Well, kishkash, those people over there are the bad guys. These people over here are the good guys. They're both clamoring, rabbling, and killing people, but can't you see the difference?
A question was asked and I answered. I made no jokes about sovereignty, though I could say a thing or two about how Israel violently stole theirs from the Palestinians and the Palestinians still don't have any.
i just made a comment about my hope for integration... jk
anyway, there's the new tel aviv museum of art by preston scott cohen... kind of ugly, but probaby the most interesting project, formally, around town since gehry pulled out. richard meier is doing a tower there, as well. oh, there is an amazing calatrava pedestrian bridge opened in jerusalem. just eat a lot of food. i recommend Rafael at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.
I guess I'd just recommend the typical tour... ya know, Dead Sea, Masada, Eilat, etc.
But kishkash had the most architecturally-appropriate suggestions. Unfortunately, I don't really see Israel as having that much avante-garde architecture.
JERUSALEM
Calatrava's pedestrian bridge is Jerusalem's biggest debate- does it add to or detract from this ancient city?
the new Yad VaShem = a MUST see, it's the Holocause museum, built jutting out of a mountain, designed by Safdie. Mentioning Sadie, he's got stuff sprinkled all over, if you bother to look.
Need I say the Old City of Jerusalem, including all the quarters, Kotel (=Western Wall), Church of Holy Sepulchre, etc.
For a more 'authentic' experience- walk through the shuk Mahane Yehudah and then wander through the compact streets of Nachlaot, a little neigborhood where most of the streets aren't accessibile by car, full of hippies and old-timers.
A walk through the ultra-religious Meah Shearim is an experience... just don't do it with a camera on Shabbat.
TEL AVIV
Tel Aviv is a UNESCO national heritage site- the White City, there's a museum and a walking tour of all the International Style houses, since so many architects got kicked out of Europe during WWII and fled to Israel.
TZFAT
In the north, most beautiful place... stay at the Rimon hotel if you can afford it, Ascent if you cannot. Incredibly spiritual city, very very old synagogues...
visit Jesus while you are over there and make sure that things are still aligning for the end of times
see if you can get a heads up on who may be setting themselves up as the antichrist possibly affiliated with the european union (maybe german, maybe not)
check and see if the temple is getting ready to be rebuilt ( I hear the stones are already being cut)
you may want to side yourself with the Israelites since they are God's chosen people
On a more serious note, if you have the time I'd schedule a meeting with both a pro-Israel and a pro-Palestinian group... don't believe either side's hype... Visit both a settlement and a checkpoint... try to see both sides and decide for yourself.
What Sbeth? What is more serious than the end of times? decide for yourself? that doesnt sound anymore serious than my comment. Your gonna want to be on the "chosen peoples" side when Jesus comes back!
-I'll second Machane Yehuda and Nachlaot--there are tons of great cafes tucked into random corners in the middle of the market, and Nachlaot is full of tiny pocket parks built around old wells and cisterns. Nissim Behar is the main street in Nachlaot, and has quite a bit of character.
-In and around the Old City, check out Safdie's new Mamilla project (I'm not sure what I think of it yet, but it is new, and big...). Also stop for knafe (a sweet, sweet dessert) at Jafaar's in the Muslim Quarter (on al-Wad Road, I think), and at Abu Shukri for humus. The stores that sell old icons on the Via Dolorosa are pretty amazing places to treasure-hunt.
-The Welfare Association, a Palestinian NGO, has restored a number of public buildings in the Old City. Look them up on the Aga Khan website, and try to see a few.
-Rehavia is a great neighborhood to walk around in, if you'd like to get your fill of mid-century architecture.
-Har Herzl and the military cemetery are quite beautiful (and will be particularly lush in the wintertime), especially if you have an interest in landscape architecture.
In Tel Aviv:
-Walk down Rothschild Boulevard, find a coffee kiosk, and hang out and people-watch.
-Find Anonymous Alley (Simtat Almonit) off of King George St. It's adorable.
-Florentin and Gan HaHashmal are up-and-coming neighborhoods with fun bars and things.
-The newly-renovated Old Port is pretty gorgeous. Great for a walk in the afternoon, or as a place to go out, late, late at night. Other beach bars on the south end of town are also great.
-North of the city are Roman ruins at the beach at Caesarea--a good day trip.
-There's a Mario Botta building at Tel Aviv University that is nice, if you're up in the north of the city.
-The Ramat Gan Museum of Art has very smart shows, but it's a bit out of the way.
The South:
-Ruins at Advat and Mamshit are supposed to be excellent.
-The Negev Palmach Brigade Memorial in Be'er Sheva is fantastic. Dani Karavan, the sculptor, is worth looking up before you go--if you like his work, it's easy enough to find for visits.
-There are a few kibbutzim that have strong sustainability programs--check out Lotan, Neot Smadar, and Ketura.
-Hiking Masada at sunrise is a great experience. I'd overlooked it for a few years, but went with a friend this summer, and am so glad I did.
The West Bank:
-Ramallah and Bethlehem are easy enough to get to on your own (take the Palestinian buses from the station north of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem). Lonely Planet guides actually have pretty decent coverage for both towns. Rukab's Ice Cream in Ramallah is kind of awesome.
-There are plenty of NGOs that lead tours of the region, if you're interested. Ir Amim and Breaking the Silence are two left-wing Israeli groups that I think do good work, but this is probably something that you should research on your own, as welll.
also, new design museum by ron arad in holon (near tel aviv)
supreme court bldg in jerusalem is pretty nice architecturaly, given that its in a city where there are huge constraints on materials, etc.
most of the other site-seeing suggestions above are good.
never been to the bahai temple in haifa, but i hear it is amazing!
another city that is just beautiful and so pleasant to hang out in is zichron yaakov - heading up the coast from tel aviv. depends what kind of a trip you are in for, but if you want some quiet time, and some nearby vineyards....i would head there. although in Feb...it might be cold and rainy.
not sure if you know, but 2/28 is the holiday of Purim in the country, and in jerusalem is officially the next day (3/1). if you are still there...hanging out in jerusalem that sat nite will be a blast - much of the city will be drinking/partying and dressed up in crazy costumes! definitely a cultural experience...
Thanks for all the replies. I've definitely made a few plans based on these suggestions. Still need to do a little more looking into the whole West Bank thing (e.g. betting there and travelling around), but I wouldn't mind getting some ice cream in Bethlehem.
Unfortunately, I won't be here for Purim, but I heard it's not uncommon for people to start dressing up and having fun a little before the official start, so maybe I'll get to witness a little bit of what it is all about.
ok, this certainly is made for a new post but i think those that replied may be able to help me out too. I am considering israel as a place to relocate to and I'm wondering which offices are doing interesting work, if there are any? And I should clarify what interests me - work that is formally challenging, experimental, research based, often engaged in computation. But it could also be about social innovation. Either way, I almost never see work published by Israeli architects 'cept for the likes of Safdie, whom I find slightly outdated.
Hmm, I'm not sure of any particular firms, but I am beginning to discover the design community here, and it's pretty interesting. I'd say Tel Aviv is the place to look, for sure. I had breakfast in a cool café/design bookstore this morning. It is below a design school. You might try contacting the school or something to inquire about newer firms in the area (it is called 6b Studio - they do graphic design, architecture, fashion, etc. and it looks pretty neat). Unfortunately, I can't suggest particular firms, but from the conversations I have overheard in restaurants and cafés, I would say that there is definitely some fresh work being generated in Israel, it's just somewhat hidden/hard to find.
Sorry, that probably isn't particularly helpful. Tomorrow is my last day before heading home, but I'll make sure to take note of any interesting looking firms' names.
hey, that's a decent start. I also stumbled onto a digital design research group at the technion lead by a woman with a relation to Neri Oxman. It's totally tangential but I'm going to try and contacting her to see if it leads somewhere.
Digging through the Houses from Within website (http://www.batim-il.org) might turn up some ideas for people to contact. There are interesting things happening in preservation, and some tiny tiny firms doing great stuff in places like Nachlaot and Neve Tzedek. Other people/firms to think about might be Senan Abdelqader, Reddish, and Pitsou Kedem. Also, keep an eye on TEDxTelAviv, which is happening later this spring--some interesting local ideas might surface...
My experience with Israel has been that people tend not to pay too much attention to you while you're calling/emailing from abroad, but that once you show up in the country, it's a different matter, and people are pretty willing to take you out for coffee and talk about prospects, etc.
Feb 24, 10 7:48 pm ·
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What to do/see in Israel
So, I'm going to Israel for two weeks: what should I see and do? I'll be there for the last two weeks of February.
Find the universally sacred space
bwahahahhahaha
Go to Gaza and The West Bank. Boycott "Israel" until the occupation ends.
go to east jerusalem and see a city slowly integrating despite ignorant naysayers like FP!
"Israel"? really? as if its sovereignty is really some joke to you?
Well, kishkash, those people over there are the bad guys. These people over here are the good guys. They're both clamoring, rabbling, and killing people, but can't you see the difference?
A question was asked and I answered. I made no jokes about sovereignty, though I could say a thing or two about how Israel violently stole theirs from the Palestinians and the Palestinians still don't have any.
i just made a comment about my hope for integration... jk
anyway, there's the new tel aviv museum of art by preston scott cohen... kind of ugly, but probaby the most interesting project, formally, around town since gehry pulled out. richard meier is doing a tower there, as well. oh, there is an amazing calatrava pedestrian bridge opened in jerusalem. just eat a lot of food. i recommend Rafael at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.
I guess I'd just recommend the typical tour... ya know, Dead Sea, Masada, Eilat, etc.
But kishkash had the most architecturally-appropriate suggestions. Unfortunately, I don't really see Israel as having that much avante-garde architecture.
JERUSALEM
Calatrava's pedestrian bridge is Jerusalem's biggest debate- does it add to or detract from this ancient city?
the new Yad VaShem = a MUST see, it's the Holocause museum, built jutting out of a mountain, designed by Safdie. Mentioning Sadie, he's got stuff sprinkled all over, if you bother to look.
Need I say the Old City of Jerusalem, including all the quarters, Kotel (=Western Wall), Church of Holy Sepulchre, etc.
For a more 'authentic' experience- walk through the shuk Mahane Yehudah and then wander through the compact streets of Nachlaot, a little neigborhood where most of the streets aren't accessibile by car, full of hippies and old-timers.
A walk through the ultra-religious Meah Shearim is an experience... just don't do it with a camera on Shabbat.
TEL AVIV
Tel Aviv is a UNESCO national heritage site- the White City, there's a museum and a walking tour of all the International Style houses, since so many architects got kicked out of Europe during WWII and fled to Israel.
TZFAT
In the north, most beautiful place... stay at the Rimon hotel if you can afford it, Ascent if you cannot. Incredibly spiritual city, very very old synagogues...
Most of Israel is a huge archealogical dig...
Palestineans being treated like shit.
are you visiting my friend rachel?
visit Jesus while you are over there and make sure that things are still aligning for the end of times
see if you can get a heads up on who may be setting themselves up as the antichrist possibly affiliated with the european union (maybe german, maybe not)
check and see if the temple is getting ready to be rebuilt ( I hear the stones are already being cut)
you may want to side yourself with the Israelites since they are God's chosen people
On a more serious note, if you have the time I'd schedule a meeting with both a pro-Israel and a pro-Palestinian group... don't believe either side's hype... Visit both a settlement and a checkpoint... try to see both sides and decide for yourself.
cam, do you attend cran-----???
What Sbeth? What is more serious than the end of times? decide for yourself? that doesnt sound anymore serious than my comment. Your gonna want to be on the "chosen peoples" side when Jesus comes back!
Wait--what a fun question!
In Jerusalem:
-I'll second Machane Yehuda and Nachlaot--there are tons of great cafes tucked into random corners in the middle of the market, and Nachlaot is full of tiny pocket parks built around old wells and cisterns. Nissim Behar is the main street in Nachlaot, and has quite a bit of character.
-In and around the Old City, check out Safdie's new Mamilla project (I'm not sure what I think of it yet, but it is new, and big...). Also stop for knafe (a sweet, sweet dessert) at Jafaar's in the Muslim Quarter (on al-Wad Road, I think), and at Abu Shukri for humus. The stores that sell old icons on the Via Dolorosa are pretty amazing places to treasure-hunt.
-The Welfare Association, a Palestinian NGO, has restored a number of public buildings in the Old City. Look them up on the Aga Khan website, and try to see a few.
-Rehavia is a great neighborhood to walk around in, if you'd like to get your fill of mid-century architecture.
-Har Herzl and the military cemetery are quite beautiful (and will be particularly lush in the wintertime), especially if you have an interest in landscape architecture.
In Tel Aviv:
-Walk down Rothschild Boulevard, find a coffee kiosk, and hang out and people-watch.
-Find Anonymous Alley (Simtat Almonit) off of King George St. It's adorable.
-Florentin and Gan HaHashmal are up-and-coming neighborhoods with fun bars and things.
-The newly-renovated Old Port is pretty gorgeous. Great for a walk in the afternoon, or as a place to go out, late, late at night. Other beach bars on the south end of town are also great.
-North of the city are Roman ruins at the beach at Caesarea--a good day trip.
-There's a Mario Botta building at Tel Aviv University that is nice, if you're up in the north of the city.
-The Ramat Gan Museum of Art has very smart shows, but it's a bit out of the way.
The South:
-Ruins at Advat and Mamshit are supposed to be excellent.
-The Negev Palmach Brigade Memorial in Be'er Sheva is fantastic. Dani Karavan, the sculptor, is worth looking up before you go--if you like his work, it's easy enough to find for visits.
-There are a few kibbutzim that have strong sustainability programs--check out Lotan, Neot Smadar, and Ketura.
-Hiking Masada at sunrise is a great experience. I'd overlooked it for a few years, but went with a friend this summer, and am so glad I did.
The West Bank:
-Ramallah and Bethlehem are easy enough to get to on your own (take the Palestinian buses from the station north of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem). Lonely Planet guides actually have pretty decent coverage for both towns. Rukab's Ice Cream in Ramallah is kind of awesome.
-There are plenty of NGOs that lead tours of the region, if you're interested. Ir Amim and Breaking the Silence are two left-wing Israeli groups that I think do good work, but this is probably something that you should research on your own, as welll.
also, new design museum by ron arad in holon (near tel aviv)
supreme court bldg in jerusalem is pretty nice architecturaly, given that its in a city where there are huge constraints on materials, etc.
most of the other site-seeing suggestions above are good.
never been to the bahai temple in haifa, but i hear it is amazing!
another city that is just beautiful and so pleasant to hang out in is zichron yaakov - heading up the coast from tel aviv. depends what kind of a trip you are in for, but if you want some quiet time, and some nearby vineyards....i would head there. although in Feb...it might be cold and rainy.
not sure if you know, but 2/28 is the holiday of Purim in the country, and in jerusalem is officially the next day (3/1). if you are still there...hanging out in jerusalem that sat nite will be a blast - much of the city will be drinking/partying and dressed up in crazy costumes! definitely a cultural experience...
i've never been but if i ever do i'd like to see dani karavan's work...
boycott the apartheid wall?
Thanks for all the replies. I've definitely made a few plans based on these suggestions. Still need to do a little more looking into the whole West Bank thing (e.g. betting there and travelling around), but I wouldn't mind getting some ice cream in Bethlehem.
Unfortunately, I won't be here for Purim, but I heard it's not uncommon for people to start dressing up and having fun a little before the official start, so maybe I'll get to witness a little bit of what it is all about.
ok, this certainly is made for a new post but i think those that replied may be able to help me out too. I am considering israel as a place to relocate to and I'm wondering which offices are doing interesting work, if there are any? And I should clarify what interests me - work that is formally challenging, experimental, research based, often engaged in computation. But it could also be about social innovation. Either way, I almost never see work published by Israeli architects 'cept for the likes of Safdie, whom I find slightly outdated.
Hmm, I'm not sure of any particular firms, but I am beginning to discover the design community here, and it's pretty interesting. I'd say Tel Aviv is the place to look, for sure. I had breakfast in a cool café/design bookstore this morning. It is below a design school. You might try contacting the school or something to inquire about newer firms in the area (it is called 6b Studio - they do graphic design, architecture, fashion, etc. and it looks pretty neat). Unfortunately, I can't suggest particular firms, but from the conversations I have overheard in restaurants and cafés, I would say that there is definitely some fresh work being generated in Israel, it's just somewhat hidden/hard to find.
Sorry, that probably isn't particularly helpful. Tomorrow is my last day before heading home, but I'll make sure to take note of any interesting looking firms' names.
hey, that's a decent start. I also stumbled onto a digital design research group at the technion lead by a woman with a relation to Neri Oxman. It's totally tangential but I'm going to try and contacting her to see if it leads somewhere.
Thanks!
This is one of the main Israeli arch websites, similar to Archinect. You could probably browse around, find a discussion board, and ask.
http://www.archijob.co.il/
Digging through the Houses from Within website (http://www.batim-il.org) might turn up some ideas for people to contact. There are interesting things happening in preservation, and some tiny tiny firms doing great stuff in places like Nachlaot and Neve Tzedek. Other people/firms to think about might be Senan Abdelqader, Reddish, and Pitsou Kedem. Also, keep an eye on TEDxTelAviv, which is happening later this spring--some interesting local ideas might surface...
My experience with Israel has been that people tend not to pay too much attention to you while you're calling/emailing from abroad, but that once you show up in the country, it's a different matter, and people are pretty willing to take you out for coffee and talk about prospects, etc.
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