Greetings from Rechov Arthur Rubinstein

Striking arrival hall at Ben Gurion Airpot

I am the kind of person who walks into a restaurant, falls in love with the décor and ambiance and quickly says, “Wow, this place is great,” without ever eating a bite.  So it was as we were driving from the Ben Gurion airport to our rental apartment in Ramat Aviv (northern Tel Aviv), that I quickly decided Israel was for me.  Perhaps it was the brilliant sun that reflected off the white modern buildings.  Or maybe it was the tall palm trees that lined the wide streets. 

Ramat Aviv

Tel Aviv felt like Miami with a blue sea framing a modern, busy city.  The place was secured as my fantasy home when I turned on the car radio and the preset button played salsa music. David said Latin music was popular here.  Just a few hours in Israel without reading or speaking Hebrew, I said, “Wow, this place is great.”

Thanks to a grant from BSF (Binational Science Foundation), David is working here in Tel Aviv with a couple of colleagues for three weeks. Our apartment is about a mile from Tel Aviv University where one of his colleagues is based.  Elementary schools are still in session, so Emma is attending the American International School, a summer camp for English speakers.  

American International School

We told her she would be going to camp with mostly Americans. Emma came home the first day and told us she was the only American. Most of the kids are Russian. 

As for me, I brought a suitcase of work and all the American optimism to get it all done.  I have relaxed my goals as the urgency of my “to do” lists faded with my jet lag. 

Here are a few images from our new neighborhood. A tour guide in Tel Aviv called the apartment buildings in Ramat Aviv, "Israeli style"---straightforward, functional with few frills.  I like the clean, white style of the buildings. The neighborhood feels transitional as many of the buildings are still under construction.  

our building

next door neighbors

our new street address

Below is the view from Emma’s bedroom that gives a flavor for this area. A construction site with an Israeli flag and a military airstrip lies between our apartment and the Mediterranean Sea. 

view south to downtown Tel Aviv 

In time,  these chairs on the Levi Eshkol Street near our apartment will provide some nice shade under a tree.   Until then, this sitting area (like this new neighborhood) lives in transition.