Dubai: It's not bricks and mortar that make a place — it's the people who give it true character.
Dubai's Metropolitan Hotel has been a landmark on Shaikh Zayed Road for decades, a home away from home for many expatriates who lived in the vicinity.
As the hotel is reduced to rubble next week so are the establishments which have been favourite hangouts for hundreds of people in the emirate, shattering the hearts of staff and patrons alike.
While Indian restaurant Shahjahan is being moved to the Habtoor Grand Hotel on Jumeirah Beach, all the other popular joints at the Metropolitan will bite the dust next Thursday.
The Red Lion, arguably the most popular of them all, opened even before the hotel itself and soon became a favourite place to socialise.
Mali Munroe recalls attending the opening night.
"I first went there when the place opened on December 3, 1978 and I have been visiting it since then," Munroe said.
"Back then, it was the only place in the vicinity where we could socialise after a hard day's work.
‘Great memories'
"I have some great memories of the place and I will definitely miss it."
Italian restaurant Don Corleone was an eatery no-one went to once.
"It's as if they are pulled by a magnet," said Valentine Fernandes, the manager of the eatery, who says he won't be able to watch the place go down.
"I'm going back to my native Goa, I cannot work anywhere else after serving at Don Corleone for so long.
"I have built a house in Goa and named it Don Corleone Villa.
"I'm planning to spend the rest of my life there with my family."
The 56-year-old said the place is etched in his memory and will live with him forever.
