Kind of like in Mexico and one other country, forgot where, you go to a taxi office way to the other side away from everything and sign up for a taxi. Rennaissance Hotel on HaYarkon St., the main street in Tel Aviv where most hotels are.

You could see the ELAL maintenance hangars, the tails of a couple of planes, and hear a few planes taxxing out. Not a very busy airport by any means, but it is very interesting.

I was directed to a taxi and got in, Shalom, do you speak English? some, ok. We could chatt a little with my few words of Hebrew and his somewhat better English.

I have always been curious about this drive, one more reason to take a taxi than a bus, which this bus, I guess, I would trust.

Exit the airport and out onto the highway to Tel Aviv. You pass the checkpoint into the airport, curious how that works. ( I think the one at LAX is worse)

I have always had an interest in Tel Aviv. Certain cities pique my interest, long before I ever get there. Frankfurt being one of the big ones, and I feel at home in Frankfurt, Paris, London, Zurich, Johannesburg, Sydney, Hong Kong, Montreal & Toronto, etc. I have my list. I have always wanted to go to Tel Aviv specifically, now I am coming home. No one said welcome home, but I felt it anyway.

It was a nice trip on the highway, actually reminded me very much of the trip from Malpensa Airport to Milan. Similar houses, scenery, it is a small world. It really is.

I always pictured something different. Very green, some big houses out here, whereas in the city it is mostly, if not all, apartments. I like the empty feel and the openess. Far from the case in Tel Aviv, as with LA.

They had the traffic conditions in Hebrew on the big boards over the highway. I love those. Paris has the best, of any city in the world. LA has a long way to go as we have some, but if we had more, we would know to divert our driving.
Bouchon et tous. He had the morning radio on from which I could understand zilch.

I had studied a map before going and tried to figure out the freeway system. How different it is to see it in person.

I had considered the Sheraton Ramat Gan, mostly as it is a new hotel. People got after me, especially an English mate from Manchester(Jewish) who has travled to Israel many times. Said stick with the main hotels in Tel Aviv.
In fact we debated it. My Israeli friends also gave me advice, stick with the main hotels. So I did.

As expected, people are darting in and out, changing lanes, cutting you off, I expected it, but it freaks you out a bit to see it. They aren't as bad as in Egypt, but def. more aggressive than back at home. (LA drivers can be pretty bad, fyi!)

I wouldn't want to drive here. They are crazy. Cairo drove me insane with the honking and just utter chaos. This is more organized and there is some reason to the highways, driving, but there is, ah, major room for improvement, to be honest. I have read articles on Israeli driving. They turn right from the left lane, right from the left lane, and I actually saw it. Cringe! I guess they don't give tickets!? Where would you start? Mexico City was like this. Mexico City was so crazy that Brian and I sat in our hotel room and watched traffic(Crowne Plaza downtown). It was hysterical.

I suppose at the right location, you could watch traffic here, but I had better things to do.

We exited the highway at Ramat Gan (Financial/Business Center,love those), saw the beautiful Sheraton that everyone said no to, and headed into Tel Aviv.