 Dear First Station, the apple of my eye, the shining crown of South Jerusalem nightlife. You recently turned 10 and yet how young and vibrant you seem at heart. I thought it was fitting to write you this poem, because it's Friday in Jerusalem and most of is closed, so besides visiting you there's really not much to do. Besides the impossible task I have set myself that is, that of finding words fit to praise you with. Of course you, O First, remain open as you always do, as you must always do. Your arms remain wide to embrace Jew and Muslim, religious and secular, the wandering tourist and the rooted local alike. Together we can all find comfort and acceptance within your perfectly planned boundaries. You are the glue that binds us together, O First Station. Like pieces of sawdust held together in a cheap MDF table from Ikea, you are the glue that binds us together in South Jerusalem. I know you're not alive, but I feel that you're alive. I feel you deeply, First Station. You are a part of me and I a part of you. O First Station, O glorious place of respite and happiness. I feel your infectious energy every time that I step foot in your meticulously curated space, expertly divided to present the wonderful serenity that exists between the various ethnic groups that live in Jerusalem. I can feel how organic and natural this space feels every time I walk through it, how it seems to radiate and pulsate life at every turn. I feel your authenticity. The train to Jaffa may no longer pass through your quarter, but you have ushered in a new train worthy of celebration in Jerusalem. A train of people, a train of life, a train of amusement. I know, First Station, that you're not perfect. Your amusement park looks permanently sad. The horses spin so empty of patrons, their faces etched with the pain of a 2,000 year long exile. They hope for patrons and I hope for them too. And yet, how can one feel desolate in your space? How can one feel hopeless when one sees the delighted look on the face of the guy driving the Chuchu train, inculcating the next generation of Jews in the wondrous history of the city we call home? First Station, you are above all a place of peace. Your restaurants are one more wondrous than the other. Your carefully curated entertainment calendar brings the very best entertainment right here to this wondrous shared space in Jerusalem. First Station, today I stand before you humble and honored and I wish to thank you. Not for all these things, not only for all these things, but most of all for being you. I wish you 10 more years of success.