For months I stayed close to home, so when I ventured out it was a shock.
In Jerusalem, Israel, walking in the park and nature areas had been a daily relief from COVID-19 limitations. But seeing what had been done to the Jerusalem streets in my absence was amazing.
Some locations recently renovated have become popular out door spaces.
With the announcement of the renovation, expansion, and renaming of the Jerusalem International Conference Center for Shimon Peres, it was time to go again see what was happening.
It was exciting to see new stairs leading up to where the old parking lot was located. The past years access has been difficult with so many changes in the infrastructure. Every time you came for an event, there was a new traffic pattern and the old stairs were gone.
Jerusalem of old is going and the new is going down and up and up.
The old Kraft Stadium has gone down, just down as seen from the street.
But the housing across the road has gone up and up.
This new Abba Eban Street was one of the first in the neighborhood.
The old Foreign Ministry campus is now a luxury housing project going up.
The bollards are up on the new sidewalk in front the Netanyahu house.
But business in the area is down. This red antique van, parked near Balfour Street for a very long time, was in front of a closed restaurant.
The restaurants and bars are closed, but the bakery is open with patrons waiting outside at a distance, and many food places are selling take out.
Not so easy for a tailor to social distance and survive financially.
But walk up the street and there are new traffic lights and construction.
First time I saw a worker cutting stones on the spot.
The street by the Ohel Nechama Synagogue on the way to the Jerusalem Theater is being redone.
The Jerusalem Theater looks the same, however, it is closed. I just missed a dance class which took place on the plaza outside in front.
This is the new footpath and view from the Jerusalem Theater plaza.
The footpath leads to the new parking lot for the theatre. Seems the builders added a couple of extra floors and now construction has stopped and the action has moved to the court room.
The area around the Jerusalem Theater is very different. Be warned the first time you go to give yourself extra time to figure out which direction is up or down or around.
The Museum of Islamic Art, as are the other museums, is closed and in financial trouble with no visitors. An auction of 200 items from the private museum’s storerooms was halted due to negative publicity.
But there should be more concern for the small business owner who can’t legally open their doors.
Walking around the Jerusalem streets, building after building is going up.
Bus stops have been moved, streets were redone with commercial parking.
The construction fence is gone, and now there’s a new theater in Liberty Bell Park near the rollerblading skating rink and new parking lot.
New seating areas with wooden benches and shade grace more Jerusalem streets since the novel coronavirus crippled the tourism industry.
New paths with fancy wood garbage bins have been installed in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park, along with lots of new landscaping.
But walking around Jerusalem, it was good to see some of the familiar sites.
The stairs in Yemin Moshe look the same as before the novel coronavirus.
And the Lion Fountain was back on! No children were splashing and cooling in the water as in past years, but the big lion had the same one drop drip from his chin as before.
So much had changed on the Jerusalem streets over the spring and summer.
The Tower of David is closed to the public for a major renovation. I will share that big project next time. Meanwhile, I will end with a clip from the King David Night and Light Show. Can’t wait to see what they do next!
Hope to be able to share the real Jerusalem streets with you in person soon.
