Dizengoff Center part 2 (stores and more...)
Tiers of "serpentine" interior Two weeks ago sam-d-man wrote about Dizengoff Center (previous story). Since this is such a big shopping center, we wanted to give more of the feel and the quality of the place.
First of all, Dizengoff Center is considered the first and the "grand daddy" of shopping malls in Israel. At the time it was built (1973) Tel Aviv depended mostly of shopping on main commercial streets. Allemby and Dizengoff streets were considered the "upscale" places to shop. Also, Tel Aviv and Israel in general, did not have large shopping centers built as one unit. So even the idea of one large place to shop was a revolution in consumerism. The center is built out of two buildings straddling Dizengoff street at King George Street (Ha'melech George). The interesting about the center is the curvy layout and the open center. Both buildings are similar in layout with a serpent looping structure going from floor to floor (almost looks like a squashed spring). When you look at interior pictures it's hard to imagine how this feels. In the middle of this serpent (or spring) is a big space, this way you can see from the ground floor all the way up to the fourth. Imagine the Guggenheim museum but with a funky squashed center instead of the circle.
All along the center serpentine, there is a walkway-balcony. Along the balcony are store fronts, mostly there are small specialty stores, boutiques and services (hair dressers, travel agencies, tattoo shops, etc.) The larger stores tend to be at the end of the "squashed" loops and on the "flat" parts. Oh, the "flat" part of Dizengoff Center is an "extension" outside the loops. OK, are you confused enough? Well, you will be more confused, and maybe even a little lost the first few times here. But, there is a positive side to this wavy architecture. Dizengoff Center is HUGE. Not just by Tel Aviv / Israel standards. A way to grasp the size of the center is by the variety of stores. The still in construction Dizengoff Center web site has a partial list of 164 stores (not all the categories are done, as of Sept. '07). (Editor's note: Wikipedia (HE) lists 420 stores. Hopefully the center will have an English version of the site with store index and phone numbers). Anyway, there are stores here off all kind and type. From the big Israeli and international chains to Tattoo and piercings. There are even health clubs and spas. Some of the unique stores here are stamp and coin collector stores which are hidden among the home recording equipment and computer stores.
Typical storefronts, large and small packed together Dizengoff Center has been renovated a few years back. It went through low times in the late 1990's. Today it has become a high-caliber shopping center. For most people in Tel Aviv it's the biggest with most places to shop. It is one location where all the important fashion chains are concentrated. If you need to shop for cloths, gifts or accessories, this is the place to come.
Tags, Tags, Tags While talking about shopping, let's look at Israeli fashion specifically at the big chains. If you come to Dizengoff Center for cloths, take a look at: Crocker, Fox, Golf & Co., Diesel, Zara, Onot, Castro, Renuar... OK, you get the point, there are lots of places to buy fashionable clothes, not only that, Dizengoff Center is a good place to start. Tel Aviv fashion is competitive, that's good for the consumer. Besides the large chains, take a look at the smaller stores and boutiques. There you will find lots of unique and interesting things.
Enjoy your shopping in Tel Aviv, come to Dizengoff Center... //AmiV
Comments
במיוחד מעצבות למידות גדולות
כמו אלכסנדרה!