Open Skies April 2018

RISE OF THE PLYSCRAPERS

ROAD TRIP

Why the world is turning to timber for its high-rise future

Is the classic adventure by road the sole preserve of the US? Scotland has the answer

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

The Middle East Film and Comic Con, and the life of a superhero

OPEN SKIES Create your own Dubai adventure

RECLAIMING THE DESERT Forget what you think you know – this is the ultimate insider’s guide to Dubai

Live Loud.

The All-New VELOSTER.

hyundai.com/veloster

FLANNEL

EDITOR-INCHIEF

MANAGING PARTNER & GROUP EDITOR

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

OBAID HUMAID AL TAYER

IAN FAIRSERVICE

GINA JOHNSON GINA@MOTIVATE.AE

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SENIOR EDITOR

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SENIOR DESIGNER

MARK EVANS MARKE@MOTIVATE.AE

ANDREW NAGY ANDREW.NAGY@MOTIVATE.AE

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DIGITAL ANIMATOR

SUB EDITOR

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SALIL KUMAR SALIL@MOTIVATE.AE

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AARTI SAUNDALKAR AARTI@MOTIVATE.AE

CONTRIBUTORS IAIN AKERMAN, CHRISTOPHER BEANLAND, CHARLIE CARVER, EMMA COILER, GARY EVANS, SARAH FREEMAN, DOM JOLY, REBECCA MATTHEWS CAROLYN STRITCH, CHRIS YOUNG COVER: ROUI FRANCISCO

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EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS FOR EMIRATES

EDITOR

ARABIC EDITOR

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MANNA TALIB

HATEM OMAR

CATHERINE FREEMAN

Emirates takes care to ensure that all facts published herein are correct. In the event of any inaccuracy please contact the editor. Any opinion expressed is the honest belief of the author based on all available facts. Comments and facts should not be relied upon by the reader in taking commercial, legal, financial or other decisions.

Articles are by their nature general and specialist advice should always be consulted before any actions are taken.

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Media One Tower, Dubai Media City PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Telephone: (+971 4) 427 3000 Fax: (+971 4) 428 2261 Email: emirates@motivate.ae 8 / OPEN SKIES

133,095 copies January – June 2017

Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, UAE

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CONTENTS

INTRO

16

EXPERIENCE

20

STAY

24

TRAVEL ESSENTIAL

26

DISPATCH

28

EXPO 2020

30

NEIGHBOURHOOD

36

THE YEAR OF ZAYED

38

43

LUNCH WITH

DOM JOLY

FEATURES

55

47

63

DXB FIELD MANUAL

THE ROAD TRIP

THE SAVIOUR OF SOCCER

BRIEFING

70

NEWS

72

INSIDE EMIRATES

74

DESTINATION

76

SMART GATE, VISA AND COMFORT

82

ROUTE MAP

88

THE FLEET

90

CELEBRITY DIRECTIONS OPEN SKIES / 11

EDITOR’S NOTE

ON THE COVER

RECLAIMING THE DESERT Our idea behind this month’s cover is a metaphor for how you should tackle Dubai: grab everything the city has to offer, mix it all about a bit and get moving.

Welcome to Dubai. Please head straight to the top of the world’s tallest building, pausing briefly to watch the Dubai Fountain (by way of Dubai Aquarium in Dubai Mall). Don’t forget to visit Ski Dubai and take your photo at Burj Al Arab on your way out.

For those yet to visit, it could be easy to reduce Dubai to a collection of the world’s biggest, tallest and most expensive – particularly in a guide of what to do there. But to boil it down to a collection of clickbait stats would be to do it a major disservice.

Don’t get me wrong, Dubai has all of those things (and more), the cloud-skimming architecture, the record-breaking attractions and the glamorous restaurants by chefs with a TV back catalogue. But there’s also a rich history to explore, and winding alleyways to wander and hole-inthe-wall restaurants where you can find some of the best food you’ll ever try. You just have to know where to look.

Not that I blame you for being taken in by the superlatives. I’ve lived in the city for 11 years, but still get distracted by the latest must-visit spot or out-of-the-way cool space… well, no more! To help you (and me) we created an essential guide to Dubai: a collection of local knowledge, fun ideas and a Venn diagram or two. Not just for visitors, it’s for residents too.

Head to page 55, create a bespoke itinerary and explore the city for real.

ANDREW NAGY SENIOR EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA facebook.com/ openskiesmag

twitter.com/ openskiesmag

instagram.com/ openskiesmag

ALSO AVAILABLE ON YOUR IPAD OPEN SKIES / 13

Sharjah Aquarium Explore the astonishing hidden world of the deep sea life Experience up-close encounters with around 100 marine species native to the region’s waters. Take an underwater journey and discover everything from large ocean creatures to the small aquatic life that can be found in the UAE’s rock pools, coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves.

Intro

NEIGHBOURHOOD

EXPERIENCE • STAY

•

INTRO DISPATCH • EXPO 2020 • NEIGHBOURHOOD

APR. 19-21

ROMEO AND JULIET The Moscow City Ballet’s performance of the world’s most famous love story.

DUBAI, UAE | DUBAIOPERA.COM

Turn over to plan your month

EXPERIENCE

THE PLAN Events to aim for this month APR. 5-7

MIDDLE EAST FILM AND COMIC CON

Arafaat Ali Khan, co-founder of the Middle East Film and Comic Con, talks cosplay, unique art and geeks WORDS: Andrew Nagy

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s event?

That’s potentially the most difficult question you could ask.

It’s impossible to recommend just one thing, there’s so much happening. We’ve got Funko and Netflix attending with exclusives for the very first time, lots of amazing merchandise stands and some great workshops and talks. However, if I have to choose one, then I’ll go for an area rather than one stand: Artists’ Alley.

The amount of talent and utterly unique products on display – and on sale – here will be absolutely astounding.

How has Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) developed?

It’s happened at quite a rate.

The region shouted loud and clear that it was a nation of geeks back in 2012 – and we were glad to hear it. We really weren’t sure what to expect at that first event, but managed to attract over 14,000 visitors. That has since grown to over 60,000 in recent years.

Cosplay is a huge part of the scene, how does Dubai shape up?

I remember seeing one of our top

regional cosplayers, Vega, bring the house down at the very first MEFCC in 2012 with his Jin Kazama cosplay from Tekken.

He had built a set of wings that actually opened up from his back.

Let’s cut to the chase – which celebrities are coming?

We have big names. There’s Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer who plays Nancy Wheeler, and Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn who plays Hodor. We also have Karl Urban, who’s played heroic characters like Eomer in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, McCoy in the latest Star Trek movies and Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok.

What top tip can you give us?

Consider picking up an Al Awal Premium Pass. This will get you in every day, fast-track you through the event and give you a host of other goodies. The best part? One Pass holder will get a special portrait drawn by The Simpsons’ annimator, Phil Ortiz, during the show.

Enjoy dozens of superhero action movies on today’s flight, including Justice League, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy and more.

16 / OPEN SKIES

EXPERIENCE

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION… APR. 3-7

GITEX SHOPPER

The latest edition of Gitex Shopper brings the best new gadgets all under one roof in Dubai. Open 12 hours a day for five days, this one is a must-see for any visiting techheads, so be sure to leave enough room in your suitcase.

DUBAI, UAE | GITEXSHOPPERDUBAI.COM

APR. 13-22

FLATPACK FESTIVAL

Taking place every spring in Birmingham, UK, this unusual film festival takes over the city in eclectic style, and features a 100-year-old cinema, an 18th century cathedral, animated sushi, screenings, exhibitions, performances and parties.

BIRMINGHAM, UK | FLATPACKFESTIVAL.ORG

UNTIL APR. 22

MEMORIES OF DALI

April is your last chance to check out the fantastic exhibition, Salvador Dali. The Memories in Dubai. Star attractions include his famed Shower of Jasmine painting – made public for only the third time ever – along with classic images of the man himself.

DUBAI, UAE | SALVADORDALI.AE

UNTIL APR. 22

MELBOURNE INTL. COMEDY FESTIVAL

One of the top comedy festivals in the world featuring three weeks of shows and events. It might be part of why Melbourne is often named the world’s finest city.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA | COMEDYFESTIVAL.COM.AU

OPEN SKIES / 17

EXPERIENCE

APR. 26

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

The British actor on wearing a cape, Comic Con and keeping Marvel secrets ahead of the latest blockbuster, Avengers: Infinity War

The best thing about being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, well, all of it The quality of the storytelling, the incredible visuals, working with some wonderfully creative people and, of course, the dedication of the fans.

The worst?

Probably keeping quiet about it all.

The secrecy surrounding Marvel movies is well known and something like Avengers: Infinity War has been 10 years coming. There’s been an incredible amount of hard work put into this, so you really don’t want to let any spoilers out.

Doctor Strange has been an amazing experience The physical work and fight scenes were a first for me – I had never experienced anything on that level.

He’s obviously an iconic character, too. I just loved the whole process.

You want to know what Doctor Strange will be doing in Avengers: Infinity War? I’ll refer you to my secrecy answer.

The cast is stellar Everybody is great. Obviously, we’re not all on set at the same time, but there is a collective togetherness and desire to make it a great movie.

When I wore the costume for the fist time it was pretty special That was the penny-drop moment.

I was looking in the mirror and felt like a kid at Halloween. Alex, our incredible costume designer, looked at me and said: “You’re having a superhero moment, aren’t you?”

18 / OPEN SKIES

San Diego Comic Con was a real eye-opener It was just before Doctor Strange was released and there was this long line of people queuing. The event hadn’t started yet, so I asked one of the organisers what they were queuing for and they replied that it was for the following day. It was sweltering heat and these fans were literally prepared to wait in line for days – that was a wow moment.

I would love to visit a Comic Con in Dubai one day.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR IS IN CINEMAS ON APRIL 26

Marvel’s The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron are showing in Marvel Movies on ice.

STAY

UAE

ENDLESS SUMMER

A secret escape in the heart of Dubai’s thriving metropolis, Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf offers privacy and prestige in equal measure WORDS: Gina Johnson

IMAGES: Jumeirah

The Hollywood Connection

Madinat Jumeirah is a founding partner of the annual Dubai International Film Festival. Some of the world’s most famous actors – including Tom Cruise, Cate Blanchett and George Clooney – have gathered here to celebrate the region’s thriving film industry.

55.2708° E

DUBAI

25.2048° N

Imagine a place with the silver service of a luxury resort, the secluded charm of a private summerhouse and the ambience of the gentle waterways of Venice?

No stranger to superlatives, Dubai’s boldest, biggest and most beautiful attractions are usually more synonymous with the spotlight.

Sky-high private helipads and underwater restaurants accessed via submarine being no exception, the city lays down the gauntlet when it comes to off-the-chart, Instagramworthy hotel experiences.

Which is why it is all the more delicious to discover a 20 / OPEN SKIES

luxury bolthole nestled within the winding waterways of behemoth brand Jumeirah’s beachside resort complex.

Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf is located within Madinat Jumeirah, an architectural and lifestyle precinct inspired by the city’s old

Bastakiya neighbourhood with hotels, world-class restaurants and a vibrant bazaar-like souk. The property comprises a collection of rooms and suites in clusters reminiscent of the traditional Arabian summerhouses of the region.

Its understated elegance is virtually unrivalled with the seven Malakiya Villas offering palace-like proportions to cater to multi-generational families.

Any wonder that even the city’s astute locals choose to check in when they simply want to check out without having to do much more than call a cab.

And for those who like their summerhouse sojourn to offer a little slice of action, guests have complimentary access to the region’s renowned aquatic adventure attraction, Wild Wadi Waterpark.

JUMEIRAH.COM

STAY

MOROCCO

AN OCEANFRONT ESCAPE

With stunning architecture, a Moroccan soul, sublime French cuisine and uninterrupted ocean views, the Four Seasons Hotel is your hideaway in Casablanca WORDS: Sarah Freeman

IMAGES: Four Seasons Casablanca

7.5898° W

33.5731° N

CASABLANCA

Casablanca’s original oceanfront hotel certainly makes the most of its prestigious location. The Atlantic is omnipresent, from signature restaurant Bleu’s nauticalthemed décor to the guest-rooms’ amazing, westward ocean views.

The hotel even organises weekly group jogs along the city’s 3kmlong La Corniche, which stretches east to west from earthquakeproof Hassan II Mosque, to Casa’s iconic El Hank Lighthouse.

Sequestered in 40 acres of landscaped Moorish gardens, the hotel’s resort-style setting feels a million miles from the exotic chaos of downtown Casablanca, despite being a mere 10-minute taxi ride from the centre. Cues to its North African locale continue inside, with Bedouinstyle bench seating and brass lanterns gracing the vast lobby, where you can sip on exclusive Moroccan teas in its riadstyled Mint Lounge. A modern interpretation of this traditional Moroccan design infuses the 186 guest rooms and suites, which marry neutral tones and dark woods with plush furnishings and Berber-inspired, stone, brass and porcelain design elements.

If you’re looking for total relaxation, there are customisable Four Seasons beds, cosseting terry 22 / OPEN SKIES

CASABLANCA

WHILE YOU’RE IN CASABLANCA

Satisfy your sweet tooth at Pâtisserie Bennis Habous.

This fourth generation-owned bakery in leafy Quartier Habous has been lovingly churning out traditional almond-paste pastries and macaroons for nearly 90 years.

RUN THE SITES

Run 3km along La Corniche EL HANK LIGHTHOUSE

HASSAN II MOSQUE

Emirates operates a daily A380 service to Casablanca.

bathrobes and VRAI by Fragonard deluxe toiletries. If all that R&R has worked up an appetite, choose from Mediterranean, Provençal and local Moroccan dishes across the hotel’s three restaurants, or you can keep things casual with poolside tapas and tacos at Latitude 33.

Our advice? Get dressed up and head for sunset dining at contemporary French brasserie, Bleu – the oysters are a must.

FOURSEASONS.COM

ESSENTIALS

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS Any traveller worth their salt should have a quality pair of headphones packed in their carry-on

THREE TO TUNE IN

Three 2018 music festivals for your calendar

CUSTOM FIT The soft lambskin ear cushion is adaptive memory foam that moulds to the curve of your ear for supreme comfort and breathability.

1

Coachella (April 13-15/20-22)

Go for: a LA festival over two weekends that’s perfect for big name celeb-spotting and even bigger name acts.

Headliners: The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Eminem.

SWIPE RIGHT Change track, adjust volume or cancel ANC, all with a finger swipe on the outer case of the right headphone.

QUIET TIME The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) has been improved so that you can tune the rest of the world out.

2

Benicàssim (July 19-22)

Go for: some guitar legends and muchneeded sun in this Spanish resort situated just one hour away from Valencia.

Headliners: The Killers, Liam Gallagher.

FEATURING Beoplay H9i, US$599 BEOPLAY.COM

Looking for your favourite artist to listen to on today’s flight?

Press the search button on ice and type the artist’s name.

Or pick up the ice guide in your seat pocket and check the music listings where artists are listed alphabetically.

24 / OPEN SKIES

THE HEADPHONES THE FESTIVAL Music is made for movement, so a trusty pair of headphones should be an item that you spend that little extra on ahead of any adventure around the world. They will be the source of your holiday soundtrack, they will come in handy when you don’t want to talk (just sit with them on, in silence) and, thanks to active noise-cancellation tech, they’ll help you get a good night’s sleep wherever you might lay your head.

The sturdy and stylish Beoplay H9i is Bang & Olufsen’s flagship headphone and is a serious piece of kit. The sound has been beefed up in this new edition – with the bass in particular getting a kick – while they’ll even sense when you’ve taken them off and pause the play, ensuring that you can haggle with a taxi driver or speak broken Spanish to a hotelier, safe in the knowledge that you won’t miss a thing.

3

Bestival (August 2-5)

Go for: a trip to the Isle of White that you normally wouldn’t make, along with great bands and fancy-dress opportunities.

Headliners: Grace Jones, Chaka Kahn.

I THINK WE’VE MET BEFORE? Was it in New York, Paris or maybe Bangkok? We’re always happy to see a familiar face.

After you’ve made yourself comfortable in one of our stylish rooms, head over to one of the bars, where you’ll enjoy flawless service and chic surroundings.

Discover your new favorite destination with Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai.

For more information visit renaissancedowntowndubai.com or email rendxb.sales@renhotels.com

RENAISSANCE DOWNTOWN HOTEL, DUBAI Marasi Drive Business Bay Dubai PO Box 191984 United Arab Emirates t: +971.4.512.5555

CANADA

THE RISE OF THE PLYSCRAPERS

Toronto is reaching for the sky with a new generation of wooden buildings leading to a healthier, environmentally friendly lifestyle WORDS: Chistopher Beanland

TORONTO

79.3832° W

TORONTO

43.6532° N

In the frozen north, Canadian cities like Toronto are turning back the clock and embracing the material that all their buildings used to be made of: wood. And now that trend is spreading around the world.

“Building with wood is very similar to playing with Lego,” laughs Chris Precht. “A wooden high rise is assembled with building elements. And like Lego, it can be built up – but also built down again.

Like us, buildings have a limited lifespan and as architects we need to start thinking about the whole life cycle of a building and what happens to all the elements afterwards. You can build a LEEDcertified (ecologically sustainable) building, but if all useful materials are wasted after its lifespan, how sustainable is it? With a wooden building, most of the modules can be reused. I like to think about circular processes, rather than linear ones.”

Precht is the head of the innovative architecture studio, Penda, which has offices in Salzburg and Beijing. But Penda currently has eyes on Toronto.

Canada’s largest city has rediscovered its love for wooden buildings, and Penda’s proposed project is the most eye-popping of the lot. The Toronto Tree Tower will be 18 stories of staggered wooden apartments that will look a lot like Tetris bricks that have dropped from a big Game Boy screen in the sky. At 62 metres tall and with 4,500 square metres of space, its blocky look is said to be inspired by the famous Habitat 67 Brutalist apartments in nearby Montreal.

But why wood rather than concrete and steel? “Building with wood is a win-win for developers and residents,” says Precht. “A wooden structure has economical benefits like 26 / OPEN SKIES

Emirates flies three times weekly from Dubai to Toronto with the Airbus A380.

building slimmer, and it’s four times lighter than a concrete and steel structure. That means a larger useful floor area. Developers are building faster with less labour, because many parts can be prefabricated in indoor environments. That also means better quality control. But it also has ecological benefits: wood stores CO2, it’s a renewable material that grows with a natural energy source. Wood can be recycled after the life cycle of a building is over. It’s healthy, too, and people living in a wooden home actually have a lower heart rate than those who don’t.”

Around the world, plyscrapers are rising, from London to Melbourne to Vienna. Wood is the latest must-have material: it’s light, cheap, plentiful. It harks back to more primal times when we built with whatever was to hand. It seems more environmentally friendly, more homely, too. And new technologies like CLT (cross-laminated timber) allow wood to really reach for the skies. “Timber is a renewable building material with proven advantages

DISPATCH

The wooden cities Three other places where timber is the go-to material

SYDNEY

A brand-new high-spec wooden office block recently opened in Sydney.

The six-floor building is made from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT).

TOKYO

for health and the environment, and timber buildings can stand as long or even longer than a building made from concrete,” says Maria Molander of C.F. Møller architects in Stockholm.

“International research shows that tall timber buildings are the key to building a sustainable future, and engineered timber is the building block of the future and the most effective way to convert to a sustainable building industry.”

Things are moving so fast now that hardly a week goes by without new plans for a plyscraper – especially in Canada. “The change in the last four or five years has been incredible. It feels like the concept of altering the way we build was near impossible just a few years ago but now countries like China have updated their building code to permit 18-storey wood buildings,” says Michael Green, the world’s

most famous ‘wood’ architect, and author of The Case for Tall Wood Buildings: How Mass Timber Offers a Safe, Economical and Environmentally Friendly Alternative for Tall Building Structures. He’s also based in Canada, where the wood bug has bitten him hard. “That level of change is outstanding and inspiring.”

Canadian cities have said yes to wood. It doesn’t take a degree to work out why: Canada is covered in trees. Toronto has already welcomed several big wooden buildings in the last couple of years – including a residential block called Heartwood The Beach, at 1884 Queen St. East and Woodbine Ave, and also innovative wooden office blocks at 60 and 80 Atlantic Ave in Liberty Village. Many more are planned for the city, but the Toronto Tree Tower will be the most bonkers and brazen of them all. From small acorns grow big ideas.

Sumitomo Forestry Co.’s W350 will boast an incredible 70 storeys and be the world’s tallest wooden building.

Unfortunately, it’s not set to open until 2041.

OSLO

Just outside of Oslo, the current tallest timber building on Earth is rising. Mjøstårnet will be 18 storeys high when it opens in December 2018.

OPEN SKIES / 27

EXPO

UAE

EXPO’S UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE

Expo 2020 Dubai is empowering the UAE’s brightest young minds to find creative solutions to global problems WORDS: Craig Durie

55.2708° E

DUBAI

25.2048° N

Hundreds of university students across the UAE are bringing to life Expo 2020 Dubai’s ethos of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ as they work together to develop innovative ideas that improve lives while preserving the environment.

The challenge is part of Expo 2020’s US$100 million innovation and partnership programme, Expo Live, which works to fund, accelerate and promote research and development that has a real social impact.

The first cycle of the programme attracted applications from 280 teams comprising more than 1,000 students, and grants of up to US$6,800 each have been awarded to 19 teams.

Some of these initiatives included: kits that enable people to grow food at home without soil, reducing their dependence on store-bought goods; a drone-based system that cleans up oil spills as soon as they happen, minimising environmental damage; an application that allows users to share cars, taxis or bicycle plans,

For more on Expo 2020, listen to the podcast on channel 1901 on ice.

28 / OPEN SKIES

improving mobility and cutting carbon emissions; a machine that recycles bottles while collecting any water left inside, increasing the reuse of plastic and cutting water wastage; and an unmanned submarine that locates coral reefs and evaluates their health, allowing researchers to detect changes over time.

Expo Live also is organising workshops to help students improve and develop their ideas and prepare pitches. The initiative gives students networking opportunities and exposure, with the potential to demonstrate their projects at Expo 2020, which is expected to be attended by millions.

“The Expo Live University Innovation Programme differentiates itself from other competitions because it provides real-life opportunities to develop the ideas and potentially showcase them to the world at Expo 2020 Dubai,” said Yousuf Caires, Vice President, Expo Live, Expo 2020 Dubai.

“It’s about giving grassroots projects an opportunity to present their work alongside the big guys on the global stage. We’re giving our brightest young minds an opportunity to position themselves as the innovators of tomorrow.

EXPO2020DUBAI.COM

Start your trip with the Etisalat Visitor Line on UAE‘s Widest Network Enjoy great offers on dining, transportation and recreation worth up to AED 1,500 Pick your Etisalat Visitor Line SIM card at any of our stores and enjoy mobile data, minutes, heaps of discounts as well as wide WiFi coverage across the UAE.

Experience great value etisalat.ae/visitorline

30 / OPEN SKIES

NEIGHBOURHOOD

LONDON

VENUE INDICATOR SHOPPING

DRINK

CULTURE

FOOD

RECREATION

HOTEL

Emirates operates nine daily flights to London. Choose from six daily services to London Heathrow and three daily services to London Gatwick. Starting June 8, Emirates will operate an additional daily service to London Stansted.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS: A CONVERSATION STARTER

DANIEL DEFOE AUTHOR, ROBINSON CRUSOE

JOSEPH CONRAD AUTHOR, HEART OF DARKNESS

MARC BOLAN MUSICIAN, T.REX

ADD ONE OF THE ABOVE TO: “DID YOU KNOW THAT

THURSTON MOORE MUSICIAN, SONIC YOUTH

IS FROM STOKE NEWINGTON?”

UK

STOKE NEWINGTON, LONDON STOKE NEWINGTON

WORDS: Charlie Carver

IMAGES: Rebecca Matthews

0.0794° W

51.5597° N

Situated in the north-east London borough of Hackney, Stoke Newington, like other Hackney neighbourhoods such as Dalston, Hoxton and Shoreditch, has undergone a process of gentrification in recent years. But whereas its neighbours are associated with the much-derided hipster, Stoke Newington has a village feel that appeals to families. It’s still Hackney – urban, diverse, rough around the edges, the sort of place you might run into an eccentric musician, painter or writer – but among middle class Londoners an N16 postcode is highly prized, and for good reason. Stoke Newington is famed for the preponderance of independent cafés, pubs, restaurants and shops, especially those that line Stoke Newington Church Street and the green expanse of Clissold Park, as a result, the sense of community is palpable.

OPEN SKIES / 31

START

1.

THE GOOD EGG

The Good Egg prides itself on its use of local ingredients, and serves shawarma and sandwiches for lunch and a menu of sharing plates for dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. But the first meal of the day is what it does best. The menu is firmly rooted in the Middle East, with each morning bringing a fresh batch of bread baked in the clay oven to prepare your stomach for mouth-watering dishes such as hogget merguez, crispy halloumi, shakshuka and brisket hash.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are freshly baked cakes and pastries.

You can’t reserve a table and it’s first come, first served, so make sure you move quickly on the weekend.

93 STOKE NEWINGTON CHURCH STREET | +44 (0) 20 7682 2120 | THEGOODEGG.CO

A 12-MINUTE WALK

2.

CLISSOLD PARK

If it’s sunny in London, the residents of Stoke Newington will be in Clissold Park, reclining in the shade of a tree with a newspaper, or sitting cross-legged around a picnic blanket laden with goodies from one of the neighbourhood’s bakeries, cafés or independent shops. Opened in 1889, this vast green space, which boasts a playground, paddling pool, tennis courts, an aviary, a butterfly dome, an animal enclosure (home to deer and goats), an organic market garden and the Grade II listed Clissold House, is at the heart of this urban community.

GREEN LANES | +44 (0) 20 8356 8428 | CLISSOLDPARK.COM 32 / OPEN SKIES

NEIGHBOURHOOD

3.

NOOK

A NINEMINUTE WALK

Browsing the carefully curated items at this popular concept store – boxwood handled kitchen knives from Spanish heritage brand Pallarès Solsana, a stoneware carafe handmade in Scotland, a copper watering can from 132-year-old Birmingham manufacturer Haws, a grid notebook from Copenhagen stationer Kartotek – is like flicking through a copy of one of the independent lifestyle magazines such as Open House, Apartmento, and Cereal, that you also find here and there amidst the homewares.

You will struggle to make it out without making a purchase.

153 STOKE NEWINGTON CHURCH STREET | +44 (0) 20 7249 9436 | NOOKSHOP.CO.UK

A TENMINUTE WALK

4.

SUTTON & SONS Family-run Sutton & Sons has been in the fish business since opening its fishmongers at 111 Stoke Newington High Street in 1998, and now husband-and-wife team Danny and Hana Sutton have fish and chip restaurants in Hackney Central, Islington and Stoke Newington. The flagship restaurant on Stoke Newington High Street, with its menu featuring Maldon oysters and Prosecco, Cromer crab on toast and lobster roll alongside more traditional chip shop staples such as battered cod, steak and kidney pie and jumbo sausage, is no runof-the-mill ‘chippy, but Sutton & Sons still feels like a traditional British chip shop.

90 STOKE NEWINGTON HIGH STREET | +44 (0) 20 7249 6444 | SUTTONANDSONS.CO.UK OPEN SKIES / 33

NEIGHBOURHOOD

A SEVENMINUTE WALK

5.

PREP

If you’re passionate about cooking or if your kitchen is designed to be looked at rather than cooked in, you will revel in perusing the selection of stylish kitchen items in this independent cook shop. The focus is on high-quality products from brands with a distinguished heritage: a filleting knife with a blade of German stainless steel from Robert Welch, kettles from Hario and Kinto, cutlery from Canvas Home and Charingworth and pepper mills from German Zassenhaus. One this is for sure, Prep is a far cry from the kitchen section of your everyday department store.

106 STOKE NEWINGTON CHURCH STREET | +44 (0) 20 3632 2339 | PREPCOOKSHOP.COM

A SEVENMINUTE WALK

6.

WOLF

END

There are a lot of fine places to eat in Stoke Newington, but it would be hard to find one better than Antony Difrancesco’s cosy, stylish Italian: Wolf. Chef Karla Knowles’ seasonal menu is made up of unfussy but refined Italian dishes composed of gorgeous ingredients and beautifully presented.

The cocktail and wine lists are equally impressive. Open for dinner seven nights a week, Wolf also serves a brunch, with the option of bottomless cocktails on Saturday and Sunday.

110 STOKE NEWINGTON HIGH STREET | +44 (0) 20 7254 4141 | WOLF-RESTAURANT.CO.UK

34 / OPEN SKIES

THE YEAR OF ZAYED

UAE

EDUCATING A NATION

Throughout 2018, Open Skies will honour the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This month: how Sheikh Zayed’s reforms changed the future of the UAE

What is the Year of Zayed?

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birth of the UAE’s founding father, 2018 will see 12 months of events to honour the life and legacy of Sheikh Zayed.

54.3773° E

24.4539° N

ABU DHABI

During his childhood there were no official schools in the Trucial States, so Sheikh Zayed received only basic instructions in the principles of Islam from the local mu’allim, or teacher of the Holy Quran. However, a thirst for knowledge soon took him into the desert, where he would spend his formative years learning about the environment, the ways of the local tribes and their struggle for survival in the harsh surroundings.

His first trip abroad in 1953 took Sheikh Zayed, along with his brother and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to

36 / OPEN SKIES

the UK and France. He would recall how impressed he had been with the schools there, and that visit would stand him in good stead in later life.

Sure enough, following his accession to power as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, Sheikh Zayed began work on a programme of reforms

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and British Prime Minister, Edward Heath, in 1969

that would develop and spread throughout the UAE. Education was one of his top priorities and his work would rapidly boost the literacy rates in the region.

This month, on April 25, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has honoured Sheikh Zayed’s commitment to education in the region by naming him ‘Personality of the Year’. As a result, part of the cultural arm of the fair will be based on his life and work. It’s a fitting tribute to the man who once said: “The education of our people is a great wealth. We are proud of our educated nation because through knowledge and science we will open the horizons of a glorious future.”

SOURCES: SHEIKH ZAYED: LIFE AND TIMES (NOOR ALI RASHID); FATHER OF OUR NATION; THE UAE FIFTY YEARS IN PICTURES (RAMESH SHUKLA) | BOOKSARABIA.COM

VISIT

WORDS TO CELEBRATE SHEIKH ZAYED

In celebration of the Year of Zayed, Zayed Central Library has launched Messages of Benevolence, a charity initiative supporting nations in need. Visitors simply purchase a US$6 voucher and write a short message to the UAE and its leadership, with a winning entry receiving a prize in the May 15 draw.

UNTIL MAY 15 | ZAYED CENTRAL LIBRARY, AL AIN Check the side of your aircraft today; it could well feature Emirates’ bespoke livery in tribute to Sheikh Zayed. A total of 10 Emirates aircraft carry the decal – five Airbus A380s and five Boeing 777-300ERs.

LUXEMBOURG • LONDON • MONACO • LIECHTENSTEIN BAHAMAS • DUBAI • GENEVA • ZURICH

PRIVATE BANKING WEALTH MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONAL BANKING ASSET MANAGEMENT

www.banquehavilland.com

LUNCH WITH

UK

PROFESSOR NICK BOSTROM

The founding director of the University of Oxford’s Humanity Institute and author of the New York Times bestseller Superintelligence talks AI over a large glass of ‘elixir’ WORDS: Charlie Carver

IMAGES: Rebecca Matthews

1.2577° W

OXFORD

51.7520° N

While travelling to Oxford to speak to Professor Nick Bostrom, one of the world’s leading thinkers on the future of artificial intelligence (AI), I imagine the Future of Humanity Institute – which he founded in 2005 to investigate “big-picture questions about humanity and its prospects” – to be a slick, space-age structure, humming with the energy of the fastest computers on Earth and providing a stimulating environment for the planet’s greatest minds to plan a utopian future for the human race.

When I arrive, I discover it’s a suite on the second floor of Littlegate House, a nondescript building on St Ebbe’s Street, an unremarkable backstreet in central Oxford.

It might not be an architectural masterpiece, but it does house some great minds, and while I wait in a drab, unmanned reception area, perhaps the greatest of those minds hurries up the stairs, punches a code

38 / OPEN SKIES

into a keypad and disappears through a pair of swing doors.

It is 1.35pm and Nick Bostrom, whose meals are “not on the regular schedule”, according to his personal assistant, Tanya, is just starting his day. Ten minutes later, Bostrom, our photographer and I are wedged into a small kitchenette, where he is whipping up a batch of “elixir”, the vegetable smoothie he consumes every day in lieu of breakfast and lunch. We have 45 minutes.

“I’m a night owl. I start late and keep going until perhaps two,” says Bostrom, grabbing a chopping board from a cupboard and pulling various vegetables from the fridge. “I have a shower and then I come direct to the office.”

He’s in the zone now, talking and working like an experienced TV chef. Bostrom normally uses

this time to discuss his calendar and correspondence with Tanya.

He will then work until dinner time, eat out, then return to the office to work. This has been his routine for several years.

So far, I have identified kale, berries, carrots and courgettes going into the blender. Chopping, peeling, scraping, rummaging.

“I can’t cook, so this is really the only way I can find expression for my atrophied culinary instincts, such as they are,” says Bostrom, enthusiastically scooping protein powder onto the pile of assorted veg. In goes a splash of oat milk and then a generous glug of olive oil. “Maybe we should have a little broccoli in here? Are you both fans of liquefied broccoli?”

Bostrom pauses in front of the full blender, takes a breath.

LUNCH WITH

Bostrom is best known for Superintelligence, the New York Times bestseller in which he imagines a future where machine brains surpass human brains and replace them at the top of Earth’s hierarchy

“Are we ready for the big event?” He flicks the switch.

“That’s a serious blender,” I shout over the industrial whir.

“It’s an Optimum ninety-four hundred,” says Bostrom matter-offactly. ”It’s got three horse power.

I had one or two before that broke quickly. So I thought, I need a quality blender to deal with this.”

Does anyone else on his team concoct their own elixir? “There was another guy who used to use a blender. He’s not here anymore.

But it looks like somebody else is doing some stuff with that,” says Bostrom, glancing disdainfully in the direction of a lesser blender. “I’ll get some straws.”

Does it always come out the same colour? “No, it shifts. Every day it’s different, like the sea. The taste also varies a lot, actually,

because the ingredients and the proportions are not fixed.”

“Sometimes it’s tastier than other days,” he adds, smiling and taking a sip.

I follow suit. It does not taste like chocolate milkshake. It’s sour and earthy with a gritty texture. It’s not bad. But it would take some willpower to drink it every day.

“It’s good. It’s a good day today,” declares Bostrom. “Congratulations!

You have just extended your life expectancy by 10 minutes, which incidentally is about the time it takes to make it. Shall we move to another venue?”

We move to Bostrom’s office: a large glass rectangle, white blinds shutting out potential disturbances, large windows and an assortment of lamps throwing a soft light over dark oak-effect flooring and items of pine-effect furniture. There’s a MacBook Pro on a standing desk (Bostrom’s “main workspace”), an iMac on a standard office desk, a couple of filing cabinets and a small round table and two chairs, where we sit.

Nick Bostrom was born in Helsingborg, a coastal city in

OXFORD Emirates operates nine daily flights to London.

Choose from six daily services to London Heathrow and three daily services to London Gatwick. Starting June 8, Emirates will operate an additional daily service to London Stansted.

southern Sweden a short distance across the Øresund strait (the Sweden-Denmark border) from Helsingør in eastern Denmark. His father was a fund manager and his mother was a secretary. It was “good in most respects”, but he hated school and thought it was a “waste of time”.

Then, when he was 15, he visited the public library and withdrew a book on German philosophy.

“Immediately the gates swung open,” he says. He discovered a world of art and ideas. The thought of wasting more time in school was “intolerable”, so he arranged to sit all of his exams early and moved on to university.

“I found university very different,” he says. “You could study at your own pace, choose your own topics, the quality of the teaching staff was higher… Initially I studied mathematic logic, then I delved in and did various different subjects.”

Bostrom first attended Lund University. Then he moved to the University Gothenburg, then to Umeå University – which he was thrown out of when the head of the psychology department discovered he was studying several programmes simultaneously. He returned to Gothenburg, where he obtained a BA in Philosophy, Mathematics, Mathematical Logic and Artificial Intelligence, and then moved to Stockholm University where he obtained an MA in Philosophy and in Physics. Finally he came to the United Kingdom, where he studied physics and computational neuroscience at King’s College, before obtaining a PhD in Philosophy from the London School of Economics.

OPEN SKIES / 39

LUNCH WITH

GLOSSARY Four terms vital to the understanding of Nick Bostrom and his work SUPERINTELLIGENCE An artificial intelligence that surpasses even the greatest human mind.

CONTROL PROBLEM The question of how to create a superintelligence that will help, rather than harm, us.

EXISTENTIAL RISK Bostrom defines it as risk “where an adverse outcome would either annihilate Earthoriginating intelligent life or permanently and drastically curtail its potential”.

ELIXIR According to Merriam-Webster, it is “a substance held capable of prolonging life indefinitely”.

For Nick Bostrom, it’s brunch.

He spent a couple of years lecturing at Yale University in the US before settling in Oxford and founding the Future of Humanity Institute in 2005.

He is probably best known for penning the New York Times bestseller Superintelligence (2014), in which he imagines a future where machine brains surpass human brains and AI replaces humans at the top of Earth’s hierarchy.

He also explores the “control problem”, i.e. how to create AI that helps rather than harms us.

Bostrom takes a sip of his elixir and gives me a thumbs up.

“Mmm.” This is not a man cowering in terror at the thought of the rise of the machines, despite the fact Future Progress in Artificial Intelligence: A Survey of Expert Opinion, a survey he and Professor Vincent C Müller conducted in 2016, concluded there was a 50 per cent chance of a human-level 40 / OPEN SKIES

AI being created by 2040. “I guess it’s similar to a doctor,” he says. “Is he worried about getting cancer if he’s studying cancerous cells?”

Following the advent of human-level AI it would only be a matter of time before the arrival of a superintelligence.

Bostrom is understandably reluctant to commit to a specific date, but he’s certain that when a superintelligence does arrive, it will be the end of life as we know it.

“It looks to me that postsuperintelligence the world could be transformed in a much more profound way than other technological innovations have [changed it] throughout history,” he says. We would see “technological maturity”, i.e. AI would be able to create new technologies – machines creating other machines.

I suggest that to the layman this might be a terrifying prospect, something from a dystopian sci-fi novel. So why pursue the goal of creating a superintelligence?

“Failing some cataclysmic event that destroys us prematurely, it will happen,” says Bostrom. “So the questions is, how can one try and ensure it happens under as favourable conditions as possible?”

We need to find solutions to the technical problem of how to control a superintelligence and the human problem of how to ensure a superintelligence is used wisely, i.e. to bring peace and prosperity. “Then, assuming we have great solutions to the first two [problems], there is this third problem: what do you do in this utopia? You have safety, you have wealth, you have cures to all diseases, you have machines that can do all the work, that’s a tremendous opportunity in one sense, but how do you fill the hours of the day?”

ELIXIR Nick Bostrom preparing his daily vegetable smoothie in lieu of breakfast and lunch

Bostrom is currently working on some ideas. “You would have to develop a leisure culture that tried to encourage people to find meaning and satisfaction in things other than being a breadwinner or a cog in a big economic machine.”

There’s a knock on the door. Tanya pops her head in.

“Five minutes,” she says.

But what if we can’t solve the first two problems? I ask.

“I expect there are things that could go wrong where we have existential risk, an unrecoverable catastrophe of global scope,” says Bostrom.

Perhaps this is a problem that should be higher on the agenda when it comes to public debate?

“It would be good if sometimes as a civilisation we could lift our gaze up and try to have some idea of where we are going or what the possibilities are if we continue in the same direction,” says Bostrom. “We get very focused on the issues of the day.”

Our time is up.

“Do you want me to put it in a to-go container for you?” asks Bostrom.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

COLUMN

USA

SOUTH BEACH, BABY Dom Joly has found his spiritual home in the USA IMAGE: Adam Patterson

80.1918° W

MIAMI

25.7617° N

I’ve just returned from Miami Beach. Despite the fact that I’m pretty much allergic to the rest of Florida – and really not a beach person – this is one of my favourite places in the world.

South Beach, or SoBe as it’s known, is a truly fabulous blend of the best America has to offer, with stunning Art Deco architecture and a cool, relaxed Cuban vibe. The weather is generally great and it has, without a doubt, the best people-watching options in the world.

When I first went there, back in the early noughties, my base was Tides Hotel. This is one of the few moderately high-rise buildings on Ocean Drive, SoBe’s stylish epicentre. I’d sit on the terrace having breakfast and watch the world dance, roll and cruise by.

For me, this is the only place in the world where a lime green Lamborghini makes sense.

MIAMI

For more humour from Dom Joly, check out Trigger Happy TV, showing on Comedy TV on ice.

While there, I cycle around with nowhere to go and loads of time to get there. SoBe has the rare ability to bring me to a curious state.

I think it’s known as relaxed. This is something that almost never happens to me, which is why I treasure this beach community so much. Of course, there are other places that blend this beach/city vibe – Rio comes to mind – but nothing beats South Beach.

I’ll be honest with you: I think much of my relaxation comes via the food options here. I can have a Cuban breakfast at a café on Lincoln Road Mall and a light Mexican lunch at Taquiza (the best tacos in town).

But no trip would be complete without a meal at Joe’s Stone Crab.

This is an extraordinary restaurant, and reputed to be one of the first on the Beach. You can’t book. You just turn up, put your name on a list, and wait. It’s worth it, though. Once you’re ‘tabled’ you can eat your own body weight in seriously delicious food while being served by some of the most impressive waiting staff that I’ve ever encountered.

You’ll not be surprised to hear, then, that my ultimate SoBe experience came during a meal. It happened many years ago, on just my third day there. I was having breakfast at Tides when there was a great commotion nearby. The noise was followed by the arrival at the table next to me of the boxer Mike Tyson, with an entourage of around eight. I had only just taken this in when the lift from the penthouse opened and out came the rapper Ja Rule and his pet lion, complete with a diamond collar. Rule, as I now call him, proceeded to sit at the table to the other side of me. What followed was some quite glorious eavesdropping and, for the record, that lion stole one of my croissants.

But I made out like this was no big thing. I was starting to feel at home in SoBe. OPEN SKIES / 43

THE ROAD TRP

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TAKING THE HIGHER ROAD Could Scotland’s road trip opportunities ever rival those documented by the literary greats of the US?

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THE ROAD TRP

THE

ROAD

The North Coast 500 is known as Scotland’s Route 66, but just why isn’t the classic road trip a bigger part of British culture? We faced the Beast from the East headon to find out WORDS: Gary Evans

WORDS: Carolyn Stritch

TRIP OPEN SKIES / 47

4.2518° W

GLASGOW

55.8642° N

The snow in Glasgow covers everything so completely that when I wake up and look out of the window, for a second, I think that my car has been stolen.

For the first time ever in Scotland the national weather service issues a ‘Red Warning’.

I plan to drive up to the Highlands and do a big loop around the very top of Scotland, it’s a route named the North Coast 500. Time to make a decision.

What is a Red Warning anyway?

One bit of the Met Office definition really sticks out: Risk to life is likely.

What would Jack Kerouac do?

Would John Steinbeck turn around and go home? William Least HeatMoon wouldn’t let a bit of snow get between him and the road, would he?

I’ve always been obsessed with this idea of the classic road trip, getting up and going, anywhere, everywhere, as far as possible and back again. I like how journalist and road-trip obsessive Richard Kreitner defines what good a road book does: it has “a narrative arc matching the chronological and geographical arc of the trip it chronicles”. The above writers wrote my favourite road books. They’re all American.

Route 66 runs east to west all the way across the US. Steinbeck called it “The Mother Road”. The road trip – the lonely gas station, the hamburger in the highway diner, the perfectly straight, perfectly flat tarmac stretched out into the sunset – is quintessentially American. But it isn’t part of British literature, of British culture. This might explain why I’ve always loved road books, but only recently learnt to drive.

The North Coast 500 earned a place on a list of the world’s best road trips. They call it “Scotland’s answer to Route 66”. So why can’t the classic road trip – the epic,

48 / OPEN SKIES

heroic adventure into the unknown, be part of the British identity, too?

“Because,” says Michael Smith, “everywhere is just up the road.” The writer and filmmaker made the sixpart BBC documentary, Drivetime, about Britain’s relationship with cars and driving. “The vast distances that make such journeys heroic and make them adventures just don’t exist here. The unknown poetry of the far horizon, that settler’s sense of virgin territory still to be conquered, it belongs more to the New World maybe. It’s not as marked for the Englishman.”

Smith doesn’t drive. I ask him if he’ll ever learn and his response is unprintable. For most of his documentary he sat in the passenger seat and looked miserable. “There was a point making that programme,” he says, “when I felt I’d been on Emirates flies twice daily to Glasgow with the Boeing 777-300ER.

the Sheffield ring road forever.

I was stuck on it in some kind of Groundhog Day loop.

“Then you drive 200 or 300km farther north and it opens out, and you’re touched by a certain grace again, touched by some kind of holy presence. What was once the closed loop of your bondage becomes the open road of your liberation.”

Outside my hotel, I use a window squeegee to clear the car of snow and dig out the wheels. I wear ladies’ green gardening gloves (my partner Carolyn’s – all that was in the car). Like the rest of the UK, I haven’t properly prepared for the heavy snow and abnormally low temperatures that come in from Siberia, a cold wave they call the Beast from the East.

I set off on my first road trip as a driver, slip-slide through the city streets, and gradually get out of Glasgow on the busiest motorway in Scotland. Soon after, the snow brings this road to a complete standstill and traps thousands of people in their cars overnight. Even if I want to, I can’t turn around. The road home is closed. Steinbeck would’ve liked this idea. In Travels with Charley: In Search of America, he wrote: “A journey is like marriage.

The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

I head north to Inverness, the start of the Highlands, the first and last stop on the circular North Coast 500, then I drive crosscountry from the west coast to the east. Somewhere along the way I outrun the snow. But not for long.

The sign reads: ROAD NORMALLY IMPASSABLE IN WINTRY CONDITIONS. It looks clear enough to me. I drive on. The single-track road goes steadily uphill. Every now and again, diamond-shaped white signs mark a “passing place” where the road

THE ROAD TRP

widens just enough to allow two cars to pass. But I don’t see any other cars.

It’s getting dark. The road keeps on rising. Hairpin turns twist left and right and always upwards.

The weather holds out, but the hill becomes a mountain. Soon the walls of snow either side of the road stand 10 feet tall. The road looks like a tunnel cut through a glacier. It climbs higher and higher The Applecross Inn – woodpanelled, wood-burning stove – looks like a dream after driving all day. I eat battered haddock, chips, peas, and drink heavy Scottish ale.

The man behind the bar has long red hair, a big red beard and looks like Hamish out of Braveheart. The fella next to me sits with his 11-year-old dog, which he claims is the world’s first ever labradoodle. You get talking to people in a place like this. They tell me the Bealach na Bà (Pass of the Cattle in Scottish Gaelic) reaches over 2,000 feet, that ploughs only cleared it a few days earlier, and why it shouldn’t be attempted by novice drivers. I’ve been lucky, again.

I start early the next morning.

Nobody about, no cars. Then I hit the morning traffic: blocking the single-track road, a herd of highland cattle. This one cow – huge horns, trendy fringe – refuses to move.

I steer left and the cow lumbers right. I go backwards and the cow saunters forwards. I get out the car to nudge it in the right direction, but the cow steps off the road. I get back in the car and the cow hoofs it onto the road again. I finally inch by, window down, and I swear the cow smiles at me.

I pass lochs and beaches and a lonely whitewashed cottage with a bright red roof. I pass sheep that have the common decency to cross the road quickly and efficiently. I pull over, turn off the engine, and get

out. Silence. The snowy caps of the mountains catch the sunlight. Craggy hills roll around in autumn colours.

The sky looks bigger here and I feel smaller. This, I think, is what Smith means by “a certain grace”.

I stop at the Torridon Stores & Café and eat a sandwich, possibly the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten, – fried egg and Stornoway black pudding (the blood sausage that’s so good it earned protected status a few years ago to stop “imposter

WHITE-OUT Despite the elements, Scotland is never less than stunning

puddings”). I drink a coffee on the porch in front of a sea loch. The sun makes the surface of the water twinkle like stars on a dark night.

“When I was younger,” Neil Ansell says, “I kept a tally of the countries I had visited, but stopped counting after 50. I realised it was meaningless.” For his new book, The Last Wilderness, Ansell recently came up here to the northwest Highlands, for a series of weeklong walks all alone. In his 20s, he OPEN SKIES / 49

THE ROAD TRIP

spent five years hitchhiking. He says a good road trip is worth more than kilometres covered. “Quality and depth of experience trumps quantity… the search for unique experiences. My advice would be to not have an itinerary – be flexible, follow your nose or the advice of locals. Try to engage as much as possible with local people.”

I call the Riverside bed and breakfast to check on the roads in Ullapool. Charlie doesn’t speak, he shouts, but in a lovely singsong Scottish accent, so you don’t mind.

“I’ve lived here 35 years! I’ve never seen snow like it!” He hangs up, makes a few phone calls to family and friends and various traffic and weather organisations, then rings back with a proposed route.

From this point on let’s just say that, unless I say otherwise, it’s snowing sheets. The snow lies thickly on the road. The snow covers the car. The snow is absolute.

I arrive at the Riverside. Charlie’s on the phone. He covers the mouthpiece with his hand and shouts, “I’ve got a Frenchman gone off the road! He’s panicking!”

At breakfast, Charlie tells me he arranged for a snowplough to rescue his Frenchman. Several guests and I stand behind Charlie and Charlie stands in front of a table full of maps. A Dutchman keeps asking about the road north. “Nooo!”

Charlies finally says. “The road to Drumrunie is closed!” His lovely long vowel sounds make me picture a yawning cat.

I follow Charlie’s plan and drive south-east across the width of the country, then head north along the coast towards John o’ Groats, which means coming off the North Coast 500 and starting the route all over again in the opposite direction.

The driving gets sketchy. Blizzards bring visibility right down. The wind 50 / OPEN SKIES

CHARLIE’S ON THE PHONE. HE COVERS THE MOUTHPIECE WITH HIS HAND AND SHOUTS, “I’VE GOT A FRENCHMAN GONE OFF THE ROAD! HE’S PANICKING!” ONWARDS The search for adventure requires an open road free from snow

blows huge snowdrifts across the road. A few cars head in the opposite direction, then no cars at all.

Finally, predictably, my car starts to make a noise that, with my limited knowledge of car mechanics, I can only describe as sounding expensive. My road trip becomes a slog.

“When a ‘slog’ is inescapable,” William Least Heat-Moon tells me, “it still can give a sense of accomplishment and enlarge awareness of things and people encountered.” In his classic 1982 book Blue Highways, Heat-Moon loses his job, breaks up with his wife, and sets off on a three-month road trip across America.

He recently published his first novel, Celestial Mechanics. In describing it, Heat-Moon offers advice for anyone who can’t see the road for the tarmac: “So many of the difficulties and discomforts we find ourselves in today are the result of lacking a broad comprehension of what we are as creatures and who we are as individuals. Too often we live oblivious to the provable facts of our existence. Of those facts, none is greater than being aware that our brain, our heart, our great toe quite literally came from the stars and to there they will return… I have found that doing my best to think in cosmic terms leads to enlarged empathy.”

Who cares about a bit of engine grinding? Heat-Moon drove 20,000km with two worn tyres and a knock in the water pump. Who cares about a bit of weather? The snow can’t stop us now. We fly up the coast to John o’ Groats and out to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of the mainland of Great Britain. One of my favourite lines in Kerouac’s On the Road goes: “No more land! We can’t go any further ‘cause there ain’t no more land!”

At the end of any good road book, the narrator comes home changed in some way. I always thought cars made you less curious, less of a wanderer, less willing to go the wrong way. I’ve changed my mind a little: cars are what you make of them.

The final few days, I drive eastwest across the very top of Scotland and back down the west coast. The weather is merely Arctic instead of apocalyptic. The scenery is never anything less than stunning. In total, I cover more than 1,600km, but I’m still forced to miss out a small section of the North Coast 500: beaten by the snow, but not beaten by the road.”

Let’s celebrate the original Margarita

a margarita made without cointreau is not worth its salt Margaret Sames Cointreau has been inseparable from margarita since its creation in 1948 Acapulco, Mexico. Margaret “Margarita” Sames, a wealthy American socialite known for hosting notoriously lavish parties with extravagant twists, created a new cocktail for one of her soirées by mixing two of her favourite spirits: tequila and Cointreau, a liqueur crafted using sweet and bitter orange peel essence.

An immediate success, the drink came to be known as a “margarita” and has gone on to become a staple in bars and homes alike.

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THIS YEAR, MARKS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THIS ICONIC DRINK. LET’S CELEBRATE THE ORIGINAL MARGARITA!

THE ORIGINAL MARGARITA

3 cl Cointreau 5 cl Bianco Tequila 2 cl Fresh Lime Juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and add ice 2. Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed rocks glass 3. Garnish with a lime wheel

E 5 5 . 2 7 0 8 ° 2 5 . 2 0 4 8 °

N ,

T H E

F I E L D

M A N U A L

AN INFORMATIVE AND EASY-TO-READ GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR OWN ADVENTURE IN DUBAI

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When it comes to enjoying the great outdoors, Dubai has it covered. So whether you’re ziplining across the city, hiking over mountains or simply heading to the beach, time in Dubai is anything but dull.

OUTDOORS

A DVICE

RELAX

FREE BEACHES IN DUBAI

THREE BEACH RESORTS TO TRY

How to decide on the right one for you

YOU WANT TO CHILL?

DRIFT Go for: its rep for being Dubai's coolest spot.

NO

YES

YOU LIKE TO BE ACTIVE?

NO

YES

STAY HOME

NO

DRIFTBEACHDUBAI.COM

YOU WANT THE NEWEST SPOT?

SUMMERSALT Go for: the great location with an iconic Burj Al Arab backdrop.

YES

NO

YOU WANT A DUBAI ICON?

NO

YOU WANT TO TAN AND SHOP?

YES

YES

KITE BEACH

JBR BEACH

JUMEIRAH.COM

Learn more about Dubai on ice.

The Emirates World podcasts start on channel 1900 and cover the city’s newest attractions, events, dining and more.

EL CHIRINGUITO Go for: the chilled-out Ibiza soundtrack.

THEPALMDUBAI.RIXOS.COM

TOP TIP 56 / OPEN SKIES

SILVER

LA MER

n nol ol

GOLD

Be sure to buy a NoL card from any Metro station in the city. Top it up as you go and it will get you on the bus, tram, Metro and water buses.

DXB FIELD M ANUAL ORIGIN A LS

SANDS OF TIME You're in the desert, so make the most of it with three classic options VISITDUBAI.COM

DUNE SURFING

OVERNIGHT DESERT SAFARI

A SCALE

GOING EXTREME

Dubai is well stocked when it comes to white-knuckle activities.

But which one is for you?

TANDEM PARACHUTE JUMP OVER PALM JUMEIRAH YOU'RE CRAZY, MAN!

SKYDIVEDUBAI.AE

SCUBA DIVE WITH THE SHARKS IN DUBAI AQUARIUM

HOPE THEY'VE BEEN FED

DUNE BASHING

THEDUBAIAQUARIUM.COM

IT'S SCREAM TIME

ZIPLINE ACROSS DUBAI MARINA AT 80KM PER HOUR XDUBAI.COM

PARAMOTOR FLIGHT OVER PALM JUMEIRAH AND DUBAI MARINA

DON'T LOOK DOWN

SKYHUBPARAMOTORS.AE

BE A BEACH SHOW-OFF

FLYBOARD AT JBR BEACH HYDRO-WATERSPORTS.COM

IN SIDER’ S T IP

If you want to go further afield, head to the zipline at Jebel Jais and hire a sturdy 4x4. Just outside the city of Ras Al Khaimah en route to the mountaintop via Wadi Bih, you’ll see a track signposted Challenging Adventure. Take the turning. Drive off-road, past the adventure site, and off towards Wadi Sal. Strictly for off-roaders, it is remote and challenging, but you’ll be rewarded with wonderful mountain views and a sense of complete isolation.

SKATERS' DELIGHT

A radical option in Dubai

A park made for skaters by skaters, XDubai Skatepark, just off Kite Beach, has 11 bowled corners, three flat banks, two bowls and a whole load of

street elements.

Covering 3,100 square metres, the pro bowl, which is 3.2 metres deep with a 2.1-metre shallow end, is the undoubted highlight.

OPEN SKIES / 57

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Ever changing, it’s hard to keep up with new Dubai and its latest hotspots. From Design District to Downtown, Dubai Canal to Motiongate Dubai, here are just a few of our ‘new favourites’, which are a great place to start.

NEW DUBAI

DUBAI CANAL

INS TA -TIPS

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH BURJ KHALIFA

Skip the roads to see the city

At 160 storeys high, the world’s tallest building isn’t easy to shoot. Dubai-based photographer Bahr Al-Alum Karim offers some advice

MARINA MALL DUBAI WATER CANAL STATION

Sheikh Zayed Road

Jumeirah Al Quoz

Bur Dubai

Deira SHOT 1

The Basic To get the building in its entirety, shoot from the bridge that connects Dubai Mall to the Address Downtown Dubai.

Business bay DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT

Garhoud

SHOT 2

The 100+ Likes For a dynamic shot, play around with composition while shooting from the ground up.

A wide-angle lens will help.

IN SIDER’ S T IP

Use a water taxi to connect Dubai Canal with Dubai Design District, two of the city’s newest must-visit spots.

RTA.AE

ESCAPISM

Three rides to try at Motiongate Dubai

Ghostbusters

The Hunger Games MOTIONGATEDUBAI.COM

Kung Fu Panda

ES S ENTI A L

THE DUBAI FRAME The best way to get a total view of the city

Dubai's newest landmark is 150 metres tall and 93 metres wide. Walk across its 100-squaremetre bridge at the top, including the 25-square-metre glass walkway – if you dare.

THE QE2 IN DUBAI 58 / OPEN SKIES

OLD DUBAI NEW DUBAI

Now located in Mina Rashid, the world renowned QE2 will re-open her doors as a floating entertainment, heritage and hotel destination, with a first phase opening set for April and a grand launch in October.

DXB FIELD M ANUAL H IG H T E A

AN ICONIC EQUATION

The tastiest way to experience Burj Al Arab

Afternoon tea at Skyview Bar on the 27th floor SANDWICHES

A POT OF TEA

CAKES

C L ASSIC INS IDER’S TIP

Jump on an abra at the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai and sail past the moored dhows until you reach the Spice Souk station

REL AX

DRINK THIS

Grab masala chai from the pakora stands near the Textile Souk, or the Spice Souks in Deira Cardamom

After visiting the Grand Mosque, most tourists stop halfway along the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai.

Don’t. Continue all the way to the end, then turn right.

Immediately on your left will be two narrow alleyways. One is Hindi Lane, which sells everything from bindis and gold-embossed holy images to sacred ash and sandalwood. It's one of Dubai’s genuinely unique locations.

HIS TORIC

GO TO BASTAKIYA Historic Dubai is well worth your time

Also known as Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, it’s famed for its winding alleyways, wind towers and vision of old Dubai.

Be sure to head to Al Fahidi Fort; not only is it the home of Dubai Museum, but it’s also the oldest building in the city, dating back to 1787.

TO BA S TA K IYA

Ginger

Masala Chai

Milk

AL GHUBAIBA STATION / 24

Sugar

GREEN LINE

Red Line Metro to BurJuman (stop by the mall) then get the Green Line.

Bur Dubai and Deira should be high on your to-do list while you're visiting, and their bustling activity is fascinating to watch. They also offer a representation of Dubai that’s rarely seen by the rest of the world.

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4

DINING CL A S S IC S

A GLOSSARY Order these for a real taste of the Middle East

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From celebrity chefs to hole-in-the-wall gems, Dubai’s culinary landscape has blossomed over the past few years, with every possible cuisine catered to. The luxurious, the famous, the pristine, the romantic, the cheap, the cheerful. It’s all here.

ESSENT I AL

MORIMOTO DUBAI

Join the city’s in-the-know food set for Dubai’s newest hotspot

A LIS T

THREE TO TRY New spots around the city worth your time

BB SOCIAL DINING A great DIFC venue, with cool staff and a fun menu. Go for the soft shell crab bao buns alone.

THISISBB.COM

FIG.A

Manakish A Levantine flatbread served with various fillings.

CABIN A restaurant, art studio and shop in Barsha, with an art wall featuring Hirst and Warhol.

CABINDUBAI.COM

FIG.B

Koshary An Egyptian pasta, rice and lentil dish topped with fried onions.

FIG.C

Machboos This dish is made with rice and potato and can include chicken or lamb.

60 / OPEN SKIES

Spread over two floors at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Chef Masaharu Morimoto – the star of Iron Chef America – has gone big with his first Dubai restaurant, with a stunning menu that comes via deliveries direct from Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji and Fukuoka fish markets.

RENAISSANCE-HOTELS.MARRIOTT.COM

PEYOTE DUBAI Mexican food is enjoying a fine dining revival right now, and this is Dubai’s top spot.

PEYOTERESTAURANT.COM

AT A GL A NCE

CHOOSE YOUR CELEBRITY CHEF

DAVID MYERS AT BLEU BLANC

GORDON RAMSAY AT BREAD STREET KITCHEN

SEAN CONNOLLY AT DUBAI OPERA

You’ll love: that it’s one of the best new restaurants in the city.

Go for: the fantastic French menu and speciality penicillin cocktail.

You’ll love: the fact Mr Ramsay often shows up to walk the floor.

Go for: the stylish décor and the awesome Sunday roast.

You’ll love: the stunning location at the top of Dubai Opera.

Go for: the oyster selection – arguably the best in the city.

BLEUBLANC-DUBAI.COM

ATLANTISTHEPALM.COM

DUBAIOPERA.COM

DXB FIELD M ANUAL

TOP T IP

DUBAI MALL

How to combine shopping with major sightseeing

Walk

Buy a ticket

DUBAI AQUARIUM

BURJ KHALIFA

DUBAI MALL

*1pm, 1.30pm and every 30 minutes from 6pm to 11pm

DUBAI OPERA

Take a picture

DUBAI FOUNTAIN SHOW*

Try the brand new Fashion Avenue

BE A LE G E ND

VIS UA LS

DRAGON MART

The Dubai souk sweet spot

Get major Dubai cool points at this eclectic mall. Here are three unusual items to there buy now:

ES S ENTI A L

HOW TO DRESS LIKE ROYALTY To take something authentically regal home from Dubai, visit National Tailors next to the Spice Souk in Deira. This store was opened more than 70 years ago by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Madani, who made kandouras for Dubai’s ruling family.

BE HERE NOW

JUNE 22

DUBAI GOLD SOUK

1. INDUSTRIAL DIGGING EQUIPMENT 2. SWIMMING POOLS 3. ANIMAL-BASED MASCOT COSTUMES

DUBAI SPICE SOUK

DEIRA COVERED SOUK

INS IDER’S TIP

The Al Quoz area of Dubai may lack glamour and touristpulling power, but it does have Alserkal Avenue. A cluster of architect-designed warehouses, it is home to various galleries and music venues, as well as the city’s first independent vinyl record store, The Flip Side, run by Shadi Megallaa. A great place to chill and appreciate great music.

Millions visit Dubai each year for its plethora of shopping options, but to get it right you need a plan. Here's how to combine the latest the city has to offer with some of the more traditional options. Mix and match for maximum success.

The beginning of Dubai Summer Surprises, you’ve got until August 4 to make the most of huge sales across the region’s malls.

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THE SAVIOUR OF SOCCER

T H E S AV I O U R

OF SOCCER As a player in 2007, David Beckham helped transform football in America when he left Real Madrid for LA Galaxy. Now, as part owner of a new franchise in Miami, just how can he help take the game to the next level?

WORDS: Chris Young

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80.1918° W

MIAMI

25.7617° N

David Beckham looks nervous. The 42-year-old Englishman has never really been one for public speaking. He’d rather play football in front of 70,000 than speak in front of 700, and today there’s a lot on his mind. Tightly clutching the black and white scarf draped around his neck, he steps forward and takes a deep intake of breath.

A decade has passed since Beckham first embarked upon a mission to bring soccer to the American masses, and his 2007 decision to join LA Galaxy from Real Madrid was a game-changer for Stateside football. Major League Soccer (MLS) had only come into existence 11 years earlier, and here was a global superstar, albeit in the twilight of his career, determined to preach to the unconverted. The country hadn’t seen anything like it since the 1970s, when Pelé, George Best and Bobby Moore all finished their careers in the now defunct North American Soccer League.

“Hello Miami,” says Beckham, leaning into the microphone and clutching the ends of his scarf even tighter. His knuckles turn a shade of white. He pauses, before nervously offering a “hola Miami” to the city’s 70 per cent Latino majority. His Spanish is met with delight by the assortment of watching journalists and members of the public. This is Beckham’s second coming; his return, not as a player, but as part owner of a new MLS franchise in Miami.

Like Pelé 42 years earlier, Beckham’s impact on football in the States was instant. Hollywood A-listers flocked to watch him in a Galaxy shirt while media and fan interest went stratospheric.

Despite return forays to Europe during each winter break, he was the attention magnet that firmly put MLS on the map.

64 / OPEN SKIES

But bigger plans were afoot from day one. As a sweetener to lure the very marketable Beckham from Madrid to LA, the MLS inserted a clause in his contract that allowed him a heavily discounted expansion fee, should he ever show an interest in starting his own team. While regular expansion fees of the time stood at around US$100m, a Beckham-led ownership group would be allowed to pay just a quarter of that. In 2018, that official MLS buy-in figure currently stands at US$150m.

In 2014, seven years after signing for Galaxy, MLS announced that Beckham had exercised his option and would attempt to build a new club. But the journey from initial idea to authorised franchise hasn’t been easy, even for the former England legend. The four-year project looked doomed at a number of turns – particularly regarding the development of a new stadium – before he and his five fellow owners (Masayoshi Son, chairman of Sprint Corp and CEO of SoftBank, Miami-based Jorge and Jose Mas, the chairman and CEO, respectively, of engineering firm Mastec, Sprint Corp CEO Marcelo Claure and entrepreneur Simon Fuller) were given the green light by MLS to become its 25th franchise and hopefully begin playing competitive football from the 2020 season.

But while the road to fruition might have been a little bumpy, the league, and nation, ultimately welcomed Beckham back with bells and whistles, and given his impact as a player, that should really come as no surprise.

“Beckham’s arrival in 2007 not only elevated the status of MLS, creating a tremendous buzz in LA and around the country, but it also

stoked specific interest in MLS from other cities, many of which have since been granted a team,” says David Carter, the executive director of the University of Southern California’s Sports Business Institute.

“His arrival helped establish, and then build, interest in the sport and the league nationally over time and that has contributed to its growth.

In short, he was an accelerant.”

After he retired, Beckham held discussions with MLS hierarchy over potential locations to activate his clause and Miami emerged as the leading contender.

While Forbes estimated that Beckham made around US$255m in his five and a half years at Galaxy, he’s not simply here for another bumper payday. Although Beckham has never shown any inclination to enter the dugout as a manager, he has always harboured an interest

Emirates operates a daily service to Fort Lauderdale with the Boeing 777-200LR.

THE SAVIOUR OF SOCCER

CLUB OWNER Beckham excitedly announced his plans for Miami on Jan. 29

in the business side of football, according to his former Galaxy teammate and MLS record scorer, Landon Donovan.

Donovan – himself part of a group looking to launch an MLS franchise in San Diego – said, “He’s smart, understands the game, has great business savvy and genuinely cares about the sport.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he [Beckham] decided to get involved in running a club. It’s something that’s always interested me and likewise, David wants to continue to help grow the game here in the US.” Beckham is far from a silent partner in the venture, too. He

has already led talks with his fellow owners over the club’s future playing philosophy, along with fielding calls from former teammates about playing and coaching opportunities in Florida.

“I’ve been approached by many different players from many different teams I’ve played with or against, and there’s interest there, but you can’t really have those conversations just yet,” he explained to the Miami Herald.

But as Beckham holds talks over the fine print of his new enterprise, he’ll find the MLS a very different proposition to the one he left. By 2007, the league had expanded to

“BECKHAM HELPED ESTABLISH, AND THEN BUILD, INTEREST IN THE SPORT AND THE LEAGUE NATIONALLY… HE WAS AN ACCELERANT”

12 teams from its original 10, and the rate of additions since then has been rapid. The 2018 arrival of Los Angeles FC takes the number of combatants to 23, and more clubs are on the way. Nashville will eventually become the 24th team in MLS, while Cincinnati, Detroit and Sacramento have all submitted their own bids to join the league.

Investors continue to chomp at the bit to form new franchises, because there is a feeling that the US remains a huge, untapped market for football. For instance, among televised sports in the US, football – the MLS, Premier League and Mexican Liga MX – has by far the youngest demographic.

Three years ago, Manchester City launched a sister club, NYCFC, in New York for that very reason.

The City Football Group’s Bostonborn chief commercial officer Tom Glick revealed why. “This is the biggest participation sport in the United States. It’s been growing since I was a kid,” he said.

“I watched it in the ’70s and thought it was a big deal when I was playing. But I’ve seen it grow.

I’ve got children of my own now, who are in their 20s, and they all play. This has been a building movement and we’re big believers; we think it’s underdeveloped. The primary school kids, the teens and the millennials are following it and identifying with the sport. We’re convinced that it will continue to grow,” Glick added.

That youthful movement could be key to its success across the board. Scour the current 23 clubs and their squads are no longer filled with ageing household names from European football in search of one last lucrative contract.

That trend was arguably started

by Beckham, and followed when the likes of Thierry Henry, Andrea OPEN SKIES / 65

Programmes offered are outside Dubai and KHDA bears no responsibility for the same.

THE SAVIOUR OF SOCCER

Pirlo, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard all dipped their toes into the MLS waters. While some proved successful, others were less so (type ‘How to defend like Pirlo’ into YouTube to see what we mean).

However, as Beckham proudly stated in his press conference, homegrown talent is now the order of the day, and franchises and recruiters are focussing on retaining established US internationals as well as landing young players from South America. In January, Atlanta United splashed out an MLS record US$15m to sign the 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Ezequiel Barco from Independiente. That’s a big sign of intent.

Veteran Argentine player Ignacio Piatti moved to North America four years ago to join Montreal Impact, and believes that the MLS is an attractive proposition for South American players. “I know what life is like in Argentina. I played a lot of football there and if you are good you are [Lionel] Messi, but if you are bad you are a disaster,” he explained. “And you have to live with that, even inside your own house, because they [the fans] do not respect the person.

“I really like this league [MLS] – and the life I have here in Canada.

The league is growing fast and there are players from all over the world.”

Atlanta is one of the clubs that has helped MLS’ popularity reach an all-time high. In their inaugural season last year, they boasted an average attendance of 48,200 – bigger than any NBA, NHL or MLB team in the country. As a contrast with the English Premier League, that’s more fans than current league champions Chelsea get through the turnstiles at Stamford Bridge.

Total MLS attendances in 2017 smashed the eight million mark,

FAN POWER The people of Miami are excited to have a side in the MLS again

while its television audience is growing too – unlike the NHL, MLB and the NFL, which are all experiencing alarming ratings dips.

Over the course of the year, more than 26 million viewers tuned in to watch the MLS – that’s a rise of four per cent – and all the future signs appear positive. There’s just one small problem: MLS still doesn’t make enough money to turn a profit, and it hasn’t since the first ball was kicked in 1996.

Part of the problem is cultural and, commercially, the traditional American sports continue to dominate the market. Perhaps as a knock-on effect from this, the revenue recouped from television rights is currently worth around US$90m a year. While that might appear a high figure, it’s a relative pittance in footballing terms – akin to the income received by the Dutch Eredivisie. It’s certainly a far cry from the billions recouped by the Premier League in England.

If MLS wants to move from the red into the black in the long term, then the negotiations over the next broadcasting deal (the current one

runs until 2022) need to result in a significant hike, and the only way that will happen is if there are more eyeballs on the product, more fans in the stadium and, probably, bigger names on the pitch.

Carter also believes that clubs need to look at other streams of income to maximise their return.

“Revenue sources emanating from media and sponsorship deals are very important towards the league eventually making a profit,” he said.

“So, too, is the ability to not only programme the stadiums with other events, but also to develop the real estate around them. This is increasingly vital in terms of annual profits and long term gains.”

But can Beckham himself be the catalyst for greater cash flow? Directly, no; indirectly, yes, is Carter’s prediction. “Beckham’s impact on MLS this time around will be far less powerful from an outward-facing perspective,” he says. “But his presence in ownership will draw additional attention to the league from those who follow the business of soccer and want to invest in it.”

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BRIEFING

NEWS • INSIDE EMIRATES • DESTINATION • UAE SMART GATE • VISA • ROUTE MAP • FLEET

BUSINESS CLASS GETS AN UPGRADE Check out the brand-new Business Class cabin on Emirates’ 777-200LR aircraft.

Turn over for more news from Emirates

OPEN SKIES / 69

New Business Class cabin for the 777-200LR EMIRATES HAS UNVEILED a brand new Business Class cabin and configuration on its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, with wider seats laid out in a 2-2-2 arrangement for the first time. The airline has invested more than US$150 million to refurbish the 10 existing 777-200LR aircraft in its fleet.

While the Business Class seats are in the same design and shape of Emirates’ latest lie-flat seats, they are now two inches wider for a more comfortable journey. They retain the champagnecoloured finish and diamond stitch

A380 service to Houston returns EMIRATES IS TO RESUME its flagship A380 service between Houston and Dubai from June 1.

The move follows recent adjustments to the airline’s US services, with the launch of a new non-stop Dubai-Newark service from June 1 and the resumption of daily services to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from March 25.

Emirates will deploy its three-class A380 on the Houston route, offering a total of 516 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flatbed seats in Business Class and 426 spacious seats in Economy Class, increasing capacity per flight by more than 160 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates celebrated 10 years of service to Houston in December 2017 and has carried nearly two million passengers since its inaugural flight in December 2007. It will now join more than 40 destinations on Emirates’ extensive global network served by its highly popular A380 aircraft.

70 / OPEN SKIES

pattern on the full leather cover, as well as the ergonomically designed headrest as revealed on Emirates’ newest Boeing 777 in November 2017.

The seat has a pitch of 72 inches and moves into a fully flat sleeping position.

It also has touchscreen controls for the seat and inflight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest and a personal mini-bar.

Economy Class seats on board have also been refreshed to the latest colour palette of soft greys and blues.

New route to Auckland via Bali

EMIRATES IS TO LAUNCH a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland, via the Indonesian island of Bali, from June 14. The flight will be the only yearround non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali.

The new service will offer global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates’ existing non-stop daily service between Dubai and Auckland, and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney.

The airline will operate a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight seats in First

Class, 42 seats in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy, as well as 20 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said: “We’re pleased to introduce additional capacity to serve the strong demand for travel to Bali, and to Auckland. We are confident that our year-round service between Auckland and Bali will be well received by our customers, not only in New Zealand and Indonesia, but also from our global network, particularly from markets like the UK, Europe and the Middle East.”

NEWS

Second daily service to Lisbon EMIRATES IS TO RESUME a second daily service to Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, starting June 1. The flight will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three-class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class, and 310 seats in Economy.

“Portugal is experiencing an upturn in its economy and strong tourism growth,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West. “The second daily service between Dubai and Lisbon will therefore meet growing demand for seats on the route, as well as offer our customers in Portugal, and from across Emirates’ worldwide network, more choice and flexibility when planning their travel.”

The second flight, EK193, will depart Dubai at 14.25 and arrive in Lisbon at 19.40, while the return flight, EK194, will leave Lisbon at 21.15 and land in Dubai at 08.05 the next morning.

Emirates’ current flight, EK191, departs Dubai at 07.25 and arrives in Lisbon at 12.35. The return flight, EK192, departs Lisbon at 14.15 and arrives back in Dubai at 01.10.

Emirates SkyCargo awarded Cargo iQ certification EMIRATES SKYCARGO, the freight division of Emirates, has been presented with its Cargo iQ certification at the World Cargo Symposium in Dallas, Texas.

The process saw Emirates SkyCargo’s internal processes audited, including the measures taken by the carrier to minimise or eliminate shipment errors and provide customers with more visibility on the status of their shipments.

Emirates SkyCargo became a member of Cargo iQ in 2016 to further reinforce its service standards, including its ‘Delivered as Promised’ commitment.

In less than two years, it has integrated Cargo iQ shipment cycle management

standards as the basis for its live shipment planning and tracking of cargo.

“Over the last two years we have worked on integrating the vision of Cargo iQ into our processes and our ‘Delivered as Promised’ commitment to our customers,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

“Getting the Cargo iQ certification and the setting up of our 24/7 Cargo Operations Control Centre are the first steps in a journey where we can be more transparent and, at the same time, more proactively support our customer promises.”

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Rewarding loyalty Emirates Skywards has reached 20 million members, so here’s all you need to know about the awardwinning loyalty programme and how you can boost your Skywards Miles EMIRATES SKYWARDS MEMBERS

In over 170 countries and territories across the globe

20 MILLION 2.6M

1.8M

1.7M

1.4M

1.4M

CLOCKING MILES

The big numbers that go even further

35 BILLION SKYWARDS MILES

Have been redeemed in the past 12 months alone.

ROUTE MASTER

Skywards Miles cover the globe Emirates Skywards has strategic partnerships with flydubai, Easyjet, Qantas, and 13 other airlines offering members access to one of the world’s largest networks of global travel destinations.

... AND RELAX

You can redeem Skywards Miles in style

USING YOUR MILES

Here’s how some of the 35 billion Skywards Miles have been redeemed

1.8 MILLION

The number of properties worldwide that Emirates Skywards members can stay at and redeem their Miles.

72 / OPEN SKIES

431,000

Cash + Miles transactions

134,000

Flight reward tickets

386,000 Flight upgrades

INSIDE EMIRATES

TOP FIVE TIPS

How to accumulate Skywards Miles quickly for your next upgrade

CHECK YOUR FARE OPTIONS Often, a small difference can result in more than double the Miles. A Flex Fare, for example, can mean reduced change and cancellation fees, higher baggage allowance and cheaper upgrade rewards.

USE OUR PARTNERS Should you book a room with an Emirates Skywards hotel partner, or order a car from one of our car-rental partners around the world, you’ll be rewarded with bonus Miles for your purchase. It’s almost worth going on holiday for.

LIVE THE BRAND With our co-brand credit cards, members can convert their everyday spend into Skywards Miles that are awarded, per USD or local currency spend, along with a favourable earning when the card is used to buy a flight on Emirates.

LOOK FOR OFFERS Be on the lookout for special offers, such as Bonus Miles, either through email, social channels and, increasingly, online shopping paths.

MONEY-CAN’T-BUY EXPERIENCES

Sometimes, your Skywards Miles go even further than you think Thanks to Emirates’ global sponsorships, Emirates Skywards members can often redeem Miles for money-can’t-buy experiences. You can get closer to the action than ever before at some of the biggest events around the world. To make the most of this and many other great offers, become an Emirates Skywards member today.

For more information visit emirates.com/Skywards

TOP TIERS = MORE MILES As a Silver Emirates Skywards member you earn 25 per cent more Skywards Miles when you fly, if you’re Gold you’ll enjoy 50 per cent more and Platinum members will get 75 per cent more Skywards Miles.

OPEN SKIES / 73

NEWARK Emirates will offer a non-stop daily service to Newark from June 1, so enjoy our guide to this emerging US destination

FOR THE ENTIRETY of its existence, Newark has lived in the shadow of its glamorous neighbour – New York. Why stay in Newark when you can drive past Jersey City, through the Holland Tunnel and head straight into Lower Manhattan?

But while many outsiders’ views of the area come largely from the New Jersey Turnpike – one of the most heavily travelled highways in the US – Newark itself is on a long road to recovery. This is a journey that is far from complete, but the curtain is slowly being lifted on a renaissance that has been decades in the making, and the reasons to be cheerful about Newark are numerous.

An exciting sign of the city’s intent is perfectly demonstrated by the regeneration of the Ironbound district. Home to Newark’s large Portuguese and Spanish population, it’s adjacent to Pennsylvania Station and has emerged as a culinary destination of choice. Not only has it added much-needed colour and flair to the city, but with its European market-town vibe and proximity to Manhattan, it has become a vibrant attraction in its own right.

And although Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian dining are the district’s speciality, there is also a large selection of bars, cafés, shops and restaurants to wander around and enjoy.

So, while Newark is only a 40-minute train ride from Midtown Manhattan, in terms of development and lifestyle, it’s beginning to feel even closer to its stylish cousin.

Flight EK223 will depart Dubai at 03.00 and arrive in Newark at 09.00. The return flight EK224 departs Newark at 11.50, arriving in Dubai at 08.20 the following day.

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DESTINATION

CASA D’PACO

BURGER WALLA

MOMPOU

casadepaconj.com

burgerwalla.com

mompoutapas.com

An Ironbound tapas bar and restaurant, Casa d’Paco serves up classic Galicianstyle dishes and specialises in old favourites such as polbo á feira and chipirones. Try the spinach, shrimp and snow crab cakes with honey mustard drizzle, or the marinated chicken empanadas.

Located in Halsey Street, this burger joint is best described as American comfort food with an Indian twist. The culinary brainchild of husband-andwife-team Kai Campbell and Tamara Remedios, expect beef, chicken, lamb, vegan and shrimp burgers infused with spices. Definitely not one to be missed.

Another Ironbound eatery, Mompou is a Spanish tapas house and wine bar that has tradition at its core. With many dishes spiced up with modern twists, the restaurant hosts regular live music events and is famous for its homemade sangria. Dishes are served on stacked trays, so be prepared to eat well.

COURTYARD NEWARK DOWNTOWN

HOTEL INDIGO NEWARK DOWNTOWN

THE KENILWORTH

marriott.com

ihg.com

kenilworthinn.com

One of the newest hotels in downtown Newark, like many hotels in the city the Courtyard offers easy access to Newark Liberty International Airport and New York City. And with innovative design and modern, pristine, amenities, the hotel provides everything you would expect, and require, from a Courtyard property.

TEIXEIRA’S BAKERY

The queue at Teixeira’s Bakery on Ferry Street is often considerable, but it’s well worth the wait.

Opened by Manuel Teixeira in 1976, it sells everything from Portuguese corn bread to egg custard tarts and the artisan breads that first made it famous. Best to save your visit for an empty stomach.

(973) 344-4902

Built in 1912 and designed by Cass Gilbert as the National State Bank, the Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown has a front desk created from reclaimed teller desks.

It has also integrated the original bank vault into its restaurant design, while its décor and artwork reflect the neighbourhood’s spirit of innovation and invention.

A 109-room boutique hotel located in northern New Jersey, this one is a fantastic option for the golf fans visiting the city. Close to both the Galloping Hill Golf Course and the Baltusrol Golf Club, it enjoys a lush countryside location that belies its proximity to New York City. It also has easy access to Newark International Airport.

NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART

njpac.org

cathedralbasilica.org

An iconic performing arts venue, and one of the largest of its kind in the United States, it opened in 1997 and was designed by architect Barton Myers. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, it hosts numerous festivals and national acts throughout the year.

The fifth-largest cathedral in North America, you’ll find it in the Lower Broadway neighbourhood of Newark. Although construction began in 1899, it wasn’t finished until 1954. The end result is a cathedral built in the French Gothic revival style for the Catholic faithful.

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Be Smart!

Use UAE Smart Gate at Dubai International Airport Citizens of the countries listed on the right and UAE residents can speed through Dubai International by using UAE Smart Gate.

If you hold a machine-readable passport, an E-Gate card or Emirates ID card you can check in and out of the airport within seconds.

Just look out for signs that will direct you to the many UAE Smart Gates found on either side of the Immigration Hall at Dubai International Airport.

Using UAE Smart Gate is easy

1

Have your machine-readable passport, E-Gate card or Emirates ID card ready to be scanned.

2

Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAE resident, place your E-Gate card or Emirates ID card into the card slot.

OK!

3

NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES

UAE SMART GUIDE

Go through the open gate, stand on the blue footprint guide on the floor, face the camera straight-on and stand still for your iris scan. When finished, the next set of gates will open and you can continue to baggage claim.

REGISTERING FOR UAE SMART GATE IS EASY

To register for Smart Gate access, just spend a few moments having your details validated by an immigration officer and that’s it. Every time you fly to Dubai in future, you will be out of the airport and on your way just minutes after you have landed.

IF YOU’RE A UAE RESIDENT

Remember to bring your Emirates ID card next time you’re travelling through DXB – you’ll be able to speed through passport control in a matter of seconds, without paying and without registering. Valid at all Smart Gates, located in Arrivals and Departures, across all three terminals at DXB. 76 / OPEN SKIES

*UK citizens only (UK overseas citizens still require a visa)

UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY: •

Machine-readable passports from the above countries • •

E-Gate cards

Emirates ID cards

Mens Accessories by the luxury Emirati brand

www.feathers-fashion.com @feathersfashion

VISA GUIDE

Guide to US customs & immigration Whether you’re travelling to, or through, the United States today, this simple guide to completing the US customs form will help to ensure that your journey is as hassle-free as possible.

Customs Declaration Form

All passengers arriving into the US need to complete a Customs Declaration Form. If you are travelling as a family this should be completed by one member only. The form must be completed in English, in capital letters, and must be signed where indicated.

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORISATION (ESTA) If you are an international traveller wishing to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you must apply for electronic authorisation up to 72 hours prior to your departure.

ESTA FACTS: Children and infants require an individual ESTA. The online ESTA system will inform you whether your application has been authorised, denied or if authorisation is pending.

A successful ESTA application is valid for two years. However, this may be revoked or will expire along with your passport.

APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.CBP.GOV/ESTA NATIONALITIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE VISA WAIVER*: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom**

* **

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Subject to change Only British Citizens qualify under the Visa Waiver Program.

UAE SMART GUIDE

Comfort in the air

To help you arrive at your destination feeling relaxed and refreshed, Emirates has developed this collection of helpful travel tips. Regardless of whether you need to rejuvenate for your holiday or be effective at achieving your goals on a business trip, these simple tips will help you enjoy your journey and time on board with Emirates today.

Smart Traveller DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

Rehydrate with water or juices. Drink tea and coffee in moderation.

TRAVEL LIGHTLY

Carry only the essential items that you will need during your flight.

WEAR GLASSES

Cabin air is drier than normal, so swap contact lenses for glasses.

USE SKIN MOISTURISER

BEFORE YOUR JOURNEY

Consult your doctor before travelling if you have any medical concerns about travelling, or if you suffer from a respiratory or cardiovascular condition.

Plan for the destination – will you need any vaccinations or special medications?

Get a good night’s rest before the flight.

Eat lightly and sensibly.

AT THE AIRPORT

Allow yourself plenty of time for comfortable check-in.

Avoid carrying heavy bags through the airport and onto the flight as this can place the body under stress.

Once through to departures, try and relax as much as possible.

Apply a good-quality moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t dry out.

DURING THE FLIGHT KEEP MOVING

Exercise your lower legs and calf muscles. This encourages blood flow.

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE

Loosen clothing, remove jacket and avoid anything pressing against your body.

Chewing and swallowing will help equalise your ear pressure during ascent and descent.

Babies and young passengers may suffer more acutely with popping ears, therefore consider providing a dummy.

Get as comfortable as possible when resting and turn frequently.

Avoid sleeping for long periods in the same position.

SHARPS BOXES

Sharps boxes are available on board all Emirates flights for safe disposal of medical equipment.

Ask a member of your cabin crew for more information.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE

Try some light exercise, or read if you can’t sleep after arrival.

Quarantine Rules to follow on arrival AUSTRALIA Australia has strict biosecurity laws, so when you arrive you’ll need to declare certain food, plant or animal items on your Incoming Passenger Card.

You also need to declare equipment or shoes used in rivers and lakes or with soil attached. All aircraft food must be left on board. Please take care when completing your Incoming Passenger Card – it's a legal document and false declarations may result in a penalty.

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JAPAN Japan has strict rules around exposure to livestock and bringing in livestock items.

You will need to go to the Animal Quarantine Counter if you have recently been to a livestock farm; are bringing livestock products into Japan; or if your visit to Japan will involve contact with livestock. If you’re bringing meat and livestock products into Japan without an import certificate, head to the counter in baggage claim to speak with the animal quarantine officer.

Celebrate the

Year of Zayed

with a collection of inspirational quotes from

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

A man who fought for unity, preached equality and transformed the UAE ava i l a b l e i n a l l m a j o r b o o k s t o r e s a n d at b o o k s a r a b i a . c o m

/ m o t i va t e b o o k s

/ m o t i va t e _ b o o k s

/ m o t i va t e b o o k s

NEW ROUTES Newark: non-stop daily service starts June 1 London Stansted: daily service starts June 8 Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen: service resumes June 8 Auckland-Bali: daily service starts June 14 Santiago: five times weekly service via São Paulo starts July 5

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TRAVEL TO ADDITIONAL DESTINATIONS WITH OUR CODESHARE PARTNERS

Visit emirates.com for full details on our travel partners

With 22 codeshare partners in 25 countries (21 airlines and an air/rail codeshare arrangement with France’s SNCF/ TGV Air), Emirates has even more flight options, effectively expanding its network by over 300 destinations.

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*Suspended

ROUTE MAP

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INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED HEALTHCARE SERVICES AT YOUR DOORSTEP MEDICLINIC MIDDLE EAST OPERATES SIX HOSPITALS, OVER 20 CLINICS AND MORE THAN 700 INPATIENT BEDS ACROSS DUBAI, ABU DHABI, AL AIN AND THE WESTERN REGION.

EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST. A MEDICLINIC INTERNATIONAL COMPANY www.mediclinic.ae MOH MH52817-30.9.18

ROUTE MAP

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Emirates Fleet

Our fleet of 269 aircraft includes 256 passenger aircraft and 13 SkyCargo aircraft

AIRBUS A380-800 103 IN FLEET All aircraft

3,000+

Up to 489-615 passengers. Range: 15,000km. L 72.7m x W 79.8m

20+ aircraft

BOEING 777-300ER 138 IN FLEET

This month:

1 arriving

All aircraft up to 3,000+

100+ aircraft

Up to 354-428 passengers. Range: 14,594km. L 73.9m x W 64.8m

BOEING 777-200LR For more information: emirates.com/ourfleet

10 IN FLEET All aircraft

3,000+

Up to 266-302 passengers. Range: 17,446km. L 63.7m x W 64.8m

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FLEET

HERE’S WHAT CONNECTIVITY, ENTERTAINMENT AND SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ON BOARD EACH AIRCRAFT TYPE

Live TV, news & sport

Wi-Fi

Mobile phone

Data roaming

Number of channels

First Class Shower Spa

*Onboard lounge

**In-seat power

USB port

In-seat telephone

* First Class and Business Class; **Available in all rows in Economy Class, and in all seats in First Class and Business Class

BOEING 777-300

This month:

1 retiring

4 IN FLEET All aircraft

1,700+

Up to 364 passengers. Range: 11,029km. L 73.9m x W 60.9m

AIRBUS A319

1 IN FLEET

The Emirates Executive Private Jet takes our exceptional service to the highest level to fly you personally around the world. Fly up to 19 guests in the utmost comfort of our customised A319 aircraft with the flexibility of private jet travel. Further information at emirates-executive.com

EMIRATES SKYCARGO BOEING 777F 13 IN FLEET

Range: 9,260km. L 63.7m x W 64.8m

The most environmentally-friendly freighter operated today, with the lowest fuel burn of any comparably-sized cargo aircraft. Along with its wide main-deck cargo door, which can accommodate oversized consignments, it is also capable of carrying up to 103 tonnes of cargo non-stop on 10-hour sector lengths.

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Aircraft numbers accurate at the time of going to press

Up to 19 passengers. Range: 7,000km. L 33.84m x W 34.1m

CELEBRITY DIRECTIONS

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s

GUIDE TO LOS ANGELES Each month the great and the good curate a travel itinerary exclusively for Open Skies.

This month, a true Hollywood legend

INTERVIEW: Andrew Nagy

34.0522° N

118.2437° W

LOS ANGELES

The first thing you should do in LA? Well obviously you’ve to go and get a photo with the Hollywood Sign. OK, it’s a touristy thing to do – but if you are a tourist, be a tourist. This is the home of the movies, so follow that up with a visit to TLC Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. It has so much history and has evolved throughout the years that it’s been open, but it’s still a place of legends.

This is the theatre Star Wars premiered in, and you have the legendary handprints and footprints right outside its doors.

Los Angeles has loads of great places to eat, for sure, but I’m going simple on this and will recommend a visit to In-N-Out Burger. If I’m training intensely and need the calories, that’s where I’ll go.

The best place for an evening out is Sunset Boulevard. It’s an iconic stretch of road with so many bars, clubs and restaurants, and it’s busy seven nights a week – it’s the place to be. To recover the next day, head to Santa Monica Beach. Go and take a swim in the ocean, then head to the pier to check out the food stalls – that should help soak up the fun from the night before.

LA is similar to Miami in the sense that there is no shortage of places to exercise outdoors. The most iconic is Muscle Beach in Venice, so head there if you want to fit a workout into your trip. This is where Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out back in the day, so you’ll be in some very good company.

If you’re looking for the most ‘LA’ day possible, then make it something movie-based. Go to Disneyland, take a movie studio tour, get a photo next to your favourite actor or musician’s star on the Walk of Fame then, to close it out, maybe check out an LA Lakers game in the evening. LA: done.

THE DETAILS SELFIE Hollywood Sign VISIT TLC Chinese Theatre

MUNCH In-N-Out Burger NIGHTLIFE Sunset Boulevard

Emirates operates a daily A380 service to Los Angeles.

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CHILL Santa Monica Beach WATCH LA Lakers

USA