Tuesday, March 23, 2010

My Trip to Tel Aviv Today

This morning I had to be in Tel Aviv for a 9:30 AM appointment. So I decided that I would take the 6 AM bus in to Jerusalem, get a breakfast at Holy Bagel and then travel by bus to the Old New Central Bus Station in south Tel Aviv and walk for a quarter of an hour to the office where I had to be. But my plans went awry.

Despite grabbing a ride down the hill that would have brought me to Ariel, I didn't proceed as that would really have gotten me to Tel Aviv way too early. However, the Egged bus never made it. We saw it approach but it didn't come in. I was in a bind as the next bus was at 6:35 and I doubted if I could make it to Tel Aviv in time.

Five minutes later, the sister of my previous driver came by, headed for Bar Ilan University and in I jumped. We arrived at the Geha Junction at 7:10 and after figuring out which bus to take, I was in downtown Tel Aviv by 7:40 and alighted at Dizengoff Center. But it was empty and no cafe open as yet. I walked up Dizengoff but no luck.

So, I headed west along Frischman and the sea appeared in the distance:


Walking slowly, I began paying attention. If you read this storefront display on Frischman Street slowly, you'll grasp a phonetic problem of the French. The proper pronunciation of the real estate project is Shirat HaYam but I guess someone swallowed it:


When I told one of my neighbors I was going to Tel Aviv but would probably be there way too early for my appointment, he told me "so go to the beach". So, I got as far as the esplanade off HaYarkon Street:



Tel Aviv has a lot of missionary activity it appears. This sticker reads: Yeishu - Yshua - Yeshu'ah which translates as Jesus-Yeshua-Salvation (a play of words)

This storefront is clear:

This sticker I found funny: Returning the color to the Leftists and is signed the National Left which illustrates the problems the Israeli Left has:

I continued south, looking for a place to munch something. Here's one of the restored old houses of Tel Aviv in the 1920s behind Allenby opposite the junction with King George St.:


I reached the new section of Nachalat Binyamin which is a pedestrian mall looking for a breakfast place. This one was seemingly Kosher but closed.

It reads "kosher", the sign in the window, but the sign doesn't look kosher:

Open but empty:

Finally, way down on Allenby near Montifiore St. I found this place. Kosher. Open.
Mirage.
Coffee and cheese cake. 25 NIS.
And a newspaper to read.

Stayed to 9:20 and walked over, right on time.

1 comment:

Batya said...

The quickest way from Shiloh to Tel Aviv is via Ariel. Via Jerusalem doubles the trip.

Bad news that the missionaries are so unabashed in Tel Aviv.