LA + NY = TLV

A few weeks ago, we visited with Adena’s cousin Zehavit (and her super cute dog), who is an artist based in Tel Aviv. Many people—Zehavit included— are amazed to learn that we have been in the country since June and have not yet been to Tel Aviv. There is a local saying that goes “the best thing about Haifa is the road to Tel Aviv” which underscores how little respect and consideration Haifa gets as a city.

On Wednesday I took the train from Haifa down to Tel Aviv to give a talk at the university and meet with a few faculty. The trip was surprisingly easy. I had taken the bus from our apartment down to the train station area a few weeks ago for the 10K race, and so I knew where I was going, how to navigate the tunnel underneath the station, and how to get to the entrance near the water. The clerk spoke perfect English (the customer in front of me was talking to her in English) and I bought a round-trip ticket―that included all day bus fare―for 40 shekels (just under $11).

This bundled ticket is only available if you pay with cash or credit card rather than the Rav Kav smart transit card that we use for the buses. The train was on time, but really full. I walked through five or six cars and it was standing room only. I later learned that for an additional ten shekels you can buy a seat reservation, which would be totally worth it. I’m just not sure how one claims a reserved seat.

Standing for an hour is not ideal, but at least the scenery was fun to look at. I got off at the Tel Aviv University stop and spent about an hour walking around the massive Yarkon Park.

Moving from right to left in the image above, there is a playground, a lake with a hot air balloon ride, outdoor exercise parks, a climbing wall, two dog parks, and some public art.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I made it all the way down to harbor area, which is really clean and upscale (there is a Hugo Boss shop on the promenade). That area felt a lot like Suburban Square in Ardmore, PA and I am regretting not taking a photo of the public restrooms which are repurposed shipping containers.

Then it was time to head to campus and finish preparing for my talk. Unfortunately, I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have been and got on the right bus (there are two bus companies operating in Tel Aviv), but moving in the wrong direction.

I arrived on campus about an hour later than planned, but I got to see a different part of the city and it was fine. The guards at the gate were a little confused by my camera bag and lack of a Tel Aviv University ID card, but luckily I had my passport. I learned about the dissertation work of one of my host’s PhD students and saw a little of the Architecture School facilities. The talk was well attended and I was able to successfully maneuver the toughest questions from the audience (students ask the most challenging questions here too). Afterwards, I chatted with my host and a senior colleague of hers at a restaurant on campus over edamame, pickles, and beer. There are a lot of similarities between their institutional context and mine and I already have plans to go back in a few weeks for a more focused research discussion.

I appreciated the taxi she ordered for me later, but the train station was a little hard to find in the dark. The ride home was just as crowded, despite the double-decker train coaches running during the evening rush hour. Luckily a bunch of people got off at the Hadera West stop and I was able to sit for about half the trip.

My initial impression of Tel Aviv is that it is a mix of New York and L.A. in that it has the really tall buildings and urban amenities of the former, with the beaches, sunshine, and laid-back feel of the latter.

Thanksgiving is a non-event in Israel, but inexplicably, Black Friday sales are wildly popular. Here are a few photos from a quick trip to the Grand Kanyon Mall yesterday.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Adena actually bought some clothes at H&M, which is shocking if you have ever been shopping with her. We watched “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on YouTube (heavily edited and only about 20 minutes long) yesterday and made our annual donation to the Eastern Illinois Food Bank.

There was a huge thunderstorm last night that woke everyone up. When it rains, it pounds on the skylight glass near the bedrooms and makes it impossible to sleep. Here is a photo of one of the large snails that seem to be everywhere now.

Today was Millie’s performance at school. They put on a play about Shabbat and we were so proud of her for sticking with it. She is very sensitive to bright lights and the flash photography at performances has been debilitating. She was a real trooper though. Here is a short clip.

This afternoon we are planning to make hand turkeys with the girls. We also have planned to go to Tel Aviv for the day as a family on December 9th because both girls are off for Hannukah.