Well, this is normal after all. What cities should foreigners look at? Beit Shemesh? :) Tel Aviv is seen positively because it has a positive contrast to the rest of the Middle East. All the positive PR Israel gets are related to the Israeli overspill of Tel Aviv's immage.

Assad, Hezbollah, MB will make Tel Aviv hell on earth after they are done with it. It's not that i am a scare monger, but we all know it won't be beautiful like it is now when we are attacked by Assad or MB or Iran.

take a tour at Lewinsky st. and see.

Sorry, not familiar with that acronym. As for the article, this really just sums up everything that's wrong with Tel Aviv, speaking as a proud Jew and Zionist. Besides, if you think Tel Aviv is such a great international Nirvana, spend an afternoon in Belgravia, Kensington, Chelsea or Fulham and watch your bubble go 'pop'. Or Manhattan or Seattle, for that matter.

Other than that, it has nothing to offer, except a whorehouse or two on every corner for those who like that sort of thing.

Levinsky is not that bad...at least they are starting to renovate there. The worst part of Tel Aviv is around the Old Central Bus Station. An area not only extremely ugly, but also very dangerous after hours. I still don't understand how mayor Huldai tolerates this.

At least one observer has said that Tel Avivians are "Hebrew-speaking goyim". It's major claim to fame is its hedonism. It worships beauty and pleasure much like Los Angeles. On the other hand, I don't want to see an Israel run by "Torah law" either, with self-styled guardians of morality taking out their frustrations on secular Jews and tourists just to fulfill their power fantasies. There has to be a happy medium, one where all can live and let live. Idealistic? Perhaps, but necessary. I don't want to see people fornicating in public but I also don't want to see sinners burned at the stake either.

...there are little havens of urban sanity, like here in Haifa. In any future peace agreement with Palestinians, they are welcome to have Tel-Aviv

....Bar Rafaeli is Ms Big Time. She is not. She is a recognized brandname in chutz-laaretz, but not a particularly sought-after one. She recently had to return to Israel to find a paying booking. Her managers are her parents - not a sign of Grade-A prime beef. The Jews who run hollywood want younger (= cheaper) cattle. And a livelong singing career (say for example, like 50-year old Madonna) never even got started. We can predict that in a few years, Bar will be working the Hadassah and "National Council of Young Israel" conventions to pay for her botox. The actual Israeli-Americans won't book her. Their savvy women know that Bar isn't very bigtime.

the first target of Radical Islam.

But then what do other Israeli cities offer? Jerusalem is diverse it offers a Ukrainian shtetl musem (Mea Sharim), traditional Arabi vllage museum (all over the East) and some historic religious sites. Haifa has nice nature but industrial blight ruin all of the natural advantages.

Whoever this person is, Raanan Shaked, he/she wrote: 1.".....while Israel at this time is a sort of Arabic curse word for most of the world, ..." 2."The most successful and profitable subsidiary of the mother brand that keeps burying itself while still alive, that is, the State of Israel. " 3."Tel Aviv being voted the world’s best gay city in 2011 by GayCities,...." 4."Tel Aviv will remain forever trapped by its stepmother, Israel. " There's nothing better to stir the emotions than to bash someone, something, or some place, to attract attention to your story; whether good or bad. That's what the writer of this Article has done. The phrase "Israel", is NOT the bane of the world's people; expressed as a curse word or a filthy-speaking slur. It is demonstrative of the strength and purpose of the Jewish people in their homeland. Israel is not Tel Aviv's step mother; Tel Aviv is part and parcel of the State of Israel; part of the real mother's body. The writer focuses on the gay community of Tel Aviv as if that group is all-significant to contrast to the rest of Israel. It is a poor choice indeed. The writer's term, the "mother brand" implies that Tel Aviv is a "Subsidiary" of Israel. Wrong choice of verbage, once again. Tel Aviv is an integral body element of Israel that reflects the beauty of the whole. I'm glad that the so-called "Global media" does not sway the whole world.

A beautiful city, indeed. Every jew can be proud, that a 3 million metropolis - with the suburbs - exists in the Holy Land. Vienna has 1,5, Budapest 1,8 million inhabitants. If T. Herzl should have seen it ! But plenty of very old and ugly buildings are there, which are to be razed. More parks and modern buildings to be constructed instead of them.

...that it deserves the first prize for stupidity.As a one who lives in TA I object to be associated with this idiocy

Has more Bauhaus style buildings than any other city [ restoration of some must be done ] Have a walk in the Balfour street , see how those buildings were restored , go to the promenade , the beach . It's great . Not to talk about the TA museum of art , or the "eretz Israel" museum . Tel Aviv , only 103 years young , has much to offer , to EVERYONE . And the rest of Israel is not faraway either ! Need some months to see something .

So they say you jews stay inside your middle eastern shtetl? So the big news is that Tel Aviv is different to other parts of Israel? Wow big news. I have some other breaking news too. London not like rest of UK. New York is not like other parts of USA. Can I get paid to write an article about these two pieces of shocking news? Most people in major cities get caught up in their own self obssesed bubbles. They often earn more than everyone else and often end up simply being places where the rich elites of a nation congregate surrounded by a poorly paid and often foreign undercalss to do the work no one else in the same country can afford to do for them and live in that city too.

a tour at the favella in Rio, or shall we both go out in Sao Paolo and see if some1 one is going to rob us? every city on earth has good and bad parts.

Don't forget the native's opinion: locals have self dubbed Tel Aviv- "Sodom & Gmorah", that alone should give you an idea how vacant and self serving this city is. I only came here because it reminded me of another city I know like that, NYC (where I grew up), Dont be fooled by glitter, sunsets, and free speech; TLV has shallow and idiotic residents-most in their mid 20's to mid 30's still trying to squeeze some hedonism out of their lives till their forced to settle down and face seriousness. Most here live in a bubble of liberal extremism, untouched & unaffected by their neighboring cities who suffer for their selfish existence. Do I love TLV? Yes, but I would not say I share the views of others living here.

Nothing special about Tel Aviv aside from the fact that the cost of living is there higher than elsewhere.

I like Haifa nevertheless, it's great if you have $5million you can buy a house on top and enjoy the view down along the Baha`i gardens. Take a trip on the little toy tram. Enjoy nice food including fresh sea food. I like `Acco too. Don't know the East of the country too well yet. The axxhole of the country is definitely Rishon, a big-mid size city with not a single hotel or attraction really sad.

Tel Aviv the new Sodom and Gomorrah, where anyone can see live sex shows. feh

...Tel Aviv is full of homosectionals/gays, therefore the media loves Tel Aviv and hates the rest of non gay Israel. Quite simple.

You obviously don't know what your'e talking about. Tel Aviv has got everything (of course the rest of Israel is also fantastic).

Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, is the heart of Israel. And it's largest city.

Most of the anti-Israel world media know they're being unfair to Israel and applying a double standard. Praising Tel Aviv gives them a chance to make amends for their poor treatment of Israel. Jerusalem is a 'trophy' city with Jews, Christians and Muslims all making claims to the Holy City. Tel Aviv is a sui generis Israeli Jewish City, claimed by no other group.