50 Things We Love About Riyadh

1. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a private aviation license. saflightacademy.com
2. Paintball’s a thing now! 1st Paintball, info@1stpaintball.com
3. Drifting enthusiasts are aplenty, but it’s only okay if you burn your tires at Reem International Circuit. @reemracing
4. Extreme quadbiking is totally easily attainable. Adrenaline addicts, you’ve met your match. Rent-a-bike shacks can be found on Thumamah Road.
5. Relaxing in a blissful massage ain’t that hard; there’s a spa almost everywhere, with an amalgamation of all the world has to offer.
6. Exfoliating is never a problem because there are more Moroccan baths than McDonald’s outlets in this town, and that’s saying something.
7. It has Bateel’s eggs benedict. It’s the best you’ll have this side of the globe.
8. Gong bath workshops can be found in Sukoun, so you no longer have to take the trek to the peaks of Tibet for meditation anymore. sukounwellness.com
9. You can learn how to be a trapeze artist (sort of) in Kore’s aerial yoga class. korestudios.net
10. Bite into an Anoosh cookie. Freshly baked in all of their stores, it will be the best decision you’ve ever made. Anoosh, Takhassosi St.
11. Oooh, House of Donuts, we love you. And we love your flat sheet cake- yes, cake- topped with vanilla frosting. Trust us: for SR 99 and a blank white canvas to work your magic on, it’s the best and cheapest birthday cake in town. Abi Al Mansur Ad Daqiqi, Al Wurud
12. Shawermas. Riyadh has the best shawermas. That is all.
13. Kibdah sandwiches in the wee hours of the morning. You can’t find them that good and that early (6 a.m. food call ‘yo) anywhere else.
14. The sound of the athan ringing across the city five times a day. And with a masjid in every block, it makes the most heart-warming spiritual cacophony.
15. How the rain changes everything, even people’s moods.
16. Cheap camping equipment’s everywhere, and it will last you decades. Oh and we get to go sand bashing in a Touareg because the desert is our backyard.
17. Winter. We don’t have a lot of it, but what we do have is absolutely perfect.
18. No taxes, which means you get to keep your entire salary and spend the extra on cool stuff like traveling and that huge batman statue.
19. ACs are everywhere. We’ve been dealing with hot summers for ages now, so we’re much better equipped for heat waves than the rest of the world is. You can barely feel it!
20. Cheap electronics. Bar China, we get some pretty good prices on tech stuff, here. Unless it’s Apple. Then it’s more overpriced than it usually is.
21. Bad hair days are practically non-existent. We barely have any humidity, and if you do wake up with a bad case of the frizzes just throw your shmaagh or tarha on and you’re good to go!
22. The canyons. Just a scant hour away from the center of Riyadh and you will encounter the most beautiful cliffs and rock formations that have stood since before the city existed. hayatour.com
23. Piatto’s morning muffin cake. Free, and delicious. Piatto, Panorama Mall
24. Foul is for two riyals. And tamees is for one. Your Local Friendly Fawal
25. Utility bills are cheaper than anywhere else.
26. It’s a shopper’s heaven. We’ve got shopping malls on every corner and our sales are unbeatable. DR Favorites: Nakheel Mall, Panorama Mall and Centria

    

27. You can get away with wearing PJs in public. And by ‘you’, we mean women and by ‘wearing PJs’ we mean under an abaya.
28. Abayas. We get away with so many fashion faux pas with abayas. Too lazy to go sartorial in the morning on your wardrobe choices? Riyadh is the perfect place for you. Plus, you’ll always look classy, providing you didn’t just buy an abaya with a leopard print sleeve.
29. Cheap gold. There’s a reason Riyadhis have so many baubles; a diamond bracelet costs less here than most places. Magpies, we are. Taibah Souk, Althumairy Souk
30. There’s a new restaurant opening almost every week. Makes our jobs easier, it does.
31. Hinaini and freek. Purely najdi desserts that you will not find anywhere else in the planet, and they make us oh so very happy.

    

32. Almost every day is a sunny day, and it’s always bright. Permanent pool weather, wooh!
33. You can buy anything off Instagram. Any thing.
34. It’s the perfect city for night owls, with stores closing late and breakfasts stretching till noon.
35. It’s family oriented/child friendly. Wherever we take our children, they always get a sweet or a freebie from shop sellers, and most restaurants and public places are very forgiving of noisy children.
36. Charity is a big part of the city’s culture. Thou shalt help thy neighbour, and all that. bunyan.org.sa / ensan.org.sa
37. Diversity is growing, and with it multicultural facet of the city.
38. Gyms are everywhere. No more excuses for being schlubby, bro.
39. The gorgeous sand you can easily find a quick drive away from central. Ever seen a sea of lovely burnt orange as far as your sight can go? Of course you have, you live in Riyadh. Psh.
40. Classes and events aren’t mixed, making it easier for hijabis to try out things without too much of a hassle.
41. The King Abdullah Financial District’s skyline. Gah-or-geous.

    

42. It’s the land of burgers. No, really. There must be at least 1,000 burger businesses around here. Hamburgini, Almurooj / Burger Boutique, Alolaya St.
43. The art scene. It’s still young, and still toddling along on unsteady feet, but we love having the opportunity to watch it grow up. Naila Art Gallery, Ama Art Gallery, L’art Pur, Alaan Artspace.

    

44. The metro. It’s not done yet, but with one of the stations being designed by Zaha Hadid we’re in love already. riyadh-metro.com

    

    
    

45. Maestro’s super polite call center and their SR 20 ranchy original. Yum. Yuhmmmmm. maestropizza.com
46. The Globe, and the viewing deck at Sky Bridge. Seeing our entire city from the top does make our heart pitter patter, we must admit. Alfasaliah Tower, Almamlakah Tower
    
47. Farwas. Coats are cool and all, but farwas are entire league of awesome all on its own. Basically a gigantic safety blanket with arms, it keeps you toasty during the winter months. We love. Aldeerah Souk, King Fahad Road
48. Almasmak. Where else could you see King Abdulaziz’s old guns and cars? And we love the building, it reminds us of the houses our ancestors built. Plus, it’s free. Aldeerah, King Fahad Road

    

49. Albujairy. The place to visit right now, it’s the hostpot and talk of the town and rightly so. We’re predicting that once the breeze picks up a bit, the place will be packed. Diriyah, North Riyadh
50. The safety. Asides from the crazy driving, you could walk around with an open bag and not worry too much about finding someone’s hand inside. Oh, Riyadh, never change.

25 Things We Love About Sharqiya

1. Our Corniche and beach options. Not only do we have Dammam, Jubail and Khobar Corniche, we even have Bahrain.
2. The art scene – we have so many art galleries and the entire province is teeming with artists. One of the best art hubs in SA is here: Desert Designs.
3. Our gorgeous sandy beaches, making barefoot walks on the shore and sand angels possible.
4. The fact that we can head over to a different country – Bahrain – for dinner (or even coffee) and be back before bedtime.
5. You could also drive to neighboring countries like Kuwait or Qatar for a nice change.
6. How we can get from one city to another in a little under 20 minutes.
7. The camel, fish and vegetable markets, all huge and infinitely interesting.
8. Barbecues on the beach.
9. The roundabouts with their striking art sculptures.

   

10. Rastanura!
11. Fishing and diving at the Corniche and other beaches.
12. Everyone seems to know each other.
13. Our museums and cultural centers.

    

14. Finding the quaintest shops and cafes.
15. Camping out in the desert.
16. The people. Sharqawis are the perfect mix of kindness, hospitality and chill.
17. Zamil Art Store on the corniche; an artist’s heaven.
18. Gigantic City-like campuses like Aramco and KFUPM.
19. Camel riding, horse riding and quad biking is all by the beach. How awesome is that!
20. Home to one of the world’s top universities (KSA’s top university).
21. We can make sand castles.
22. Great home businesses.
23. A quite, peaceful, safe and relaxing place to live in.
24. We have the best and most beautiful natural places for off-roading and expeditions.
25. We are the most culturally diverse region, bringing harmony between tradition and tolerance.

25 Things We Love About Jeddah

1. The first one has to be Al Baik.

   

2. Jeddahwis are super friendly.
3. The many walkways, especially Falasteen Walkway and Majra Al Sail.

   

4. Our beautiful Corniche.
5. BBQ’s by the Corniche and at parks.
6. The entire Obhur area.
7. The many public and private beach resorts.

   

8. Swimming and tanning, two of the most popular local activities.
9. It’s always easy to rent boats or yachts and go cruising at sea.
10. The beautiful Fakieh Aquarium.
11. The tallest fountain in the world, King Fahad Fountain.
12. The art sculptures on the seaside.
13. Al Balad (which became a UNESCO site).
14. Fishing trips!
15. Scuba diving and discovering the Red Sea underwater.
16. Quad riding.
17. Desert trips and camping.
18. Sand surfing. Yes we can surf on sand and water. Hah!

    

19. Horseback riding.
20. Day trips to close locations like Madain Saleh and Taif.
21. New discoveries like art galleries.
22. Events! There is always something happening somewhere in town.
23. Talia Street, the ultimate shopping destination.
24. Fries, balila and ice cream from local food carts.
25. Local dishes like mutabag, maasoub, fool and tamees.