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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

...because the street is everyone's front yard

If you walk along Nordau boulevard in the morning hours of a fine winter day, you'll see a bunch of people sitting on the benches, drinking coffee, reading newspapers, talking - getting their day started in the open air.
One of the things I like about Tel Aviv is that people actually consider street as an extension of their home. It's not unusual to see someone sitting on a park bench, drinking a coffee from a mug, talking over the phone. So like almost unconsciously one is going from room to room while talking on the phone, one can just as easy go outside. The street is just another room. The city is an extension of the apartment.
One early Saturday morning Lesya and I were taking a walk on Pinsker street. It was pretty early, the street empty, most of the people still asleep. Suddenly one of the doors opened, and out went this guy with a cup of coffee. He sat on the staircase leading to the building, drank his coffee, and then returned inside. And I thought how cool was it that the outside stairs were his porch, and that the city is everyone's front yard.

3 comments:

Dina said...

I never thought about that. But you explain and illustrate it so well. It sounds so nice.

Sivinden said...

That's a nice picture, and it sounds like a great idea to share the outdoor "room" this way :)

online dissertation writing service said...

Wow! i never took this whole situationof people sitting on benches and reading newspaper this way .. but it is nice way to explain this actualy very thoughtful .. nice going ...