Sights

The chaos of Shuk haCarmel (Carmel Market) will entertain even the most jaded of tourists. Near the northern entrance to the market, shopkeepers stand behind piles of clothing and footwear, selling “fashions” wliich even the Russian olim (immigrants) choose to admire from afar. Waving polyester undergarments and red plastic sandals, vendors bellow their products’ virtues. Farther south, toward the parking lot, you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the lowest prices in the city. Huge mounds of chickens plucked bare make the west side of the market look like the morning after a foul barnyard ritual.

The entrance to the shuk is at Kikkar Magen David at the intersection of Allenby and HaMelekh George St. The community in Kerem haTeimanim (the Yemenite Quarter), northwest off Allenby, retains its traditional, viUage-Uke, crumbly appearance despite the encroachment of stores hawking Simpsons T-shirts. For a more sedate shopping experience, on Tuesdays and Fridays the midrahov of Nahalat Binyamin and Ramban St.-one block south of Shuk haCarmel-becomes a street fair. From 10am4pm (weather permitting) local artists and craftspersons sell jewelry, pottery, paintings, Judaica, and even some bizarre candelabras; the street is also full of magicians, mimes, and musicians. Have a coffee or a beer in one of the many cafes around the Ramban-Nahalat Binyamin intersection.