In Which Shani Gets a Bed, and There is a Lot of Walking

Today, after spending an impressive amount of money and contributing greatly to the Israeli economy, I am the proud owner of a full-sized bed (1m40 for those of you who follow European measurements), which will be delivered to me once Israel recovers from the sudden bout of continuous Jewish holidays that it always suffers from this time of year.

I won't bore you all with the details of choosing a bed. Trust me, it is not interesting. I will say a major thank you to Shmulik, my dad's cousin and bed-hunting companion, for his help in the matter, as well as to the rest of the family, friends and other Israeli residents who have been so kindly hosting me during my pre-bed bedlam, and leave the matter at that.

One thing I've learned, however, from two days of continuous Tel Aviv action -- once my dad and the car were, of course, out of my day-to-day routine -- is that I need a good pair of sandals, a pair that was perhaps NOT purchased at Urban Outfitters on sale for $10. That is my next project -- it is only marginally less important than a bed.

I was alarmed, at first, at the size of Tel Aviv. I have never really lived in a big city before (I lived in Jerusalem for a year after high school, it's true, but it was a very different experience, and Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are two cities with totally different personalities as well). The amount of things that Tel Aviv has to offer, combined with the number of important people who live here led me to believe that I was dealing with an intimidating, overwhelming metropolis, a la New York City. This, however, was only until I started walking around, carrying a map (smartly wrapped in plastic, thanks to Yael) in my purse at all times. Remember the plaza that is very very close to my apartment? The one that was built to commemorate Prime Minister Rabin? Well, the distance between the plaza and my apartment on the map is about an inch. That gave me an idea as to the scale of the map and the size of the city, and I started walking just about everywhere, which has been allowing me both to get to know the city better, and to understand -- most importantly -- where the cozier coffee shops are located. This pastime is rated one of the more important by the residents of Tel Aviv, who seem to spend their evenings flitting from one cafe to another.

Just so everyone is aware, a coffee shop in Israel is not the same as it is in most parts of the US. It is not just a place to drink coffee. First of all, there is always plenty of coffee-free food on the menu as well, usually very good and often quite healthy (everything from salads and sandwiches to full meals), making the coffee shop a perfect place to sit and have lunch; second of all, though, it becomes a social gathering place, a workplace, a place of serendipitous occasions. I found myself with almost three hours to kill, yesterday, in which I armed myself with a purse and a laptop, and found a coffee shop near my house where I parked for that time and caught up on various things that needed to be done. Everyone was very friendly, and the wifi was free -- and the food, of course, delicious. It is definitely a place that I will keep in mind for the future. (Like a true Tel Avivian. And so it begins...)

All this is beside the point, however -- the point is that I did not get lost ONCE, and was even able to loop back around to the house I started from at the end of the evening, having practically walked the circumference of the city, with various stops along the way.

Apart from the oppressive heat, it has been a rather fun and effective way of getting to know Tel Aviv. For a city that has all the amenities of a big, happening place, it also has the advantages of a smaller one; it is walkable, it's familiar, and no matter where you are, you are very likely going to run into someone you know.