[A guest post from Craig]
Friday night I took Laura to the airport to fly back to LA in order to join Courtney and the grandgirls for an “adventure” up to the Bay Area for a week or so. Her flight was at 1:30 am (technically, Saturday) and after seeing her to security I went home and slept fitfully. It’s strange to have had her with me and then for her to be gone. I mean, I’m used to traveling alone for business, but I’ve gotten used to her in our apartment in Abu Dhabi.
Saturday morning I woke up and made coffee and my favorite breakfast: left over taco meat and scrambled eggs with sour cream, fresh diced tomato, and taco sauce. I got dressed and headed to Nation Towers, a new office and retail development on the Corniche (actually, Laura and I had just been to the St. Regis there the day before for brunch, but that’s an entirely different post and I don’t want to steal Laura’s thunder on that one). I had decided to go see <i>Ready Player One</i> at the cinema. I’d been forewarned that the locals don’t follow norms for behavior in the cinema by talking at full volume, texting, and answering phone calls. I was schooled that I should go to the movies in the morning to avoid such frustration.
Further, I decided my lack-of-frustration strategy should include seats to one of the premium cinemas. Most chains here have the “regular” theater then they have a reserved seat theater that costs a little more and may have moving or reclining seats, like some chains do in the States. The cinema closest to our apartment also had a super premium option: a small, 18-seat cinema with motorized recliners, reserved seating, an exclusive menu of food from a celebrity chef, and in-theater table service. I splurged and bought the USD$40 ticket.
I got to the multiplex and the place was empty. Evidently NO ONE goes to the movies at 10:45 am. I was ushered to a separate, exclusive lobby just for people visiting the super premium cinemas where there was a bar and appetizers for purchase. Made me want to come back at night to try it out! I hung out for a little bit in this lounge until I was informed it was almost showtime and I was taken up stairs to the exclusive screening room-style theater.
Seated in my reserved, plush seat I was handed a menu. Again I wished it were later because the food looked really good, but I’d just had breakfast and asked for an espresso and a bottle of water. I reclined my seat and watched the ads before the movie. Unlike theaters in the states, the ads were for new real estate developments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. There was a PSA about the social change going on in Saudi Arabia and a PSA that may have been about social programs or about electrical utility relief, I couldn’t tell. The server came back with my coffee and water and the real movie previews began. Finally, the show started. I think I liked the cinema experience a lot more than the movie, and I’m eager to bring Laura to experience it because she’s not a fan of going to the movies, but I think she’d like this a lot.
You can read all about the theater experience at the cinema’s website here: https://uae.voxcinemas.com/ways-to-watch/theatre-by-rhodes
After the movie I grabbed lunch near the apartment and took it home, spending the day relaxing and playing video games and catching up on shows I usually don’t watch with Laura.
Friday night I took Laura to the airport to fly back to LA in order to join Courtney and the grandgirls for an “adventure” up to the Bay Area for a week or so. Her flight was at 1:30 am (technically, Saturday) and after seeing her to security I went home and slept fitfully. It’s strange to have had her with me and then for her to be gone. I mean, I’m used to traveling alone for business, but I’ve gotten used to her in our apartment in Abu Dhabi.
Saturday morning I woke up and made coffee and my favorite breakfast: left over taco meat and scrambled eggs with sour cream, fresh diced tomato, and taco sauce. I got dressed and headed to Nation Towers, a new office and retail development on the Corniche (actually, Laura and I had just been to the St. Regis there the day before for brunch, but that’s an entirely different post and I don’t want to steal Laura’s thunder on that one). I had decided to go see <i>Ready Player One</i> at the cinema. I’d been forewarned that the locals don’t follow norms for behavior in the cinema by talking at full volume, texting, and answering phone calls. I was schooled that I should go to the movies in the morning to avoid such frustration.
Further, I decided my lack-of-frustration strategy should include seats to one of the premium cinemas. Most chains here have the “regular” theater then they have a reserved seat theater that costs a little more and may have moving or reclining seats, like some chains do in the States. The cinema closest to our apartment also had a super premium option: a small, 18-seat cinema with motorized recliners, reserved seating, an exclusive menu of food from a celebrity chef, and in-theater table service. I splurged and bought the USD$40 ticket.
I got to the multiplex and the place was empty. Evidently NO ONE goes to the movies at 10:45 am. I was ushered to a separate, exclusive lobby just for people visiting the super premium cinemas where there was a bar and appetizers for purchase. Made me want to come back at night to try it out! I hung out for a little bit in this lounge until I was informed it was almost showtime and I was taken up stairs to the exclusive screening room-style theater.
Seated in my reserved, plush seat I was handed a menu. Again I wished it were later because the food looked really good, but I’d just had breakfast and asked for an espresso and a bottle of water. I reclined my seat and watched the ads before the movie. Unlike theaters in the states, the ads were for new real estate developments in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. There was a PSA about the social change going on in Saudi Arabia and a PSA that may have been about social programs or about electrical utility relief, I couldn’t tell. The server came back with my coffee and water and the real movie previews began. Finally, the show started. I think I liked the cinema experience a lot more than the movie, and I’m eager to bring Laura to experience it because she’s not a fan of going to the movies, but I think she’d like this a lot.
You can read all about the theater experience at the cinema’s website here: https://uae.voxcinemas.com/ways-to-watch/theatre-by-rhodes
After the movie I grabbed lunch near the apartment and took it home, spending the day relaxing and playing video games and catching up on shows I usually don’t watch with Laura.
No comments:
Post a Comment