> I haven't ever been in a place that felt so fake and liveless. The only thing you can do is go to the mall.

That’s not true at all. Mall is probably the last place anyone should go to in Dubai.

Instead of going to the Mall, you could drive a little and go view the wonderful collection at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

You could also go eat excellent sushi at the little (and cheap) 3 Fils at the local Fishing harbor in Jumeirah. There’s also a decent seafood restaurant next door run by local fishermen.

On Palm there’s the excellent Ibn AlBahr run by a group of Lebanese(?) fishermen.

Deira too is full of nice authentic places.

But sure, if you’re a mall enthusiast then a shitty mall is all you will find. If you seek out nice authentic places, they’re easy to find.