Tel Aviv

by Philip Greenspun; created 2000

Tel Aviv is Israel as the Zionists intended it to be. The Jewish state. Despite being the largest city in Israel, Tel Aviv has a relaxed Mediterranean beach atmosphere. In the Old City of Jerusalem the Christians fight the Muslims and the Jews. In the West Bank the Palestinians fight the settlers. In the suburbs of Jerusalem, the Orthodox Jews fight the secular Jews. In Tel Aviv most people manage to get through their day fighting nothing worse than extremely bad traffic.

What is unique about Tel Aviv is that it is both a beach town and the nation's cultural and business capital. The brightest, most creative, and hardest working people in Israel congregate in Tel Aviv as the brightest, most creative, and hardest working Americans congregate in New York City. The difference is that, for about 9 months out of the year, it is possible to enjoy a pleasant sunset walk on the Tel Aviv beach.

For a good photo essay on Tel Aviv, start with people enjoying themselves on the beach or in cafes. The classic Mediterranean guy with gold chains and Speedo suit won't be tough to find and will be sure to delight your American friends. It is tough to describe the women in a way that will preserve photo.net's family-friendly status. But a casual look gives the impression that any female without a fabulous figure has been deported to another country. The figures themselves are easy to study because street clothes in Tel Aviv reveal at least as much as American lingerie.

Should you tire of pulchritudinous architecture, keep in mind that Israel is home to many of the world's most famous architects. Tel Aviv is where they work when they're not traveling. In Jerusalem, the British imposed restrictions on building style and materials that have never been removed. The rest of the country doesn't have enough money to build anything really interesting. Furthermore, Tel Aviv is constantly growing. Seemingly half the city has been built or rebuilt in the last ten years. A 17-35 wide-angle zoom lens would be a good choice for capturing the spirit of the modern architecture on display in Tel Aviv.

There are some worthwhile tourist attractions in Tel Aviv, though they aren't very photogenic. One is the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora where they show Jewish life through the centuries across the globe. Jews can look up the origins of their last names in a computer system. "Greenspun" was listed but "Greenspan" turned out to be a trade name for German Jews involved in importing a green pigment from Spain. The Eretz Israel Museum is good for archaeology nerds. Old Jaffa is a done-up-for-tourists hill at the south end of the Tel Aviv beach. It is Tel Aviv's answer to Jerusalem's Old City. Skip it if you're short on time or the weather isn't perfect.

Where to Stay

The Dan Panorama is a reasonably good business hotel right on the beach but not in a lively entertainment district. The hotel has in-room Internet service. Sadly as of June 2000 this was not Ethernet-based but rather modem-based to a micro-ISP inside the hotel. Still, it was reasonably fast and did not tie up the room's phone line or run up obscene connect fees. Visit www.danhotels.com for more info.

I've not stayed in the Dan Tel Aviv but it is much better located if you want to take an evening stroll. It is one of the flagship hotels of the Dan chain and therefore ought to be very comfortable.