Garden City is like no other neighborhood in Cairo. A labyrinth of curved streets, there is no clear route in or out of the neighborhood and one’s eyes are immediately drawn to its countless number of quiet nooks and crannies. After all, it was designed that way by the British during the colonial era to make the embassy more defensible if the natives ever got restless.

Today, the area is best known as a haven for embassies (the Americans, British and Canadians are here), senior citizens and, of course, as home to the Four Seasons Nile Plaza and the incomparable shopping experience that is Ola Dajani’s Beymen.

Starting from Kasr El-Aini Hospital and ending just shy of the American University in Cairo (AUC), the refuge is nestled between two major streets: Kasr El-Aini on one side and the Corniche on the other.

Garden City remains a favored district for embassies and consular offices; at least twelve now call it home, making parking here nothing short of a disaster. At least a half-dozen hotels are here. In addition to the Four Seasons, you’ll find the Semiramis InterContinental and the Hyatt on the Nile side.

Banks keep popping up in the area, the number of which has already climbed into double digits with more still to come. Exxon Mobil and Philips Medical are headquartered in Garden City, along with The National Council for Islamic Studies and the Arab Organization for Industry. In addition, the neighborhood is also home to two schools and the Cairo Capital Club. What is truly amazing is that the neighborhood can still be covered entirely by foot; it takes less than half an hour to walk from one end to the other.

Once popular for its luxurious villas, very few are in use as residences, with the majority either owned by government or corporate entities. The remaining few in private hands are often used as movie sets.

From 9am until 6pm, expect continuous congestion; finding parking is possible only through the direct intervention of God Himself. Making nice with the sayes (parking guy) will prove to be invaluable. Navigating your way through Garden City by car is a daunting task, as the US embassy has completely blocked off a huge chunk of the neighborhood for security reasons.

After 8pm, Garden City becomes a ghost town — you would never guess that this pseudo-suburb lies smack in the middle of a mega-city. Very little entertainment is to be found and the closest cafés lie near the AUC campus which is a 15-minute walk from the neighborhood’s center. Nightlife is strictly limited, although there is a shop that sells hard liquor for residents. The nearest cinema complex is Good News found in the Grand Hyatt mall.

Garden City does contain provisions for necessities; small local grocery shops exist to meet everyday needs. The highlight of the neighborhood is probably Abou Shakra and some great Lebanese food can also be found at Taboula, while what many consider to be Cairo’s finest fuul is just around the corner from the Canadian Embassy at El-Mahrous.

Families with teenage kids represent the dominant population of Garden City. Foreigners are few and those that do call the area home are usually employees of the embassies located there, along with AUC students looking for accommodation close to campus.

Zero construction takes place in Garden City; it is packed to capacity. Thus, there are only two ways of renting or buying an apartment. You can either negotiate with the government, considering they own most of the property, or find an available apartment on the off-chance that a resident is willing to sell. Ironically the Ownership Transfer Authority office is a two-minute walk from Garden City, although property rarely changes hands.

Apartments are usually quite spacious, starting at 360 square meters. Setting a price per meter is difficult since each apartment is considered special. et