Is This Really One of the Top Hipster Neighborhoods on the Planet?
Shops, street art, bikes, and pups in the Florentin neighborhood in Tel Aviv. (Photo: galit seligmann / Alamy Stock Photo)
After spending too much time in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, over the past decade, I can say that I know hipsters.
Naturally I was curious when Thrillist released its list of the most hipster neighborhoods in the world. Williamsburg, naturally, came in No. 1. But No. 2 was a hipster underdog, the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Florentin.
“In a city already known for its Bauhaus-style architecture, inspired street art, and 24-hour nightlife, Florentin’s the go-to spot for artists, musicians, and people who dress like artists and musicians,” Thrillist explained.
I just happened to be in Tel Aviv when I read the article. I figured I should check it out to see how it stacks up to the ’Burg and to my current home city, an emerging hipster marketplace, San Francisco. Does it meet my 14 criteria for high-level hipster neighborhoodiness? I needed to know. So I went on a wander with my camera to find out.
1. A coffee hut (Coffee Corner) with adorable guys serving farm-to-table vegan pumpkin soup. ✔
2. Cats who own the neighborhood. ✔
3. Vaguely ironic cerebral street art littered with pop-culture references from the ’80s and ’90s. ✔
4. Impossibly handsome men walking small dogs. ✔
5. Impossibly good-looking girls with dogs perched on stools. ✔
6. Three dudes with beards playing guitars in a doorway. ✔
7. Art made of compact discs. ✔
8. Rooftop gardens. ✔
9. Handicapped dogs. ✔
10. Hip restaurants carved out of old factories. ✔
11. Stroller parking. ✔
12. Organic-everything restaurants. ✔
13. Rustic barn decor in a restaurant named after the proprietor’s deceased dog that will prepare any kind of food (including vegan and gluten-free) you want. ✔
14. Hot dads with beards. ✔
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