A lame attempt as part of the Hipsters Around the World series on travelsofadam.com.
Haifa is Israel’s 3rd (or maybe 4th…I’m not sure) largest city. (Actually, defining an Israeli’s city size is a complicated, political affair—one I don’t really want to get into.) Well, whatever. It’s a big city and it’s in northern Ramallah in the West Bank or many tourist sites in the surrounding area.
Haifa, Israel doesn’t have quite as much to do as a big Israel city like East Jerusalem, but it’s regarded as a bit of a nice city to visit in Israel. I wanted to visit the Baha’i Gardens which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (I think?). You can tell this post was well-researched, can’t you?
So, my CouchSurfing host was kind enough to provide some good travel tips for Haifa, Israel’s (third?) most popular city for tourism. Haifa turned out to be a rather enjoyable city and it actually seemed pretty cool. A lot of cafes and trendy shops—on a much smaller scale than Tel Aviv, but cool nonetheless. Plus it’s on the side of a mountain (or a really big hill). That makes for walking around the city rather difficult, but the buses were easy to manage and, bonus!, the city has the world’s shortest subway system! (More on that next week. Or sometime. I think it’s disputed, anyways.)
My CouchSurfing host recommended I check out Masada Street—possibly the most interesting thing to do in Haifa, Israel. Street art galore! Apparently there are random street parties with live music and hippies dancing in the street sometimes. I didn’t see it, but I’d believe it. Masada Street was really cool…the perfect place for alternative culture and alt things to do in a very “business” minded Israel city! That’s compared to Jerusalem with all the crazies and Tel Aviv with all the parties.
So what’s to do on Masada Street? A used bookshop, vintage clothing, upscale/independent trendy clothing, bars & cafes—all necessities for a hipster. And on a street that’s just 500 meters! (Disclosure: I made that number up.)
Anyways, the most interesting part of this tiny sliver of Haifa is the STREET ART:
PS I love whales.
thanks! but i don’t think it really is very informative. in fact, there are hardly any facts here at all.
First of all, Ayngelina. You are amazing for always commenting!
Secondly, who doesn’t love street art?!? I think that’s pretty cool that Toronto cleans the street every year. It sounds like an awesome place.
I simply love your photographs. They are unique. The post is also very informative.
Regards,
Suhasini
http://indiancolumbus.blogspot.com
A unique travel blog
I love street art. In Toronto there is a street that is covered in graffiti and once a year it gets cleaned, not because it’s grafitti but to encourage new art for the year. The city government even has a map for people who walk to do a graffiti walk.
I really enjoyed reading this post.. not entirely sure why, but it was fun and short with lots of pictures! Also, it just sounds like a really cool weekend adventure. Sometimes, you just have to go places a little off the beaten path, and you can discover wonderful things!
You’re the bestest Em!
And from your review, I’ve learned that I should use more unsubstantiated facts and more photos. Done AND done. Piece of pie.
Graffiti is definitely not something I would have expected to see in Israel. I’m pleasantly surprised by it, and definitely some awesome artists. Thanks for sharing!
Heya Melissa,
Israel has A LOT of artists. I’m not really sure why but the culture seems to breed creativity.
I always love Street Arts, maybe because I’m a designer. Nice photos!
Cheers Sarah… I think designers are required to enjoy street art. Some sort of prerequisite.
hahah agreed. When I was in college, my typography teacher always like to show us books about street art. It’s definitely a designer’s favor.
ps i love you almost as much as you love whales. this is awesome.
[…] Hipster Haifa: Masada Street: You know how much I love graffiti posts! Adam of Travels of Adam is currently living and interning in Tel Aviv and took a trip to see Haifa. Masada Street is quite the hipstery place with some great graffiti. […]
Well really nice article. I’ve been traveling all over the world from a long time but i have to say that Haifa is one of the best and historic city in this world.Haifa has a mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.Haifa’s main tourist attraction is the Baha’i World Centre, with the golden-domed Shrine of the Bab and the surrounding gardens. Between 2005 and 2006, 86,037 visited the shrine. In 2008, the Bahai gardens were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The restored German Colony, founded by the Templers, Stella Maris and Elijah’s Cave also draw many tourists. So thmbs up for such a great city :)
I searched hipster Haifa and this is what came up…..I’m staying outside of Haifa right now, and I wanted to meet cool Israelis and go vintage shopping so on a whim I googled and this is absolutely perfect….So I kind of love you right now
I think this is a really cute idea I hope you continue you it I always seek out the secret hipster spots in different cities I visit, I bet I know where in Barcelona you’re going to write about :)
Are you still in Israel now?
Thanks again,
Emma
Hey Emma!
Glad you found this :)
I definitely need to write some more about all the hipster stuff I’ve found around the world. Thanks for the reminder :)
[…] not your typical street art (such as the graffiti in Seville or what was isolated on a single street in Haifa). The street art in Vienna (from what I saw) is actually less graffiti and more…pretty. […]