Tag Archives | gemmayze

Valet Parking Fee Officially Set at 5,000L.L.

By Rami on August 4, 2017 in Law

If there’s one thing that unites the Lebanese people then it must be their hate for the Valet Parking workers. They’re overpriced, always rude, and they have the capability to doom a whole areas just like what they did in Gemmeyze and Mar Mkhayel! I seriously pity the people living in that surrounding as I personally do my best to avoid going there at night…

And unfortunately, just as in the case with illegal internet and cable TV providers, the government couldn’t keep the valet parking thugs from hijacking public spaces so it simply resorted to “regulating” their activities. For years now they have been imposing ridiculous prices up to 10,000L.L and sometimes more at lush venues, but a recent joint memo by the ministry of interior and the ministry of tourism fixed their service fee at 5,000L.L. So let’s hope it gets applied!

I’m not sure though if hotels are also subject to this memo.

Nadim Gemayel, Nasawiya, and the sick degree of followership

By Rami on June 30, 2013 in Lebanon

If this video is a proof of something, it would be that all politician are equal in being corrupt and believing they’re above the law.

This is actually the same Nadim Gemayel who always complains about the militia-like behavior of Hezbollah, now giving silly excuses and justifying their actions. The people at Nasawiya might have started the whole thing after chanting against all MPs when they knew Nadim Gemayel was in the area, but that definitely doesn’t give the bodyguards the right to abuse their power.

But to be honest, I wasn’t surprised by the whole incident, I mean what do you expect from Lebanese people in power? What surprised me the most were those people on social media and blogs who were actually defending Nadim Gemayel and calling to take the incident more lightly, just because they support him or his political view. What degree of followership are these people exercising?

Fete de la Musique 2013 Program

By Rami on June 18, 2013 in Events

The 13th edition of Fete de la Musique is taking place this Friday June 21st, and just like every year, the festival is bringing together amateur and professional musicians and will span over 10 locations across Beirut.

Below is the festival program for you to choose where to go.

PLACE DES MARTYRS
19h00 – 19h45 TENOR GABRIEL ABDEL NOUR ET LA CHORALE GLADIC
19h55 – 20h25 BANDAGE [rock]
20h35 – 21h15 PINDOLL [nu-jazz/post-rock]
21h25 – 22h05 EMPTY YARD EXPERIMENT (EYE) [DUBAI/ post-rock]
22h15 – 22h55 TANJARET DAGHT [SYRIE / rock]
23h05 – 23h45 JAY WUD [rock]
23h55 – 01h00 NEAR SURFACE [rock alternatif]

THERMES ROMAINS
19h20 – 19h50 JOY FAYAD [pop]
20h00 – 20h40 LARA EIDI [GRECE / folk]
20h50 – 21h20 POCHETTE SURPRISE
21h30 – 22h30 DALELE [FRANCE / chanson française]
22h40 – 23h20 THE JJ’S [BELGIQUE / pop, rock acoustique]
23h30 – 23h50 SEGUNDO BLOCO [Percussions brésiliennes]
00h00 – 01h00 CONSOLE [ALLEMAGNE / électro]

BEIRUT SOUKS PLATEFORME
19h20 – 19h50 SNOWSLASH [rock]
20h00 – 20h30 CHAMPLAIN [chanson française]
20h40 – 21h10 BRUNO TABBAL [variété pop]
21h20 – 21h50 THE MISSING PIXELS [folk, pop]
22h00 – 22h30 SANDMOON [indie pop folk]
22h40 – 23h10 NOUR [pop]
23h20 – 23h50 GILBERT SIMON [variété pop]
00h00 – 00h30 SILVERAGE [rock, pop]
00h40 – 01h10 ALBATROSS [Pink Floyd Tribute Band]

BEIRUT SOUK PLACE AJAMI
19h20 – 19h50 BLUE LACE [rock]
20h00 – 20h30 DIDA’S AVEC HOME [quintet acoustique]
20h40 – 21h00 JEBEBARA [percussions africaines]
21h10 – 21h30 ADRIEN [variété]
21h40 – 22h00 MIKEL AOUN AND THE COUNTRY BOYS [country, rock n’roll]
22h10 – 22h30 AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE [percussions africaines]
22h40 – 23h10 EPISODE [rock symphonique]
23h20 – 23h50 SHADOWALLS [rock progressif]
00h00 – 00h30 IMPULSE [rock, trip hop]
00h40 – 01h00 AUDIO TRAFFIC (rock alternatif)

ZAITOUNAY BAY
19h10 – 19h30 AL KAMANDJATI [oriental]
19h40 – 20h00 BL 3ARABE [oriental, fusion]
20h10 – 20h40 RIBAL RAYA [musique orientale]
20h50 – 21h00 TWINS AG
21h10 – 21h50 AUDIYAT [musique orientale]
22h00 – 22h40 ROJO DEL LIBANO [flamenco]
22h50 – 23h30 MASSAR EGBARI [EGYPTE / rock jazz oriental]
23h40 – 00h20 MEEN [rock libanais]
00h30 – 01h00 RASTA BEIRUT [reggae]

JARDIN SAMIR KASSIR
19h00 – 19h20 THE LOWHIGHS [soft rock]
19h30 – 19h50 BLUE YEAST [blues, jazz]
20h00 – 20h30 NACHAZ (rock blues)
20h40 – 21h10 POSTCARDS [indie folk]
21h20 – 21h50 CAMILLE AND LORY [soft rock]
22h00 – 22h40 OAK [folk]
22h50 – 23h20 THE COOLCUMBERS [rock alternatif]
23h30 – 00h00 MURPHEY LAWLESS [blues]
00h10 – 00h40 THE BANANA COGNACS [funk]
00h50 – 01h30 AL 3ARABI MO5 [hip hop]

WATERFRONT / BASEMENT
MQUBE
MAD
COTTONMOUTH
DAVID MAOUAD
VANCLOD JANDAM
RONIN & NESTA
RAMZI SHAAR – Stellar Phonics Recordings
ALTERRA

EGLISE SAINT LOUIS DES CAPUCINS
18h00 CORALINO (chorale)
19h00 LEBANESE MUSIC SCHOOL (musique classique et moderne)
20h00 CTI CANTORES (chorale)

EGLISE SAINT ELIE (KANTARI)
18h00 – 18h45 TRIO DE FLEURS (opéra)
19h00 – 20h00 AL BUSTAN FESTIVAL CHOIR (musique classique)

EGLISE EVANGELIQUE ECOLE DES ARTS GHASSAN YAMMINE
Le vendredi 21 juin, à 19h à l’Eglise Evangélique du Centre-Ville
19h – Première partie : Musique de Chambre
Trio (flute, clarinette, basson)
-Divertimento (Mozart)
-Old Hungarian dances (Ferenc Farkas)
-Various pieces from (Vivaldi)
-2 pieces (Mozart)
-Trio (F.R Gebauer)
19h30 – Deuxième partie : Airs d’opéra
Puccini, Donizetti, Tchaikovsky et Rimsky-Korsakov

via Lebtivity

On Fouad Boutros highway

By Rami on May 11, 2013 in Lebanon

According to an article on Now Lebanon and another on Beirut Report, it seems like the post I wrote back in March on the new highway in Achrafieh connecting Hazmieh to Charles Helou is true, since the project has already been given a green light and works might start in a month or so.

And ever since the news was spread, “Save Beirut Heritage” has been opposing the project as it requires destroying 28 old buildings. But how true is that?

fouad boutros highway 1

I mean let’s assume each building has only 3 to 4 families living in it, then the government should currently be in the process of buying a minimum of 90 apartments in order to later destroy them and be able to go forward with the project. But 90 isn’t a small number, that’s 90 families who can easily coordinate a protest or at least appear on TV to oppose being evacuated from their apartments, which is not the case right now.

That means the number of buildings is either much lower than 28, and therefore a large chunk of the highway will be underground, or the government is offering a really large sum of money for the families and they’re simply happy with it.

And let’s be real for a moment, the highway might be seriously endangering Beirut’s heritage, but old buildings in the areas of Achrafieh and Mar Mkhayel are rapidly disappearing anyway to make way for high rise towers! So are we over-reacting a little bit here..?

Anyway, I personally don’t really see the need to connect Charles Helou with Hazmieh through a highway passing by Achrafieh, since there’s already another highway connecting Hazmieh to Karantina which is pretty close to Charles Helou!

Photos of Discover Mar Mikhael

By Rami on April 8, 2013 in Events

Discover Mar Mikhael is an event organized by Achrafieh 2020 that turned the Mar Mikhael neighborhood into a car area yesterday in order to motivate people to discover it either walking or by bike, and enjoy the cultural and artistic events that were taking place.

Below are some photos shared by Achrafieh 2020 showing how was the event like.

The Hangout Gemmayze

By Rami on February 21, 2013 in Reviews

After blogging about their competition last week, The Hangout were kind enough to invite for a dinner two days ago.

The first thing you’ll notice when entering the place, is that unlike what its name tells, The Hangout is more of a fine dining restaurant than a place to really hangout at with your friends. It’s nicely decorated, spacious with indoor and outdoor areas unlike most of the places in the neighborhood, and the staff is quite friendly and welcoming.

We sampled the following items from their menu:

Onion soup (11,000 L.L)
Foie Gras (26,000 L.L)
Chicken rolls (13,000 L.L)
Pan fried mushroom with halloum (13,000 L.L)
Charcoal grilled sojok (14,000 L.L)
Beef Stroganoff (27,000 L.L)
The Hangout gourmet burger (24,000 L.L)
Fondant au chocolat (12,000 L.L)
Pain perdu (13,000 L.L)

Given that The Hangout is still operating in soft opening stage, I found the food to be quite good. I totally loved the Foie gras, the chicken rolls, the fried mushroom, the grilled sojok, and their gourmet burger. I also overheard at an adjacent table that the salad bar is pretty good too. The other items were good as well, but I thought they could be improved a bit.

For example, I would have preferred the onion soup to be a little thicker, and the beef stroganoff meat a bit tender. The desserts on the other hand need to be re-worked, and don’t get me wrong, they’re seriously not bad, but I personally believe a great dessert can turn an average meal into a memorable event, and that’s what one would expect from a place like The Hangout.

Anyway, the overall experience was very pleasant, and the restaurant’s atmosphere alone can set you in a good mood even if you just went there for some drinks or wine at the bar. It’s definitely worth a try.

Beirut Harlem Shake

By Rami on February 14, 2013 in Lebanon

Some group is planning to organize one giant Harlem Shake dance in Beirut this Sunday February 17th and are calling for everyone to go act all funky in Mark Mkhayel near Portview Hotel to do the video!

For full details, either check the website BeirutShake.com or this Facebook event.

Let’s get stupid

Through our wars and politics, we have proved our supreme stupidity many times. Let’s set a definite milestone proving who are the stupidest people on Earth by holding a giant Beirut Harlem Shake.

Step 1
Prepare stupid props. Masks, weird costumes, whatever. If you’re lazy, you can just decide to get naked. If you’re inspired, be as spectacular as you want!

Step 2
Be at Mar Mikhail, on the stairs near Portview hotel, Sunday the 17th of February 2013 at 12:30pm sharp (That’s 30 minutes after lunch)
Hang around in the area, seem natural, hide your props, and don’t look at the person who’ll be dancing there

Step 3
When the music sounds, put your props on and dance! Later that day, check back this site to watch the video

The whole event is 10 minutes long, so don’t be late!

PS: Don’t be a Buzzkill! Fun, kinky,colorful,party, ridiculous props only. This means no flags or other BS symbols. See you there peeps!

Links via @tramsh

The Hangout Gemmayze offering platters for 1 Lebanese Lira

By Rami on February 9, 2013 in Lebanon

I just stumbled upon this cool offer by The Hangout restaurant on Facebook. They’re challenging people to come on February 12th and 13th with an authentic Lebanese Lira which can buy them a platter of their choice on these two days!

I’m sure many people still have authentic liras in their drawers, and I hope there’s no trick behind The Hangout’s offer. Anyway, for more about The Hangout, you can check out their Facebook page here.

Enab restaurant employees break into IndyACT offices

By Rami on February 4, 2013 in What the fuck!

If you think restaurants that are being criticized for breaking law 174 (smoking ban) in Lebanon might be feeling a bit ashamed of what they’re doing, then you’re definitely wrong, those restaurants are actually getting ruder by the moment!

One of these restaurant is Enab in Gemmayze, who has basically never respected law 174 and always allowed its customer to smoke indoor. In response to that, IndyACT decided to use their office, which is located right next to Enab, in order to put up a huge banner calling the restaurant to abide by the law, and next thing they knew was Enab’s employees breaking into their offices to take down the banner!

Fortunately, IndyACT later got an official permit from the municipality of Beirut to put the poster up again. But I wonder what difference will it make when these restaurants already feel like they have so much power to actually break the law and get away with it while their customers are happy! It’s maybe up to the few of us to boycott them for what they’re doing.

via A Separate State of Mind

Free car wash in Beirut

By Rami on August 8, 2012 in Funny

So what do you expect when a water pipe bursts causing a fountain in Downtown Beirut? People started slowing down causing a slight traffic jam to wash their cars!

This actually happened right across the street Paul Gemmayze.

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