Brian's Brain

Eran had another appointment tonight, so I was on my own for dinner. I got back to the hotel after work, took a shower, and decided to try one of the restaurants that were next door (there are about 10 within 1/4 mile of the hotel).

I didn't really expect to find anything open (was hoping maybe the Kosher McDonald's would be open long enough for me to grab a cheese-less cheeseburger). But boy was I wrong. Stores, restaurants, even the MALL was open. I headed up the street, and started noticing some pretty scary-looking guys hanging out in front of all the shops and restaurants (I'm not talking about one or two, these guys were LINED up and down the streets). They didn't seem to be bothering anybody, so I didn't think much of it.... until I tried to walk into one of the restaurants and they veered toward the door, blocking my way. I thought this was strange, but I obviously didn't understand what was going on, so I backed off and tried the next place. Same thing, different person. It was then that I noticed that they were ALL holding portable metal detectors (the kind they use at the airports). They weren't thugs, they were security, checking every person that walked into every restaurant or shop.

The food was, as usual, incredible. I ordered the fresh fish at the recommendation of the waitress. Apparently, it's the culture here not to bring your check unless you ask -- so I waited for a while until I figured that out. They just kept bringing me more water and smiling politely. This gave me a chance to sit at my outside table and watch the traffic and the people. I noticed that the cars here are very small -- nearly everyone drives compact cars. Probably due to the price. Apparently, the government has a near 100% tax on vehicles (meaning they pay roughly twice as much for their vehicles, compared to the U.S.)

I spent some time afterwords walking up and down the streets near the beach. It was midnight before the restaurants started closing -- I decided it was probably best that I get back to my hotel room, even though the streets were still crowded with people. I've never seen a city that stayed up so late (even Vegas starts to slow down a little at midnight). I felt surprisingly safe the whole time -- the crime rate in Tel Aviv is very low. I guess people have bigger things to worry about than hurting each other.

Time for sleep. It will be another long day of meetings tomorrow.