Checking in on Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv has old world charm, a vibrant youth community, well-groomed beaches, and a great nightlife scene.
We only had one night here (wish we could have had more), so we wanted to make the most of it.
We created a walking tour that would take us around to some of the tourist attractions with (obviously) some Food & Drink options along the way. We’d pass the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Carmel Market (flea market), and checked out some Bauhaus architecture along the way.
Feels
The scene is very relaxed and Israeli food is romantic by itself. It’s very old fashioned, you eat with your hands, and even wine from Israel tastes old world.
There are two parts to Tel Aviv. The Old city (Jaffa) is near the port within the southern part of the city, and everything else can be considered the new city.
The Old City has narrow streets with and cobblestone pathways. A few restaurants can be found within Jaffa and a busy flea market as well.
The rest of Tel Aviv is very modern with boulevards lined with trees, bike lanes in the road, and wide sidewalks next to shopping centers and restaurants.
Nightlife
Young and old Israelis gather together for happy hours and indulge in good conversation. We were in on a Tuesday and most places we saw were busy with buzzing servers and customers. Sports bars play European basketball as people yell at the screens for their local team. It was fun watched a former US star, Amare Stoudemire, play for Jerusalem.
We split a bottle of Merlot from northern Israel, Gallillee region. Good body, almost a raspberry taste to it. We walked back to our hotel next to the Mediterranean. The hummus we had was topped with a fresh, local olive oil which delivers a tame acidity to the bite and a smooth texture.
I find it striking how European Tel Aviv is given its geographic location. But it’s just one of the many fascinating facets of the city. In the surrounding mostly Muslim countries, the cities can act very different. For example, in Muslim countries shisha is preferred over alcohol as alcohol is prohibited. There is also some gender bias in Muslim countries that suppress women. You pick up on this in just walking the streets.
Tel Aviv is a relatively new city (since Israel took over) and it’s coming out in a very old part of the world. It’s unique and offers a great experience.
