heard the stories about smell and slow lifts, etc. but have not experienced this. Maybe myself and my friends just got lucky? I was down there on Friday night around 8pm and noticed the gridlocked traffic is gone. Maybe on the JBR walk itself, but we'll see.

sage & onion wrote:

Bethsmum wrote:JBR is awesome, for those who can afford it. For others it is a ghetto in the sky.

You must be JBR's #1 Fan, never heard it described like this before.

Sagey, I have been in JBR from the beginning. I know there are people who whinge but you would get those in Disney World. JBR is a lovely place to live. I have never had any problems with smells, lifts or anything for that matter. If I have needed Salwan/Idama to drill a hole, change a light bulb whatever, they have done the job well. Dubai Properties have had their problems but so has Nakheel and the rest.
The only problems that are caused in JBR, as far as I can see it, are caused by the residents. Unfortunately you get scummers where ever you live. If I see a problem in my tower I just tell who is causing it, and it usually sorts it out. You get the odd person who doesn't seem to like putting their rubbish down the chute, hardly a problem created by DP. If I see it I point out the error of their ways and they usually see my point of view in the end. JBR has everything going for it. I love it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It is the place to be in Dubai.

Bethsmum wrote: It is the place to be in Dubai.

I would have to disagree, but that's just my opinion. Recently moved to the Marina Residence (rental) on the Palm and I love it. It is the best property put up by Nakheel - in every way. Granted, no shopping center and have to leave the Palm for shopping and social activity, but if you have a car, there is no problem. Well maintained. The other two nice properties are Tiara and Oceana with full wall floor to ceiling windows. Wouldn't touch Shoreline apartments.

Bora Bora wrote:

Bethsmum wrote: It is the place to be in Dubai.

I would have to disagree, but that's just my opinion. Recently moved to the Marina Residence (rental) on the Palm and I love it. It is the best property put up by Nakheel - in every way. Granted, no shopping center and have to leave the Palm for shopping and social activity, but if you have a car, there is no problem. Well maintained. The other two nice properties are Tiara and Oceana with full wall floor to ceiling windows. Wouldn't touch Shoreline apartments.

I have heard horror stories about the District Cooling fees for some of those places, esp. Tiara. Essentially. you pay your share based on sq. footage and the DEWA portion is just the juice to power the fans. One person I know was paying 3000 AED p/m and used it as a holiday home. Sounds like a raw deal to me.

We were looking at rentals on the Palm as well, but it is a royal pain in the arse if you need to nip out for anything. Worse than JLT I think, and not really worth the premium rent IMHO.

When you rent you negotiate everything above rent and standard utilities. Basically, it's on the owner to cover additional fees. I do miss calling the grocery store downstairs for a lemon, but that's the tradeoff. Now I buy a bag of them when I go shopping.

I loathe going to JLT... Even the whole parking system is rather absurd and annoying, I might be a newbie, but it seems that in order to get to the actual building that they want you have to park, take an elevator in the parking and then take another elevator to go up... In all honesty the buildings I've been to are not that bad when it comes to the apartments themselves, but the whole package of living in the middle of another construction site with s**t primitive roads and having to drive for at least 15 minutes to get to any mall (although there are 3 malls within like 5 - 7 kilometers)

Ridiculous

Well, I wish you all well, I am quite content in my modest little pad.

Bora Bora wrote:I do miss calling the grocery store downstairs for a lemon, but that's the tradeoff.

OH lord I DO miss that from when I was in sharjah. Even if my lazy ass needed a single onion the dude would bring it up. Although its not as bad as the palm I still have to drive to get to the supermarkets. A minimum of 15 minute trip even for the smallest thing.

In JBR I have a supermarket within about 3 minutes walk which carries almost everything you may have forgotton from your visit to Waitrose or Carrefour. They do deliver or will carry your shopping for you. To be honest I wouldn't dream of phoning them to deliver unless I had a broken leg. Is that the Brit in me?

sage & onion wrote:Well, I wish you all well, I am quite content in my modest little pad.

Your hood is so 2006, Sage!

-- Sun Oct 10, 2010 8:27 pm --

liverpool4ever wrote: construction site with s**t primitive roads

Ridiculous

You got that right, just saw a dude in a yellow Lambo thrash the undercarriage of his buggy on raised manholes coming from Ibn Battuta.

Bethsmum wrote:In JBR I have a supermarket within about 3 minutes walk which carries almost everything you may have forgotton from your visit to Waitrose or Carrefour. They do deliver or will carry your shopping for you. To be honest I wouldn't dream of phoning them to deliver unless I had a broken leg. Is that the Brit in me?

Not been here long enough sweetie!

Order '1 Bebsi'...they deliver for a dirham.

(actually, I will only order delivery from my grocery if its enough to make it worthwhile! Otherwise, I walk the 2 minutes and pick it up. Is that the Brit in me?)



Knight

dubaidog wrote:

sage & onion wrote:Well, I wish you all well, I am quite content in my modest little pad.

Your hood is so 2006, Sage!

2005 actually, but still good.

sage & onion wrote:Well, I wish you all well, I am quite content in my modest little pad.

Someone's being modest.

-- Sun Oct 10, 2010 8:57 pm --

Bethsmum wrote:In JBR I have a supermarket within about 3 minutes walk which carries almost everything you may have forgotton from your visit to Waitrose or Carrefour. They do deliver or will carry your shopping for you. To be honest I wouldn't dream of phoning them to deliver unless I had a broken leg. Is that the Brit in me?

My legs are fine BM, it's just that they are attached to a very lazy person.

Well, the small grocer had delivery people working there, so why not? Besides, a can of Coke which normally cost 1 dirham, usually cost me 2 dirhams (1 dirham tip). Two cartons of water delivered, added a 5 dirham tip. Tipped everytime they delivered. Actually, the loved when I called for a delivery. Could all that tipping be the American in me??

Yes Bora all that tipping malarki is the American in you. I don't mind tipping but I don't like giving my money away. It just wouldn't occur to me to phone out for anything except a take away meal.

@DK, no matter how long I lived in Dubai, I would never phone for a can of Pepsi to be delivered. How are you going to manage when you get back to the real world?

Bethsmum wrote:@DK, no matter how long I lived in Dubai, I would never phone for a can of Pepsi to be delivered. How are you going to manage when you get back to the real world?

I just turn on the tap and drink the water...



Knight

Stop complaining. At least you have a Parkn'Shop

Bethsmum wrote:Yes Bora all that tipping malarki is the American in you. I don't mind tipping but I don't like giving my money away. It just wouldn't occur to me to phone out for anything except a take away meal.

@DK, no matter how long I lived in Dubai, I would never phone for a can of Pepsi to be delivered. How are you going to manage when you get back to the real world?

Tipping malarki? Nah. Just that Americans don't have a problem letting go of the dirham. Unfortunately too many people have the mentality of "tip included". Never heard of Americans being lousy tippers, unlike others. And that's not just from what I've heard, but also from what I've seen.

Bora Bora wrote:

Bethsmum wrote:Yes Bora all that tipping malarki is the American in you. I don't mind tipping but I don't like giving my money away. It just wouldn't occur to me to phone out for anything except a take away meal.

@DK, no matter how long I lived in Dubai, I would never phone for a can of Pepsi to be delivered. How are you going to manage when you get back to the real world?

Tipping malarki? Nah. Just that Americans don't have a problem letting go of the dirham. Unfortunately too many people have the mentality of "tip included". Never heard of Americans being lousy tippers, unlike others. And that's not just from what I've heard, but also from what I've seen.

It's true about Americans tipping, when we visited our Daughter earlier this year (Austin, Tx) she watched us like a hawk when we were paying restaurant bills to make sure that we tipped enough.

I say its perfectly alright, but should not be considered a right or law that one must tip. Only good service should be rewarded.

Over here I will only tip if there is no service charge included and if the service was decent

desertdudeshj wrote:I say its perfectly alright, but should not be considered a right or law that one must tip. Only good service should be rewarded.

Over here I will only tip if there is no service charge included and if the service was decent

I totally agree with you, howver in the USA we found that the level of service is generally far higher than here.