Beirut livelier than ever

My previous trips to Beirut were in December 2001 and April-May 2002. I like it here so much, and it’s so close to Cairo (the flight is just 1 hour, unless they land in Alexandria to pick up and let off passengers as sometimes happens) that it’s strange that I went more than 8 years without returning.

However, one advantage of my long absence was the chance to be impressed tonight by how much the city has developed in 8 years, despite a war occurring midway during that period.

The airport is much more elaborate than before. The guy at the visa stamp window looked at me as if I were a fool to ask for a visa with a U.S. passport; not sure when the visa requirement was lifted, but in 2001-02 I had to buy them upon arrival. The Hamra neighborhood is really developed now, with formerly dark and sleepy streets that I remember clearly from last time now absolutely hopping with nightlife.

But some things never change: the taxis from the airport are still a hellacious ripoff. You can take a bus if you know where to find it, but it’s apparently complicated (I never tried) and at that hour of night it’s not worth it.

Tomorrow’s event is in the evening, and informal, the way architects often like to do it.