GAY & LESBIAN TRAVEL STORIES

Uncovering Israel

For a long time, I’ve had a huge interest in the history of the Middle East, and Israel specifically. I’ve been to more beautiful places in world, but Israel has always proved to be the most fascinating as far as the layers and layers of history that

Israel See Photos

exist on its soil. I’m no historian, and I’m really not the museum-going, archeological type of traveler, but something about the Jewish history of constant struggle and what’s taken place in Israel over thousands of years that continues to affect the world to this day, completely captures my interest. And it held my attention through my entire trip around Israel (and that’s a difficult feat!).

Being raised Roman Catholic in small-town Massachusetts, I moved to NYC and have made many very close Jewish friends. I’ve come to love and respect the Jewish culture of family, tolerance and social responsibility, not to mention the great food and amazing sense of humor I’ve encountered among my Jewish friends. So, not knowing all that much of what I would experience on my trip to Israel, I knew I’d at least get in two of my most favorite activities, eating and laughing.

TEL AVIV

For my first flight to Israel, I found a good price through Expedia.com on Iberia Airlines. It was to depart NYC on a Friday night with a quick layover in Madrid, landing me in Tel Aviv by Saturday early afternoon. I was traveling in September at the end of the high season summer months, so my ticket was around $1100 US. Unfortunately, I failed to realize that my cheaper-than-normal flight wasn't because of Expedia's great discounts, but because I accidentally choose the first night of Yom Kippur to fly. Being one of the most religious High Holidays in the Jewish faith, I failed to realize that the entire State of Israel closes down for 24 hours from Friday through Saturday night on such holidays which means no buses, taxis, shopping, restaurants and more importantly… No airport! This meant my one-hour layover in Madrid turned into 10 hours. Luckily, I met up with friends in Madrid to hang out with all day. Moral of the story is, if traveling to Israel, make sure you find out when the holidays are because there are a lot of them!

Not being Jewish, this holiday thing was news to me. I mention that because when planning my trip and talking to co-workers and friends, everyone asked the same two questions: "Are you Jewish?" And… "WHY ISRAEL?" Then the inevitable follow-up: "Aren't you scared to go there?" Most gay male friends or acquaintances immediately assumed that I was traveling primarily to experience the gay nightlife in Tel Aviv. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see that side of Israel, but the gay/party factor was not the true reason for my trip. In fact, the majority of my trip was spent outside of Tel Aviv, exploring small towns, ancient ruins and religious sites. I'd also be lying if at times I didn't think about terrorism while there but like traveling to any country with levels of unrest, I think the best thing to do is just use your head and pay attention, otherwise… I don't think being scared serves any purpose.

I spent my first two nights in Tel Aviv staying at the apartment of my friend Nadav and his boyfriend Nir. I always love to have friends living in the places I visit to get the local feel, and Nadav and Nir definitely gave me the grand tour of Tel Aviv, making sure I ate at the best restaurants, hung out at the right beach, and went to the best clubs and bars (details to follow). Most young people don't own cars in Israel, the cost of gas is too expensive and parking in Tel Aviv is atrocious. Instead, everyone gets around by moped. So, for my time in Tel Aviv, I got from place to place by riding double.

After the flight on Saturday, I dropped my suitcase and we immediately went straight to an open-air bar called Cheech Beach (145 Hayarkon St., Holiday Inn; just north of the Carlton Hotel; tel. 03-527-3213). Saturdays are gay night, and the boys were out in full force. The crowd was cute and lively, as promised, but I was too jet-lagged to function. When out in Tel Aviv, I found some of the stereotypes about Israelis to be true. Yes, they can be argumentative and upfront, but, if you can see past what comes across as rude and realize they are being completely themselves with no layer of fakeness whatsoever, you'll come to appreciate the attitude as refreshing. Another great gay choice any night of the week in a smaller, more intimate setting is Evita (31 Yavne Street, just off Rothschild Blvd; tel. 03-566-9559).

On the second night in Tel Aviv, we ate dinner at a restaurant called Nana Bar (1 Ahad Haam Street; tel. 03-516-1915) in the neighborhood named Neve Tzedek, the upcoming bohemian-type neighborhood that is quickly becoming expensive real estate. I'd compare it to the West Village in NYC. The streets are cobble-stoned and the houses are small and tucked into corners. There are shops with fine crafts and great restaurants. Nana Bar has an area inside with an open-air ceiling and the food was great. I highly recommend it! Another great restaurant right off of Yitzhak Rabin Square in central Tel Aviv is called Brasserie (70 Eiben Gabirol Street; tel. 03-696-7111) and it's open 24 hours a day. It has a wide selection of simple French cuisine, serving everything from breakfast through pasta, seafood and meat.