My trip to the Dubai Frame!
If you are looking for an interesting mix of past, present, and future or a breathtaking view of what is probably the most famous city in the UAE, then look no further because today I'm taking you on a virtual trip to the Dubai Frame. The Dubai Frame is located in the Al Kifaf area of Dubai and it's more or less an extension of the Zabeel park, but regardless it's a pretty popular place so any map and/or taxi driver will probably know how to get you there. The Frame was opened in 2018 so it is a very recent structure (at least in relation to this post) and when the newspaper headline first came up talking about it, what they highlighted was that it was going to be the biggest "frame" in the world. For this reason I must admit that I was not impressed, because I was expecting a cheap and pretty random world record attempt that would be over-priced and just around for tourists who think it's going to be cool. However upon visiting the place myself I've changed my mind, although the ticket is a bit expensive, and as usual with these kinds of places, the gift shop and food areas inside are super over priced. What I'm doing a very bad job of trying to say is that as long as you're not buying lunch and all your family's birthday presents inside, the experience itself is pretty awesome.
So getting into the trip itself, I used the metro coupled with a taxi ride to get there because I was on my own (as you might guess). Zabeel park is a pretty big place with multiple entrances and attractions, so when I got there I did end up having some difficulty getting into the Frame but a couple helpful security guards and some intuition got me there eventually. The entrance had two ticket booths and the security did a pretty good job of keeping it from getting too crowded or jammed at either booth. The ticket for anyone above sixteen was fifty dirhams and I think it was thirty for kids under that age. Anyway, with the money aspect over with I went through the gates and entered the outdoor garden area that surrounds the Frame. There were lots of people just arriving, just leaving, and just sitting, with plenty over overpriced little "hot dog stand" places to keep them company.
So if you follow the pathway that's there, you are eventually led to the entrance of the building where a guard checks everyone's ticket and then holds all of the line until the security inside says it's free. Then once you are let in there is a bag scanner and some other security that you have to go through before finally being let into the lobby area. After you've relieved yourself, bludgeoned your kids, or gotten yourself prepared in any other way, then you enter another line where another guard holds everyone until the guard at the museum's entrance gives the OK. While all this security and lines seems a bit tedious I do think it was a good thing because if that level of order wasn't there I think it would get pretty crowded and confused, considering the large number of people that were there.
Before I continue I wanted to quickly explain the make-up of the Frame's insides. To start off with you enter in the middle and that's where you go through all the security and eventually get to the lobby. From there you are taken to the right side of the building where there is a small museum-like stretch that gives a brief history of old Dubai. You then take an elevator up to the top level which is made with a lot of windows and is just meant for getting a good view. So once you walk across the top to the left side there is another elevator that takes you back down to a little stretch similar to the first one, but instead it is devoted to telling you about the future of Dubai.
So getting back to my trip, after the security got the OK me and the group that I was put with were taken to the "museum" entrance where we got a quick explanation of the purpose and meaning behind the Frame and everything that we would see inside it. Then we were finally let into the exhibit which was basically a few short hallways strung together, containing informational signs, videos, and artifacts going through the history and lifestyle of old Dubai.
At the end of this blast from the past there was another guard holding the line in front of the elevators sectioning groups of about ten people to get on one of the two elevators whenever they came down. After waiting for a while I finally got on an elevator and slowly but surely me and "my group" were lifted higher and higher as all the kids crammed around the window to watch the people sitting outside in the garden turn into ants.
Soon we reached the top and this is my favorite part of the whole experience as I'm sure it is for most people because to put it simply -- it's freaking cool. Not only are you in a hallway that even has windows on the floor so obviously amazing views, but also those amazing views have meaning behind them. The Frame has been built in such a location that when you look out the windows on one side you are met with the tight packed rural housing and winding creek that is known as "old Dubai". Then when you look out the other side your eyes rest upon the massive skyscrapers and bustling urban jungle that is known as "new Dubai".
As you can tell the concept is pretty simple but something about the way it's been executed makes me so astounded. I believe it is a "you had to be there" sort of feeling and while I'm trying real hard I don't believe words and pictures fully give it justice. Say what you want about all of that old and new stuff, but just the fact that the floor looks normal you step on parts of it and it changes from the simple peach color to just open window is ridiculously cool.
So after you finish taking roughly three hundred and seventy two pictures and a selfie, you are free to enter an elevator on the opposite side from which you came up, and these elevators take you back down to earth (literally not figuratively). Once you get out there is a very futuristic looking hallway that leads you to an almost 360 degree screen where you get to watch a roughly ten minute long animated video about how Dubai will look in the future. I think the video was predicting the year 2050 but don't quote me on that. Anyway I was a loyal visitor (unlike some people) and stood through the whole video which actually was kinda cool for what it was. After that there was another hallway with windows into different aspects of Dubai's future, and at the end of said hallway I found myself in the final room. This room was nothing spectacular, it was dedicated to giving some info and facts about the Dubai Frame as well as a few cool interactive touchscreens that didn't appear to hold any significant purpose.
The exit of this room was a short stairway that led back into the lobby where you could once again relieve yourself, not bludgeon your child because that would be mean (and possibly scarring), and anything else you needed to do before going on your way into the outside world.
So that does it, hope you liked reading this post. While in theory the frame isn't that much of a "destination", and if you went through it without taking your time you'd probably be done in thirty to fifty minutes, I still think it was pretty neat. So swing on by and make sure you've got that slightly painful fifty to give for each of your adults as well as stacks more if you plan on investing anything in the gift shop. Anyway thanks for reading and make sure to pop in for my next post.