It Ain't Like the States...

Before I came over here, a lot of people I knew who were familiar with Israel told me how crazy Tel Aviv is.  They would talk about how the clubs and bars really don't get going 'til 1 or 2am, and how the clubs don't close til 6 or 7am.  Ever since I arrived, I've been wanting to make the hour trip south to visit Tel Aviv, but I wanted to go during the day first, to kinda get a feel for it, so I would have a better idea of what was going on and what to expect when I made it down there at night.  Well, it took me a little longer than I expected to get settled in Haifa, so I haven't made it down there, except for a preseason game, but I didn't get to spend any time in the city, so to me, that doesn't count.  After our game Sunday, a couple of my teammates invited me to roll with them to Tel Aviv for the night because it was only 15 minutes from the gym we had just played at, and we didn't have practice the next day, so there was no rush to get home.  I was thinking about going with them, until I realized I came to the game in sweats (not exactly the Tel Aviv nightlife attire).  After thanking them for the invite, I got back on the bus, and headed to Haifa, as they went out for a night in the big city. 

 I called my teammate BJ late last nite to ask him how it went, and he said, 'man, it was goin alright until about 2am...we were leaving a club, and we were tryin' to catch a cab...Doron (Perkins) flagged one down, and started walkin' around the back of the cab to get in the other side...I don't know what the hell the cab driver was doin', but he just started backin' up all fast, and BAM, he ran right into Doron...'

Thankfully, Doron is alright.  Apparently he got a pretty good sized laceration on the side of his face (he was told to just rest at his apartment this morning instead of coming to shootaround), and might have jacked up his finger pretty bad, but obviously we are all pretty thankful that more damage wasn't done.  BJ stayed with him all night in the hospital in Tel Aviv, and they didn't end up coming back to Haifa 'til 4pm or so Monday afternoon.  

What people in the states don't realize is how different the nightlife is out here from back home.  There are no clubs or bars back home like the places in Israel.  They are extremely fun and wild, but at the same time you have to be careful, because it's just so different.  People drink in the parking lots outside the clubs like it isn't a big deal, right in front of the police!  But to the police here that is nothing out of the ordinary, and they are more focused on sending people through metal detectors, or patting people down as they come into the club.  In the states, if you tried to have a little pre-party in the parking lot outside the club, you would end up pre-partyin' at the police station.  It's just a completely different lifestyle, one I'm still getting used to.  And you best believe I will be making a day trip or two to Tel Aviv before I try to hang with the big boys for a night out in the big city.