New York City - Days 3 and 4

Day 3 in New York included the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim, both on the upper east side. It was a pretty rainy looking day so the museum thing was a good choice. It was also killer hot outside so we also appreciated the air conditioning. For lunch we hit up the hahla cart outside the metropolitan museum. It was surprisingly good. It's also amazing how many choices that pack into one cart. That said there are about a dozen different carts all parked right in front of the Metropolitan Museum so you’re bound to find something you’re interested in.

In the evening I went out for another walk to take some photos. I didn’t go far just in the around around Harold Square. It was a warm evening so there were lots of people out and about hanging around the park. I found it interesting that stores in the area were open to 9 or 9:30 when I’m used to things in Toronto closing around 7 during the week.

Day 4

On Day four of our trip we went up town again to the American Museum of Natural History which is on the west side of central park. This place is large and super confusing to navigate. There is an app that is said to use GPS to guide you around. It installed it using the free wi-fi but it couldn't locate me and didn’t work. The app has good reviews so I have to assume it does work most of the time for people. We saw the Dark Universe show which was also worth the time. It’s narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson who you might know from the new Cosmos tv show. The dinosaur exhibit of course is what the place is best known for and it is well put together. However I felt that some of the exhibits haven’t been updated in a really long time and could use some attention. Also a lady in the gift store told me “I hope you feel better”. I guess she thought I wasn’t feeling well because I was using a wheelchair? It’s people like this that drive me crazy.

For a late lunch we walked over to the near by Shake Shack. It was pretty good but honestly no better than Smash Burger was on day one. There was also quite a line to get into the place, but it moved quickly.

In the late afternoon I stopped in at the 5th Ave. Apple store and FAO Swartz because it seemed like the thing to do. Both the stores are huge and crazy just as you expect them to be. Also yes the Apple store here smells the same as all the others, is that a thing?

5 Accessible Things to do in Tel Aviv

1.Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is Israel's largest art museum and houses a reasonably impressive collection of classical and contemporary art. This includes works by Cezanne, Chagall, Dali, Monet, Henri Moore, Auguste Rodin, Archipenko, Picasso, Klimt, Kadinsky. There was a new wing opened in the fall of 2011 which looks amazing but I unfortunately didn't get to visit. It's a close walk over to Rabin Square, #4 on our list as well. So you can visit both in the same day. 

2. Old Tel Aviv Port

This used to be a derelict stretch of warehouses and garages. However it's now been transformed into a great area to visit. Filled with a lot of restaurants and shops spread out over a great boardwalk.  You'll find the port along the north end of the beach front. So it's a bit of a walk from many of the hotels. However you can easily take a taxi or a bus up near the area. It is fenced in to pedestrian traffic only so you can only get so close by car.

3. Carmel Market

This is a great street market and is open every day of the week, except Saturday. The market mostly sells food but also a variety of home and decor items. Thursdays and Fridays there are extra vendors down another street and the side streets. You'll find jewellery and art for sale on these days as well. A lot of the stalls are covered but it can still be super hot so keep that in mind when you're heading out. 

4. Rabin Square and memorial 

A really nice large open public square in the middle of Tel Aviv. Renamed Rabin Square November 4th 1995 after Yitzhak Rabin as assassinated there the same year.  The square is surrounded by busy commercial streets that have a good variety of cafes and restaurants. 

Check out this sweet google street view of it here https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/streetview/israel-highlights/rabin-square/keTxNNeyUymqgZrz3aLoQA?gl&heading=336&pitch=99&fovy=75

5. Hit the beach and walk the promenade 

All of the west side of Tel Aviv is one long beach. It's split up into sections name after various hotels and beaches near each one. Along the beach is a great pathway that you can stroll back and forth along. It's a bit rough but most wheelchairs should be okay with it. Even if going along it did eventually start to shake the bolts out of my side guards. There are also section of boardwalk that let you get right down onto the beach as well. 

Bonus

6 Old City of Jaffa 

When I was in Tel Aviv I made a trip down to the old city of Jaffa. Being such and old city the terrain around here is pretty rough. Not all wheelchair users are going to be able to manage it unfortunately. However if you feel you're able to make the trip it's worth the time to go down and take a look around. Looks of neat shops and places to eat. Also we climbed way up the hill for an amazing view back along the Tel Aviv beaches.  

Local Grocery Stores are Awesome

As I’ve said before I tend to be traveling on a somewhat limited budget. A huge expense while you’re away from home is the cost of eating out all the time. While I understand wanting to experience the local food there is an alternative, the grocery store.  A lot of hotels offers at least a fridge and some even a little kitchenette. Perhaps you're more the type that says in an airbnb rental and gets to enjoy a full out real kitchen. Either way one of my favourite things to do while traveling is to visit a local grocery store. Not only are you able to get some inexpensive food to have around the place you’re staying but you might get to find some really interesting food too. I often go for the breakfast type items. Cereal and milk or muffins that kind of thing. We also try and get some snack food and fruit for when we get hungry in the evening hanging out relaxing. I also quite enjoy trying to find some what odd things that I couldn't get back in Toronto or even Canada for that matter. Also don’t forget a bottle of wine, especially if you’re in an area where it’s made.

Photo by Laurie Stein

The only trouble is sometimes you go into a local store where you don’t speak the language and it can be a bit confusing to figure out what you’re really buying. In Israel for example we picked up what we thought was cream cheese. It turned out to be more of a cheese dip which to be fair was still great but not quite what I had expected. There have been some others interesting things we’ve found. There was chocolate milk in a bag in Israel that was amazing. Microwave brownie in Chicago that was kind of easy bake ovenish. San Francisco had some great local cheese and wine.

Over all going to a local grocery store is fun, interesting and reasonably priced. It’s also a great way to take in some local culture, give it a try next time you’re on a trip.