# Has anyone been to Israel around here? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 28, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401 "2011-08-28T17:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/1 "2011-08-28T17:47:34Z")
Work is sending me off to Israel for about 6 weeks in November. What can I expect? I’ll be stuck at a construction site throughout, but hope to fit in some site seeing. So, any info or experiences would be a help. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/2 "2011-08-28T18:02:25Z")
We have a few native Israelis. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/3 "2011-08-28T18:15:40Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > We have a few native Israelis. I thought we did, but wasn’t sure. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/4 "2011-08-28T18:27:54Z")
I’ll invoke **Alessan** ( one of said natives ) for you, just in case he does vanity searches. You could also try PM’ing him. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/5 "2011-08-28T18:40:42Z")
Guided tours are very helpful for a first time tourist. Israel’s got a LOT of history. But much of it is hidden behind dust-colored rocks.The rocks have a story to tell; the people who walk on those rocks have a story to tell. But you need a storyteller to help you out. check out [http://eggedtours.com/](http://eggedtours.com/) Archeology and history come alive with somebody to explain it to you; otherwise you’ll be bored or not understand what you’re seeing. Even the major tourist sites like Jerusalem are confusing without somebody to explain it to you. And be aware things close down on the Sabbath. No busses run, and in some areas all stores and restaurants are closed. Ask the locals before you make plans for Saturday. And have a great time! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/6 "2011-08-28T20:00:35Z")
You called? Let me know where you’ll be, what you’re interested in and what you need to know. Be forewarned that I’m biased in favor of Tel Aviv, and I’m not that big a fan of Jerusalem. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/7 "2011-08-28T22:39:15Z")
Several times, the last being right about 8 years ago…my sister lived there for almost 20 years. First in Tel Aviv and then J’lem. Rent a car and go exploring Beit She’an (sp?) I think are the Roman ruins with the amazing hot springs and mineral baths. Galilee and the Dead Sea. Masada - extra points for walking to the top. It’s incredible. The big street market area in Tel Aviv, lots of great, eclectic little shops. If you have time, go over to Sharm el Sheik on the Red Sea for some of the best snorkeling or diving in the world. Also, eat lots. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/8 "2011-08-28T23:00:02Z")
Where will you be? It’s easier to suggest quick side trips from your construction site if we know where it is. ---
**Author:** ![Anchuldigs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anchuldigs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anchuldigs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/9 "2011-08-29T01:26:32Z")
I can suggest a few restaurants in Jerusalem (kosher only). [Darna](http://www.darna.co.il/) is a beautiful amazing Moroccan restaurant near the center of Jerusalem. [Tmol Shilshom](http://www.tmol-shilshom.co.il/index_open.asp?p=5&) is a pretty and artsy cafe/bookstore in a private courtyard near the center of town. Hard to find but the soup is well worth it. [Presto Pizza](http://presto-pizza.net/) near Mount Herzl and Yad Vashem (the holocaust museum). Absolutely the best pizza I have ever tasted. Finally, there is an old Yemenite baker on Yoel Street in the Bais Yiroel section of Jerusalem who makes the best Lafa (a flat bread) I have ever tasted in my life. It is heaven. He uses an old style oven made out of cement - throws the dough against the side of the oven for a few minutes. He’s not open in the afternoon though and he’s located in a very orthodox section of the city so dress accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/10 "2011-08-29T21:51:03Z")
I believe I’ll be in Hadera (and I don’t even know where that is). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/11 "2011-08-29T22:26:36Z")
OK, Hadera’s a small city (pop. 80,000) halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. It’s a nice enough place, although I haven’t done more than drive though it in 10 years. I remember it having a nice mall, but these things can change. Food - I can’t help you with the local stuff, but a bit to the north is Zichron Yaakov and Binyamina, which are wine country and have some good restaurants. My parents live there, so if you want, I’ll get you some recommendations. Barring that, Tel Aviv is half an hour away by car (three times that during rush hour), and has anything you could possibly want. If you miss home there’s a Pancake House on Highway 2 a bit to your south, by the big “M”. The food in the supermarkets is perfectly good, and the produce is terrific. Coffee - lots of coffee shops; Aroma is the most Starbucks-like if that’s what you’re in to. Bear in mind that Israeli coffee shops mainly sell espresso drinks - if you ask for percolated coffee, they might be able to dig up a French press, but don’t count on it. At home, Israelis drink instant or Turkish. Coffee shops generally have wi-fi. The countryside around Hadera is lovely - ask around for sights and hiking routes. Also ask which beaches are good - some are more crowded than others, some are free, some cost money. You have a good two months of beach season left. A nice place to visit nearby is Caesarea, which features some very nice Roman and Crusader ruins. The closest movie theater is the Globus Max multiplex in Netanya, off Highway 2; avoid the rest of Netanya. Transportation - it’s easy to get around with a car. North-south highways are even-numbered; east-west, odd. Route 6 is a toll road (and very fast); all the rest are free. There’s a train station in Hadera - check the Israel Railways website for schedules. The trains are nice and usually on time, but don’t run on the Sabbath (Friday afternoon - Saturday night). Most Israelis think they speak English, and many of them actually can. That’s all I can think of right now; if anything else comes to mind I’ll post it, and of course, if you have any questions, let me know. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/12 "2011-08-29T22:59:18Z")
Thanks, Alessan! I’m really looking forward to be over there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/13 "2011-08-31T09:05:23Z")
**Sparky** , a question - based on your username, might I assume that your construction work has something to do with the [Hadera Power Plant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orot_Rabin)? ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-to-israel-around-here/594401/14 "2011-08-31T10:04:26Z")
if the women power plant workers are anything like women israeli soldiers, you’re in for a fun assignment! friends of mine who’ve been to israel swear that women israelis are, quite simply, the most beautiful in the world.