"Beautiful Beaches On The Mediterranean Sea" Tel Aviv-Yafo by AVSENT

This was my first trip to the Middle East and first time to Tel Aviv. Nonetheless, I was totally impressed by the beaches and the Mediterranean Sea. This city is like and Oasis in the desert with a beach. The people were friendly and alot, of them spoke English.
The city itself, reminded me of a small Los Angeles city. It was somewhat laidback and stayed alive all night. I could not believe I could get pizza at 2 am on the street.

Late Night Grill

I really couldn't decide if it would be better to rent a car since, I've heard stories about how they drive here and the street congestion. But, I'm glad I did since, the train really goes nowhere and I don't really like taking taxis all the time.
I got full coverage on the car just as a precaution, but I really had no trouble driving around. The real problem was parking. There never was any places to park and it is hard not to get hit or dinged by someone when they park. It is so close all the time and you can't be around to watch.
Anyway, after arriving at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport TLV, I went through customs without delay and went up one level to the rental car counters and checked in for my reservation at Budget Car Rental. I took the shuttle out to the lot and got an older Mazda car which was a complimentary upgrade (But there was a crazy 700.00 USD hold on the credit card until the end of the rental). The car itself wasn't bad it just needed a wash. It had good a/c and automatic transmission. So, I grabbed the map and headed to town. I got on the freeway and without too, much problem I got to the hotel after a sidetrip through Old Town Jaffa.

Constant Building In Tel Aviv

Anyway, I arrived at the hotel Intercontinental Tel Aviv, and got an upgrade to a suite when I checked in. I got to the room and was amazed by the view. I then went to the club room since, I was thirsty and I was terribly disappointed by the food they had (NOTHING like Shanghai Puxi). I realized I needed to get something to eat. I headed back to the valet to retrieve my car and headed up along the coast. It wasn't long until I ran into a McDonalds. I usually prefer local cuisine but, I was hungry. Well, I got this meal that was like a whopper meal (the royale) and it ran about 10.00 USD. The price wasn't as bad as the meal. I wasn't even sure if it was beef. After, that I went driving around to check out the city. I was amazed at this city how new meets old and the abundance of art districts and markets, like Carmel Market. All, the day long, there was something going on (especially the all night markets). So, I decided to stop and check out a place that was grilling fresh food. They were making something like burritos. They had your choice of grilled meat and then sauces like Hummus, and then condiments like pickles, vegetables, or peppers or onions. I had a (big) beef one and it was truly delicious. It hit the spot good.
I went back to the hotel satisfied and ready for the next day.
The next day, I went to a mall and the cost of parking was crazy. The mall was interesting but, I went across the street to a small place that was serving these pita gyros things. It was sunday so they only had chicken gyros (no beef). Again, the hummus sauce and condiments. And, again it was delicious. I beat around the rest of the day and later at night I went way to the north. On the way back, I decided to drive off the main roads and head into an area looking to see if I could find a conventional house or one story building. They are hard to find since everything is built with more than one story and usually attached to other buildings and are comprised of apartments or condos. They are built up one after another and never built with much parking. I kept driving and suddenly I saw people walking around and I thought I took a turn that somehow transposed me into Pennsylvania. Everyone dressed as though they were Quakers. I realized they were Jewish and I had never been in a Jewish community in the USA that was like this. It was 2 am and I thought I was in the land of Quakers. It was very interesting to see the people mingling around at this hour and talking to each other just like in the city except no stores were visibly open and nobody was eating or drinking; just socializing.
I guessed this was the exception to the rule and headed back to the main road and back to the hotel. I had planned on a bus tour for the morning and wanted to get some rest.
The next day came but, the tour bus I was supposed to meet at the bus stop never showed up. I really didn't get a tour but, I saw quite a bit in a very enjoyable two days.

• Pros:Nice beaches and nice art places and markets-city never sleeps
• Cons:No parking or expensive parking