A is for Attitude
And THIS, my friends, is very cool. I can't think of any other place where this could happen.
A generally low-rise city, some of Tel Aviv’s prettiest neighbourhoods have been suffering from an attack of skyscrapers which screw up the view, inhabited by annoying foreigners who screw up the overall mood. Nevertheless, a place like Neze Tsedek remains charming and its shops and galleries house the beautiful, the eccentric, and everything in between.
(okay, okay. That was my 1-minute guided tour. Sorry.)
B is for Benches
TA is one of the precious few big cities where you can hang out on a street bench (that is, when you’re older than 15 and/or sober...).
Chat with a friend, yelp in your phone, sip a coffee, walk the dog, watch over your children playing in the park, kiss, or even sleep off a hangover - regardless of what you do, you’ll find a bench to do it!
And without being particularly discreet - Tel Avivians WILL look you up and down in a glimpse, live with it - people will nevertheless let you be. 
B for Beach
People roasting, Yerushalayim beach
A character in “The Bubble” said that the people who first built Tel Aviv knew nothing about the sea, so they built the main streets parallel to the shore - which blocks the sea breeze.
Today’s Tel Avivans, however, have managed to perfect their beach knowledge, and the city has been growing north and southwards, constantly trying to minimize the distance between their houses and the sea.
אני הולך על המים :-)
There are always, always, people at the beach. By day, it’s the legions of sun-thirsty people. And those goddamn noisy racquets ("matkot") players hitting the ball so diligently you'd think their life depended on it (or they were perhaps .
By night, it’ll be tourists strolling with an ice-cream, out-of-towners checking the big city, hobos that live there, kids coming out of a nearby party and sipping their last beer of the night, young boys from Jaffa whistling at the passing girls.
C is for Coffee
I didn’t need Google to confirm that all attempts for Starbucks to penetrate the Tel Aviv market have failed miserably (in 2003); if they hadn’t, they would have become like those two Starbucks branches in Vienna - a hangout for tasteless tourists and a reminder that the locals KNOW coffee. At essentially any point on Rothschild Boulevard you will be within 25 metres of at least 3 coffee shops!
Granted, it’s nothing like my grandmother’s Turkish coffee - my world reference for coffee - but it’s really, really good. I mean, even lousy (Hillel!) or ultra-commercial coffee chains (Aroma) are pretty good by world standards.
One of my favourites is Café Tachtit ('Underground') on Lincoln St. Tell them you’re a friend of the Egyptian dude. Have the Ice Mocha. Wed3ili.
(the coffee shop photo I used in the previous post. So, instead, you get more beach-themed photos!)
Tarot reader scamming nice (and heartbroken) tourist lady
Hare Krishna singers and dancers in the sunset
End of the beach day - African refugee packing up the plastic beach chairs
11 comments:
I'm still waiting for the rest of the Alphabet ;)
When I started reading I said.. wow, he is going to do all the alphabet!?! :)
Excellent post... I felt I was there too. :)
You're really enjoying your stay in Israel aren't you? I really really really don't want to come across as an airhead who can only see things from a single point of view. But don't you feel a bit strange waxing poetry for a city that was built on the ruins of another, and brutally so? I'm asking this out of sheer curiosity, honest to God. I know Israeli individuals don't equate with the Israeli government..but still, you speak of the city as though you wish you live there. How do you feel as an Arab in Tel Aviv? I'm Palestinian, so I feel like I can't relate to what you say about it (I was in Palestine this summer and felt so unbelievably humiliated and angered- can never imagine looking at Israel the way you do, which is why I ask).
I don't think i'll be doing the rest of the alphabet. There's more to come, though. (hint, hint!)
Ismellolives:
Gosh, no, you do not count come across as an airhead at all. On the contrary. You're raising a very valid point - one i struggled with, A LOT. And still do, at times.
On the other hand, after a long time of struggling with that, I decided that maybe, maybe, I could put that aside and enjoy my time there. So I did. And yes; in a different world, i'd like to live there. Underline in a different world - for i know which world we live in, and it's not pretty.
I guess it was easier for me than it would for you, I assume; our Palestine experience is very different, you and I.
You can surely criticise me. And I accept it. Furthermore, I apologise if you feel somehow insulted by my post. 'we good? :)
Would be grateful to read your response.
Stay tuned though. I have a post coming up, about Arabs in Tel Aviv... which you might agree with.
Love this post! And, I agree with Jupiter - where's the rest of the alphabet?
mo-ha-med: I appreciate your response. I have to admit, I was a bit offended by it given my experiences there as a Palestinian - and this coming from an Arab too (come on, put yourself in my shoes :)). It's hard for me to swallow.
I've often thought about 'Israel' too. How the word gets stuck in my throat when I have to say it. Don't get me wrong, I don't deny it exists. It's just hard for me to accept it. There's too much crime and injustice involved.
Which is why I always and forever will say, I am from Palestine, when someone asks. Not the West Bank or Gaza, but Palestine. It might not exist on maps or online applications anymore, but it's there and there are millions of Palestinians who remember.
I don't know what to say about your experience in Tel Aviv. I guess it is unique for you as an Arab there. I look forward to reading all about it.
The architecture, the duck, the benches, the coffee, the beach...who needs more letters when that says it all? But that doesn't mean I don't want to read more of your love letters to Tel Aviv, because I do! Thanks for writing this.
Jupiter, Liza: More to come, my friends, more to come!
Savtadotty: Thank you dear!! Delighted you enjoyed.
And in case i do make it all the way to the letter S, i know what it's going to be: Soup! :)
iSmellOlives: I always considered "Israel" to be a dirty word. Let's be honest about it. This said, being in Palestine and travelling around Israel has given me a very different perspective. Not necessarily better - different.
Another strong differences between our perspectives are that
a) the Egy-Isr peace treaty and mutual recognition makes it less of a stretch for me to, hmm, not hate Israel :))
b) I am not from Palestine!
I also have the privilege of having some great friends in Israel, which possibly gives me a slightly positively distorted view of their country. (for which I am grateful, actually!)
As for "Palestine" not being on online applications.. well, there are more than Palestinians who remember.
* I really think this little exchange with iSmellOlives can make an interesting post in and of itself..
Wow, as an Israeli (living in the US currently) I find it soooooo refreshing to read something by an Arab about Israel other than comparing us to the Nazis, etc. (I'm not exaggerating, it's practically impossible to have a civil conversation with someone if they disagree with your political views on the conflict). I think the characterization that ismellolives gives about how Israel came to be is a little inaccurate and biased. Obviously, Israel has done wrong, very bad things, but is it at least understandable how us Jews want our own state, given our history? Believe me, nothing would make us Israelis feel happier than the day our neighbors finally accept us, and more people like you come to visit.
Mr. Genetic - welcome to the blog!
Believe me, there's a lot of civil discussion going on. People don't have to disagree with each other to be able to talk..
There were good things, as well as bad in Israel; I try to account for both aspects in my blog.
This response is probably not the best place to respond in detail, but in a nutshell..
Yes, I understand why Jews want their own state; by the same token, I understand - and I hope that you do too - that the establishment of that very state be such a nightmare to the Palestinians.
As such, 'acceptance' will unavoidably be hard to come. And it will take Israel a few more efforts to earn it..
Discussion is always open! And thanks for the comment.
:)
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