Best Costume Ever: Purim 2014

I know,  my living room is about as messy and disjointed as my face here.

Alright, so I admit it. This post is 100% self-promotion. But after a snap-shot of my Purim costume this year went viral, I realized it was time to write about it!

Tel Aviv Labeled "Best Looking City" by Traveler's Digest

Israeli Supermodel Bar Rafaeli

Tel Aviv is known for plenty of things: great beaches, booming start-ups, arty vibes and great night-life. But, it's also filled with some of the most beautiful people in the world. Tel Aviv women and men are tan, fit and stylish, and it's not just me who thinks so.

Traveler's Digest has made it official, ranking Tel Aviv No. 10 on its 2012 list of Cities with the Best-Looking Men, and No. 7 on it's list of Cities with the Best-Looking Women.

Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade 2012

Tel Aviv's Gay Pride Parade is known across the world as being one of the biggest most exciting gay parades of all. Declared the World's Best Gay Travel Destination of 2011 by GayCities.com, it's no surprise that Tel Aviv did not disappoint in 2012!

Thousands of people flocked to the white city this past Friday, June 8th to march in the 14th annual parade and enjoy the colorful spectacle. Streets were packed with drag queens, scantily clad men, women in leather, and everything in between.

Israelis: Getting a US Visa May Get Easier!

In another move to strengthen ties between Israel and the US, Californian Democratic Senator Brad Sherman introduced a new bill that, if passes, will add Israel to the US Visa Waiver Program, Ynet news reported.

The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from specified countries to enter the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without needing to obtain a visa from a US consulate abroad.

If the bill passes, Israel will  join the likes of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore as number 37 on the list. 

Right now any Israeli who wants to visit the States has to deal with the lengthy business of visa approval, which is almost as frustrating as dealing with Israeli bureaucracy. 

While bills like this one have been introduced in the past, but were rejected, I'm still crossing my fingers!

Lag Ba'Omer 2012- A City in Flames

Lag BaOmer is one of the most fascinating holidays celebrated here in Israel. It typically involves field day sports and pyromaniacal activities, with a dash of sensible tradition and ceremony on the side.

Tel Aviv: The Start Up City

Tel Aviv has always been known for the beaches, the beautiful women and the great weather, but recently it's made its way into the lime-light as a start-up capital of the world.


By 2010, Wired magazine had labeled Tel Aviv as one of the "Hottest Start Up Capitals", pooling it with top European picks rather than Asian picks. Why? Well,  because "Tel Aviv is a hotbed of innovation, and so is included in our European Startups list to interpret Europe in a broad, Eurovision-type way."

Tel Aviv Turns To Dust on The First Day of Spring

This is what it looks like outside. Seriously. Today, the first day of spring, and Tel Aviv looks like a truly white city. The entire sky is white. The air smells like sand. And sinuses all over the city are suffering. Lets hope the second day of spring brings some proper spring weather! PS. Happy International Good Deeds Day

St. Patrick's Day in Tel Aviv!

Like all commercialized holidays, St. Patrick's Day has made it to some of the most unlikely countries.And Israel is one of them. Along with Valentine's Day and Silvester (NYE), St. Patrick's Day has become another excuse to party. Of course, Tel Aviv-ians would never let such a party opportunity pass them by.

To be frank, I don't mind the commercialization. In fact, St. Paddy's day can be pretty fun: I usually return home from the pubs with a belly full of free whiskey, and a handful of promotional paraphernalia. Take this hat I got last year for free at the Irish Pub "Leo Blooms". (Ignore the deer-in-headlights expression. I'm actually very happy about this hat! )

Shenkar & Haaretz Newspaper Team Up To Do Art

Shekar College of Art & Design teamed up with Haaretz Newspaper to do some interesting art. The recent exhibit, which juuuuust ended, is entitled "The Materials From Which The Words Are Made". It showcases an array of exciting design and visual art, all fashioned from Haaretz newspapers in an exploration of the relevance of the 'paper' in newspaper and it's material value. It also delves deep into the evolution of the news media today.

For those who didn't make it to the show, here are some sweet shots!

Bike Theft in Tel Aviv Runs Rampant

The best way to get around Tel Aviv is, hands down, by bike.

To begin with, the city has a relatively flat and even topography. Plus, with the sea to the west, it's always easy to navigate. If you know where the sea is, you can orient your self in a jiffy.

Back to Blogging After Long Haitus

photo credit: beth robyn photography

Hey everyone!

After a long, silent summer, fall and winter, I'm back.

I've finally made the effort with my no-longer-new job and busy schedule to carve out some blogging time so this doesn't get pushed aside.

Thanks to all my followers and those who have stumbled upon my blog who have contacting me with the hope that I'll keep writing.

So, here's my first post now that I've thawed out of hibernation.

Get ready for some serious updates since, as you all know, life here is never without some real excitement.

Israeli Writer Etgar Keret to Live in Tiny Capsule

PhotoCredit: Thehairpin

It has been designed and decided.
Famous Israeli writer, Etgar Keret is going to live in a tiny white capsule art installation that doubles as a house in Warsaw. They're calling it Keret house.

Tel Aviv in the Top 10 Again!

PhotoCredit: Via TimeOutTelAviv English Edition, by Ronsho

Tel Aviv has been making it into the Top Ten of so many lists, it's no surprise that Forbes blogger Beth Greenfield awarded it the #2 City in the World for "Most Celebrated Sunsets".

Tel Aviv Tent City is Bigger News than Amy Weinhouse

Photo Credit: AP/Oded Balilty

The tent city protests in Tel Aviv have become international news within the past two weeks as residents from all over the city have left their apartments and moved themselves and their tents to camp out on Rothchild Boulevard in protest of unbearably high rent prices.

Tel Aviv Adopts The Worst Advertisement Ever

Holy Cow, Tel Aviv bus stations are plastered with the worst adverts ever. I don't know how long these ads have been out in America/the rest of the world, but they've some how made it to Israel and they make me ill.

Subtext:

Oh, hi there. I'm a cow. That's right, Nestle and Kelloggs chose me to represent WOMAN.
That's because all women are cows- naturally fat and ugly and smelly.

But, look cows! There's hope! - with Nestle Skinny Cow , you can trick nature by eating something totally unnatural that makes you look like you're dying.

You can be skinny!

And if you wear eye-lash extensions on your cow eyes and lipstick on your cow lips then people might actually mistake you for an attractive woman.

So attractive, in fact, that I feel confident enough to sprawl myself over this pink banner without any clothes on and lay my hoof gently upon my hairy butt.

How did these Nestle Skinny Cow ads make it to Israel?!

Ugh.
Gag me.

Tel Aviv Rent Sparks Tent City

PhotoCredit: Ben Hartman, Jpost

Tel Aviv rent has been exploding for years now - some say its even through the roof  - and Tel Avivians have come together to put their foot down.  Over the weekend of  July 15th and 16th, hundreds of citizens, most of them young students and couples, erected a tent-city in the center of Rothchild Boulevard to protest the rising housing costs.

Whether or not the choice to set up camp on Rothchild was part of the original plan, it created a poignant contrast as Rothchild Boulevard  is one of the most central, renovated and affluent streets in Tel Aviv.

PhotoCredit: Motti Kimchi, Haaretz.com

The protest proved to be a great success with protesters uniting in pleasant uprising accompanied by performances from pop singer Efrat Gosh and Hemi Rudner. By Sunday evening, the protests had spread to Beersheva and Jerusalem where rent is also rising steeply and no roof is in place to provide any sort of rent-control.

Protests are expected to continue to spread to Haifa, Netanya and other cities even after Netanyahu lamely addressed the demonstrators, acknowledging the truth of the general housing issue in Israel real estate and asking protesters to come to Jerusalem to help him pass real estate reforms. (Since apparently he is too helpless to do anything on his own).

ArtCredit: Victor Enrich

The truth of the housing situation is obvious. We all feel it, especially in Tel Aviv. Even those who make a good paycheck typically find that approximately 50% of it goes to their landlord and city living taxes.  Students who are doing their best to find the cheapest Tel Aviv accommodation can barely get by.

Ynet interviewed Tal, a 25 year old student who said:

"Housing is a basic right, but there is currently no supervision over housing prices… This is the business of each and every one of us."

And Dafni Leef spoke with The Jerusalem Post on Saturday evening saying that she started the movement by opening a Facebook page because:

 “I didn’t see any reason to continue spending more than half of my paycheck on rent each month."

I've personally been moving south ever since I came to Tel Aviv, teetering out of the center of the city where prices shot up, to the southern slums where prices are considered to be reasonable. But after our landlord upped our rent this year by over 15%, I'm starting to think that I might be better off in a tent.

How Tel Aviv Women Stay So Thin!

Photo Credit: ג'קי יעקב 

Tel Aviv has been labled one of the top cities with the most beautiful people by travel magazines and travel blogs everywhere.  Beaches are filled with beautiful bikini-clad women and nightclubs and cafes brim with trim girls. When it comes to good looks, Tel Avivians just seem to "have it". They are tan 75% of the year, they live life mainly outdoors, and they are known for being fashion-conscious and fashion-forward.

But  how do Tel Avivians maintain their svelte figure!?

While I'm still trying to figure out how Tel Aviv is overflowing with so many gorgeous people, I think I've done my best to whittle down a list of the top 4 reasons Tel Aviv Women stay so thin! So here we go:

Fresh Produce

PhotoCredit: Smitten Kitchen

Israel has some of the most affordable and tastiest local fruits and vegetables. Fresh produce stands abound as do larger open-air markets. The Carmel market in the center of Tel Aviv is the most popular, but the Tikvah market is a close second.  Fresh juice stands are littered throughout the city with seasonal fruit switching up their shake menus. People know when the local vegetables are in season because nearly all is locally grown and produced. And this means that the Israeli salad- whether it be fruit salad or vegetable salad or a mix- is a staple in the Israeli Mediterranean diet.

Walking/Biking Culture

PhotoCredit: Hibino

Unlike Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is pretty flat making it a fantastic city to walk or bike. Combine that with the terrible traffic and high gas prices, and all Tel Avivians seem to have strong incentive to choose waking or biking over driving.  What's more, the Tel Aviv municipality has introduced a brand new rent-a-bike system this past May and it's already seen tons of success. This means people are moving around most of the time in the city, if not out of the city on a hike or walk through nature ( another practice deeply ingrained in Israeli culture).


Coffee and Cigarettes

Photo Credit: Maariv

Yes, it's true. Just like the French, the Israelis love their coffee and cigarettes. Their coffee, by the way, is absolutely fantastic- so I definitely give them that one. But, they love their cigarettes so much, that even after a law was passed banning smoking in bars, the people are still smoking everywhere: indoors and out. Why this smoke-affair exists is a topic for another time, but as we all know, coffee and cigarettes have long been known to help people control their weight and as terribly unhealthy both can be- it can't be overlooked. And no, I am not condoning cigarette smoke as an effective or practical weight-loss method in any way!


Year-Round Beach Season

PhotoCredit: Walla

Right now it's early July and Tel Aviv beach season is at its peak, but in Tel Aviv, the beach is always the place to be. In fact, The Environmental Protection Ministry rated Tel Aviv and Herzliya beaches the best in all of Israel. Now this not only means that nearly year-round it's hot-hot-hot- a factor that typically suppresses the apatite- but it also means that the Tel Avivian is in bikini-season year-round. And with such a youthful population, its no surprise that beach-goers do their best to look their best.  That's not to say that Tel Avivians never indulge in junk food. One look at the multitude of falafel stands and ice-cream shopswill put that myth to rest. It simply means that Tel Avivians are aware of eating healthy and staying fit.

Looking for a Hotel in Tel Aviv? Why not Boutique it?!

The Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel in Tel Aviv, Photo Courtesy of their website. 

Looking for hotels in in Tel Aviv? I'm not surprised. The tourist season and summer heat are on in full force.  June 21st has come and gone, bringing with it buses of birthright groups, throngs of tourists, long summer days and notorious Tel Aviv humidity.

 So if you're planning on heading to the white city this summer, you might want to consider upgrading from a hostel or basic hotel in Tel Aviv to one of the clean, cool and comfortable Tel Aviv boutique hotels just featured in yesterday's Ynet travel section. Now I can't even afford air conditioning in my dinky apartment in south Tel Aviv. But you tourists are on vacation and I don't know anything that tourists like more than the feeling that they are really on vacation.

This feeling is usually catalyzed by careless spending on totally awesome but absolutely unnecessary amenities which I am telling you you should definitely do because that feeling I'm talking about, that vacation feeling...it's fleeting and incredibly difficult to attain.

A montage of some of the fabulous Tel Aviv hotels you'll read about if you don't get bored and stop here

 To help you out, Ynet's article highlighted the ritziest of the ritzy Tel Aviv boutique hotels with personalized service and an intimate feel, but bemoans the high prices. Their review of what they call the "Tel Aviv's best boutique hotels" includes rooms which can cost guests up to $560 for two per night.

Sadly, I have not been lucky enough to set foot in even one of the boutique hotels mentioned on their list which includes:

•  The Neve Tzedek Hotel situated in the heart of Tel Aviv's oldest now turned artsy-chic neighborhood
•  The Gordon Hotel & Lounge situated right Tel Aviv's most popular coast
•  The Brown Hotel TLV located smack in the TLV center
•  TheVarsano Hotel which is more like a swanky Bed and Breakfast
•  Hotel Montefiore known for Tel Avivians for its beautiful architectural facade and fantastic restaurant
• and The Alexander Suites Hotel which I don't really know why they included since it has more than sixty rooms, which makes it significantly less intimate, and also a surprisingly crappy website.  But I guess their "Diamond Suite"  which is actually the biggest hotel suite in Israel boosted it to the top. 

While the article did a good job of instilling in me an almost visceral desire to be filthy rich, I did feel a pinch of  surprise when I reached the end and realized that they left out one of the most exciting, most unique and trendiest boutique hotels I know of: The Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel. The Diaghilev is one of two well known Art boutique hotel s in TLV, the second being the aptly named Artplus Hotel which comes up first on a google search for Tel Aviv art hotel. But really, it shouldn't, since the Diaghilev is way cooler and offers way more interesting exhibitions.

Photo Courtesy of the Diaghilev Facebook Page

 Photo Courtesy of the Diaghilev Facebook Page

You'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about if you take a look at the Diaghilev Facebook page. Some of their more recent exhibits have been promoted by the Goethe Institue including the most recent  German Vitra Design Museum exhibit "100 miniatures of classical seats". Check out some more photos of the exhibit here.

In short, there are some fantastic places to stay if you are looking to spend some money on a luxury suite.
If not, you'll have to wait till my next post outlining the best hostels for tourists on a budget! Stay tuned, there's more to come....

Kutiman's 'Thru Jerusalem' Goes Viral and Then Some

Israeli music video producer and international youtube phenomenon Kutiman has gone a step further with his most recent release, bringing beautiful audio and visual together with his newest youtube montage release of "Thru Jerusalem".  This music video montage of film snippets of Jerusalem musicians, artists, shots of local scenery both intimate and public, brings together the sounds, vibes colors and motion of Jerusalem.

In an interview with wired.com, Kutiman said:

 “I just tried to be a tourist and make the video regardless of race or religion... My only goal was to show the beauty of the city.”


And he succeeded in doing just this. Born Ophir Kutiel, the 29 year old "Yerushalmi", or Jeruslaem nativehas been known for his youtube mixes/collages of musical home-video which he found by scouring youtube on his own for interesting sampling material, as well as mixes of some popular music riffs. With his newest release, Kutiman  decided to go original this time around and cut and paste together his own footage of local talents.

Apparently he specifically requested that all musicians keep their Middle-Eastern improvisations around the key of D.

The video went viral within hours- posted and reposted on facebook by countless fans, and picked up by news sites and blogs such as CBS, Mashable (selected as their June 14th video of the day) and more.  His newest work is being referred to as a "musical journey", an "epitomization of the sounds of the city", a "beautiful tour" and a "beautiful song."

Named the Artist of the Season by Jerusalem's Season of Culture, Kutiman released "Thru Jerusalem" during the ROI Community Summit for young Jewish leaders and innovators. According to the Jerusalem Season of Culture website:

Kutiman's former work, Thru-you, a visual composition that is considered to be one of the most significant musical breakthroughs of recent years; brought together a series of unconnected YouTube videos to form a new viral sensation. His work was described by Time Magazine as one of the most important inventions in the world in 2009. His work has been exhibited all over the world including the Guggenheim Museum in New York. 

I agree that "Thru Jerusalem" it's not only an artistic feat (as I think all nearly all of Kutiman's compositions are) but also a unique, modern and exciting way to express the allure of Israel through art and music.

Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade 2011

Photo Credit: Burghard Mannhofer

The Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade has flaunted its rainbow colors yet again and filled the streets and beaches with gorgeous drag queens, bikini-clad lesbians, proud supporters of gay rights and everyone in between. The parade somehow seems to get bigger and better every year, drawing larger crowds and higher numbers of tourists.

This year statisticians estimate that more than 100,000 Israelis and an added 5,000 tourists took part in the parade entitled "It's good to be gay – marching for social equality."

"I have come to say that being part of the gay community, to be gay or lesbian or any other member of the community, is not a political choice as is the choice to protect the gay community and its right for social equality," opposition leader Tzippi Livni told Haaretz.com, adding "we are here to fight together against any phenomenon of hate, to fight for Israel's values."

Photo Credit: Burghard Mannhofer

What I love about the Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade is first and foremost the fact that it dominates the entire city, but with such welcoming energy that it's easy to participate. In fact, if you are in the White City on the day of the parade, its nearly impossible to avoid joining in the festivities.

Throughout the course of the day roads are closed down, colorfully costumed people pour through the streets and the biggest beach, Gordon beach, is turned into a huge performance stage and outdoor bar.  The parties continue on through the evening, the rest of the weekend and the rest of the month- as June is designated as Gay Pride month.

Photo Credit: Burghard Mannhofer

People come from all over the world to participate or simply observe Tel Aviv's annual Gay Pride Parade as Tel Aviv boast one of the largest and most active gay communities in the world. In fact, according to Tel Aviv's  deputy mayor, Asaf Zamir, nearly17% of the city's population is gay.

"It's a very strong community here, a comfortable arena for the gay community. Two men walking hand in hand is a very normal thing," he told UK newspaper, The Guardian.

This year's 2011 Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade got tons of international press  from newspapers such as The Guardian, the AFP, el Mundo and The Sydney Morning Herald, and rightly so.

To give you a taste, I put together a small slideshow of the events calendar for the entire month, including the parade itself, as well as some snapshots by a great Israeli Photographer, Gadi Gilon. Hopefully this will help you get an idea of the extravagance and exuberance of this year's 2011 Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade.