Where Have All the Playgrounds Gone?

Magic Planet, Mirdif City Centre, 2019

Work has been surprisingly hectic in the past few weeks. No time to rest (yeah, no kidding!). Not bad when there’re still no new Projects, and when the world is still stuck in COVID-mode.

I’m putting in another shortcut express photo blog! Of photos I’ve collected ages ago. But I’ve thrown in a bonus this time, some photos we took at the end of 2020! Here goes, my kiddies’ park post, let the show begin!

This is Oli-Oli, the one and only children’s play park we visited during COVID times…




Toshi’s Net – a humongous web of a net created by Japanese textile artist, Toshiko Macadam, at OliOli Dubai. Justin remembered this net. He had been telling us just how great this net was. Both Justin and Jayden had been to OliOli in their school trips before. Jayden went first. It was, I think, his first ever school trip, when he was in FS1 (first year of kindergarten) in Newlands School. Justin visited when he was much bigger, in Year 4 maybe… with Royal Dubai School…


Museum of the Moon, OliOli Dec 2020


Future Park, of everything digital…


Cars and Ramps, where you can build and test your ‘Lego’ car creations on sky high ramps


The Water Gallery, OliOli – Never imagined washing cars as fun?!? Never liked it, and still don’t. But what do I know, the little ones loved it!

Here’re some other amusement centres / children’s play areas we visited thru the years, which I’ve not posted before. The kids are big fans (obviously), and we’d spent hours just trying to dissuade them, divert their attention, trick them, bribe them, whatever, from visiting… (you think their papa’s money grows on trees?) How many of these amusement centres survived the pandemic? Who knows? We’ve not been back to check them out yet…


Sega Republic, Dubai Mall, 2016 (yup, these are vintage…)


Splash ‘n’ Party, a kids’ water park based in a villa plot in Jumeirah, Dubai, 2016


A water park (and aquarium) we never visited, the Lost Chambers, Atlantis. “No you can’t go in, can’t you see that the doors are closed…” 2017 (it’s mighty expensive, what d’ya think?)


Cheeky Monkey, Etihad Mall, celebrating one of Justin’s classmate’s birthday (Antranik, middle in orange), 2017. Looking back, it’s been a long time since we were last invited to a birthday party…


Jayden on a bouncy castle in the old part of town, Al Fahidi Souq, Bur Dubai, 2019


Fabyland, DragonMart 2, 2019


Another Magic Planet, this one’s in Burjuman, 2019


Fun Block, MotorCity 2019, with the kids’ Jikor (aunt), Hazel in attendance. We used to go to the one in Arabian Centre, before we shifted to MotorCity… The problem with these kids’ play areas, is that they need us adults to be there, all the time, with them?!? What good does that do? Can we jump on the friggin castle?!?

That’s all for now. Gotta get back to work, before it friggin spills over…. Sigh!