Before I left California things were happening in Israel. There was friction in the settlements, peace negotiations were heating up with Palestine, and Hezbollah fired a rocket from Lebanon into the north of Israel. My dad kept asking if I was crazy to be going to the middle east at a time like this. My mom and sister called a few weeks before we left, they were panicked about the Sudanese - Did I know that Sudan was only a three hour plane ride from Israel?
In the news in the last few months...
I get my news from my Flipboard app - mostly because I can visually choose what I want to read. I dispise hearing news from network talking heads, with the exception of Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews. I see the photos from the Middle East - all death and destruction, suicide bombers and burnt buses, concrete buildings crumbling into dirt roads, and the protests. The impression is of a region of ruthless and violent societies whose sidewalks are covered in a layer of grey powder mixed with blood.
And that may be true in Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq and even Lebanon now. But squinched (may or may not be a word - but it spells like what i want it to sound like) in the midst of all of these countries is the San Francisco-sized Israel. The only grey powder here is from the construction dust settling. Israel is experiencing a real estate explosion, rennovating the 4000+ bahaus buildings which give Tel Aviv the moniker ‘the White City’ and UNESCO Heritage status. Because of the rise of Nazis in the 1930s, German Jewish architects from the Bauhaus school in Berlin emigrated to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine.
A Panorama of The White City
Interperse that with hudreds of new glass skyscrapers going up near the beach, in the city center - all over town - that rival those of New York and Dubai. There isn’t a block that I have walked in this city that doesn’t have a concrete structure changing daily with scaffolding, cranes or a large building-sized poster advertsing their sold out status. Rothschild boulevard has new construction by famous Israeli architects, Richard Meier even Armani Casa has lent its moniker to a new development in the old town of Neve Tzdek, with properties featuring condos and penthouses selling for 10-30 milion dollars. New York Prices.
Rothschild/Silicon Boulevard - Old+New, Coffee, Dogs, Strollers and Soldiers
Rothschild is one of the main boulevards, lined with boutique hotels, shops, restaurants and some of the newer glass towers. Coincidently it is known as ‘Silcon Boulevard’ because of all of the tech startups In the area. The middle of Rothschild is a double wide sidewalk dotted with coffee kiosks and abundant evidence of a huge dog culture. There are so many people traversing Rothschild they have split the walkway in two - half for pedestrians and half for cyclists. Walking here is like playing dodge ball, you are constantly moving around people walking with dogs, pushing strollers or riding their (or the citys public) bikes. I believe everyone here has one or all of the above. And they are parading their accessories 24/7.
I arrived without jetlag - a result of staying awake on the airplane for the 14 hours of flight, over 20 hours of total travel time. We went to the Montefiore for dinner a few hours later. Its a boutique hotel a block from our apartment that has a very happening dinner scene. The centerpiece is a liquorice black-laquered bar. Rows of various shaped cocktail glasses were mirrored into infinity above a brigade of liquor bottlesthat lined the bar back. Palm frond fingers pointed the way from the entry to the bar and into the adjoing dining rooms. The jazz soundtrack added a smokey layer that floated above our heads. Low leather banquets and parlour chairs crowd around candlelit bistro tables. It felt like Paris.
The Bar @ The Montefiore Hotel
We celebrated with Martinis, a raw root vegetable salad and platters of fish carpaccio. We texted the son and daughter of As friends to invite them for a drink. They joined us 20 minutes later. This seemed a happy coincidence, that they were in the neighborhood and spontaneously stopped in. But this is not a coincidence - this is Tel Aviv and if you stay in one place long enough your entourage will grow.
I remember back in the early 90s a small group of us decided to have a standing lunch at Musso and Franks Grill - the oldest in LA. We agreed to show up every saturday at 11:30 and we could bring anyone we wanted as long as they were interesting or outrageous in some way. It was our take on the 40s Algonquin Roundtable. Musicians, Writers, Directors, Painters, Designers and Visitors from abroad - a complete cornucopia of talent. We held court there, a saturday fixture along with the red leather banquettes in the wood-paneled and woodland-inspired wallpaper. The party grew each week from the original three, to seven, to 10. The table went from round, to square to a rectangle filled (more than a few times) with up to 20 of our most interesting friends. Plates crowded the table filled with eggs and flannel cakes, chiffonade salads and creamed spinch, bloody marys and mimosas - all sharing space with stacks of Mussos famous sourdough bread and gold wrapped mini slabs of butter. The days of leisurely lunches with no iphones reminding you of the time, or interupting your conversation with notifications. Everyone you wanted to be with was there.
Days gone by...Bloody Marys, Flannel Cakes and the Dining Room @ Musso+Franks
A few days ago we had a spontaneous lunch at Cafe Noir with a friend who was happily stranded here because of the bad weather in New York. Over the course of three hours the table went from three, to four to five. I can imagine how these lunches will grow as we get settled in. Just like they did in LA.
Being here at the end of December we had a surprising amount of friends who overlapped with us, most of them holiday leftovers enjoying their last few days in the winter sun. Once someone knows that you are here, you are immediately welcomed to join their existing party and invited to lunch, dinner or coffee. Our third night here we had dinner with an former business associate of avrams who brought along a childhood friend of his with his son. They are decendants of one of the first jewish families in Tel Aviv. They were lovely and helpful - suggesting dozens of restaurants and experiences that we must have while we are here. They are now friends - as are several others we have just met - checking in on us and extending invitations.
Port Sa'id • M&R Brasserie • Nachmani Cafe • Hummus @ Abu Hassan • Alla Rampa
We have been here now three weeks - i’m swimming in absolute blur of insights and impressions. We have dined at Cantina • Fitzroy • La Rampa • M&R Brasserie • Rothschild 12 • Social Club • Table • Tapeo • Vong • Wineberger and Abu Hassan - famous for their Hummas in Jaffa. We ate repetedly at Hotel Montefiore • Port Sa’id • Cafe Noir and Delicatessan where we also shop.
We visited the the Carmel Souk • Levinsky Street Market • Gorden Pool • the Jaffa and Tel Aviv Ports • went to Cinema City to see the Wolf of Wall Street and to the original train station in Tel Aviv that has been coverted into a organic market. We had a Dinner Party at our Place and partied at Google headquarters for Sylvester (New Years Eve.)
Tel Aviv x 3 : Standing with the Sudanese • The Gordon Pool • The Cool Kids in Neve Tzdek
We witnessed two peaceful protests by the Sudanese refugees (although i doubt they took the three hour flight), asking for asylum. As a persecuted people, how can Israel turn them away? And by letting them stay will they be inviting even more?
I think there are two Israels, the one you experience and the one that you piece together from politics and the news. So far my experience of Tel Aviv has been a living mixture of WeHo lifestyle (walkability, restaurants and sun) with a youthful, grungy Silverlake vibe, combined with the sparkle of New York, and a more than a touch of Parisian Cafe Society.
So if i honestly ask myself - What’s not to like?