A stroll along the Tayelet

In the mind of a Young Judaean who has grown up through all the summer camps and conventions, there is a certain set of places in Israel that are considered landmarks. Whether it was because of the oh-so-popular peulah about Places in Israel or the Peulat Erev that simulates various cultural spots in Israel, we've all known the Tayelet as "the hip place to go at night, with lots of cafes, bars and restaurants."

My friends and I decided to walk along the Tayelet (boardwalk) last night to get that "must have Israeli experience". We got off the bus in Yafo, which is directly south of Tel Aviv. As we head North with the old city of Yafo at our backs we realize we may have begun a little before the major commercial hub. This gave us time to enjoy the walk in the beautifully maintained path alongside the Mediterranean. The grassy island separating us from the main road was sprinkled with sculptures, artistic floral arrangements, kids playgrounds and exercise playgrounds for adults.

Once the noises of Tel Aviv nightlife returned we started scouting out places to eat. You knew you were in a touristy area when the menus outside the stores all had English. I was very happy when I got a hamburger at one of those Israeli shwarma/schnitzel places that have the combined bonus of being cheap and very, very filling with their bowls of salads and eggplant and pickles all laid out on the counter for you to take. My friends were equally excited by their yogurt from a store that was the complete opposite of mine: chic, modern, (and dairy). They got to put anything from kiwi to chocolate syrup to pecans on their yogurt while i got to sit in a chair that was literally a swing hanging from the ceiling.

We continued up along the tayelet until a brief encounter with a couple arsim at which point we decided to turn in for the night and made our way into Tel Aviv to the bus stop by Kikar Rabin. It was a great place to go for a stroll.

(The blue indicates where we walked- beginning at the bottom and going north).