Jerusalem, O Jerusalem.... please accept my apologies.
Jerusalem may be the oldest continuous, most renowned and important city in history.
When I first arrived there in 1959 it was barren, no trees, just like a standard Arab city. The entire Old City, with the Wailing Wall, was closed to anyone on the Israeli side (Arabs only pretend to be hospitable). There were a few hotels, fewer businesses, other than an occasional suk, few people out on the street and endless white stone buildings. It was desolate, boring.
I returned again in 1990, 2003 and 2005 and it was the same spiritual, religious, non-commercial city. Boring, really boring to a man of commerce.
The Old City was now open to the Jews that put the city on the map of history, except for the Arab Conquest desert-gold-plated-stone in the very middle called the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. But nearly all the stalls in the Old City were ugly tourist traps run by Arabs who design their stores to look like mini-iron prisons.
Big change in 2010. A major mall, Mamilla Mall has been build over 4-5 blocks long from the city center to the Old City, Jaffa gate. The Mall is beautiful, open, brilliantly designed, with open restaurants and coffee shops, great windows, good parking and international stores in abundance.
It sort of makes the sacred Old City a Disney destination. Wonderful. Commerce has come to Jerusalem and it is not spiritual, not religious.... it is life.
There is also a lovely new shopping,walking, restaurant street near the German Colony called Emek Refaim which is also alive.
Jerusalem, please accept my apologies. You had potential all along. I just never saw it.