Cosmopolitan Tel Aviv
picture and text by Raquel de Jesus
Those who say New York is the city that never sleeps probably never came to Tel Aviv. Where else are you to order a takeout pizza at 5 am or go to a restaurant at 1 am? On the axis between Allenby, King George and Sheinkin streets you’re bound to see some cafe, juice shop or falafel stand open - no matter what time it is.
During the daytime the King George and Dizengoff streets are teeming with young people gazing into shop windows, buying fruits and vegetables at the Carmel market or clothes at the Bezalel market, walking their dogs on the Meir park or simply chilling on the beach promenade, where many trendy cafes and bars can be found.
Speaking of which, although the Max Brenner network of chocolate bars can be found in other major cities, like London, Singapore or Sidney, it was born in Israel. You can’t call yourself a chocolate connoisseur until you’ve tasted one of the infinite varieties of chocolate here. Hot, cold, black, white and milk, you can find it in ice-cream, milkshakes, fondue or even pizza and soup. A house favourite is, nevertheless, the chocolatesoufflé, which hides inside a muffin a black chocolate mousse with a nugget of white chocolate, and is sprinkled with milk chocolate dip and accompanied by vanilla ice-cream and berries. The chocolate bar is located at 41 Rothschild Avenue.
As for cultural activities, Tel Aviv hosts three of the countries most important museums. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, on King Shaul Avenue, displays art from the 16th century to modern day, including some of the best Israeli artists. The Eretz Israel Museum displays some installations, alongside the planetarium, on Haim Levanon, Ramat Aviv. The Diaspora Museum, at the city’s university campus, documents the history of the Jewish Diaspora since the exile from the Land of Israel. Throughout the city, many other galleries can be found and visited to appreciate not only paintings and sculpture, but also installations, photography, video and animation.
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