Anybody been to Tel Aviv?

[Denverpacker]

I gotta say that Tel Aviv and that part of the world does not even appear on my desire to go radar, but what the hell. Early searching shows a pretty cool looking city, relatively speaking. Semi-tropical, on the water, with a party reputation all of which suprised me.

Heading over in August for a long weekend. Anybody have any tips for me?

(I will not be suprised if this thread dies a natural death....)

[deterp2]

Just remember that on Saturday most everything, including transportation, will be shut down. Shabbas starts at sundown on Friday evening and runs until sundown on Saturday. And "sundown" means what the calendar says, not what's in the sky.

[davidson deac ii]

I haven't been to Tel Aviv specifically. I rode thru it on the way to Jerusalem back a few years ago while I was on a tour. From what I saw, it was a pretty neat city, clean with lots of pubs and restaurants. And despite all the problems in that area, its relatively safe. Just be aware of your surroundings, but thats advice I would give anywhere.

If you are in the Tel Aviv area, there are some places you can visit that are not to far, even if you want to avoid Jerusalem. Masada and the Dead Sea are interesting, along with Nazareth and Haifa. The beaches are suppose to be some of the best in the Med.

The weirdest stop on the tour was this place. Elvis

Not sure why we stopped there, but they had a decent burger from what I remember.

[Denverpacker]

Thanks guys. Did not know that about the whole Saturday thing. That will have a definite impact on our travel dates. Only there for 2 days, so we will keep it local. The beaches did look very nice and our hotel is right on the beach. I had this arid wasteland initial impression, but that is not the case with Tel Aviv.

My first thought was associating Israel with the whole no drinking deal that occurs in some of those countries. Guess I was wrong--thankfully.

[deterp2]

Denver, the Shabbas shut down affects the entire State so plan accordingly.

[kidC]

be sure to check out the TelAvivision

[davidson deac ii]

(07-27-2010 01:56 PM)Denverpacker Wrote:  Thanks guys. Did not know that about the whole Saturday thing. That will have a definite impact on our travel dates. Only there for 2 days, so we will keep it local. The beaches did look very nice and our hotel is right on the beach. I had this arid wasteland initial impression, but that is not the case with Tel Aviv.

My first thought was associating Israel with the whole no drinking deal that occurs in some of those countries. Guess I was wrong--thankfully.

Israel is nothing like the Arab countries that surround it. Partying is permitted. I remember the amused look the guy at the Pizza place in Haifa gave me when I found out I could get Ham on my pizza.

As far as keeping it local, the whole country isn't much bigger than the piedmont between Greensboro and Charlotte, so its pretty easy to keep it local. Tel Aviv to Jerusalem isn't much more than a 30 minute drive. But Tel Aviv has plenty to see and do all on its own.

Fwiw, I enjoyed Israel more than just about any country in the Med (other than Italy). Easy to get around, decent food, virtually everyone speaks english, and lots of historical things to see.

[Stampeding Terp]

(07-27-2010 04:07 PM)davidson deac ii Wrote:  I remember the amused look the guy at the Pizza place in Haifa gave me when I found out I could get Ham on my pizza.

More than 50 years ago my parents invited my Scout Troop Master to supper. It wasn't until he arrived that my mother realized that he was Jewish. She said "I'll have to fix something else because I've prepared ham and I'm terribly embarrassed." He smiled and said "Don't be concerned. I eat whatever tastes good to me and I actually like ham!" Judging from the amount he ate, he wasn't kidding!

An Arab once explained to me why pigs are considered "unclean". In the Middle East where temperatures often exceed 100 degrees, pork spoils quickly and in Biblical times trichinosis was a real problem. Thus pork was simply put off limits. Makes perfect sense to me.

[davidson deac ii]

That sounds like a reasonable explanation.

Fwiw, the Haifa Pizza place was run by a Christian.

[Denverpacker]

Considerably more excited now after chatting with you all. This is exactly why this little board is so cool.

Overthinking the whole Jewish/Middle East part, apparently. Done some more research and actually Tel Aviv is a little hotspot out there. Did not know it is such a compact country.. That too will be helpful in our planning.

And yes Kid, I will check out the TelAvision! (Gastonia humor at it's best.....................)

Thanks again guys for all the help.

Denver