All's Well That Ends Well-- The Miraculous Trek Home From Jaffa Port

 

The trip home from Jaffa Port was complicated... read all about it...

 

Whenever I'm not sure of the route, I trust Google Maps, which is pretty reliable, especially nowadays when there are so many changes in bus routes and bus stops. Actually, I arrived at the Jaffa Port reasonably easily via Ariel, where I had taken one of the buses to Tel Aviv and had gotten off by some government offices. From there I had no problem finding the 44 to the port. The instructions for the walk to the port weren't all that clear, but by concentrating on how many meters were left, I could see if an about face was needed. Trust me; there were quite a few. But then I saw the massive building by the port and just had to find the entrance. 

Where was I going? To a beer festival, the Beer Market had returned to Jaffa Port. Last time I traveled with the rest of the beer tasters via Jerusalem, but since then I discovered that it's easier and faster to get to and from Shiloh via Ariel. 

I was the first of our group to arrive; most arrived soon afterwards. This post isn't about the festival and beers, though I hope to blog about some favorites at a later date. Wisely I packed a nice vegetable omelet for dinner-- to counteract the alcohol of the beer and give me healthy energy for the trip home. 

As usual I consulted Google Maps and then was happy to discover that my favorite Tel Aviv-Ariel the express bus was listed as the one I'd catch "somewhere," but before I left the port the instructions began changing rapidly with all sorts of cancellations. 

The Beer Maven invited me to join them in the taxi to the Tel Aviv Train Station, where they were catching the train to Jerusalem. I thought about it for a nanosecond but decided it would just increase my trip, and I may be stuck in Jerusalem. I needed a bus to Ariel where I could catch a bus to Shiloh. 

With Google Maps, and a number of helpful strangers, to guide me I finally found the 44 going back to Tel Aviv. I got off where Google Maps instructed but couldn't find an Ariel bus anyplace. I kept asking people, but they didn't see the 286 number anywhere either. Finally a nice young man took out his earphones and began searching via the app Moovit. Apparently some big event in Tel Aviv changed traffic and bus stops. 

After we walked close to a kilometer we returned to where I had gotten off the 44, and we crossed the street. The 286 wasn't listed, but there was a 285 to Ariel on a sign, but it wasn't on the board  of "live" buses. He insisted that his app said the bus was close. He spotted a bus passing us and managed to hail it for me; yes the 286. I thanked him and climbed in through the back door. Yes, the bus hadn't realized that I was waiting. That tzaddik-- righteous man really saved me. 

I used my efobus app to check if I had a chance to catch a Shiloh bus in Ariel, and thank Gd I did. It wouldn't be true to say that the trip was uneventful or quick, but I got off at the first stop in Ariel on time. 

Then I walked slowly through the Ariel Shopping Center on the road, hoping that a neighbor would notice me and take me home. Finally, at the bus stop I waited for the bus which would take me to my street, ok via the scenic route of Eli, but it was MY BUS. 

Since my phone's battery was too close to zero for anything not urgent, I didn't check how the rest of the crew was doing. Once home, I plugged in my phone and contacted them. The Pisgat Zeev Beer Tasters had "landed" in Jerusalem but still not near their neighborhood. 

I enjoyed the beer and the company... and thank Gd and wonderful strangers I made it home safe, sound and sober.

Confusing-- Google Maps to The Rescue

Major changes have been happening in Jerusalem the past decade or so, and now hardly a week passes with another road being dug up resulting in changes in the bus routes. And when all this is complete, Gd willing I will live to see and enjoy it (it's no secret that I'll be 77 in a few months), we'll have more lines of the lightrail and changes in even the most veteran bus routes.

We don't have a car, so our transportation is public transportation. We can't trust that the bus routes we've known for decades haven't changed, so I check Google Maps when planning my trips in Jerusalem. 

When you open the app, you're asked to write your required destination and verify your "starting point." Then it gives you three basic options, private transportation, public or hoofing it- yup, walking. Each route option gives a time estimate, and walking-- including walking to/from the bus will offer routes. So, don't panic. Just click Google Maps.

Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem #36 Cinema City- Not Just for Intermission

 See #35,  #34,  #33, #32,  #31, #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24,  #23, #22,  #21, #20, #19, #18, #17,   #16, , #15a, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, Saved by The First Station aka #4a, #4, #3, #2 and #1.

In the cinemas of my youth, there was nothing other than a snack bar for buying popcorn, soda and other noshes before stepping into the darkened movie theater plus some difficult to find public toilets. One needed to remember to visit either before, after or during the intermission as not to disturb the other moviegoers. Of course, there was only one large screen and movie showing at a time. Sometimes there were double-features, and you got to stay to see two movies for the price of one. 

Today movie theaters are now malls offering a variety of restaurants and even event halls, besides the fact that there are multiple movies playing simultaneously. Even more "shocking" to those of us raised in the mid-twentieth century is the fact that you can go to a place like Cinema City for something as unentertaining as a visit to the doctor, which is why I was there yesterday.

Nestled among the restaurants, stores and pubs on the main floor are the public toilets. Look up, and you'll see the signs pointing the way. When I was there yesterday, they were clean and well-equipped with soap and toilet paper.
You can tell that they were designed to suit the ambience of the location. 

Having gone to movies in the Jerusalem Cinema City, I recommend taking advantage of these on the main floor, if possible. They are much larger and nicer than the ones near the movie-viewing halls.

Actually, you can think of Cinema City as a nice indoor restaurant mall or food court. There's a small selection of restaurants and snack places, all kosher, either meat or dairy. There's even a grocery store where you can buy some healthy food, not just sugared or salty nosherei.

Public transportation is convenient. I suggest searching on Google Maps. And for those who like to walk, you'd be amazed at how centrally located the Jerusalem Cinema City actually is.

I hope that this has been helpful and was surprised that I hadn't reviewed it earlier. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments, thanks. Or email me at shilohmuse@gmail.com subject: Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem. I'm also on facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Drumming Up Fun in Katamon

The other day just after I picked up one of my young grandchildren from day care, I got a message from my daughter-in-law that there was going to be a "musical activity" for children in a park near their home.

I had just walked a few minutes in the wrong direction when I decided to go. That meant I'd be walking up hill pushing the stroller, wearing my backpack. Once I clarified the location, I consulted with Google Maps, which warned me that it would be a half hour walk. Yes, the shortest route was uphill. But should that frighten this intrepid savta (grandmother)? Gd forbid!

With both hands firmly on the stroller, the toddler who refused to wear a jacket "NO!" sitting and observing, my phone in my fanny pack loudly broadcasting Google Maps' directions, "turn left," then "take the second exit on the roundabout..." I must have looked like quite a nutty old lady.

Finally, after over half an hour of trekking through hilly Jerusalem, consulting with my daughter-in-law for the exact location I found the "musical activity" in a lovely park hidden away behind a grocery store and parking lot. Lots of children and parents, probably grandparents too, were sitting mesmerized watching the show.

I skillfully wheeled my grandchild next to the front row to get a birds eye view and hear the music and explanations. I covered him up with his jacket and blanket, no refusals this time. Within seconds someone gave me a chair, so I could sit, too.

We enjoyed the show, even though we had missed most of it. The "musical activity"  was perfectly geared to young children and didn't seem to bore the adults with them.

When it was over, a short walk to my son's apartment. The fun of grannyhood.

Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem #17, At Least It was Clean

This is a continuation in my ongoing series about public toilets in Jerusalem. See #16,  #15,  #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9,  #8, #7,  #6,  #5, Saved by The First Station aka #4a, #4, #3, #2 and #1

The other day I had to leave from my home in Shiloh to get to Matan, and thank Gd I ended up with a fantastic ride that took me not too far away from there with plenty of time to walk. But as you can guess I had to find a public toilet, which isn't all that easy in a residential neighborhood, especially very early in the morning.

As lovely and holy as Jerusalem may be, it can be a very confusing place to walk around in. It's very "suburban" with winding streets and no easy way to know where you're going or how to get any place, especially deep in the Old Katamon neighborhood with its tall trees which block the low buildings. I couldn't find any landmarks to help me out. I was pretty sure that I wasn't far from Shai Agnon Street and the small supermarket I'd been to a number of times after staying at my daughter's who lives near there. So, I tried to get assistance from "Google Maps." But for some strange reason, I couldn't follow their instructions and "estimated time to arrival" always kept getting longer rather than shorter. So I typed in a different location, and the same thing happened. And then it happened a third time! Am I the only person who can't follow their directions? But suddenly I saw a street name that looked familiar. It davka goes to the very street I had originally searched for, Shai Agnon. And after just a couple of minutes of walking, I saw the supermarket just across the street!

I walked in and cased the joint looking for the usual easy to follow signs to a WC, but there weren't any. Nu, that was strange, since supermarkets are supposed to have some public facilities.

Then I walked over to a female employee to ask. She told me that they were downstairs.

"How do I find the stairs?" I asked, since I hadn't noticed any when walking around.
"Near the Dairy Section, through the storage room." She politely replied.

It's not a large supermarket, so I easily found my way. And since I had worked for almost six years in Yafiz-Rami Levy, Sha'ar Binyamin, I've gotten pretty used to walking through supermarket storage areas.

Even though there aren't any signs, I did find the public toilet pretty easily. It has the same awful superficial aesthetic ambiance of many other Jerusalem supermarkets. But in this case, it was sparkling clean and didn't smell at all! That was a great relief.

The bottom line is that the toilet is usable and far superior to many others, but the downside is that it isn't handicapped accessible. I presume that it suits whatever bylaws there are for employees, but customers may find it problematic. There is a bank next to the supermarket, but that wasn't open early in the morning.

From there I had a lovely and relaxed walk to Matan. I know the way and didn't need Google Maps, thank Gd!