Originally opened in 1936, Tel Aviv's port went into decline with the construction of a better, deeper harbour at Ashdod in the 1960s. In the early 2000s the Tel Aviv municipality finally overhauled the area, creating a wide wooden boardwalk, including playgrounds and bike paths, and transforming the derelict warehouses into a commercial centre with big-name stores (Castro, Levi's, Steve Madden etc) to draw local shoppers.
On weekends, the port is buzzing with families wandering around its waterfront shops, restaurants and cafes while planes swoop in low overhead to land at nearby Sde Dov airport. An organic farmers market attracts locals on Friday between 9am and 3pm, and after dark and on weekends hordes of young clubbers descend on the strip of bars and nightclubs after midnight.
