Dubai
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Often called the City of Superlatives, Dubai offers a dazzling diversity of cultures and a packed social calendar, which suits Tanzanian-born painter and scarf designer Toledo just fine: “There is always something happening.” Toledo, who was raised in AfrDubai
Often called the City of Superlatives, Dubai offers a dazzling diversity of cultures and a packed social calendar, which suits Tanzanian-born painter and scarf designer Toledo just fine: “There is always something happening.” Toledo, who was raised in Africa and New Zealand and lived in Brazil for 20 years, has called Dubai home since 2006. Toledo finds inspiration not in the city’s glittering skyscrapers and malls, but rather in its understated suburbs. “I often wander around Al Satwa, a rather unglamorous neighborhood filled with tailors, plant shops, and picture framers,” she says. “Dubai takes pride in supporting the arts, and thus we have a vibrant and committed art community,” says Toledo, who draws highlights from several districts. Top among them is Alserkal Avenue (Street 8, Al Quoz 1; alserkalavenue.ae), where converted warehouses host nonpro_t spaces alongside local and international commercial galleries. The rapidly expanding enclave, together with the new Dubai Design District, or d3 (Ras Al Khor Road; dubaidesigndistrict. com), has played a major role in establishing the city as a progressive destination for culture. Other art spaces that Toledo frequents include the Dubai International Financial Centre, or DIFC (Sheikh Zayed Road; difc.ae), for its several important galleries and massive lineup of art and cultural events. The Al Fahidi Neighborhood boasts the XVA Gallery (Bur Dubai; xvagallery.com) and its boutique hotel, which is “housed in one of the original buildings in Heritage Village, with a charming outdoor café, an eclectic collection of books, and an artist-in-residence usually on hand.” Toledo describes the 40-year-old Dubai International Art Centre (Villa No.27, Street 75b, Jumeirah 1; artdubai.com) as “an antidote to the glitz and commerce” of the city.Art Dubai (Al Sufouh Road, Umm Suqeim; artdubai.ae) takes place in the Madinat Jumeirah hotel and convention complex, located midway in a string of beach resorts. Toledo gives the new Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach (Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 2; fourseasons.com/dubaijb) a thumbs-up for its great location, restaurants, and trendy rooftop bar. She also recommends that visitors to the city make a stop at the resort Atlantis, The Palm (The Palm Island, Crescent Road, atlantisthepalm.com), where the Dubai outpost of the world-famous Japanese restaurant Nobu is located. As for shopping, Toledo’s go-to is The Cartel (6 Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz 1, Street 17; thecartel.me). Situated in one of Alserkal Avenue’s repurposed warehouses, it is a curated showcase of fashion from around the world. On Jumeirah Beach Road, Toledo also recommends Comptoir 102 (102 Beach Road, Jumeirah 1; comptoir 102.com), a concept store housed in a formerly abandoned villa offering retail therapy and fresh organic fare in its in-store café. Any bibliophile’s appetite will be satisfied by the sprawling Books Kinokuniya (Dubai Mall, Level 2, Burj Khalifa; uae.kinokuniya.com), which “has almost every title you could possibly want.” Read more