I’ve debated whether to write this or not. Then whether to publish it or not. Then I figured, screw it.
I am a proud Lebanese. And it’s because I like my country that I can’t sit aside and pretend that fake accolades mean more than they are, that void accomplishments are fuller than they actually are.
Beirut isn’t a bad city, sure. It’s perhaps the best city that we have given that our centralization policies have put everything only in and around it. But, forgive the bluntness, there’s no freaking way in hell Beirut can find itself on a world’s best cities list. Unless the person doing that list was high on some Bekaai hashish.
Beirut recently found itself to be on a list of the world’s top 25 cities, courtesy of CN Traveler. Those same people, for those who remember, voted Byblos as the #1 city in the region, with Beirut coming in second. Take that Dubai! We celebrated back then. That little triumph our cities had, although meaningless in itself, meant a lot to us.
Beirut is given the following description as per the CN Traveler website:
The capital of Lebanon has “much to offer the adventurous traveler.” Find “exotic cuisine and cocktails” at the “most exclusive clubs in the world” in what one reader calls “the Paris of the Middle East.” This city offers a “tapestry of sects, religions, and lifestyles that provide a feast for the mind of the intellectual.”
Visiting Lebanon is for the “adventurous,” it seems. I didn’t know my country was such a wild ride. Point me to the next safari why don’t you?
Perhaps Beirut is a great city for a visitor who came here to experience our unparalleled joie de vivre with someone who decided to show them Gemayzeh, Skybar and White, then spend a weekend in Faghaya, pretending that’s still Beirut, before spending the day at some beach that has more plastic than in the bodies of the women strutting their heels in its sands.
Yes, that sounds great indeed.
I don’t know what criteria were employed to rank the cities of that list. But the mark of the greatness of a city isn’t by how well and how great it treats a tourist coming to it for a week. It’s by how great it is for someone who lives there and calls that city home.
When I think of Beirut today, I think of unparalleled urbanization. I think of concrete masses upon concrete masses. I think of cultural demise that manifests in monument demolitions and old houses getting ripped off their foundations. I think of so little monuments that need to be seen in the city. I think of no public transportation. I think of no electricity, no water, of traffic, no public spaces and parks.
When I think of Beirut today, I’m being told I should think of Skybar and Dubai-esque malls because that’s what my city has to offer lately. I’m not sure how that qualifies as greatness honestly. Or I could just be the rare Lebanese who doesn’t like pubs and night clubs and all their derivatives.
Don’t let some silly list fool you into believing the city we call home doesn’t need massive plans, massive reforms, massive work, massive restructuring. Because what Beirut is today, a city living off the ghost of its luxurious past, is only great in the eyes of its beholders. And that’s not really great.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
THANK YOU!
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Reblogged this on Ned Hamson Second Line View of the News and commented:
Too much of the historical city has been lost to modern boxes that are just tall/
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You spoke my mind 🙂
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Having my faith restored in Beirut needs more than a damn list
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I had the privilege of growing up in Beirut in the 1960’s till 1972. As a child it was awesome. The Corniche and the food was amazing. The movie theatres were huge and actually opened up to the movie with curtains. It was like being in the opera. The people were cool. Although me and my brother at times had to run for our lives from some kids when cutting through their village coming and going to the American Community School.
The University of Beirut was huge and very modern for that time. I visited Tyre and Tripoli and saw ancient Roman ruins. Hello, how many American kids get to do that. The fisherman still fished in these ancient ports just like then. Skied in Faraya which was a very beautiful ski resort. Learned to ride at the Arabian Horse Club. Don’t know if that is still there. Layoni was the owner and she was a tough cookie. She was Swedish and married to a Lebanese business man. She was amazing. Our home was on the 4th floor of a beautiful French apartment building on top of a huge hill overlooking the Mediterranean. If anyone knows the Riviera Hotel; our building was directly behind the Hotel on the hill. I seen pictures of what it looks like behind the hotel and I don’t recognize the buildings there now, except perhaps the New Malas Building and looks like the huge hill has been built on. It was a great place for us kids to play on, except once a year when farmers herded about a 100 cows there to graze on! It would be sad to go there now though, and see those beautiful buildings gone. I hope some are still there. Well, that was my short nostalgia summary of my past of living in Beirut.
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Maura- Your experience mirrors mine. I lived in Beirut from 1970-1975. We were forced to leave at the start of the 75 civil war. I went to ACS (Mrs. Churchill was my 4th grade teacher and one of the best teachers of my life), lived in a beautiful old French apartment building at the top of the hill above the The Riviera Hotel. My nanny Souad was like a grandmother to me and used to take me for weekend visits to her small mountain village. I remember getting stuck in the ancient gated elevator in our building on more than one occasion. Almost every room in apartment had a balcony. There was a dance theater around the corner and the performers would practice their routines on an outdoor stage and I would watch them from my bedroom balcony. We were across the street from the New Malas building, where many of my school friends lived and where we used to go trick or treating at Halloween. I vividly remember going to the movies to see very old Laurel & Hardy or Charlie Chaplin films. I remember shopping in the Swiss bakeries and chocolate shops around Hamra Street. Swimming at the Riveria and St. George pools. I remember goats grazing on that hill in front of the apartment building! It was wonderful skiing in Faraya, going to Tyre, Tripoli, Sidon, Byblos, Baalbek, and in Syria, Damasus and Aleppo. To this day, I consider Beirut to be almost like my hometown and yearn for the day when I can return for a visit. Thanks for sharing your memories Maura! TF
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i think u need to chillax ! and understand that getting such an image in the new york times or in front of the entire world will strengthen our image as a great city …
keep in mind that
lets say new york is known to be the best city in the world
im sure u heard of that right ?
but guess what new york is loud, dirty, cranky crazy loud people, unfinished roads that resemble the roads of b3albak and south of lebanon back in the day !!
the politics is a dip shit and there are 5 mafias around that runs the city’s infrastructure and businesses such as
the cleaning companies that actually cleans the streets ( like sukleen in lebanon)
it is owned by mafia
parking tickets are given to anyone ! and it can be removed easily if u know someone who knows someone ( just like lebanon)
there are underground spas that give free blowjobs and other related jerking off stuff
no to mention that 8 million people live in a city where 3 million are homeless !! and the rest are suffering a dead end desk job with a mortgage size of a mount rash more ! ( thats one of the biggest mountains in the world ) !
new yorkers curse a lot, swear a lot, piss in the subway, and shit on street corners !
tourists still visit the city and millions arive on JFK per YEAR ! just to raise their head, twist their neck and stare at the empire state building.
people come every fall to see the fashion at NYFW
people party, get drunk, eat pizza, take the subway, spend money, date, have sex, and hail cabs at the end of the night!! its all part of the imperfect ways of a perfect city !!
new yorkers usually complain to each other about the shitty city they are living in but imagine when a stranger asks them they will twist their words and defend their nyc !!
i just wish to see lebanese do that !! instead of criticizing the city in every chance they get … humiliating us in front of the outside world !!
being lebanese can rock despite what u just discussed
and maybe skybar, faraya and blonde boob job may sound so fake to u but it is actually a life style that new york doest have and we should feel proud we have it
it is glamorous and it is fancy !!
now instead of criticizing one life style of the lebanese try to bring up the rest of the lebanese lifestyles, the artsy , the hard working, the hamra groovy people, the dahye guys and their guys’s nights, the private parties, and so on !! there is so much in beirut
new york or paris or any city does not have ! try to focus on that !!
bottom line is ! every city is not perfect we should not be focusing on the bad part let alone hate it
lets just focus on the good parts and be proud\
at the end it is our city
peace
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Comparing Beirut to NYC isn’t just sad, it’s what frustrates me about those Lebanese who are so proud they can’t remotely believe our problems are actually worth problems.
Yeah, every city has its problems. But I’m sure NYC doesn’t have those sporadic bombs that go off every once in a while, the militias that rule it, the lack of public transportation, electricity, water, decent internet, job opportunities, etc…
And you may be proud of that lifestyle you’re putting forth but somehow the nights out of Dahye guys isn’t something I want people to know my country by or women being as plastic as the keyboard on which I’m typing this or the only thing worth doing here being Skybar. This is not unique. This is just terribly, terribly sad.
Being proud doesn’t mean hiding your head in the sand and pretending all is well “la ma netjarras.” Your country and city’s reputation will not be fixed by some random list that will be forgotten in a few days. It will be fixed by people who view the list as it is: useless, and work on actually making Beirut the best, not just focusing on the good parts because that is the epitome of denial.
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I agree .
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Chill people. If some like this city: good for them. if others don’t: good for them & us, since (I hope) they’ll be working to make it even better. but anyway, please note that in cities like Vancouver (Canada), online news have maps of the murders committed by the mafia in its streets. Nobody is perfect & nowhere is, either. Yet, it’s these imperfections which make the difference & the beauty, in my opinion (which doesn’t mean it has to stay as it is either).
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i agree with farahbunny and disagree completely with eliefares. leik man, u get frustrated about how farahbunny compared beirut to nyc, well he’s right. I’d like to ask you one question, just out of curiosity. Have you ever visited or lived in new york before you say ur frustrated about the comparison.
For one, I’m replying to you from new york and i’ve been living here for the last 2 months and yes everything farahbunny said is right baout new york. he has every right to compare cause he’s obvioulsy been to this city. leik u brought up at least new york doesn’t have sporadic bombs like beirut. WELL AT LEAST BEIRUT doesn’t have the homicide rate taba3 beirut which is at least 3 times higher than beirut (source: nicolas taleb, the famous british economist), or for that matter since we’re talking about big cities, a much lower homicide rate than chicago which is double that of new york so 6 times taba3 lebanon. AT LEAST girls are not worried every fucking night in beirut about walking home alone. and now please don’t go pick on some exceptions where there were kidnappings li2anno there are kidnapping everywhere. My point is tayyib ya jame3a criticise the bad things in lebanon, i see them too bass relaize that the rest of the world is not honey and roses, fi kharab w fased barra kamen kteer. In Lebanon you think we have a corrupt govt, well in the US you have 535 mobsters in washington dc, they refer to themselves as the congress and they vote on whatveer the lobbies tell them to vote for, you know why? caus ethey get paid by the lobbyists and get out of office if they don’t do what their lobbyists tell them to do, enough said.
Sebastian Hanna
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I lived in NY for 12 years and have a home in Beirut, where i have lived on and off for around 5 years. For the record, I am not lebanese. I cannot believe that u are seriously comparing NY to Beirut. Your comparison, and the details of ur post, are totally ludicrous. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
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I wonder where you live, itla3 la 3anna fo2 bi harlem after midnight and tell me if girls can walk around safely in harlem or bronx or queens and then tell me he can’t compare to nyc. All i’m saying u want to point out the bad things in beirut, i can easily point out more bad things in the states. mishkilt il libneniyye min7ibb to nag and bitch and moan and complain and do nothing about it. you want to nag like a 2 yr old well how about the lebanese stop voting for the same 128 dumbasses every 4 years. I’m not saying ur one of them Zaid, i’m replying to this article and not to you in person
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Well said!
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Thank you Farahbunny you spoke you mind.
People seem to forget how profitable to so many other people lists like this are… how many families put food on the table for one more day and how many more just increased their hopes of the breadwinner keeping his/her job.
People don’t see the tourist groups walking around Beirut these days… western tourists to be exact but all they see is the easy cynic comment always ready at the tip of their own tongues…
May peace reign indeed… in our hearts and minds.
Thank you again
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Excellent reply!!!! you just wrote what I couldn’t have expressed
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Faghaya? Really? You needed to slip in some casual homophobia to make your point? That’s much sadder than some magazine thinking your city is worth visiting.
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“Faghaya” is homophobic? Where do you live?
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Are you 9?
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Faghaya isnt homophobic dude. Chill. It’s the “snobish” attitude of some lebanese who discovered that Faraya is now “cool” when they used to say back then: “niyaaak c’est jerdé!”
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I agree partly with your description and , yes I would have preferred the old Zeitoune to the monstrous Solidere development. Yet I would like to stress that what makes a city is not it’s building or it’s night-clubs , but certainly it’s inhabitants. No where in the world would you have a city like Beirut , not because of it’s rulers or it’s politicians or the would be skyscrapers, but indeed because of the Lebanese people. Their natural generosity is paramount to the tale of the Samaritan in the Bible. They do put themselves in second position and give even a stranger the best they can offer or have.
There is an old story that describes Lebanon as would be Paradise except for the presence of the Lebanese.
Well let me tell you, if there is anywhere on earth a place that could be described as Paradise , make sure you find first the Lebanese
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ur a sad man i refuse to get sucked into your dark thoughts
no one is saying we should hide our flaws
but we should love ourselves no matter the flaws
anyway ita like preaching to the blind no point
have a nice bitter life
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Thank you!
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im comparing nyc to beirut becase i spent my life between those places and i can tell u that new york has more crimes more electristy cuts more corruption than lebanon combined but the people try to fix it instead of only complaining
now there is corruption in every country on this planet but bitching about it is never the answer
now i cant blame u or others for reading my comments and joking about my comparison becase u dont know new york the real one not the one u see in movies
u dont know reality if it kicked u in the head
try to blow up ur bubble and see whats outside it
ur free to say what ever u want and im free as well so open ur mind and understand this simple idea
people in queens live without water
and we are a fucking island !!!!
jersey people those next to shores lost their houses 3 times in 3 years because of naturak disasters
there are threat bombs and gun shooting around brooklyn and harlem but its hardly being covered u know why?
cuz americas media dont want to expose that
they are the ones living in denial maybe or being subjective to thier own flaws
do some googling maybe it eill help u understand why i compared new york to beirut
now the most commin thing betwen those cities is that its people are stronf and never surrender to bulshit they love to party and work hard
and they are extremly liberal
but the sifference is americans want to leave new york to work ans live in beirut
a forbes magazine writer who is a brooklyn girl left new york and started from zero in beirut
this kind of people u find in nyx every day
there is somthig about beirut that attracts the people a charm that screams home
if u dont like it leave it
leave it for real lovers of beirut
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I lived in NY for 12 years and have a home in Beirut, where i have lived on and off for around 5 years. For the record, I am not lebanese. I cannot believe that u are seriously comparing NY to Beirut. Your comparison, and the details of ur post, are totally ludicrous. Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
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well i work for the UN and statistics arrive on my desk every morning time to wake up and smell the coffee mister
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and apparently you don’t know what happens under the table around here so please respect my experience and my knowledge about this city and i will respect yours i have been living all my life wandering between new york and beirut and i know what i’m talking about and if you don’t believe well too bad for ya
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Dude – no statistics in the world would put living standards in NY in the same ball park as Beirut. I’d be pleased to be proven wrong – but please provide a link to reliable statistics, whether from the UN or otherwise.
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send me your email
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I’m sorry if I didn’t read all the replies to this article. I used to be a big believer in our cit and our country, but the more I live in it the more I struggle. I have started following this blog recently and I think you are right about most of the things you write about, except you have omitted one very important thing that in my opinion you should mention more often-perhaps you are unaware of?-which is the lack of human rights in this city/country.
Policemen stop female foreign workers and give them an ultimatum: pay $50 or have sex with them. They stick out their tongues at them in a sexual way as they pass by. And this is only the most recent thing that has happened. I have heard/ experienced so many things in this place that make it be so far from one of the best cities of the world that, as proud as I am supposed to be to hear that, it just makes me see how much the media is a bunch of lies.
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No doubt many will agree with what you state here, and even I could and would add many many more issues that should be fixed, this is not the point of the survey. CN Traveller is exactly as it says; for travellers. The best we can do is celebrate that, promote the city to that sector of global society, it is one of few means of income for many locals, and use it to spearhead the all out improvements we all desire. A dweeping damning the survey will do no good to anyone.
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That’s fair enough but in order to achieve that one of the things that should be done is to properly understand the survey. u rightly point out that it is for travelers, but that isn’t how many lebanese have understood the survey. on friday, I had to endure a painful conversation at lunch in which a group of well meaning lebanese were honestly trying to argue that beirut is a greater city to live in than most of europe’s capitals.
its a good thing to promote one’s country’s tourist sector and to encourage people to visit, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of an honest appreciation of the many problems that exist in that same country. when will the great effort to reform and rehabilitate beirut start? only when the working poor of that city are given a real voice in its politics and administration.
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I agree with the things you said in your article, but I guess the nightclubs, the historical monuments, Baalbeck, Jeita, the beaches, the parties, as much as you might find them “fake” are what tourists look for when they travel, and you can rarely find the same “party atmosphere”, or the same impressive historical spots in other countries. Of course, one or two weeks are almost enough to do every fun thing there is to do in Lebanon and to see Baalbeck, Jbeil, Jeita, Anjar and all the ancient cities. But this is what CN Traveler wanted to rank.
“The greatness of a city isn’t by how well and how great it treats a tourist coming to it for a week. It’s by how great it is for someone who lives there and calls that city home.”
The “CN Traveler” list clearly ranks the best cities in the world for TRAVELERS aka TOURISTS aka NOT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE WHO CALL THE CITY HOME… So maybe, in a way, they are right about Lebanon being a fun destination for travelers.
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Thank you Anthony, two thumbs up!!!
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How safe are you on the streets of Beirut? Whether you’re walking, riding your bike or in your car? Seriously, Beirut is the best jungle where everyone is a happy camper. Don’t even attempt to think of civilized Lebanese but active or passive murderers of many civilizations. It’s in our dementia genes.
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I wish to understand one thing: through this post what were you hoping to achieve? What’s its purpose?
Other than blowing off the “casual steam”, bel 3arabe l mshabra7 “na2”, I don’t see any purpose for this post at all.
Bloggers who constantly criticize under the umbrella of the “freedom of speech” are many. Bloggers who “blow off the casual steam” are many. Bloggers who take action? 1? 2? 5? I would say not enough.
What you should understand is that writing for a dozen followers is one thing, but with scale comes responsibility. Social, moral and ethical responsibility. Your platform as it scales, gains power. Use this power to spread an optimistic perspective and pragmatic, “action” driven initiatives instead of dwelling on the typical “Lebanese” victimization aspect that is so popular these days.
Why should we reject any form of appreciation or claim of ‘greatness’ and question the criteria for the selection? What’s the “purpose”? Instead, embrace it, leverage it for the benefit of the country and the city, promote it and use it as a catalyst and a drive to better this city and this country. Use it, and promote it as a moral obligation for Beirut to live it up to its expectations.
Please, enough with the unjustified bashing.
Raising awareness and constantly remembering our internal problems to stress their importance is one thing, but these reminders should come with a certain tone and a specific style of writing suitable for the cause.
Sorry for the tone, but, really, zhe2na of these condescending blabbers and sarcastically infused “na2”.
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Very well said! Thank you!
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You couldn’t have said it any better!
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Agree
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WHAT? A Lebanese blogger sad that his country’s capital is getting props? Sounds like the only thing living in the past is this blog and it’s author. Your early sentence on how (It’s perhaps the best city that we have given that our centralization policies have put everything only in and around it) says it all. Let me guess: you are a Christian hater still in complete disbelief that a mixed area like Beirut, which would never be part of a Christian lebaneses federate, is getting international recognition. I mean really. Well it has been thirty years now bro. Get over it buddy. Your world has changed; don’t be a dinosaur.
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Wow. What does Christianity have to do with this? How on earth did you infer that from Elie’s post? I think you’re the one being a dinosaur.
He obviously acknowledged the fact that Beirut is kind – no, awesome – to tourists before stating the fact that it is not so great from a resident’s perspective. Don’t go misinterpreting the post and adding salt, pepper and prehistoric animals to its content.
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Wow. What does Christianity have to do with this? How on earth did you infer that from Elie’s post? I think you’re the one being a dinosaur.
He obviously acknowledged the fact that Beirut is kind – no, awesome – to tourists before stating the fact that it is not so great from a resident’s perspective. Don’t go misinterpreting the post and adding salt, pepper and prehistoric animals to its content.
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The comments were all fine until I got to that person who decided this was the rambling of a Christian hater then I realized why this country is in deep shit
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Nothing immoral with Beirut being quoted as a super destination for adventurer travelers etc…It is actually healthy for residents to see a diversity of tourists. Reference the CN traveler article, the confusion to some readers is mixing up socio-economical challenges for Beirut full-time residents versus promotional material for a holiday destination …. two very different things, However getting carried away in matching up Beirut with International cities is a very sad and skewed vision! or rather lack of vision…
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Reality check: Beirut ranks 118 out of 120 cities in this Economist / Citigroup report on global competitiveness.
Click to access hotspots2025.pdf
The ranking factors include: economic growth, business and regulatory environment, institutions, the quality of human capital, cultural aspects, and the quality of environmental governance.
I encourage you all to read it and think about the work we have ahead to make Beirut a truly great global city.
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Mount “rash more”? One of the biggest mountain on earth?
+gazillion internets to you
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The nice part of the Readers’ Choice Awards ranking for Beirut is that it indicates the public at large may finally be willing to let go of its cliche war-zone image. And if tourists are willing to see a new dynamic Beirut, maybe the Lebanese could follow suit and leave the old civil war mentality behind as well? If the leaders stopped bickering for five minutes, they may just be able to fix that electricity. . . .
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Well Done!!!!
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I’ve been waiting to read something about it! and there a friend of mine sent me the link to read this post! Now i can’t help but congratulate you!!! Honestly, being ranked as one of the best cities wasn’t the worst thing yet, but the fact that people were buying it was sad! I mean wake up people! yes wake up and try to make this city better!
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Could someone answer me this: how does a city which cannot provide proper water facilities get nominated in the first place? I’ve been to a few countries where you can not drink tap water, fine places, but surely they’re lacking something. I guess it adds to the holiday feeling to carry big ass water bottles to your apartment 🙂
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What a F*****g pessimist. This blog is full of pessimism! Are you on anti-depressants or something?
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Read your note – quite an interesting way of putting it. Nothing’s far from the truth that’s for sure.
However, don’t take this personally but you look like someone who hasn’t really experienced living abroad (I might be wrong), but this makes your note less credible.
I won’t compare Beirut to NYC, nor to Paris and Barcelona (like the Lebanese media did). But having lived in multiple cities, and built a network of friends from all over the world, I can confirm that the majority agrees that Lebanon is one of the most beautiful countries they’ve ever visited. That’s probably something the Lebanese citizens fail to appreciate.
Mentioning Faraya as a non-Beirut city is true, but travelers don’t see it this way. Beirut is a small city compared to the cities your tourists live in. The fact that Lebanon only has one airport (along with the whole centralization you talked about) makes Beirut and Lebanon considered as one “entity”.
No one denies the political problems, the lack of infrastructure, and the other 1001 problems the city faces/offers everyday. But getting irritated at people advertising their country is definitely not really considered ethical.
Best,
Jay
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Although i agree with you on most of the things you said, i needed to point out to two little things that caught my eye:
1- Urbanization doesnt have to be parallel, take it from an architect.
2- The ranking was made for travellers and hence its one of the best touristic cities i.e. To spend a week or so. This is why, what you are saying is true, but somehow irrelevant. Take the number one for example, it was a city in Mexico as i recall. It could have all of Beirut’s dowsides, add to them the high crime rate, but still, it got to number one.
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Noelle, he was saying unparalleled, meaning unmatched (in context here, it means excessive urbanization, so I guess he means too much density). Also take it from an architect 😉
Many of us have our own rules and meanings for English I’ve noticed, from the people I know.
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I agree to a very high extent with this blog post as I was really sad to see that some of my friends on facebook were sharing this CN Traveler article and being happy about it.
The current Beirut is not that great now. Really. Maybe we were 45 years ago, but not now.
Sure, the night life is great, some people are nice and the food is amazing. But really, that’s about it. Is life all about hanging out with nice people while eating good food and having some music in the background?
What about the basics? Electricity? Clean water? Streets/Roads? Public transportation?
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Lebanon is a beautiful country, with or without the problems, Fact. Tourists visit third world countries all the time for it’s beauty, regardless of it’s economy. They don’t care about that. They care about visiting Jeita, Balbek, high end beach resorts all of that. Lebanon needs the money from tourists, don’t ruin this for them.
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Good article. Glad you published it. I thought surely you would make fun of “you can ski and swim the same day” sales pitch which everyone repeats about the country. I am yet to meet someone who actually cares to do that.
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Check http://www.probeirut.com …nice perspective of Beirut.
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Why Beirut is a beautiful city ? …because I and almost 99% of those who visit it say so .. without going into the details of the architectural issues , noise , electricity….etc . There must be a reason . Ask those living for decades in the AUB or Hamra area if they would leave their AIRLESS apartments and SPACE LESS parking spots to live anywhere else ; they will categorically reject . BEIRUT seems to be a beautiful EXPERIENCE and not a CITY as defined in today’s Wikipedia. From the MAROUSH CHICKEN SANDWICH that has not changed for 40 years ( except the price) to the traffic jams in DBYIEH …Beirut seems to capture people without any scientific basis that would usually constitutes bench marks for evaluation . It has secret , that the modern cities urban planning books could not capture yet .
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7a i7ke b leghet l chatting.
walla shefto ankon lebneniye ma fikon tle2o point commun baynetkon w ben afkarkon, noskon b koun le7i2 part siyesiye w m2aydin heda w heda abel ma nfaker b 7adan nfaker b 7alna ykoun 3ndkon heda l self ego !! badal ma te23ado thetto b kel shaghle bhal balad n7na l shabeb li fina nghayer , law n7na men koun 2id we7de men ghayer badal ya ye23ad hayalla khetyar yetsalla fina w yede3e l fehem.. khalas n7na ma mnshbah illa lebnen. kel wa7ad ybalesh b 7alo w yshuf ghalato w yshuf shu fi ya3mol, shu fer2et iza ken lebnen mnl top b ajmal baneto am bl sahar am ma ba3rf b manat2o , teb iza kel wa7ad le7i2 menkon hayda w hayda ano hah!! deyman 7a ykoun fil ghalat, so hayda l article khali ykoun fi 3ebra ano ana badal may7et l lebnene minimum 100$ 3al hashish am sahar w yfashekh , 23ad jamme3 misreyetak w koun part men hal moujtama3 w nzabbeto n7na , n7na lesh nkoun l investors b hal balad moush 3arab w ajenib. min menna mano met3allam??!!!! iza ija l architect wil civil engineer aw hatta hayalla w ija 2al ana mjamma3 shi 2000$ (hol smalla l lebneniye b faskho ano sarafouhon b layle) w ija shakhes tene ana ma3e aktar mennak, eh tketafo w oulo ano ana bade zabbet hay l tari2 aw bade rammem hayda l bet , w iza l dawle aletlkon la2 eh hon fikon ta3mlo li ma byen3amal , n7na li 3am nshaje3 3al ghalat .so nzabet 3a2elna ba3den ne7ke!!
hope u got my idea.
Regards,
PL
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This is really sad, if you are proud to be Lebanese I am ashamed that we have such people in our country. Really you wrote an article as a Lebanese person putting all that effort to say no Beirut is not one of the best cities, and the pic that u displayed, who are u to diced and please don’t say i love my country, and if ur country has one thing to be proud of you write an article against it. There is no way that this is coming from a Lebanese citizen.
The question here should be what do you have against your country? not if Beirut is one of the best cities or no because unfortunately for you it already is :)….
The second question is why are u so depressed ?
Third question, how can we build a country with people having that negative energy like yours?
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Exactly. Stop throwing your garbage out the window, drive like a sane person, help the poor, don’t buy a new car every year, help your family clean the house rather than a housekeeper, save your money, how about that? Those changes will help Lebanon sooooooo much!!
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7a i7ke b leghet l chatting.
walla shefto ankon lebneniye ma fikon tle2o point commun baynetkon w ben afkarkon, noskon b koun le7i2 part siyesiye w m2aydin heda w heda abel ma nfaker b 7adan nfaker b 7alna ykoun 3ndkon heda l self ego !! badal ma te23ado thetto b kel shaghle bhal balad n7na l shabeb li fina nghayer , law n7na men koun 2id we7de men ghayer badal ya ye23ad hayalla khetyar yetsalla fina w yede3e l fehem.. khalas n7na ma mnshbah illa lebnen. kel wa7ad ybalesh b 7alo w yshuf ghalato w yshuf shu fi ya3mol, shu fer2et iza ken lebnen mnl top b ajmal baneto am bl sahar am ma ba3rf b manat2o , teb iza kel wa7ad le7i2 menkon hayda w hayda ano hah!! deyman 7a ykoun fil ghalat, so hayda l article khali ykoun fi 3ebra ano ana badal may7et l lebnene minimum 100$ 3al hashish am sahar w yfashekh , 23ad jamme3 misreyetak w koun part men hal moujtama3 w nzabbeto n7na , n7na lesh nkoun l investors b hal balad moush 3arab w ajenib. min menna mano met3allam??!!!! iza ija l architect wil civil engineer aw hatta hayalla w ija 2al ana mjamma3 shi 2000$ (hol smalla l lebneniye b faskho ano sarafouhon b layle) w ija shakhes tene ana ma3e aktar mennak, eh tketafo w oulo ano ana bade zabbet hay l tari2 aw bade rammem hayda l bet , w iza l dawle aletlkon la2 eh hon fikon ta3mlo li ma byen3amal , n7na li 3am nshaje3 3al ghalat .so nzabet 3a2elna ba3den ne7ke!!
hope u got my idea.
Regards,
PL
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7a i7ke b leghet l chatting.
walla shefto ankon lebneniye ma fikon tle2o point commun baynetkon w ben afkarkon, noskon b koun le7i2 part siyesiye w m2aydin heda w heda abel ma nfaker b 7adan nfaker b 7alna ykoun 3ndkon heda l self ego !! badal ma te23ado thetto b kel shaghle bhal balad n7na l shabeb li fina nghayer , law n7na men koun 2id we7de men ghayer badal ya ye23ad hayalla khetyar yetsalla fina w yede3e l fehem.. khalas n7na ma mnshbah illa lebnen. kel wa7ad ybalesh b 7alo w yshuf ghalato w yshuf shu fi ya3mol, shu fer2et iza ken lebnen mnl top b ajmal baneto am bl sahar am ma ba3rf b manat2o , teb iza kel wa7ad le7i2 menkon hayda w hayda ano hah!! deyman 7a ykoun fil ghalat, so hayda l article khali ykoun fi 3ebra ano ana badal may7et l lebnene minimum 100$ 3al hashish am sahar w yfashekh , 23ad jamme3 misreyetak w koun part men hal moujtama3 w nzabbeto n7na , n7na lesh nkoun l investors b hal balad moush 3arab w ajenib. min menna mano met3allam??!!!! iza ija l architect wil civil engineer aw hatta hayalla w ija 2al ana mjamma3 shi 2000$ (hol smalla l lebneniye b faskho ano sarafouhon b layle) w ija shakhes tene ana ma3e aktar mennak, eh tketafo w oulo ano ana bade zabbet hay l tari2 aw bade rammem hayda l bet , w iza l dawle aletlkon la2 eh hon fikon ta3mlo li ma byen3amal , n7na li 3am nshaje3 3al ghalat .so nzabet 3a2elna ba3den ne7ke!!
hope u got my idea.
Regards,
PL
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walla shefto ankon lebneniye ma fikon tle2o point commun baynetkon w ben afkarkon, noskon b koun le7i2 part siyesiye w m2aydin heda w heda abel ma nfaker b 7adan nfaker b 7alna ykoun 3ndkon heda l self ego !! badal ma te23ado thetto b kel shaghle bhal balad n7na l shabeb li fina nghayer , law n7na men koun 2id we7de men ghayer badal ya ye23ad hayalla khetyar yetsalla fina w yede3e l fehem.. khalas n7na ma mnshbah illa lebnen. kel wa7ad ybalesh b 7alo w yshuf ghalato w yshuf shu fi ya3mol, shu fer2et iza ken lebnen mnl top b ajmal baneto am bl sahar am ma ba3rf b manat2o , teb iza kel wa7ad le7i2 menkon hayda w hayda ano hah!! deyman 7a ykoun fil ghalat, so hayda l article khali ykoun fi 3ebra ano ana badal may7et l lebnene minimum 100$ 3al hashish am sahar w yfashekh , 23ad jamme3 misreyetak w koun part men hal moujtama3 w nzabbeto n7na , n7na lesh nkoun l investors b hal balad moush 3arab w ajenib. min menna mano met3allam??!!!! iza ija l architect wil civil engineer aw hatta hayalla w ija 2al ana mjamma3 shi 2000$ (hol smalla l lebneniye b faskho ano sarafouhon b layle) w ija shakhes tene ana ma3e aktar mennak, eh tketafo w oulo ano ana bade zabbet hay l tari2 aw bade rammem hayda l bet , w iza l dawle aletlkon la2 eh hon fikon ta3mlo li ma byen3amal , n7na li 3am nshaje3 3al ghalat .so nzabet 3a2elna ba3den ne7ke!!
hope u got my idea.
Regards,
PL
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lets assume all what u say is right, what bothers u in getting this reputation does it harm you in any way if people think of our city in a good way or just ur point to show the world that beirut is a shitty place that is not worst going too.
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I totally agree with your article. Here’s what I wrote in the same spirit a month ago
http://herestosomething.tumblr.com/
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Btw, I think we can all agree that this is constructive criticism, that we all know the potential of this city and that we need to act in order to let it live up to its reputation. Cheers
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Lebanese people have a tendency to take external recognitions and amplify them, regardless of the source or the methodology of the survey. Did anyone bother to look into the methodology and accuracy of the results before flaunting them on social media? We act like poor petty minded humans and do so because we have become brain dead 😦
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As the comment on a photo says: “Why Beirut? Like me the city is unsure whether it’s East or West, Christian or Muslim, Arab or European, serene or troubled, traditional or modern. Unlike me, it is never dull.”
… and that is something no other city in the world offers and why every “westerner” or “easterner” i have ever known to come and live here for a while never wants to leave.
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so what if it was ranked as a top city for tourists? Why did this bother you? Oh, let me try and get that straight, so if im not wrong your concern is that if whomever is in charge of the well being of this city, if he/she exists to begin with, reads this ranking he/ she will feel that nothing should be done because all is well and “tous vas vers le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes”? If the answer is yes, wake up call my friend, no one even cares. So just let it be , if people feel like coming buy getting wasted, getting high enjoying the sun, the plastic, the snow or whatever else they find joyful, let them be. Being part of an unfortunately brain-dead society for a week or so is a good vacation time. On the other hand, you wont be inventing the wheel if you focus on the bad aspects of this city, flash news, its been like this for 40 years now!! Its not gonna change and people still live in it. We now its vices yet even if you live abroad you still visit every year and then you leave saying you wont get back yet guess what, you always doo.. So please, stop this nonsense attitude and just let it be. Its a shitty ass country yes with a socially inapt , psychologically ill, brain-dead people yet it is still a good place for a tourist who is not really searching for his outmost lifetime accomplishment when on a one week vacation…
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Well said.
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Oh my good this is just a deaf convo.
Elie I get your point but instead of wining on a blog about a list no one cares about maybe you should start a cool project in beirut or help somehow.
your article has no point since you know that the CN list has to have some diversity to look cool for the americans and writing beirut on it is a bit of a provocation . Itbs all related to what s going on in the middle east and how people view it
so you know … let it go
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Exactly. Stop complaining and help, do something. Lebanese have a bad habit of complaining, blaming everything and everyone else, and not doing something. I’m Lebanese America lived in both countries. America is the way it is because of the people’s effort and work…
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Excuse moi Elie , j’ecrirai mon commentaire en francais. Nous les libanais , on n’est pas dignes de notre pays cher et on le sera jamais. J’arrive as a comprendre pourquoi on ne fait que tirer sur beyrouth. Je ne sais pas vraiment pourquoi certains se sentent mal a l’aise ou irrite. La2 we get cant get over it , Beirut is one of the best and we will never see that until we leave it! As a lebanese , u werent supposed to write an article that can be read by any person willing to visit our city! We are supposed to promote it instead!
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I can’t really believe what i have just read. Please tell me that this article is not real! Elie , with all due respect to your ideas , i couldn’t really understand why are you so irritated! J’arrive pas a comprendre vraiment pourquoi les libanais ne font que tirer a chaque bout de champ sur leur pays!On sera jamais digne de Beyrouth! .. believe me , other cities can richer , but they can never have what beirut has, Dubai masalan! Plz , dont say that you love lebanon. And would u pls tell me how did u accept to publish this article.. an article that can be read by everyone .. every single creature willing to visit Beirut .. ive travelled and seen many cities.. i couldnt find one that has the spirit and the soul of Beirut. So again , dont say that u love it!
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to all you self haters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOg1-_1PIo
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3_ulfFojfg
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Thanks a million for ur wordsssss!!
I second that bigggg time! It should be ranked as No1 most chaotic cityyyyy ever that s why tourists love it!
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Typical Lebanese, complaining.
These are the same Lebanese that live abroad for a few years, go back to Lebanon and shake their heads at everything but still go along with the culture.
Every country has it’s issues, including America.
The Lebanese, yes you, are the ones that
CN Traveler didn’t rank the top countries to live in, it’s an article targeted for vacation and leisure…
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That is sooo weird and funny by the way… wake up people… you all agree??? i mean isn’t this gr8. We are considered as one of the world’s best cities and you don’t like this. What is wrong with people… do you need to prove anything here?
I do also strongly believe that Beirut has lost beauty with all the
“unparalleled urbanization, concrete masses, no electricity, no water, of traffic, no public spaces and parks .. That doesn’t really mean that I will get incensed knowing that that same city is considered to foreigners as ONE OF THE BEST CITIES IN THE WORLD!!!!!! We need that, we badly need that … ???
“Visiting Lebanon is for the “adventurous,” it seems. I didn’t know my country was such a wild ride. Point me to the next safari why don’t you?” ””OH MY GOD THIS LAST ONE IS 2 MUCH FOR ME… WAY TO GO GIRL!!! OR MEN?”” ISMAIL?…
What a mocking way to describe the situation… wondering in what state of mind you were while bringing all those ideas to words.. respect.. peace dude..peace.
“the mark of the greatness of a city isn’t by how well and how great it treats a tourist coming to it for a week. It’s by how great it is for someone who lives there and calls that city home”.
Ohh now I got it… Ismail you’r getting it all wrong!! You like to be well and greatly treated like a tourist? YOU MUST GO TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY THAN LEBANON!!!
Maybe it’s better you call your blog ADESPERATESTATEOFMIND
massa el kheyr 7abboub
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