Tel Aviv - City Center The center of Tel Aviv is an expansive, lively part of the city—and is also the part that seems to be evolving most rapidly. Several renovation projects are underway, including the expansion of Ibn Gvirol Street, the rebuilding of the Gordon Street public swimming pool and the preservation of Sarona, a former German agricultural colony that is due to get a makeover as a cultural and entertainment complex in the coming years. Central Tel Aviv is home to a large number of the city’s major cultural institutions, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Cameri Theatre, the New Israel Opera and the cinematheque, which is located just near Ha’arba’a Street—the site of a number of the finest restaurants in town. The center also contains some smaller historic gems that shed light on people and places that played integral roles in Israeli and Jewish society. There are museums and monuments dedicated to former Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin, to Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky and eminent Yiddish author Shalom Aleichem. In addition to its historic and cultural elements, the center also boasts newer landmarks that represent Tel Aviv’s blossoming as a business destination in recent years. The Azrieli Center, for example, has forever changed Tel Aviv’s skyline with its circular, square and triangular skyscrapers. Azrieli’s towers were, for a brief period, the tallest in Israel and in the Middle East—until they were surpassed by the Moshe Aviv Tower in Ramat Gan and by Dubai’s recent construction boom. The center area also contains several squares—Rabin Square, Dizengoff Square and Masaryk Square (although only one of them is actually square-shaped)—plus three boulevards, three shopping malls and the marina. This stretch of Tel Aviv’s boardwalk also lays claim to some of the city’s most popular beaches, such as those around Frishman and Gordon Streets. Some of the area’s main thoroughfares, including the sprawling Ibn Gvirol Street, Dizengoff Street and Ben-Gurion Boulevard, are lined with cafes and restaurants, and are ideal places to relax, window-shop or go for a stroll. In fact, from the early 1950s through mid-1970s, central Dizengoff was considered one of the most stylish places to gather with friends at a cafe or go shopping. It is also where some of Israel’s most famous poets, authors and journalists have camped out to write at their favorite joints. Merging the old with the new, Tel Aviv’s center offers visitors plenty of opportunities to soak up the city’s simultaneously fast-paced and laid-back urban vibe. city center sites Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Beside City Hall lies a monument designed by sculptor Yael Ben Artzi honoring Israel’s late prime minister, who was assassinated at a 1995 peace rally. The memorial comprises 16 stones from the Golan Heights meant to symbolize Rabin’s connection to the land. Graffiti on nearby walls has also been preserved at the spot where locals and tourists pause to pay their respects. Ibn Gvirol Street near city hall Masaryk Square Just steps away from Rabin Square, Masaryk Square (actually a circle) has developed into a quiet corner that boasts cutting-edge boutiques, a quaint French bookstore and a number of top-notch cafes that overlook a small park and playground. Named after Tomas Masaryk, the first president of Czechoslovakia, the square has a truly local atmosphere of laid-back Tel Aviv chic. Dizengoff Square Named after Meir Dizengoff’s wife Tzina, the square has been one of Tel Aviv’s focal points since 1934. In the 1970s, it was reconfigured as a bi-level structure, featuring the pedestrian bridge and multicolored fountain at its center designed by renowned Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. On Tuesdays and Fridays, Dizengoff Square is also home to a bustling flea market. Dizengoff Center The center, built in the 1970s at the busy junction of King George and Dizengoff Streets, is Israel’s first shopping mall. Dizengoff contains a staggering mix of clothing boutiques, housewares stores and bookshops, and it remains a popular destination among young and old locals alike. The mall is also home to two cinemas, and hosts an international food festival on Fridays. 50 Dizengoff Street Ben-Gurion Boulevard/Ben-Gurion House Named for Israel’s first prime minister, Ben-Gurion Boulevard is a sleepy strip lined with leafy trees and dotted with cafes. The mostly residential street is a pleasant connecting path between Rabin Square and the beach, especially for bike riders. The Bauhaus building Ben-Gurion called home is now a museum showcasing personal items, including his impressive library of nearly 20,000 titles. 17 Ben-Gurion Blvd Tel Aviv Marina Situated just off Ben Gurion Boulevard on Tel Aviv’s beachfront is the marina, Israel’s first and biggest with some 400 yachts. The grounds include a restaurant, diving center, boat repair facilities and sailing school. There is also a bulletin board where boating enthusiasts can look for work on one of the yachts. Non-members are subject to a small entrance fee. Tel Aviv boardwalk near Ben Gurion Blvd. Memorial to the “Ma’apilim” This outdoor monument is a tribute to the ‘Ma’apilim,” or the Jewish blockade runners who bypassed the British during Mandate times to immigrate to pre-state Israel. Tel Aviv boardwalk near Bograshov St
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:59:42 +0000
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