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Tel Aviv, mon amour

City Guide: Tel Aviv
A few months ago, Dalit  Nemirovsky approached me with an offer I could not refuse: to be part of a team that would compile the first ever glossy, sophisticated, cosmopolitan insider's book about Tel Aviv, the city I love above all others. After weeks of work, during which I drove poor Dalit crazy by missing nearly every deadline she set me, here it is – and I could not be prouder of the results.

The photographs are by Natan Dvir, whose work appears weekly in Time Out Tel Aviv and whose stunning photos of last year's disengagement from Gaza (examples here) were recently exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The supremely talented Lora Rosenberg is responsible for the gorgeous graphics; Dalit, whose energy and creativity never ceases to amaze me, edited and produced the book; and I researched and wrote the text.

City Guide: Tel Aviv was a labour of love for us all. It opens with a general history of the city, followed by a breakdown of Tel Aviv according to area, with easy-to-follow maps, background information and tips for visitors (and locals) about what to see and experience in each. It is about the real Tel Aviv – the multi-cultural, liberal, laid-back, dynamic 24-hour Levantine city with a cutting edge nightlife, thriving culture and arts scene, outdoor markets, fashionable boutiques, ethnic neighbourhoods, chic lounge bars, critically acclaimed restaurants, buzzing cafes and beautiful beaches. It is about a self-confident, exciting metropolis in which real people live. It is most emphatically not about politics, bombs, wars or Middle East crises.

It's really the book I always wished someone would write about Tel Aviv. Sorry if that sounds immodest. ;) But it's not, really (immodest, that is), because it was a team effort. And I was unbelievably lucky to work with such talented people.

Anyway, the book will be available at bookshops in the U.K., USA and Canada very soon. It's already available in Israeli bookshops. If you are interested in obtaining a copy but can't find one in your local shop, you'll find Dalit's contact details on the website, where you can browse the book online.

Now I think you'll finally understand why I have an ongoing romance with this city.

Update: Starting from September 15 you will be able to purchase the book by credit card, via the website.

Update 2: City Guide is now available in Israel at Tzomet Sfarim and it'll be at Steimatzky in a few days.

Update 3: Or buy it from Amazon.

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27 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

  1. Hi Lisa,
    Is this book available on Amazon yet? or do you have the ISBN?
    I always wanted to visit Tel-Aviv and my Israeli friends always talk about it but being born in Iran I don't think I am allowed to visit Israel no matter which passport I hold.Any way I am looking forward to read this book.
    Cheers

    1. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  2. Hi Sina,
    The book is not on Amazon yet (it was just published last week), but it will be availble at Barnes & Nobles pretty soon. If you want to send me your details via email, I'll see what I can do about arranging for you to buy a copy via an Israeli distributor.
    And by the way, if you have a foreign passport you can definitely visit Israel. Lots of Iranians with dual citizenship have been here.

    2. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  3. Excellent! Can't wait to take a look when it's available in the US.
    And I'm sure I'm gonna be wishing I could drop by for a visit once I take a look. Maybe someday…

    3. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  4. Sounds and promises to be what I have wanted to have or to write. In your able “hands” I know it does the job, and does it right. The web site promo is not helpful — I see only tiny thumbnails, too small to make sense of the copy or images. I'll plan on holding a copy in the White City in a few weeks. All the best, Tamar

    4. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  5. Hooray! I hope it'll be available in Toronto in a couple of weeks when I'm there.

    5. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  6. A very heartfelt Mazal Tov! May you all have much succes with this. (PS I can hardly wait to see what I've been missing all this time. :) )

    6. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  7. (Must have hiccupped while typing! That was supposed to be “success” with three esses! ;) )

    7. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  8. Sorry, that “Toronto” post was me, don't know why it appeared anonymously.

    8. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  9. Having already gotten to take a good look I am seriously disappointed –because I can't afford to buy it for _all_ of my relatives and only about half will get this nifty gift! It is definitely “gift item” of the year for me. If this puppy had come out last year about this time I wouldn't have had to spend so many hours explaining why I was moving to this fantastic city and could have just given them the darn book! Awesome.

    9. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  10. Just in time for me, though. I wonder if I can find one of these for al-Quds?

    10. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  11. Whaao, that's really impressive. Great work.

    11. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  12. The book looks amazing. Great work, Lisa and team. I wrote to Dalit asking how us poor sods in exile in Australia can get hold of it and she informed me that it would be available online on the company website from Sept 15. I am counting down the days!
    Shabbat shalom and take care,
    Fay

    12. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  13. The book looks awesome!
    Tel Aviv looks like a city in which I would drop a lot of cash every single day. I hope prices are reasonable (by international, not Israeli standards – because I'm sure Tel Aviv is expensive by Israeli standards).

    13. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  14. Great post, Lisa, and I look forward to gettting the book when it comes available.
    However, I have a question. About three weeks ago in Ha'aretz, Ari Shavit identified one of contemporary Israel's problems as the illusion that it was a 'normal' society – that like other European or Europe-derived cultures it could be 'normal' in its hedonism and general joie de vivre. Shavit seemed to be saying that this actually dissipated the essential energy that Israel needed to invest in its own survival, its ability to defend itself, its military prowess – imperatives that arise from its inherent 'abnormality'.
    A small voice inside of me asks if celebrating Tel Aviv's night life, lifestyle, clubs and restaurants is not maybe part of the illusion that Shavit is attacking – that there are sterner necessities in which to invest during these increasingly difficult times for Israel and its friends.
    I don't mean to derail the thread, and I certainly mean no officne, but this thought did occur to me as I watched the display on the publication's homepage.

    14. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  15. Hi Rob,
    Shavit's “Athens v. Sparta” article has already become a subject of parody for a lot of Israelis, especially since he is a rather well-heeled member of the very “elite” he attacks, and I haven't noticed him changing his lifestyle. I also think there is a lot of hyperbole and populism in the article.
    I think Shavit's argument is fundamentally flawed. I hope you'll forgive me for ducking out of presenting a detailed counter-argument right now; it's just that I'm bone-weary (emotionally) and I am pretty sure that the responses to my argument will demand a lot of comment monitoring, which I just don't have the energy for right now. I am planning to write a post about the subject, though.
    I'm going to conclude with a translated excerpt (my translation) from Gal Uchovsky's weekly column in the August 17-24 issue of Time Out Tel Aviv:
    “Tel Aviv is actually the place for which it is is particularly worth fighting. Because one who fights in order to achieve peace and sanity, one who believes that real life is found in a place of harmony, concern for one's fellow humans and the just values upon which a society is built, must believe that Tel Aviv is one of Israel's greatest assets. Tel Aviv is the true hope for a better future.

    And yes, it is possible during a time of war to sit in a cafe and read one of David Grossman's books, or go to the cinema and see the film version of Someone to Run With… And it's possible to sit on a bench on Rothschild Boulevard and to be annoyed that the boulevard is becoming commercialized…and it's possible to discuss all those things, without embarrassment…And the tears for Uri Grossman and all the others, and the terrible fears for those who, to our joy, came back alive, we will keep to ourselves. “

    15. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  16. Thanks for the response, Lisa.

    16. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  17. Please let me know when this book is available in the U.S. I want a copy!

    17. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  18. looks good, and lush pics! these are the type of pics i'd love to be able to take one day…

    18. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  19. Just had time to browse the book on the net and it looks great. Beautiful pics. Tel Aviv looks like a great city, you can feel a nice vibe to it. the restaurants deco are beautifu. Definitely makes you wanna go there. Hopefully one day.
    Very nice job :) wishing it lots of succes.

    19. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  20. I love it! Will you autograph my copy?

    20. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  21. Will autograph in exchange for soup. ;)

    21. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  22. Beautiful and impressive work. Mazal Tov!
    Shame though, that those who don't know Tel Aviv and see this guide might be misled into thinking that Tel Aviv is actually a CLEAN city…

    22. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  23. Don't worry, I wrote about the Tel Aviv “grit” in the text.
    The book is a love song to the city, but it's not an uncritical view. See, we love TA – warts and all. ;)

    23. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  24. The book looks really nice. People should definitely see this side of Tel-Aviv more. I came across many people who thought that all of Irael is a battlefield.
    One comment about the pictures though – there are almost no photos of people. The places look sterile and empty. Is this intentional?

    24. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  25. Hi Joni,
    No, there was no intention to make Tel Aviv look sterile and empty. I'll certainly mention your observation to Dalit. But I think that when you're actually holding the book and flipping through it, Tel Aviv seems quite vibrant.

    25. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  26. This book looks marvelous. Congrats!

    26. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm
  27. Lisa,
    Great book, Tel aviv was never that beautifull :) Almost like Barcelona.
    The lusiting in amazon has no image. WE would like to promote the book on our site and let people buy it from amazon however without an image people won't buy it. Could you please contact me ?
    All the best
    Alon

    27. Anonymous
    on December 31st, 1969 at 6:59 pm

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