Tel Aviv

Along with the religious/secular divide, there is another categorical division in Israel: Jerusalemites and Tel Avivians. I am firmly in the former camp. I hate Tel Aviv, always did. When I lived here I avoided it at all costs. At the Burston Graphic Center I had to be in Tel Aviv once a week and it was grueling. I went into a trance and even tho every week we went to pretty much the same places my mind was perpetually blank; I had no idea where we were or how we got there. Even the vaunted beach was unpleasant. Tar was everywhere and the bottoms of my feet were black with a sticky oily substance that took days to wash off. The salt air ate away the stucco building facades, giving the city a seedy, decrepit look. Getting there was an ordeal. People used to pack a lunch because it took so long and the traffic was horrendous.

Fast forward four decades.

Tel Aviv is an award winning city. The beach was voted best on the Mediterranean. It's Bauhaus buildings are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It holds the title of the World's Best Gay City. It's being rehabbed and cleaned up and has some remarkable new architecture. The 8-mile promenade that runs along the seashore north from Jaffa is a magnet for walkers, joggers and bikers. Rent-a-bike stations and beachfront bars and restaurants are plentiful up and down the promenade. Some of the worst slums have been rehabbed and are absolutely charming. The fashion scene is up and coming, as Israeli designers are making themselves known in New York, Paris and Milan. It's still the center of gravity for the art scene in Israel as it was 40 years ago. Along with that there's a growing music scene. Some of the best restaurants are in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. There are a number of new boutique hotels that compete with the high-rise hotels on the seashore. The sand is pristine. There are major and minor museums devoted to everything from art and culture to the Ben Gurion home. It's been called the city that doesn't sleep for a good reason; there's literally something going on 24 hours a day. And with the new roads that have been built getting there is quick and convenient.

So we took a little day trip. Since we didn't rent a car we have been using the excellent public transportation system most of the time. There is a bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv every 20 minutes and it takes an hour. The central bus stations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are also shopping malls, but not in the Water Tower or Old Orchard sense. They are more like indoor markets where you can get almost anything. The one in Jerusalem is pretty nice - Tel Aviv not so much - but both are lively and crowded. Since we didn't have a particular destination in mind, when we arrived in Tel Aviv we hopped on a bus that took us in the direction of the beach. The stop was about 2 blocks from the seashore. We walked for a while,stopped for lunch, then continued our walk along the promenade all the way to the marina some distance away. The beach wasn't crowded (it is after all January) but it also wasn't empty. While we only saw one person swimming, there were a couple of wind surfers, paddle boarders, a couple of fishing boats, and several sail boats on the horizon. There were a also 2 or 3 people fishing from shore.  It was amazing to see how much building is going on. Then we walked back to catch the bus; this time our route took us to the seedy, decrepit, falling apart Tel Aviv of days of old. But there was lots of scaffolding so there's hope for the future. The weather was pleasant, good for walking around. We didn't do any real sightseeing, no museums or even window shopping. It was just a few pleasant hours in a place I used to hate, but now find to be, well, tolerable. So in 40 years, who has changed ... me or Tel Aviv?