June 9, 2013 Bad Kharma Taxi Ride in Tel Aviv. We were trying to go from Independence Hall to the Palmach Museum for the 3pm presentation in English. While waiting for a bus, it became obvious we would never arrive on time unless we took a cab so the seven of us got into two cabs and we took off. Our driver did not know where the Palmach Museum was although we told him it was near the Israel Museum and Rabin Square, both well known places whose whereabouts he didn't know although he had lived in Tel Aviv for 20 years. That alone should have warned us.
Finally he followed the other cab whose driver thought he knew where to go; but he was going south and we knew we should be going north. I even knew the Hebrew for north and told him we were going wrong. Stan showed him the map--the driver didn't have his reading glasses. Stan told him to go north on Ibn Gabriole Street, one of the main north/south boulevards. Then he handed us his phone and wanted us to type the name of the street. It turned out the other cab driver was headed south toward Palmach Street which is on the side of town away from the Palmach Museum.
By that time it was around 3:30 and there was no hope of getting to the museum. So 45 minutes and 49 Sheckles later, where were we? By Independence Hall where we had started. We got out of the cab. Stan and I had planned this for a long time and we were angry, hot, exasperated, and disappointed.
So what do you do when you are angry, hot, exasperated, and disappointed in Tel Aviv? We walked to the beach. Next time try the bus. It's an easy ride with Egged Bus Company from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and back. We were thinking of taking the train back to Jerusalem but it takes longer and it was 7 pm. One nice thing about Jerusalem is that it is at 4000 feet and cools off at night. As did our tempers.
