Around Amman

Tales of An Accidental City Part 1-- April City Excursions

I have yet to post an account of where I spend most of my Jordanian days and nights: the Ancient city of Philadelphia. Apparently, Amman is the oldest, continuously lived-in city. I wouldn't say this is clutching at straws but I would say, as in the case of the LSE's similar declaration of housing "the world's largest social science library", that it may be an embellished superlative. Compared to surrounding Arab cities, take the antebellum charisma of Beirut, and the flossiness of stupidly-minted Dubai, Amman can appear underwhelming. The city has the feel of an overnight pop-up suburb with deja-vu housing. Indeed, if there was ever a modern city planner here, I would like to meet this person and clarify what visual-spatial disorder he/she may possess.

All that aside, beneath the architectural uniformity and the incongruity, there are many hidden gems. I do have a great fondness for Amman so I'd like to share the good, bad and ugly. This is the first part in my series on life in the Big City (Ok, I don't think this will be a long-series, I don't want to oversell!).

These streets aren't made for walkin'

Perhaps we should start where many dare not to tread alone: Amman's sidewalks.

As alluded to earlier, Amman is notoriously unwalkable. I assume the sidewalks are designed for ants as they are they are accustomed to frequent strolls in gravel as most "walk"ways tend to end suddenly as if someone took a sledge hammer to it. I am also confident ants have very low expectations as to how far they will get in a day.

I am one those Western freaks who takes to these Ammani streets. My house is so close to my work that I can't justify taking a cheap cab ride and ending up in my backyard. As close as it is, I wouldn't say it's pleasant crossing a four-lane road every morning. In fact, this attracts a number honks from passing cars, either from men who like to express their sexual frustration in honks or from drivers who would like to state they disapprove of my penchant for putting one-foot-in-front-of-the-other. In addition to the Popeye's Chicken establishments, this is another feature Amman has in common with a southern American suburb. You just don't walk if you aren't expecting to get a few bemused stares.

There are a few places where anxious Western feet are welcomed, however. And then God said, "Let there be Rainbow Street!"

A "you-can-walk-here" beacon!

Rainbow Street is Amman's answer to East London. It's cobblestoned walkways are dotted with cute cafes (ok, mix in a bit of Edgware Road because of the prevelance of nargileh) and handicraft shops. It also has a great outlook over the city where young boys with their musical toys can be seen around sunset serenading their friends. Some highlights:

1.) The Falafel Sandwich place: I'm sure this has an actual name but I have only zoned in on the 35-50 piastre runny hummus/falafel sandwiches. It's a hole-in-the-wall and completely unmissable. There is a picture on the wall of Dave Milliband visiting the joint. Enough said.

2.) Wild Jordan: This is a Western-style cafe/restaurant. It features healthy food options that run in line with its commitment to nature conservation (it's a platform for the RSCN to display their goods) but the real reason you should come is for the fresh juice and views of the Roman Citadel.

My friend Sura and me at Wild Jordan

3.) Books @ Cafe: It's probably the most renowned expat cafe but it also has a local vibe. The staff are friendly and the food and drinks reasonably priced.

4.) The Jordan River Foundation showroom: The JRF employs several bedouin women to design modern cloth for the bedroom and it really has me drooling. The price tag and my Easy Jet weight limit, however, keep me from buying anything!

@ The JRF Showroom: The pillows of my dreams

Less you think I arrive in the East looking for the West...I actually prefer the more traditional parts of Downtown Amman to Rainbow Street, despite it not being as walker friendly. There you find good food at local prices and you get a real sense of how energetic and close-knit the city can feel before it sprawled to the outlying hills. Recently, I visited Hashem Restaurant and Habibah for criminally cheap food with a few of my Mom's friends. (My Mom met an older couple in Florida who have long forgone the comforts of 5-Star hotels -- I got the sense they could more than afford them too! -- and have decided to travel through nearly 150 countries like a pair of backpacking youths).

Bill, 90 years old and still enjoying life...and falafels at Hashem Restaurant

Barbara Roy and I enjoying Kunafa at Habibah - it is shredded wheat over sweet cheese and it's packed with more than the recommended daily amount of sugar

Reem al Bawadi: Don't ask me, or a taxi driver for that matter, how exactly to get here besides a prayer and some survival Arabic, but if you do figure it out (you, the Lonely Planet equipped) it's worth all the leg-work put in. Reem al Bawadi is a bedouin/Lebanese-style mezze restaurant. The space inside is endless, the service prompt, and the food is excellent (ok, so my food vocabulary isn't the most refined). The best features though are the stuffed sheep hemorhagging asbestos. It makes for a great photo opportunity. There was also a man outside with a tilted carriage that took us for a ride behind the Hardees and Burger King -- it was a stroll through Central Park Amman style.

Reem al-Bawadi - Bedouin Posers