This post was shot with my Iphone, so it's not about photography. It's about a walk along one interesting street in Tel Aviv. A boulevard actually. Ben Gurion Boulevard.
It starts very sad but then it gets happy along the way.
***
The first stop is Prime Minister's Itzhak Rabin memorial, behind the town hall building, where Rabin was murdered on the 4th of November 1995, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords in Tel Aviv. The assassin, an Israeli ultra-nationalist called Yigal Amir, radically opposed Rabin's peace initiative and particularly the signing of the Oslo Accords. He shot Rabin 3 times in this exact spot.
This spot is very meaningful to many Israelis and you will often find people just standing there, paying their respects and thinking..
 |
| A map of the area during the murder. Also displayed on the floor. |
From the memorial you walk, still full of thoughts, under the Town Hall building, where there is a permanent art wall and you can catch interesting contemporary Israeli artists.
 |
| The passage under Tel-Aviv's town hall |
The building of the Town Hall itself is a fine example of Brutalist architecture, but it is pretty disliked by the Tel Aviv people. I have shot fashion on it's concrete walls and used it several times for advertising campaigns. As a kid in Tel-Aviv I disliked concrete walls, but now I love it.
***
Now we are getting to the actual beginning of the boulevard.
All along it you will see lots of people - walking, running, babies, very old, playing chess, working on a computer. The boulevard is an extension to the Tel-Aviv apartment and used for a variety of purposes. I think that you will find it very interesting and fun.
Right at the beginning on 88 Ben Gurion Boulevard there is a very beautiful International Style/ Bauhaus architecture building. But like many of these buildings it is neglected and rundown. This in fact is part of it's charm. Try imagining past life some 80 years ago when goldfish were swimming in the pond in the yard and ladies sat down to rest on the stone bench.
Opposite this building you will find a sculpture, in the middle of the boulevard, by Gabi Klasmer, a leading Israeli artist.
Along Ben Gurion Boulevard there are 3 coffee kiosks. This first one, is my favorite. Very good coffee and easy atmosphere.
Noisy but you definitely gets the city's vibe.
Just after the kiosk on the right (north) are a few more International style/ Bauhaus buildings. Each one is different and worth investigating. There are 4000 (!) Bauhaus buildings in Tel-Aviv.
In 2003, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed Tel Aviv's White City a World Cultural Heritage site, as "an outstanding example of new town planning and architecture in the early 20th century."
Tel-Aviv has the largest number of buildings in the Bauhaus/International Style of any city in the world.
Please note that I give photography/ Bauhaus tours, so if you are interested let me know via a comment at the end of the post. Or - miridv@gmail.com .
Some of the most beautiful buildings are along Ben Gurion Boulevard.
On 75 Ben Gurion Boulevard you can relax at Beit Hanna. This beautiful Bauhaus building was built as an agriculture education school for new immigrant/ pioneer girls in 1936. At the time this was the edge of the young city.
It changed hands a few times, and was almost destroyed, until about two years ago when it was bought by a private entrepreneur who turned it into a members' recreational club with a really lovely restaurant called Eats Cafeteria in the complex. You can have a very fresh lunch, much like Ottolenghy in London, and look around at the beautiful people.
When you walk along the boulevard pay attention to the old olive trees that were planted about a hundred years ago all along it.
When you reach the intersection of Dizengof st., which is the main street of Tel-Aviv, you can't miss Tamara, a colorful and happy juice bar. Have a juice or a smoothie or just stand and watch the people, this is interesting at any given time of the day. You are not far from the beach.
A very important figure in Israel's history, who actually formed the nature of the country single handily. BG donated the house to the state of Israel and now it functions as a museum (no entrance fee). The house is luxurious and modest at the same time. There is a fire place, huge library and Persian rugs but a tiny modest kitchen and narrow beds. Very interesting and worth visiting.
 |
| Ben Gurion's house |
 |
| Ben Gurion's bedroom |
 |
| Huge library and Persian rugs |
 |
| Ben Gurion's Desk |
From Ben Gurion's house you carry on in the boulevard until you reach it's end and you climb up to a rather deserted square. This is Kikar Atarim. It was designed by Yaacov Rechter and Joseph Wittkower and built in the early 80's. It is another example of Brutalism and was (rightfully) very criticized. For most of the time it was neglected but it's quite interesting and a great location for photo shoots. There is a big debate whether to tear it down and build something else or whether to renovate it and make some small changes. At the moment it's not here and not there but it leads you to the sea.
From Kikar Atarim you walk down magnificent stairs and at the bottom of you will find a great salt water swimming pool - Gordon. It was built in 1956 and fresh sea water is pumped to refill it every day.
The pool has many regulars with many rituals but anyone is welcome to join.
From Gordon walk north towards the sea. You have two choices - the Marina or the beach. Both are really great.
The Mediterranean sea is warm in comparison to oceans so you can go in almost all year around.
The Tel Aviv Marina is small and pleasant. You can walk up a small deck and you'll find at the end a bench on which to sit and watch the yachts passing by or you can sit down for a beer or some Meze at Fortuna Del Mare.
A simple and friendly restaurant in the Marina.
From the Marina you can walk along the beach to the north and enjoy the sea view.
Go swimming or surfing, or play the local game of Ping Pong .
