Stylish Samy

One of the most stylish people I know in Tel Aviv is Samy David. Designer and Ceramics artist . 

I love Samy , his style and his creations . 

I have photographed him several times , already . 

And his creations too 

For our second column for Buzz Magazine we chose to photograph Samy in the cool cafe , Dallal , near his house in Nveh Zedek .

Only he could wear - All Saints ,Dior and Dries Van Noten for a walk with his dog .

#mytelaviv

Dallal - The thing I like about Dallal is that you practically sit in the street  , there is even a part of it which is kind of totally in the street ( not seen in the photo) But , you can also go into the cafe and enjoy the atmosphere of a real traditional European cafe with excellent cakes ( chocolate bomb recommended )  and excellent air-conditioning .

Print & Nostalgia

Yona Hanavi st./ corner of Alenbi

I love magazines and although Tel Aviv is not a Meca of print I've been following a large variety of local and international magazines from a very young age . 

Fashion ,comics, science- fiction and gossip.

So it was a real pleasure to find this newspaper & book shop , which holds rare newspapers from the past , as well as new , up to date ones.

Mixture of old and new

Rare old editions

Inside the shop - dusty book shelves

The owner - Mr. Pinchas

 

#myTelAviv

Cafe Mersand

Tel Aviv is a city of cafes. All types. My favorites are cafes where you can sit and watch the passersby. 

 I chose to start with Cafe "Mersand", which is the most Tel Avivan of all.
Is not the most beautiful nor the most luxurious but if you want to feel the real pulse of the city - this is the place.

Grabbing an espresso on my way to the beach

 Mersand is located at the intersection of two busy streets, and although the bustle of the city , it is an island of peace and sanity.

 Sitting on the sidewalk outside, air conditioner freezing inside, the small menu , consisting of fine coffee and Austro-Hungarian cakes (augmented in recent years with toasts and breakfasts), the interior that remained almost completely intact from the fifties, and the crowd composed of cool guys, older women, hipsters, filmmakers , journalists,rich and poor , occasional tourists and pretty girls , all this creates the essence of Tel Aviv .

Austro-Hungarian cakes in the vitrine

 

The Girls

Until not long ago  a group of yekke (German-born Jews) women in their 80s - "the girls" used to visit Mersand cafe . Now their photograph is framed on the wall . 

The cafe was designed in the fifties by an Austro Hungarian interior decorator

On my way out, I met my colleague, the wonderful photographer Pavel Wolberg. He too often sits at Mersand cafe, when he is not shooting on location at the occupied territories or some wild night clubs .
 Told you - this is a place of cool guys .

Pavel Volberg

I chose to photograph at midday so as to keep the real essence of the place . Sure , it is prettier at sunset , everything is prettier at sunset , but Tel Aviv is a rough city , and on days like today , when it's 32 degrees and 80% humidity , you have to live with it and accept it .

You can occasionally hide inside but the streets are white and the light is strong .  

Like the words of the late poet David Avidan
הָרְחובות ממְרִיאִים אֶל הָאוֹר הַלָּבָן כְּמוֹ שְטִיחַ-קְסָמִים
The streets  take off to the white light like a magic-carpet.

***

When I travel I like reading a book from the place I am visiting .
 My recommendation for Tel- Aviv is the book "Past Continuous" by  the celebrated Yaacov Shabtai

which gives much of the same atmosphere as Cafe Mersand , besides of being one of the best books ever written in Hebrew .

***

As if to contradict my theory of the harsh light of Tel Aviv I saw this girl , as I was walking away .

 Fresh and colorful .

10 Top Things to do in Tel Aviv

It's pretty clear that the 10 top things to do in Tel Aviv will include :

1. The beach and the beautiful people , 

 2. The vivid and bustling Karmel Market , 

3. A restaurant on the seaside for lunch ,

 4. Shopping in the village-like Neveh Tzedek ,

 5. Coffee at one of the many cafes on the hip Rothschild boulevard , 

6. A visit to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art  with it's architecturally interesting new building and treasures of art,  

7.  Bauhaus buildings around the Dizengof circus and the Bialik square .

Bauhaus in Tel Aviv

 8. Strolling around the ancient alleys of the Old city of Jaffa and the hip Flee Market 

9. Supper at a trendy restaurant ,like Taizu , at this moment .

10. And drinks on the bar of the luxurious Hotel Montefiore or dancing in a cool club like the Block .

But it the next series of posts , tagged #mytelaviv , I will show you my favorite and some secret or less known places .

Definitely 2 of the 10 top men 

Beta Ve Grega cafe, in Allenby st., for example .

So stay tuned .