Jerusalem's old Ottoman-era train station, last used in 1998, has been converted into a pedestrian cultural campus with restaurants, food stalls, a craft beer bar, and an outdoor events space. The original station buildings — stone, high-ceilinged, elegant — are intact; the platforms and tracks have become promenades. On weekends there is a farmers' market, occasional live music, and food trucks.
The First Station anchors the southern end of Emek Refaim Street and serves as the gathering place for the German Colony neighbourhood. It is Jerusalem at its most relaxed: locals rather than pilgrims, dogs and children on the platform, the Old City visible on the hillside above. A pleasant contrast to the city's historical and religious intensity.