I would imagine that the original players of Upland can relate to the picture below. How do you build something from nothing, and who owns what? Thankfully in Upland we have the block chain that proves ownership, but in the city of Tel Aviv, the founders gathered as seen in the picture below only 112 years ago to begin building a city. This founding predated that of the modern State of Israel, which is only 73 years young.
Look at Tel Aviv now!
Only 460,000 people call Tel Aviv home, and the city limits are only 52 km2, but there is so much packed into this tiny space. For starters Tel Aviv is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and is connected to the ancient port city of Jaffa, one of the first ports in the world.
Why should Upland come to Tel Aviv? Well for starters, the Hebrew word for "why" is למה (pronounced lama) and the logo Upland mascot is Miles B. Chain - a llama! Coincidence?
Upland citizens are people from everywhere in the world - all religions, races and sex. Jaffa is a small neighborhood that is home to Jews, Christians, and Arabs who live together in peace. You can find many mosques, churches, and synagogues scattered around Jaffa, and all of Israel! Tel Aviv and Israel is a melting pot of of cultures and heritage from all over the world. As for Jaffa, have you ever heard of Jaffa oranges? They come from here.
The beautiful beachfront property in Tel Aviv is prime real estate, with many hotels one its shoreline. These beaches are home to many festivals and cultural events - maybe the most famous of which is the annual Gay Pride Parade - the only one held in the entire Middle East! Tel Aviv is home to a very vibrant LGBT community.
Tel Aviv is definitely a tier 1 city - it has been since the beginning of civilization - the port city, and Israel as a whole is a gateway connecting Africa to Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula and the entire Middle East. The cost of living in Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive in the world, and that is reflected through its real estate prices.
One of Tel Aviv’s most well known streets in the city is Rothschild Boulevard, located between Habima Theatre and the neighborhood of Neve Tzedek. It’s a part of the White City of Tel Aviv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Named after Baron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild who donated money and land to the Jewish community. On this street you will see many large Bauhaus buildings, as well as the Independence Hall.
In the city's short history, there are your fair share of landmarks. Independence Hall, located on Ben Gurion Boulevard is where on May 14th 1948, David Ben Gurion - Israel's first Prime Minister declared the founding of the modern State of Israel. His home was also on that same street.
The "White City architecture" of Tel Aviv is designated by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural as one of 24 new World Heritage Sites. It is a collection of over 4,000 buildings built in a unique form of the International Style in Tel Aviv from the 1930s, with a strong Bauhaus component. Tel Aviv has the largest number of buildings in the Bauhaus style of any city in the world.
Another unique piece of architecture are the Azraeli Towers - 3 sky rises in the heart of Tel Aviv shaped as a square, circle and triangle. At the heart of this complex is a shopping mall that is connected to the train station. This train station is one of 4 stops in Tel Aviv that connects commuters to the entire country as well as Ben Gurion International Airport, only a 15 minute train ride away.
The Jaffa clock tower was built in 1901 in the center of Jaffa’s town square. The clock tower in Jaffa is one of seven built in Israel and of the hundred clock towers built in the Ottoman Empire in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the reign of the Turkish sultan Abdul Hamid the Second.
Tel Aviv is often referred to as Silicon Wadi (wadi means valley in both Hebrew and Arabic), as there are countless startups that are founded in the city. Upland has its llama, but Israel and Tel Aviv has its unicorn. (a startup valued at over $1 billion). To be exact, over 60 unicorns! This makes Tel Aviv an important location for the Israeli tech industry. If your block explorer is never going where you want it to, maybe it needs to start using Waze, which was invented in Tel Aviv!
There are many streets named after famous Israelis, Jews, and non-Jews who have contributed to Israel's rich history. Just to name a few:
Hertzl St. named after Theodore Herzl, the founder of Zionism.
Hamelech George St. after King George V of the United Kingdom who reigned during the British Mandate of Palestine.
Dizengoff St. after Meir Dizengoff, Tel Aviv's first Mayor.
Maybe one day, Idan Zuckerman - Upland's founder who is also from Israel might get a street named after him!
Don't just put Tel Aviv on your virtual travel list, its well worth the real world flight!
