Ben Gurion Airport

i like getting to airports early. as i’m writing this, i am seven hours early to a flight, waiting for the departures board to show which gate i’m gonna be waiting at in four hours. whenever i board a flight, the line forms behind me, because i start standing next to the gate 50 minutes before boarding. it only works if there’s no boarding groups, though.

Bnei Brak — Ramat Ha'hayal

this station looks like one i’ve been in before. i suspect that a lot of these stations with two or three platforms are of a standard design, but i suppose i’ll see. this design is definitely not very interesting, though. i like the ones north of Haifa better.

Haifa — Bat Galim

bat galim means “daughter of the waves” in hebrew. i’ve always considered making it my moniker if i ever make middle-eastern inspired synth pop. outside this station is a condemned building, that i can never take my eyes off of. i wish i had the time to explore it.

Herzliya

the first time i ever went to this station i accidentally exited through the emergency exit. thankfully i didn’t set off any alarms, but i was lost and confused trying to get back until i figured out my way forward. i think this is a metaphor.

Hod HaSharon — Sokolov

for some reason this station has “station” in the name, but only in english. this tidbit is more interesting than anything that goes on in this city. i have only heard of one thing ever happening here, and it’s a former friend-turned-transphobic gymbro being born here, i think.

Karmiel

this is my hometown’s one and only train station. it’s a terminus, which means i always get to sleep without worrying about missing my stop. i like it so much not only because of the nostalgia, but also because it makes some really nice choices: the coffee shop has two entrances, one from each side of the gate. this has been done already but never quite so elegantly. it does look unfinished from the outside, though.

Kfar Saba — Nordau

i’m pretty sure this station’s name is misspelled. i’m trying to be as faithful to the signage as i can, though sometimes it itself is inconsistent, especially compared against the websites. they also use hyphens instead of em dashes, which is the one thing i had to fix, for my own sanity.

Petach Tikva — Kiryat Arye

this is the city my grandparents used to live in, and where i’m currently taking care of their house. i’ve been in it for over a year and it still feels alien, frozen in time, and not mine. it’s too big and, apart from the computer room where i spend my time, largely unfurnished. i hope i can get a cozier place to call home, and fill with wall art and plants.

Petach Tikva — Segula

this is the station that’s closest to where i live, but i don’t go to it at all; i prefer to take the light rail to savidor central, instead. i don’t think it’s faster, and it’s definitely more cumbersome, but i feel better when i do it. i think i’d just like to get out of my city as early as possible.

Ra'anana — South

as i was taking the photo for this station (blurrier than usual, with the tunnel and my arthritis), someone came up to me and asked to see the picture. he also wished me good luck on my project. i took a train that i didn’t expect to be there, and everything went fine.

Ra'anana — West

this station makes me sick.

Rosh HaAyin — North

something i’ve noticed in all of these train stations is that there’s not a single wall or pillar that isn’t covered in memorial stickers for fallen soldiers during the war. it would be a neat art project to go and photograph all of them. of course, it’d be a sisyphean task — but maybe that’s part of the artwork too.

i have trouble taking pictures with unconsenting people in them. it makes me uncomfortable, especially when they’ve noticed. this image isn’t the one i wanted to take, but it’s the only one i could.

Tel Aviv — Savidor Central

this is my favourite train station in tel aviv. it’s got three entrances: two from tel aviv and one from ramat gan. there’s a piano on the upper floor, and people occasionally play very nice music that takes me away from the hustle and bustle of the station. i think there’s going to be a book store here eventually.

Tel Aviv — University

i don’t think i’ve ever entered or exited this station from a regular, non-temporary exit. the rail infrastructure here is constantly in need of repairing and improving, especially the stations themselves. i have a couple friends near here who i haven’t visited in a while. maybe i should.