Holy Tel Aviv
Disclaimer: This video contains inappropriate language. My Dad and any Rabbi's should not click on this video.
That being said, I had to post this on my blog. This is what came up when I did a YouTube search for Tel Aviv. And it's absolutely hysterical.
Sorry if I offended anyone!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Across the Narrows
On October 2, 2006, my best mate Jules gave me the best birthday present of my 20's. She bought us tickets to the two-day festival called Across the Narrows, which featured bands including Scot wunderkids Belle and Sebastian, The Nevada crew of The Killers, The Down Under sensation The Jets and two of my absolutely favorite bands:
Kasabian and Oasis.
We met that Sunday morning at the Manhattan side of the Staten Island Ferry and headed cross the river to the home of the Staten Island Yankees. When we got there, we were absolutely shocked at the lack of attendance. It was almost completely EMPTY, and we were there a good three hours late!
Fortunately, we showed up just in time to see Kasabian perform. And boy, was it incredible. This was the third time we had seen them in concert, and they just kept getting better and better!
I felt compelled to blog about Kasabian this evening because they kept me company during my two mile walk this afternoon. I went to and from my Upper West Side apartment to the new Apple store on 59th and 5th, and with L.S.F. in my ears the trek in this heat and humidity was a sweet one.
Countdown to the release of Empire has begun! Rock on!
Recommended Kasabian song: Club Foot
Kasabian and Oasis.
We met that Sunday morning at the Manhattan side of the Staten Island Ferry and headed cross the river to the home of the Staten Island Yankees. When we got there, we were absolutely shocked at the lack of attendance. It was almost completely EMPTY, and we were there a good three hours late!
Fortunately, we showed up just in time to see Kasabian perform. And boy, was it incredible. This was the third time we had seen them in concert, and they just kept getting better and better!
I felt compelled to blog about Kasabian this evening because they kept me company during my two mile walk this afternoon. I went to and from my Upper West Side apartment to the new Apple store on 59th and 5th, and with L.S.F. in my ears the trek in this heat and humidity was a sweet one.
Countdown to the release of Empire has begun! Rock on!
Recommended Kasabian song: Club Foot
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Darts of Pleasure
While perusing the myriads of Yahoo newsgroups in my search for an apartment/advice/Brit music enthusiasts, I was alerted to a site called Bemember. Branding issues aside (where did they come up with that name??), this site is like Citysearch but for Tel Aviv! They have loads of great information about Tel Aviv and I fully intend to use this as a resource as soon as I get in country.
Anyway, I was on the site and I clicked onto the music section. Again, since one of my goals is to find British music enthusiasts who live in Tel Aviv, I figured this was a good way to figure out what the local music scene is like. At the bottom of the page I saw a listing for Depeche Mode and immediately clicked on it.
Depeche Mode AND Franz Ferdinand are slated to perform at Yarkon Park on August 3rd! Sadly for me, I will still be in New York, but the locals are bound to have a great time! Franz Ferdinand in concert is truly a treat, and I rank them up there with some of my great concert experiences seeing bands like Kaiser Chiefs and Maximo Park.
For those unfamiliar with Franz Ferdinand, I recommend downloading songs including Do You Want To, Take Me Out and Darts of Pleasure . And, anyone who is attending the concert and plans to blog about it, please send me a link when your review is up!
Cheers!
Anyway, I was on the site and I clicked onto the music section. Again, since one of my goals is to find British music enthusiasts who live in Tel Aviv, I figured this was a good way to figure out what the local music scene is like. At the bottom of the page I saw a listing for Depeche Mode and immediately clicked on it.
Depeche Mode AND Franz Ferdinand are slated to perform at Yarkon Park on August 3rd! Sadly for me, I will still be in New York, but the locals are bound to have a great time! Franz Ferdinand in concert is truly a treat, and I rank them up there with some of my great concert experiences seeing bands like Kaiser Chiefs and Maximo Park.
For those unfamiliar with Franz Ferdinand, I recommend downloading songs including Do You Want To, Take Me Out and Darts of Pleasure . And, anyone who is attending the concert and plans to blog about it, please send me a link when your review is up!
Cheers!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Recap
So much has happened in the last couple of weeks, and I'm already starting to neglect my blog, so I decided to skip an extra 30 minutes of sleep and write a bit about what I've been doing.
First things first! It's official, I am now 100% an Israeli citizen. I went to the Israeli Consulate here in New York City and waited on line for 3 hours to get my passport and Israeli ID #. If you've ever been to the Israeli Consulate in New York then you've been to hell and survived. At first, I didn't understand why it was only open to the public from 9:00 - 12:00, until I saw the line. It appeared absolutely endless! They clearly need the hours between Noon and 5:00 pm to service everyone who shows up between 9 - Noon!
This time, I came armed with my iPod and some new tunes. I recently downloaded the new Black Keys album and was really getting into Loon by Tapes N' Tapes when I met a lovely Israeli woman who was standing in front of me. Poor woman, she just needed to sign a piece of paper in the presence of someone from the Consulate. She too ended up waiting for more than two hours. Anyway, we chatted in line and she gave me tons of good advice regarding neighborhoods to live in. Around 2:30 pm, I had an Israeli ID # and was $60 lighter when I headed home in good spirits.
Passport is now officially checked off of my pre-Israel list. Mazal Tov to me.
Next, it was on to finding a place to live in Tel Aviv. I had originally thought I would want to live in Givat Shmuel near school but, after chatting with a LOT of people in Israel, I've been headed in the Central Tel Aviv area. I also found this guy on Google named Zeev Goldberg, who specializes in short term rentals in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and we had a nice chat about what I'm looking for. I'm hoping that by Monday I'll have a good idea as to what will be feasible given my budget. I'm hoping a one-bedroom apartment won't be out of the question :)
With looking for an apartment in Israel well underway, I was able to turn my attention to my awesome apartment in Manhattan. It is really hard leaving my pad, which I've been living in for the past 4 years! Besides the fact that my rent is really reasonable, I live in an amazing location! So, given that I have about 5 weeks before I have to clear out of my place, I turned my attention to the things that I have in my apartment. I have to sell just about everything! My avenue of choice, of course, is Craigslist. I am happy to report that I sold my blender! For a sweet $25 no less! I think I actually paid $30 for it, so I'm really excited that I was able to get a half decent price.
Tonight, I uploaded photos of my dishware, some sushi plates, my table and chairs and a great set of 6 wine goblets. Not to be boring, but it will be much more manageable for me to think about packing up the joint with a lot less stuff in it. It's funny to see what I've accumulated over the years! Clearly, I like sushi. I found a bag with 67 pairs of chopsticks. I wonder if I can sell those on Craigslist too. Hmmm, food for thought.
OK, I'm off to monitor my Craigslist postings!
Song of the Day Better by Regina Spektor. Awesome tune!
Happy Father's Day Dad!
First things first! It's official, I am now 100% an Israeli citizen. I went to the Israeli Consulate here in New York City and waited on line for 3 hours to get my passport and Israeli ID #. If you've ever been to the Israeli Consulate in New York then you've been to hell and survived. At first, I didn't understand why it was only open to the public from 9:00 - 12:00, until I saw the line. It appeared absolutely endless! They clearly need the hours between Noon and 5:00 pm to service everyone who shows up between 9 - Noon!
This time, I came armed with my iPod and some new tunes. I recently downloaded the new Black Keys album and was really getting into Loon by Tapes N' Tapes when I met a lovely Israeli woman who was standing in front of me. Poor woman, she just needed to sign a piece of paper in the presence of someone from the Consulate. She too ended up waiting for more than two hours. Anyway, we chatted in line and she gave me tons of good advice regarding neighborhoods to live in. Around 2:30 pm, I had an Israeli ID # and was $60 lighter when I headed home in good spirits.
Passport is now officially checked off of my pre-Israel list. Mazal Tov to me.
Next, it was on to finding a place to live in Tel Aviv. I had originally thought I would want to live in Givat Shmuel near school but, after chatting with a LOT of people in Israel, I've been headed in the Central Tel Aviv area. I also found this guy on Google named Zeev Goldberg, who specializes in short term rentals in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and we had a nice chat about what I'm looking for. I'm hoping that by Monday I'll have a good idea as to what will be feasible given my budget. I'm hoping a one-bedroom apartment won't be out of the question :)
With looking for an apartment in Israel well underway, I was able to turn my attention to my awesome apartment in Manhattan. It is really hard leaving my pad, which I've been living in for the past 4 years! Besides the fact that my rent is really reasonable, I live in an amazing location! So, given that I have about 5 weeks before I have to clear out of my place, I turned my attention to the things that I have in my apartment. I have to sell just about everything! My avenue of choice, of course, is Craigslist. I am happy to report that I sold my blender! For a sweet $25 no less! I think I actually paid $30 for it, so I'm really excited that I was able to get a half decent price.
Tonight, I uploaded photos of my dishware, some sushi plates, my table and chairs and a great set of 6 wine goblets. Not to be boring, but it will be much more manageable for me to think about packing up the joint with a lot less stuff in it. It's funny to see what I've accumulated over the years! Clearly, I like sushi. I found a bag with 67 pairs of chopsticks. I wonder if I can sell those on Craigslist too. Hmmm, food for thought.
OK, I'm off to monitor my Craigslist postings!
Song of the Day Better by Regina Spektor. Awesome tune!
Happy Father's Day Dad!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Ode to Angus, my beloved pet turtle
Tonight, I said goodbye to my turtle. Angus and I had been roommates for the past three and a half years, and it was a great! He was a pain in my ass when I wanted to go on vacation, but otherwise, he was the most laid back, low maintenance pet anyone could ask for!
I took this picture today, before I had to pack Angus up and deliver him to Steve. It was a bizarre experience from start to finish, as the guy from the Turtle Rescue of Long Island told me to meet him at the McDonald's in Penn Station at 8:15 p.m. for the hand off.
Even though the entire "transfer of Angus" was really shady (I had to pack him in a shoebox lined with newspaper, meet this guy in Penn Station by the McDonalds, and have a $50 check to cover the costs) it was the right thing to do. With my upcoming move to Tel Aviv, I needed to find a loving home for Angus, and I felt it was only appropriate for Angus to leave the State too. I hope that this isn't a scam and that, in a few weeks, Angus really IS frolicking in a pond and sunnying himself on a great big rock in Texas or Florida. Here's hoping!
Nevertheless, Angus LOVED to read and he spent all day long staring at works by Yeats, Welsh, Irvine, McDonnell, Carver and much more! My friends loved Angus, and would frequently bring turtle figurines that would keep Angus company on the shelf. I couldn't bear to part with the porceline turtles but did make sure to pack Angus's favorite floating rock and turtle food.
I wish I could write more but I'm exhausted. This morning I had to navigate the County Court system, before my date with the notary and then with the women at the Department of State. The good news is I got the Apostile. Next week, I'll need lots of luck getting my Israeli passport and hope it's a smooth process.
As for tonight, I will go to sleep without the accompanying sounds of Angus swimming in his tank.
I took this picture today, before I had to pack Angus up and deliver him to Steve. It was a bizarre experience from start to finish, as the guy from the Turtle Rescue of Long Island told me to meet him at the McDonald's in Penn Station at 8:15 p.m. for the hand off.
Even though the entire "transfer of Angus" was really shady (I had to pack him in a shoebox lined with newspaper, meet this guy in Penn Station by the McDonalds, and have a $50 check to cover the costs) it was the right thing to do. With my upcoming move to Tel Aviv, I needed to find a loving home for Angus, and I felt it was only appropriate for Angus to leave the State too. I hope that this isn't a scam and that, in a few weeks, Angus really IS frolicking in a pond and sunnying himself on a great big rock in Texas or Florida. Here's hoping!
Nevertheless, Angus LOVED to read and he spent all day long staring at works by Yeats, Welsh, Irvine, McDonnell, Carver and much more! My friends loved Angus, and would frequently bring turtle figurines that would keep Angus company on the shelf. I couldn't bear to part with the porceline turtles but did make sure to pack Angus's favorite floating rock and turtle food.
I wish I could write more but I'm exhausted. This morning I had to navigate the County Court system, before my date with the notary and then with the women at the Department of State. The good news is I got the Apostile. Next week, I'll need lots of luck getting my Israeli passport and hope it's a smooth process.
As for tonight, I will go to sleep without the accompanying sounds of Angus swimming in his tank.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
For Sale
I've been flathunting all day and I am exhausted! I had no idea that there were so many yahoo groups dedicated to apartment hunting in Israel.
First, I went to Flathunting because apparently that is THE place to go when looking for an apartment. But, after reading a number of blogs, it appears that Flathunting is primarily for Jerusalem seekers. Since I'm looking for a flat in Tel Aviv, I needed something like Flathunting but for Tel Aviv. I joined the yahoo group for Rechovot and posted a message about an apartment and a woman from my Mother's high school graduating class responded! Turns out, Rechovot is not exactly the happening town I thought it would be. Next, it was onto a yahoo group for Bar Ilan students, still waiting to hear if my message has been approved for posting. Anyway, I finally found two Tel Aviv yahoo groups that mimic both Janglo and Flathunting, and I'm really hoping that both will be the resources needed to find an apartment and neighborhood to live in next year!
Meanwhile, I'm hoping that Craigslist in New York will be the answer to my prayers, as I need to sell everything in my apartment. I've lived here for more than four years and have amassed quiet a bit of "stuff". I decided to test the Craigslist waters this morning and posted an ad for my West Elm rug. It's less than a year old, chocolate brown and powder blue, and in nearly pristine condition (ok, so I'll admit it, I don't have a vacumn cleaner and spend about 25 minutes on my hands and knees each week with the Swiffer carpet sticky pads to clean it). I paid $140 between purchasing the rug pad and with shipping. I posted the ad and set the price at $85. No buyers.
Here's hoping I have better luck with the rest of my things!
First, I went to Flathunting because apparently that is THE place to go when looking for an apartment. But, after reading a number of blogs, it appears that Flathunting is primarily for Jerusalem seekers. Since I'm looking for a flat in Tel Aviv, I needed something like Flathunting but for Tel Aviv. I joined the yahoo group for Rechovot and posted a message about an apartment and a woman from my Mother's high school graduating class responded! Turns out, Rechovot is not exactly the happening town I thought it would be. Next, it was onto a yahoo group for Bar Ilan students, still waiting to hear if my message has been approved for posting. Anyway, I finally found two Tel Aviv yahoo groups that mimic both Janglo and Flathunting, and I'm really hoping that both will be the resources needed to find an apartment and neighborhood to live in next year!
Meanwhile, I'm hoping that Craigslist in New York will be the answer to my prayers, as I need to sell everything in my apartment. I've lived here for more than four years and have amassed quiet a bit of "stuff". I decided to test the Craigslist waters this morning and posted an ad for my West Elm rug. It's less than a year old, chocolate brown and powder blue, and in nearly pristine condition (ok, so I'll admit it, I don't have a vacumn cleaner and spend about 25 minutes on my hands and knees each week with the Swiffer carpet sticky pads to clean it). I paid $140 between purchasing the rug pad and with shipping. I posted the ad and set the price at $85. No buyers.
Here's hoping I have better luck with the rest of my things!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Flathunting Playlist
Who knew there were so many yahoo groups dedicated to apartment hunting in Tel Aviv/Jerusalem? I'm navigating through the listings and wanted to share my playlist.
Let Down, Radiohead, OK Computer
The Fallen, Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better
Cuts Across the Land, The Dukes Spirit, Cuts Across the Land
Dimension, Wolfmother, Dimension EP
Out Here All Night, Damone, Out Here All Night
Supermassive Black Holes, Muse, New single
Heart in a Cage, The Strokes, First impressions of Earth
Mardy Bum, Arctic Monkey's, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt, We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor
The Clown, Elefant, The Black Magic Show
10 A.M. Automatic, The Black Keys, Rubber Factory
All the Money or the Simple Life Honey, The Dandy Warhols, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
Over and Over, Hot Chip, Over and Over
Weight of the World, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Howl
Shelter of Your Arms, The Greenhornes, East Grand Blues EP
Club Foot, Kasabian, self titled album
Taper Jean Girl, Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak
Going Missing, Maximo Park, A Certain Trigger
New Born, Muse, Origin of Symmetry
Somewhere Else, Razorlight, Up All Night
Automatic Stop, The Strokes, Room on Fire
Insistor, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon
Made of Stone, The Stone Roses, self titled album
Let Down, Radiohead, OK Computer
The Fallen, Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better
Cuts Across the Land, The Dukes Spirit, Cuts Across the Land
Dimension, Wolfmother, Dimension EP
Out Here All Night, Damone, Out Here All Night
Supermassive Black Holes, Muse, New single
Heart in a Cage, The Strokes, First impressions of Earth
Mardy Bum, Arctic Monkey's, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt, We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor
The Clown, Elefant, The Black Magic Show
10 A.M. Automatic, The Black Keys, Rubber Factory
All the Money or the Simple Life Honey, The Dandy Warhols, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
Over and Over, Hot Chip, Over and Over
Weight of the World, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Howl
Shelter of Your Arms, The Greenhornes, East Grand Blues EP
Club Foot, Kasabian, self titled album
Taper Jean Girl, Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak
Going Missing, Maximo Park, A Certain Trigger
New Born, Muse, Origin of Symmetry
Somewhere Else, Razorlight, Up All Night
Automatic Stop, The Strokes, Room on Fire
Insistor, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon
Made of Stone, The Stone Roses, self titled album
Bereishit
And in the beginning there was an acceptance letter from Bar Ilan University's Masters Program in Creative Writing. Said letter was received, electronically, on Sunday, May 28th. A week later, I informed the University that I will be attending the program in September 2006. In less than three months, this New York City Hipster will be living in the Holy Land.
Welcome to my blog.
What can you expect from Holy Land Hipster's blog and who IS Holy Land Hipster will be answered at a later date. Right now, I've got to jump on Flathunting and Tel Aviv Flats to find a place to live!
Welcome to my blog.
What can you expect from Holy Land Hipster's blog and who IS Holy Land Hipster will be answered at a later date. Right now, I've got to jump on Flathunting and Tel Aviv Flats to find a place to live!
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