Mall of the Emirates

It was my first trip the Mall of the Emirates couple of days ago. I have been hearing mixed opinions about the place. This my $0.02 worth:

Getting into the mall's parking lot was relatively smooth. The multi-story parking was quite ample, easy to navigate through and very well lit: something I am noticing more in newer malls these days. The individual car spaces, however, aren't as specious. So, if you are the paranoid type who worries about his car getting door dinged, suggest you look for a parking space between 2 European cars with market value of over Dhs 100k each.

Access to the shopping area hasn't been a problem as there were several entrances. I do propose you mark the shops next to the entrance you use, as this will be the only thing that will remind of the closest exist to your car on your way out.

As you go in, the overall 'finish' of the mall is definitely a plus. Flooring, rails and ceilings remained me of malls I've been to in KL, Malaysia; That’s another thing Dubai is trying to rip off from KL ;)

My first impression as a walked in: "seems like an upgraded version of Diera City Centre". But a closer looks was definitely in order and i did spot stores i didn't see before. One thing that attracted my attention is the shops layout. It is obvious that there is an effort to arrange shop locations as per activity - especially in the upper floor. The ground floor was the usual mishmash of shoes, accessories, cloths and random coffee shops. Of course its needless to mention the highly electronics appliances playing fields with their psychedelic florescent lights.

Some people may take this for granted, but the direction signs inside the mall were very clear and consistently visible. Why am i appreciating this? Try finding the public bathrooms in Madinat Jumeirah and you'll know what i mean :)

I am gonna keep my final verdict till the mall is fully operational, but I do have to say that overall feeling as i drove out of the place was content.