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Shops and businesses planning to open up in Le Mall Dbayeh have been told to be ready to open up for business in August 2012. That’s more reasonable than the initial April opening date. It’s 7 months away. It looks like they’re a bit late, but the construction is in its finishing touches phase… Perhaps we can expect a gradual opening up of the mall, versus a one-off grand opening in August?
We so excited!
The Old Jounieh Souk, to be more precise, at the mouth of the street a few buildings down to the right. Find the location on the map below.
For now, it’s being dubbed the “Fathallah Hayali Project”. It is a complex of Lebanese-style stone buildings in the Old Jounieh district that will include several restaurants, clubs, pubs, cafes and a boutique hotel.
The complex has access to both the iconic ancient road and to the Mediterranean Sea shore that Jounieh is famous for.
In the first building
In the third building
Gradually towards the summer of 2012. The building is complete and the contracts have either been signed or are being signed in the next quarter. I expect the investors and companies interested to make haste and be ready before their peak season in summer.
This is an awesome project that will bring a much-needed diversity to the Jounieh nightlife, shopping and entertainment district. Pubs and cafes are plentiful, but quality dining and modern lodging do need a rejuvenation and some new blood in town.
I have very high hopes for this project and will keep you updated with the leak as it progresses. In the meantime, if you missed it, check out the Blueberry Square Mall plans in Dbayeh.
Remember that ice skating rink they used to take us field trips on when we were children? It was the one in Zouk Mosbeh next to Dream Park… I spent a lot of hours falling on that ice and wondering why I had went there in the first place. But, when I eventually started skating, it felt awesome. Unfortunately, the rink up in Zouk went out of business and I’m not sure what has become of the hangar that housed it…
BUT, I got my hands on plans to open up an ice skating rink in Beirut! To be more specific, in Beirut Souks as you can see in the photo above and the map below.
It’s set to open on December 26th and will keep welcoming skaters till the end of February. Skaters will pay 20,000 LBP and skate all they want, there will also be a 50% discount for groups, universities and schools. The prices are impressively reasonable, unlike everything else in Down Town Beirut…
So, for all you ice skating enthusiasts, you know where to be the day after Christmas!
Now, this is a club I’ve been hearing about for over 6 months. Every other week, or every other month, we hear whispers that it’s about to open. This time though, the guys behind it look keen on finally opening, tonite!
I took a look on the inside and snapped a few photos. It’s looking cool. But, my stealthy cover was sorta blown and I promised I won’t publish the unfinished interior. Why? Well, I don’t wanna start off on the wrong foot with them, but mainly because it’s opening up in a few hours and I’d much rather bring you the photos of the first ever night in that club. Spoiler: they have two beautiful DJ Booths equipped with CDJ2000s and DJM2000 mixers..
Tonite is said to be the “soft opening” for the “younger” crowd, with tomorrow being for the prospective older clientele. It’s invitation-only these couple of days, and I regret to inform you I have not been invited. Nevertheless, I’ll try to go in tonite and get you the scoop. If not, I’ll post the photos I took today!
Where is it exactly? It’s right next to Elias Asmar electronics, directly adjacent to Mobili Top in the Jdeideh Nahr El Mot area. Here’s a Google map to help you pinpoint it.
We’ve all been eager to find out which restaurants and venues will be opening in the new, posh Beiruti seafront in front of St. George’s Yacht Club. The final list has bee released, and there are some fond, familiar names as well as new and exciting ones.
The project is supposed to see completion by the end of this year, but I expect it will gradually open, sort of like Beirut Souk’s, which’s “opening” lasted months and months.
As if denying the whole concept of intellectual property wasn’t enough, and rudely removing my signature from all my work on BNL, BNL continues to amaze me day by day. After this lovely tweet,
@GinoRaidy we were glad giving u a good time between us, but we never gave you ownership at anything, all our editors enjoying it
—
Beirut NightLife (@BeirutNightLife) May 11, 2011
EPIC, it seems that the definition of “column” is still eluding them…
And just in case you’re having trouble understanding too, imagine the Daily Star for example, stealing Fareed Zakaria’s column in their newspaper because “we never gave him ownership” for something he started, created and developed into what it is today, which is the exact same case with me and the Weekly Leaks.
Yet, the juvenile reactions continue, and one of my beloved readers noticed today that the juvenility in attitude is rivaled only by their mastery of the English language.
Ironically, this gross mistake portrays BNL’s stolen version of The Weekly Leaks as what it really is: WEAK!
The guys behind ABC are renowned for their endless mission to renew, rejuvenate and reshuffle their business. I mean, just look at ABC Dbayeh, it is virtually unrecognizable every 6 months. That’s something awesome, and ABC is the mall chain of choice for me…
However, recently, while at the L3 level of ABC Ashrafieh (the newer mall, with less plasticity than it’s Dbayeh shape-shifter counterpart), I had the fortune of being part of a conversation of the impending transformation of the area adjacent to the Grand Cinemas theaters. A manager of one of the lots in that area (who I will not name of course) assured me that most restaurants and shop’s lease contracts were coming up later this year, including the Yamin Center arcade/play area and Crepaway.
The ABC branch of Crepaway is arguably one of their most successful, bustling with shoppers all-year round, with long waiting-lists on most afternoons and evenings. But Crepaway has been there since 2003-2004, when ABC Ashrafieh welcomed shoppers for the first time. That is why, the manager noted that the ABC administration is looking to reshuffle that L3 area, bringing in new names and according to them, probably better business.
Who is rumored to be replacing the Crepaway slot? Yup, you guessed it (or read it in the title) Roadster Diner. It appears that the formalities and paperwork are still in the works, or else I wouldn’t have to leak this, it’d be on billboards everywhere! But, it is a safe bet that when ABC and Crepaway do not renew their contracts, Roadster will be the prime candidate to step-in.
This will be interesting to see, with the Roadster-off-shoot Bob’s Diner being only meters away. It is not clear exactly which places will be closing, but among the probably suspects is ZwZ, Columbus Coffee and maybe even Bob’s Diner.
Crepaway is expanding fast though, with branches in Saida, Habtoor Hotel and Sodeco already open, bringing its Lebanon tally to 13 branches spread out across Lebanon. They include areas outside Beirut as high as the slopes on Faraya Mzaar, to Batroun in the North and Saida in the South. That’s impressive compared to Roadster’s 9 branches, located mostly in Beirut and its suburbs. But then again, Crepaway has been open for 27 years, whilst Roadster is still a 13-year-old.
This probably isn’t a real race, for just as Roadster has its legions of faithful diners, so does Crepaway. Both are superb restaurants, with cool themes, great atmosphere and an easy-going philosophy. It will be interesting to see what happens on ABC Ashrafieh’s L3 when the whole level is reinvented with new businesses and restaurants.
The expected opening of Roadster ABC Ashrafieh is sometime in the last quarter of 2011 (September-December 2011).
What do you guys think?
Gemmayzeh has established itself as Lebanon’s nightlife district. Monot used to be. Hamra is struggling to prove itself. Jounieh is trying to resurrect its flatline. Batroun and Jbeil show seasonal promise. However, it seems that the country’s biggest and best projects, are still under construction, and in an area that you’d expect Bernard Khoury to secretly worship and light candles to.
The “Citymall” seaside area is well-known to most Lebanese who commute to Beirut. We use it to escape that crippling traffic on the inner highway, only to get stuck in even worse traffic there. But while at a standstill in roaring engines and noxious fumes, we admire the mostly abandoned industrial buildings. From salt refineries, to abandoned commercial shipping piers, this region has suffered severe neglect and desertion thanks to Lebanon’s tough history. Today, it houses the main (and evil) oil importers, the notorious garbage Mount Everest and of course, Citymall.
However, with confirmation that White Club will now be moving venues from the Annahar building in Beirut, to that Citymall seaside area, and changing names from White to Pure White (yup, I know, mind-blowingly creative). The existing White venue will be transformed into an early-bird alcohol-oriented lounge, with laid-back music and good food and drinks fit for expensive bird-watching and sunsets. The new pure white venue will make Bernard Khoury weep, outdoing him in terms of cheap, neglected areas becoming iconic nightlife hubs (like the world’s #40 club, B018).
Speaking of Bernard Khoury, Pier7, another mega-club and entertainment project confirmed to be in the Citymall area, was supposed to be much closer to Beirut: the Port. Many of you will notice the Lebanese Industrialists Association building, clearly visible from the Charles Helou Avenue. You might also notice it is somewhat decapitated, with clear signs of demolition on its roof. That’s because it was supposed to be the “largest nightclub of the Levant” according to Bernard’s website. This project was aborted though, and the symbolic 90s building, that was abandoned, would’ve been the perfect sequel to the Karantina situated B018. Here’s what it would’ve looked like:
I think it’s beautiful, groundbreaking and with the minimalistic sexiness that is often associated with Bernard’s designs.
But after being aborted by Bernard Khoury in 2009, “Blankpage Architects” took over the new Pier7 project, which was also an open-air nightclub, coupled with a luxurious beach-resort. Today, this is what the new Pier7 will look like, in the summer of 2011. I cannot help but notice the resemblance between it and Sky Bar, adding nothing new at ground-level (in terms of the club). It might be bigger, newer, more awesome. The “raised car display” looks promising though. The “lobby”, not so much.
The new venue looks superb, and you can go construction-watching on the seaside yourselves, it’s directly next to the large Total gas station. I am skeptical though, for the smell of raw sewage is not uncommon there, and I wouldn’t want to finish my cocktail with that wafting smell, neither sunbathe for that matter.
Apart from Pure White and Pier7, a club whose name has not been disclosed to me yet, is set to open literally a meters away. This sprouting of 3 major, international club venues in such close proximity, simultaneously, will be interesting to follow. Pure White and Pier7 will be mainly seasonal, but the third club is indoors, and will supposedly operate once a week, all year-round.
Reasons for this migration are not clear, but I’d put my money on
I’m trying to get you more pictures and info on the third club, but till then, ENJOY…
…and here they are, as promised! Photos of the probable Pure White venue, the direction of the new unknown club, and the progress in Pier7′s construction as of May 3, 2011
Sources:
Bernard Khour / DW5
Blankpage Architects
Pier7 Page
Photos Taken by Gino Raidy in the Citymall vicinity
I blog about my unusual life and happenings. I'm Lebanese with a nomadic lifestyle. I hope to eventually settle down somewhere and become a neuromarketer
