Mushrif Central Park: Best park in Abu Dhabi

During my visits to parks in America, each initial encounter was about the same for me:

Plenty of trees lined what was probably a dirty, unkept road to the little entrance gate where a burly park ranger waited for you, ready to hand you a map. After he gave you a jolly welcome, of course there was a friendly, but suggestive gesture toward their park donation jar. You throw in a couple bucks, nod at the ranger, drive through the park gate and prepare for inevitable recreational bliss.

But this is the UAE and things are a little different here.

When I drove up to Mushrif Central Park for the first time, what caught my eye was the red velvet rope dividers and red carpet conspicuously drenched all over the entrance. Was this a movie premiere?

It looked like the entrance to a fashionable club, only the admission was five dirhams and the go-go dancers were replaced with beautiful mothers in activewear pushing baby strollers around.

But under further investigation, I came to realize two things about Mushrif Central Park:

A) It had a very original name.

B) It is the best park in the city. Hands down.

Don't believe me? Here's an interactive map that details every park in Abu Dhabi. If you can find a better park than Mushrif Central, then you email me with your proof. If you are right -- trust me, you won't be -- then I'll buy you an ice cream cone. I promise.

Speaking of ice cream, do you know where you can get countless scoops of Movenpick Ice Cream, which is considered the best cold delicacy in the world? Yes, you guessed it.

Mushrif Park, which is located at the corner of 15th and 24th streets in the capital, also has a Burger Bureau stand, a chilled-out cafe called Park Station (which is great) and a SALT food truck parked just outside the main gates at all times.

But the best thing about the park, when it comes to grub, is the Ripe Food & Craft Market, which attracts more than 50 craft and 25 food vendors to the park every Saturday from 4-9pm. It's a must for locals and visitors alike.

Related article: Seven reasons to visit Abu Dhabi's Mushrif Central Park (The National)

Some other interesting facts about Mushrif Central Park:

- The park is one of the oldest and largest green urban areas in the UAE capital, having first opened its doors in 1982 to women and children only.

- The park is currently ranked No. 12 of 124 things to do in Abu Dhabi by TripAdvisor

- Other popular features include the memorial Wisdom Garden honoring the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, which now includes English translations of the engraved quotes from the UAE's founding president. There is also a botanical garden with native plants and animal barn operated by Emirates Park Zoo.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a sponsored blog post. I wrote about Mushrif Central Park because I genuinely enjoy it. I strongly suggest you make a visit. Cheers.

Having a baby in UAE: Crying baby on airplane

No one likes a crying baby.

What's worse than a crying baby? A crying baby on an airplane.

What's even worse than a crying baby on an airplane? A parent who does not give a shit.





It dawned on me the other day that Miranda and I are still young parents. I don't mean that we are young in age but we are still very new at this. Pure rookies.

One thing we promised to ourselves when we decided to enter the kid zone was that we shouldn't have to sacrifice our way of life. Well, not too much. We love to travel and our baby daughter will be forced to love it, too. Sorry kid. I know, it's a cruel world.

So before we set out on a trans-Atlantic flight back to the States for the holidays, we decided to do a 'test run' to Portugal. Sort of a beginner course for Harper. An introduction into plane travel.

Once again, I have to praise the good people at Etihad Airways, who, if you call in advance and confirm all the details weeks before your trip, are very accommodating to traveling with infants.

Related blog post: Wheelchair success -- Etihad Airways to the rescue!

We had a seven-hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam and then a two-hour hitch to Lisbon.

We were given the front row seats in the economy section near the window and were supplied with a bassinet for the babe that clicked into the wall right in front of us.

Before the flight, Miranda and I were both a little concerned about how other travelers would react if Harper had a crying meltdown at 35,000 feet. So much so that Miranda brought bags of candy to give to the nearby passengers on our plane. It was our way of saying "sorry in advance."

It was a full flight and right across the aisle from us was a very nice woman with a 2-year-old girl. The dad sat in business class and made seldom appearances in the back to say hello to his wife, young daughter and the rest of us savages in economy.

About 10 minutes after takeoff as the plane was still climbing, it started.

The woman's baby threw a conniption fit. She was screaming and crying; squirming in her seat. The seatbelt sign was still on so none of the friendly flight attendants were on the scene yet.

Seems like an all-too-familiar scene on any flight, right?

What made this interesting is that after the plane leveled off and the turbulence subsided, the little girl's screams grew even louder. The mom? She didn't care at all. I think she actually put her ear phones on and started to watch a movie while toddler stigmata took place in the seat next to her.

Once again, my thoughts were with the other passengers.

Thanks to a heavy intake of breastmilk to calm her fears and quell any possible ear popping from altitude change, our baby Harper actually enjoyed the flight. At one point I needed to burp my daughter so I stood up in the middle of the aisle for three reasons:

1) I cramp easily

2) I'm 6-foot-2 and I hit my head on the luggage container at least three times a flight

3) I wanted to show my daughter to a backed plane and prove to them that she is an angel and not one behind the end-of-the-world baby screams that every single person on that plane could hear no matter how hard they tried to block it out

At that moment, Harper was like my kick-ass parent trophy and I displayed her proudly for all to see. As the child across the aisle from us wailed louder and louder, I looked over to my relieved wife and gave her a wink drenched in triumph.

And then Harper shit in her pants.

While I held her over my shoulder. While standing in the aisle.

No one saw that because dear old dad already had a restful hand on her bum as he held her. I literally felt the moisture through her pants.

But I wasn't going to let that get in the way of our victory. Mom quickly handed me the diaper changing bag and then we took our 'no-crying-baby' party into the airplane bathroom.

For any expecting parents in or around the UAE: If you have any direct questions about what it was like to give birth in Abu Dhabi, the different hospital options, doctors, the access to drugs, birth certificate shenanigans, etc. please send me an email (aarongray2337@gmail.com) and I will respond promptly. Trust me, we know what it's like to not get straight-forward answers from trained professionals here. All I can do is tell you exactly how our situation played out and offer my wholehearted advice. Cheers.