Review: A VERY thorough and wisely helpful travel guide
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2013
The series of travel guides that comprise the output of DBH (DavidsBeenHere) just grows and grows and this version has a couple of monikers  - mytravelaffairs.com and Insiders for DBH Guides - and if anything it is the most helpful of the group! If anyone can read this travel guide and NOT want to travel to Tel Aviv, then there must be other issues at stake!Marysia Maciocha is our guide and she starts with an illustrated history of Tel Aviv, a fine and concise summary of the history of the region and the peoples who controlled it until Israel became a state.  Along with the political and historical information the guide at this point describes the ambiance and the attitudes and worldviews of the people - enough to make you want to join them for coffee in a little café.Then the guide part begins with the sights to see in the various districts - in the North the museums, ports, Tel Aviv Port Namal which the guide marks as THE BEST (a new addition to these guides that make you see which of the many sites deserve your keen attention), the Center (Rothschild Blvd is marked THE BEST), and the South where Jaffa is THE spot (centers, churches, flea markets, etc).  Then suggestions for going outside of Tel Aviv are mentioned- Herzliya, Bat Yam, Ramat Gan.Interestingly the hotels (both pictured and discussed) are marked as Winter hotels and Summer hotels and again the picks of the guide are obvious.  Restaurants come next (`Tel Aviv is a real haven for foodies!') along with photos of specialties of each house.  There are many from which to choose depending on preferences for foods that are influences by Arabic, old Soviet Union, and European cuisines. And once again the guides recommendations for THE BEST are obvious. Nightlife is the next covered topic with all the bars and clubs and that is followed with a fine shopping guide.And another something new in this book - a Top 10 things to do in Tel Aviv that takes in all the information from the first part of the guide and prioritizes them. There are sections on the best beaches, the art galleries and museums, and recommendations for trips and tours outside Tel Aviv. And last the guide reminds us of the cites near by Tel Aviv - Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea, Hebron, Nazareth, Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, Caesarea, Haifa, Eilat and more.  A word to the tourist about prices and transportation and restaurant manners, money exchange, Shabbat traditions and rules, electrical appliances to judge your computer urges - all of the little things you forget when inquiring about what to expect.  The information is very well stated, the photographs are gorgeous, so what are you waiting for?  Grady Harp, May 13