Our Neighborhood - North Tel-Aviv & The Port

Fortunately, I don't have to start work here in Israel until Sunday, so we've been settling in and exploring our new neighborhood here in the north part of Tel-Aviv. And yes, the Israeli workweek is Sunday to Thursday, since Shabbat (sabbath) takes place Friday evening to Saturday evening. Anyway, I figured I'd give you a "feel" for our surroundings by providing some views & comments.

The surroundings remind us of Southern California--plenty of sun, palm trees, tans, and beaches. Tel-Aviv itself kind of feels like a European San Diego--although, admittedly, we've never been to Europe :)

Palm trees lining Sderot Nordau street in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Tel-Aviv children going home after school

Here's a view of our street, "Hayarkon", looking north from our balcony. The dilapidated buildings are quite common in Tel-Aviv. Explanations we've been offered include deterioration from the salty air and reluctance from landlords to spend money on the properties due to long-term tenants and/or high turnover. Apparently back in the day, tenants could offer extra money to guarantee the right to lifelong ability to rent, so in some cases there is little incentive for landlords to attract new tenants. Essentially, we were told, landlords are waiting until tenants die off before sprucing up the building facades. On the flip side, there is also high-demand from young renters who are willing to put up with the conditions in order to spend some time gaining independence in this counter-culture city.

View of Hayarkon Street in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Just across the street & behind these particular dilapidated buildings is the beach! Our closest beach has at least two names--Sheraton Beach and Metzitzim Beach. Apparently the Sheraton Hotel used to be located here, but it is now a kilometer and a half or so to the south. There is, however, a beachfront bar/restaurant called Metzitzim that is still here and has several tables located literally on the beach, so you can sink your toes in the sand while you dine.

Sheraton (Mezizim) Beach in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Sheraton beach-goers with Old Tel-Aviv Port in the background

So far, we've made multiple mini-trips to the beach. Here's a picture of our little guy gearing up to catch some waves :)

Mommy's surfer dude!

Just to the north of the beach is the Old Tel-Aviv Port. Once a working port, it apparently lost importance once a bigger & better version was constructed to the south in the city of Ashdod (the former Philistine capitol from Bible-times). Anyway, after experiencing its own period of dilapidation (darn salty air), it has since been restored and is now a trendy shopping & dining area. Many shops & restaurants lie within the handful of "hangars", all of which have nice views of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Old Port, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Jewish men watching the sunset from the Old Port, Tel-Aviv (note the moustache)

"Hangar 14" - Old Port, Tel-Aviv

Old Port with Aroma (coffe shop) and Cafe Nimrod's in view

Sunset at the Old Port

Saturday evening at the Old Port - lots of families and activity!


We were made aware that the Israeli breakfast at Cafe Nimrod's is the best-around, so we decided to take it upon ourselves to verify this claim. I'm not sure how or why Nimrod got such a bad rap in the US--in fact, Genesis 10:9 tells us that he was "a mighty hunter before the Lord". While I'm sure there is a blog out there informing us on how his name came to be an insult, after feasting on his scrumptious Galilean-style breakfast, I vow to never use Nimrod in a negative connotation again.



Israeli Breakfast at Cafe Nimrod's



Cappuccino at Cafe Nimrod's, Old Port, Tel-Aviv

We've also enjoyed a water-front dinner and several iced-coffees at Aroma, a local coffee shop introduced to us by friends. No Starbucks, no problem! Speaking of Starbucks, there really are NO Starbucks in Israel, which came as a shock to us. Apparently there were 6 Starbucks locations here in Tel-Aviv many years back, and plans for 120 across Israel--but those plans were scrapped. Many conspiracy theory-ish explanations can be googled, but we were informed that Starbucks didn't do a very good job assimilating their products to Israeli food/drink culture, which may have contributed to the flop.

Iced coffees (and more!) at Aroma coffee shop in Tel-Aviv

Speaking of the food--it is great! Who says you can't eat salad for breakfast? I'll have to write more about food in the future, once we have more meals under our belts (pun intended). Very fresh and healthy--I can see why the expected Israeli lifespan is longer than that of an American.

And finally, here is a "bonus picture" especially for Grandma Baumer. Nicki orchestrated Sammy's outfit & our pose :)