20 Things to know before going to Tel Aviv, Israel

There are so many things I wish I knew before going to Tel Aviv and below is just some of them. My vacation would have been a lot smoother if only I knew.

Shabbat starts every Friday before sunset and ends Saturday after dark. So, businesses are typically closed from Friday 4pm to Saturday 8pm.
A work week is Sunday to Thursday. Weekend is Friday to Saturday.
Shekels, the currency in Israel, is likely not an easy to get currency in your local country. Will need to order at your local bank with a few days notice. Or bring USD to Israel and exchange for Shekels upon arrival in Israel airport.
Due to religious reason, pork is not served in most if not all restaurants
Trains and public buses stop operating during Shabbat
Free bus operate within Tel Aviv during Shabbat. Information and routes here
Although most restaurants and shops close during Shabbat, most places are opened near the beach side area. Tel Aviv is a tourist city after all and the beach is where most of the tourists stay at.
It is ridiculously hot during summer and walking under the sun is not really a good option. Get a rav kav (transportation card) with a day pass or load it with a certain amount of balance, so you can hop on and off the buses around the city.
People can really walk. 3 or 4 km is a piece of cake to the locals. So, if you ask anyone for direction, they will tell you the city is very walkable and it will only take 15-20 minutes on foot even when google map says 45 minutes. So, do your feet a little favor and just get on the bus.
Moovit is widely use and very help app to plan your commute. It will show when you bus will come and the different options for commute.
People are generally very help and kind. They will offer to help whenever they see a lost tourist in the city. With that said, still keep a cautious mind when you see people that seem creepy.
Tel Aviv is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Not that people are all wearing luxury brands and dipping all their food in caviar, but the cost of very mundane everyday items are very expensive. McDonalds meal is around 16 USD. A schwarma without any drinks or snack from a take out store is around 14 USD. It will generally cost about 100 NIS. Tips is part of the eating culture. 10% is for average service. 12% is commonly given.
The street sign, buses, malls and overall city look similar to what you would see in Canada and US.
It only takes about 50 minute train ride to go from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It is better to load a day pass contract on your Rav Kav so you can just hop on and off the train and light rail in Jerusalem. It will save you a lot of money and keeps you sane by not burning under the sun.
It gets over 40 C in the summer and the weather is super dry. Bring a water bottle. Stay hydrate and under the shades.
There are so many vegetarian and vegan options in Tel Aviv.
The vegetable dishes tastes better than the meat dishes.
Taxi driver may want to set a fix price instead of charging by the meter, but they are actually legally required to charge by meter.
Gett is an app most commonly used for hiring a taxi. Will almost always guarantee you can get the taxi driver to charge by the meter this way. There is no need to tip the taxi driver.
Meal portions are huge, similar to sizes in the states.