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Ever think of enjoying a panoramic view of your favorite city from up above? If you do, then you’re in luck now! You don’t have to book a copter or try out paragliding to do so. You can enjoy the exact grand view of your city skyline, being suspended 30 feet in the air, with your feet completely grounded! Sounds farfetched? But, that’s exactly what is on offer from a brand new attraction of Times Square in NYC.

The Attraction

If you ever dreamt about exploring the sights of NYC from a random Midtown room, RiseNY is the place for you. It is a museum cum theme park style of ride, to give you a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The centerpiece of the site is a flight simulation ride, the first-ever in the city. It is a 46-seated ‘flying theatre’, which lifts the visitors up above 30 feet in the air. There, you will be gliding and dangling your feet over the iconic landmarks and skyline of New York, featured by an 8K aerial footage. A 40 foot 180-degree projection dome inside the room will project the footage, creating the sensation of a flight. The concept and design of RiseNY are inspired by the ‘Soarin’ over California’ ride in Disneyland. James Sanna, the CEO of NY-based entertainment company Running Subway, is the man behind creating this experience unique to the city.

The NYC Spirit

Tapping the latest technologies of simulative augmented reality, RiseNY features everything to bombard you with the ‘quintessential NYC spirit’ of Times Square. Along with the aerial footage, there will be scents, wind, and mist to heighten up the simulation, on the backdrop of two iconic soundtracks- Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift and Theme from New York by Frank Sinatra. Also, before soaring through the digital recreation of the just outside, you will enjoy a film on the city’s history directed by esteemed documentarians James Sanders and Ric Burns, and narrated by none other than Jeff Goldblum. The amazing attraction truly holds everything in store to make you immersed in the classic NYC essence.

If there’s one thing that the United Arab Emirates was missing so far, it was its very own off-road and adventure park. Challenge enthusiasts were happy to learn that, come this February, there will be a brand new 600,000 sqm space in UAE just for them. Here’s the scoop!

Welcome to XQuarry, UAE’s First Off-Road & Adventure Park

Off-road and adrenaline junkies will love this huge new park not only because of its many challenges, but also for its grandeur. Sitting at more than half a million square meters and offering five main activities — off-roading, obstacle running, MTB, hiking trails, and RC tracks — XQuarry has something for everyone, including private off-roading lessons.

In the beginning, visitors will have to bring their own vehicles (RC cars, mountain bikes, ATVs, etc.), but there will be rental options added later on. Admission prices are based on people using their own cars and bikes, so keep that in mind. Fees start at Dhs50 (less than $14) for the adventure park, which provides all-day access to the obstacle course where you have to jump, run, crawl, and hike.

If you want to give off-roading a chance, you’ll have to pay Dhs 150 (less than 41$) for a car with two people. You can pay an extra Dhs 50 for every additional person in the car. There is an obstacle park, nearly 20 kilometers of off-roading tracks, and a number of challenges for enthusiasts.

A Grand Opening

The grand opening of the park in the UAE is set to happen between February 4 and 6, 2021. There will be a number of fun activities, such as a modified 4×4 car show contest, a 4×4 drive challenge, and so much more. Park officials plan to offer a range of modified vehicles for rent to visitors so that they can experience the full potential of the space.