Hello mes amis…
I have found a few places over that past week that are turning a city that I kind of appreciated in its roughness to a jewel I am quickly coveting and beginning to see for its inherent youthfullness and cheekiness.
I am speaking of the area between 2nd circle and 1st circle on Jabel Amman (Amman hill), and then Rainbow street area as it curves around the face of this ‘mountain’, showing stunning views of the downtown area as the sun sets behind the citadel. It is a truly remarkable view from the ‘Dana Nature Reserve’ building of Wild Jordan - a trendy healthy cafe that has a glass face and is very modern in its apprearance. If you want to get some affordable food combined wih some very overpriced shopping, or even plan a trendy event with a stunning view, this is the place.
‘Mountain view’ as well is in the process of refurbishment, and is going to be the location of affordable drinks and tapas in a more loungy atmosphere. It is closer to the grit of the downtown core, and is right up from where Gafra is located… a place where most hang out to truly get a Jordanian (alchohol free) experience of smoking sheesha and inhaling cigarettes in all their glory. The shared meals here are great, and itis a place you can show up to with 12 people and they don’t even bat an eye.
‘Old View’ is another trendy coffee spot with an upper deck that is truly an amazing place to spend any time now, so I can only imagine it in summer. it is situated on Rainbow as well, down the cobble stone street (they are still in the process of trying in vain to turn this into an area where cars will no longer pass, but thats like cutting off the legs of most who live here). The hunbbly bubbly reigns supreme in this spot and is across from my favorite so far…
Books@ Cafe.
We first went to this place on a Friday night, when most of Amman is doing the obligatory family dinner, and wandered around past most of the closed shops and the hopeful looking restauranteurs of those who were open, attempting to entice us to walk through the doors. We were in search of that ’something’, that intangible thing that a hot spot has to have… little did we know we would find it at the top of a staircase with a book store as the facade. This place is so amazing – bright bold patterns on some walls contrast with the traditional white stone of others, and the welcome site of a center bar beckoned to us from the usual combination of cigarettes and sheesha that cloaks the air around most places, making it hard to stay there for long.
The roof in the Books @ Cafe manages to be high enough to lift that suffocating layer high above ones head though, and the result is a refreshing combination of laughter, wireless internet, coffee, beers, wine, Jordanians, Travellers, buisness meetings, dates, drinks, friends, western food, eastern food, oriental specialties …. all the things you would want to be able to do, and see, and eat, and feel. Oh, and books. There are those too.
To me, so far, this is the best area and best place to hang out in Amman. If I were to move here again I would be looking for ‘close to rainbow street’ or ‘close to jabel amman’ in the description.
