Ugo Joseph was sitting on a park bench and reading an Italian translation of Wilbur Smith's latest novel on alpha males.
The businessman said he comes here when he wants a quiet time to himself. He said he loves the location of his flat, off Hamdan Street, from where he can look out to the seafront.
Because this is one of the most picturesque sites in Abu Dhabi, the rents are sky-high, but Joseph would not be anywhere else. The businessman who is connected with the real estate sector said he is waiting for the good times.
Nearby on a grassy stretch, a man runs up to the wicket and bowls a bouncer. The batsman taps it and the red ball disappears into the thick foliage and the game stops for a while.
Shafiq-Ur Rahman and his team mates from a nearby hotel are practising for an inter-hotel match. This is the first time they have played cricket and do not hope to do too well in the match.
Children's park
The Children's Park, with its quaint, white mosque, is near the Corniche and a group of Filipinas are wheeling around kids in perambulators. This is the place where Filipina maids meet and gossip in the evenings. They giggle and refuse to be photographed.
"My madam will kill me [if she saw her picture in the paper]," she says.
Opposite the park, a futuristic mosque is being constructed. The minaret looks high-tech and metallic, in sharp contrast to the white-washed petite mosques dotting Hamdan Street.
Elsewhere on the street which is the busiest and happening place in the emirate, Malkiad Singh, an interior decorator was overseeing work on a shop front at Hamdan Centre.
The shop was a pharmacy before as is obvious by the round counter in the middle. It was slowly being turned into a gold and jewelry shop by Singh and his workers. "It seems people are buying gold again," he says.
Commute
Singh drives every day all the way to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, where he lives. He does not mind the drive but he does not like the sleek, snazzy, blue-coloured parking meters which were recently installed on this Street. He goes out to feed more coins into the machine.
But the parking meters were necessary on this more than four-kilometre stretch as it is the most congested road in the capital. Finding a parking space was bad before the ‘coin gobblers' were installed here, but it is still bad and you could spend some time cruising around trying to find a spot.
It seems that motorists still have not yet got used to the meters and a staffer of a private company, appropriately called Mawaqif (parking in Arabic) writes down a ticket for a car. He is dressed in grey and blue and apparently is not liked much by the residents.
According to a report, the number of fines issued within a few months of the inaugural of the meters on some of Abu Dhabi streets reached more than 12,000.
Securities exchange
Further away a building that looks like an ancient fortress has streaming figures running across the front. Names like Masq, FBG and Dana flit across the signboard, with percentages.
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) is located on this street. There are more than 60 companies listed on this stock exchange.
It has a market capitalisation of Dh309 billion, according to a brochure we picked up inside. Getting into this imposing building is easy despite the fact we have some very serious-looking cameras with us.
The security guard waves us through after checking the cameras. Inside, there is a small group of people looking at the monitors in front of them very intently. Ahmad has been coming here regularly.
He said he is going on vacation and needs to sell some of his stocks, but prices are not in his favour. "I hope something changes soon," he says. Outside, a group of people with briefcases, tailored suits and expensive wristwatches, stand and smoke. One man picks out a cigar from his pocket and lights it.
Nearby there is a noise of wheels rolling and we find two Filipinos practising on their skateboards.
"This part of the street is smooth," they say as they drip with sweat and practice the Rolling Ollie.
As the sun sets the character of Hamdan Street changes. Office workers hurry home even as the shops light up and entice passers-by with their wares.
"There's everything here [on Hamdan Street]," says an Indian housewife as she hurries home with her two children. They are being escorted home after their after-school studies.
Nearby, Kunhi Mohammad from Kerala, sells peanuts from his basket. He says he comes here in the evening and sells the whole lot as night falls.
We are famished after the long day and the photographer suggests a Mandi restaurant.
We step into one and take off our shoes. The food comes in a large platter and the chicken tastes delicious though there is no hint of any spices. This is an Emirati dish and we dig in with our fingers.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
This four-kilometre stretch in the heart of Abu Dhabi with its row of gleaming residential towers and hotels is a great place to live, do business and shop. Hamdan Centre and the Central Market are good places to hunt for bargains. The street is a foodies delight and there is also a high concentration of medical facilities in this downtown area. Finding parking here takes perseverance.
- Hamdan Centre: This is said to be an institution on the Abu Dhabi shopping scene. It is a good place to buy clothing or tourist knick-knacks at reasonable prices.
- Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX): The stock exchange is housed in a traditional fort-like building on this Street. Most of the companies listed are open to expatriate ownership.
- Children's Park: There are more than 20 well-maintained parks in Abu Dhabi and this one offers a great place to relax on this bustling and busy street.
- Hospitals: Ahalia and Al Noor Hospitals are located here. There is walk-in facility but be prepared to wait for a while. Health care is excellent in this area with more hospitals and clinics on adjacent streets.
- Hotels: There are a number of good hotels here and the room rates range from Dh250 per night to over Dh500. You have a choice from the 20-floor Novotel to Al Maha Suites to Golden Tulip Dalma Suites and Crowne Plaza.
Have your say
Do you live in the Hamdan Street area and have a story to tell us? What is your opinion
of the changes that took place in your area? Do you live in another neighbourhood and
want to share your experiences? Tell us
