“Founder of Telavivian”
The more you get to know about Anna, the more she’ll blow your mind. This Stockholm native came to Tel Aviv in 2012 and in just a few months she was running this town. She singlehandedly publishes an online cultural magazine, with contributions from some of our fav Cool Cousins, and she knows exactly what’s what and who’s who. Her recs are designed to work up your appetite, pump up your adrenaline and get your juices flowing with the trendiest food, drink and chillaxing haunts around. If you’re feeling a spell of FOMO coming on, Anna’s list is the xanax to your anxiety.
What are you working on these days?
We will soon be adding and launching a cool new feature to the online platform Telavivian – another way, a tool for our readers to get to know the residents and collectives of Tel Aviv, which is what we are constantly working towards. Me and a couple of friends are also planning for our next events. The goal is to create a moving meeting point in the city which offers more than just a good party (even though that is an important part of it), with some added value provided through cool content, performances, art, light and sound.
What drives you mad these days?
That women and men are still not equal.
What makes you happy?
It really makes me happy to know that I have found my place, my city, and that I am able to live in it. And sometimes I could simply be walking down the streets, listening to a good song, and almost shed a tear of happiness. Tel Aviv is wonderful.
When was the last time you cried?
When I had to say goodbye to my dad, mum, sister and childhood friends in Stockholm a couple of weeks ago. Even though it has been over three years since I moved to Israel, farewells are difficult.
What is Playing on Repeat in your earphones Nowadays?
Beach House, Amason, Nils Frahm, The Radio Dept and Kendrick Lamar.
What was the last movie you watched? Was it any good?
Son of Saul – one of the most difficult and well-made movies I have seen in my life.
When it’s time for a new wardrobe, where do you go?
My mum has a second hand shop in Stockholm, which is simply the best place for me to shop. I like to combine my findings from her shop with COS and Israeli designers. I therefore always recommend contacting local designers (Muslin Brothers, Aviva Zilberman, Maya Negri, Maya Bash, Julliett, HOKO, HANNAH, TRES and more!) and making appointments to visit their studios – it provides a great opportunity to get to know the people behind the designs, and the garments become more valuable and precious this way.
What’s your go-to café in Tel Aviv – to meet a friend or use as your base for all your meetings?
Cafe Habima – a cute Tel Avivian kiosk – is always easy to get to from many different parts of town. I love it for its location on the beautiful Ben Zion boulevard – it is a great place for some people-watching!
Where’s your favorite street or neighborhood to wander in Tel Aviv – the street or neighborhood that you won’t mind taking a detour for, just to walk through it?
I am definitely a fan of the squares in the city and walking around them: Bialik Square, Albert Square, Basel Square and Neve Tzedek Square.
What’s the thing you love to do in Tel Aviv but never actually do?
Sitting with a good book at HaBima Square.
Who’s your hero (alive or dead)? Where would you take them out to eat or drink and why would you choose that place?
Larry David makes me feel that I have nothing to worry about. I would like to take him out for french fries and wine at Rothschild 12, and then baked potato with sour cream and a glass of arak at Port Said. These two places are probably also the most Telavivian places I could show him.
What would make a perfect day in the sun for you?
The perfect day in the sun would begin on a Jaffa beach, right before the sun gets too strong. Then I would take a brunch break in the shade under the roof of Manta Ray or Suzanna, before starting my walk through Neve Tzedek’s small streets. There are so many hidden alleys with colorful flowers, doors, roofs and ceramics. I would continue on Rothschild and Chen boulevards towards Rabin Square and Ben Gurion blvd., to finally sit down and drink a fresh orange juice at Ha-Cafe Ben Gurion, before meeting up with a friend and walking to HaYarkon Park, where I would spend the golden hour.
If it’s been raining outside for days and you’re sick of staying at home – where would you go?
I love rain in Tel Aviv! It usually empties the streets, and turns Tel Aviv into a rather quiet place. But I would meet up with a friend at a cafe for a cup of nana (mint) tea.
What’s that place in Tel Aviv that you feel like only you know about? Where’s your secret spot and what make it special for you?
Well, I have always been curious about Hasidic Jews, and there is a community (Belz) not far from where I live, on Ahad HaAm st. It is fascinating to see how they live completely different lives, just a stone’s throw from the busy Rothschild blvd.
If tomorrow was your last day in Tel Aviv before you left for good, how and where would you spend it?
I would make sure to take a long walk through the whole city, from North to South. If it were a sunny day in the winter, I would spend a couple of hours on the beach, as far South as I could get. Then I would walk to Shuk HaCarmel, and make sure to eat fresh fruits and vegetables – because it simply doesn’t taste the same outside of Israel. The evening would begin with a Batsheva dance show at the Suzanne Dallal Dance Center. Hopefully it would be a new piece made by one of the the brilliant local choreographers: Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, or Inbal Pinto and Avraham Pollak. After that I would hope for an opening of a new exhition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art , and continue to the other gallery openings in the city, until I end up at HaAmal st., where I would have a wonderful dinner at A La Rampa.
Given the choice, mayor of which neighborhood would you be?
Neve Sha’anan.
What’s the place in Tel Aviv (or places) you’ll never be caught dead in?
The beach on a crowded day in August.
What’s the thing you love doing that isn’t work, relationship or family related?
I really enjoy traveling, preferably by train through Europe, discovering and getting to know new cities.
When you feel like going on a night out, what’s the first place that you usually consider going to and why?
I want my nights out to start at a loud and relaxed place with good music and simple drinks – like Rothschild 12 or Port Said.
You’ve just got the best news ever. Where would you go to celebrate and with whom?
I would take my good friends Sarah and Yael for drinks at Shaffa Bar and then go to Anna LouLou in Jaffa! Drinks and bites, 2-in-1.
