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Denver ...

I flew into Denver, yesterday ... I am down here for business.

Even though it's a bit of a drive, I decided to stay at The Oxford, in downtown (LoDo to be precise) Denver. Great hotel, by the way ... Thet have done a great job updating this hitorical building. It has 80 guest rooms plus all other goodies that you'd get in the boring chain hotels. The service is absolutely fantastic and the rooms have plenty of space, so you don't feel cramped ... ah, and the antique furnitures in the rooms complement the overall look & feel of the hotel. Stay there, next time you are in Denver

A few things that stood out for me:

- Downtown Denver is much cleaner than downtown Seattle
- In the back Westword (Denver's local weekly newspaper ... not unlike Seattle's Stranger), you can see ads by Vodoo practitioners ... they mostly target couples with relationship problems, and sell themselves against therapists. Weird.
- Restaurants server later than Seattle Restaurants ... not unusual to see upscale restaurants serving until 11:00 p.m.
- This place is full of, mmm, adult Spas ... not that I am interested or was looking for them, but they are pretty widely advertised. Who would have thought of Denver as a sin city?
- Real Estate is cheap ... to us from Seattle, at least. You can pick up a very nice and roomy loft in downtown, with a view (of not sure what ... the mountains?) for $260,000! Of course, I saw houses for upwards of $1M too, but they seemed much larger that what you'd get in Seattle for that price.
- Last but not least, the ultimate comparison: There are only 21 Starbucks locations in denver .... Seattle has 71; however, Seattle has only about 50,000 more people than Denver !

Vodoo, sex, reasonable real estate, 115 days of sunshine, diverse population & cuisine, pretty decent public transportation and highway system ... Nah, I'll stick with Seatlle. Thank you very much.

If you are a stats junkie like me, click here to see a comparison between Seattle and Denver.

Changing Gears

Time to write, again ... been lazy for long enough. Back to doing other stuff, too ... been carrying my camera more regularly, been reading, and most importantly, I finally started working on modeling some design ideas I have sketched over the past few years.

Ah, almost forgot: I also started a new job. Shortly I got back from Israel, I accepted an offer from Mobliss. Managing the mobile music & rich media product group. Saving the world over here, folks ... yep, saving the world.

More on that later.

P.S. Watch The American Splendor, if you haven't already.

The Party

Hanita's parents had planned a party to celebrate our wedding with friends and family in Israel. They did a fantastic job with everything. Fun.

The party was on Friday, April 16th at one of the beachfront Sheraton hotels in Tel Aviv (there are two on the same beach, separated by a Hilton ... strange). We were both worried about the location as neither one of us would've picked a hotel for such an occasion ... that was until we got to see the place. Our party hall was sitting right above the shore, just a few feet from the water. You couldn't beat the view (sorry, you'll have to wait to see the pics in person as I cannot post them here). It was a sunny but windy day, so there were lots of surfers on the water right in front of the hotel ... as if they were putting on a private show for us. Unbelievable.

Hanita had enough to do before the party to deserve a bit of a relaxing time before and after the party, so Erica (Hanita's mother) got us a room in the hotel, so we don't have to commute between our studio and the hotel. She got us a sweet room on the 15th floor! Our view was part Tel Aviv, part the Red Sea. Amazing.

Hanita looked gorgeous ... she was definitely the center of attention (as it should've been). She was wearing this beautiful pink dress from a local designer, was freshly made up by a makeup artist about an hour (thank you, Galia) and her hair retouched about two hours prior to the party. Stunning.

Hmm, the music guys ... well, we had a two-man band, one of which became the 'DJ' after the live show was over. This guy is a professor of music and a former member of the Tel Aviv orchestra. He didn't do hardly anything he said he'd do, but he kept the crowd happy (except when he played the techno ... ah, wrong crowd, pal!!). Fine.

The party was a lot of fun ... the guest started to arrive at around noon and it got going at about 1:00. I knew about 0.5% of the crowd, at best. It took the rest of the time to get to know the rest ... like many others, we didn't get to eat at our own party, but we managed to have a few beverages. The party kicked into the higher gear as the music guys started playing Romanian music ... Oh my, was that a lot of fun ... Romanian music kicked access. Oh yeah, we all danced. Intoxicating.

The party had to be wrapped up before Shabbat started, so the guest left at 4:00, but the very close friends and family stayed around. We moved to one table, grabbed all the desserts, a bottle of vodka and I took the liberty of smoking in the hall were smoking was not allowed (remember what I said about smoking laws here?) ... the core group partied on. Satisfying.

Hopefully, we'll have many pics to make up for my poor writing. Our photographer was an artist who did events as a source of income ... we both loved her style of photography. Although she was forced by elders to take a few posed pics, she was not your typical wedding photographer. Different.

Evening Breeze

I am at our local internet shop (it's not a cafe - just bunch of terminals), and across from me, sits a soldier with his M16. It looks too big for him (or may be he's too young/small-framed for this rather large rifle). In any case, the weapon is sitting on his lap, but it's pointing at my crotch from underneath the divide ... it should make me feel uncomfortable, but I have developed a sense of trust for these young soldiers who are required to carry their weapons with them, every place they go. I saw quite a few of them in the Mall today ... I mentioned to Hanita that I find it very fasinating how well armed soldiers integrate with the civilians. Very unqiue to Israel.

Hanita is out with her girl friends tonight, so I am on my own ... I've been sticking to the neighborhoods that I know becuase I don't have the energy to get lost. We are staying at a studio apartment on Ben-Yehuda street .... it's walking distance to most places I'd enjoy going.

As part of my venture, I walked to Shanken where one would find bunch of clothing stores, fruit juice kiosks, restaurants, etc. On the way back, I grabbed a shwarma ... I picked the place because it was the busiest. It was pretty good, but I am still looking forward to having falafel and shwarma in Jerusalem .. I hear they have the best.

I am now going home to take a shower and head out ... it's 9:00 P.M., so still early in Tel Aviv as things just get going at around 11. Can't help but love the late night life, eh?

The weather is absolutely perfect ... there's a nice breeze coming from the sea. Did I mention I am three blocks from the beach?

Miscellaneous (ongoing)

NEW

- Stoplights change from Red to Green in the exact reverse order: Red -> Yellow -> Green. Get ready, set, go .. we don't want to waste any 'Green' time shifting gears, do we?

OLD

- There doesn't seem to be any place too inappropriate to stop your car for saying hello to someone across the street, asking for directions, or simply making up your mind which turn to make

- There's an American Idol-like Israeli show. The judges are not nearly as mean as those on American Idol and the artists seem far more talented.

- Majority of pet dogs are off-leash when roaming the streets with their owners. Majority of owners don't seem to care to pick up their dogs poop.

- Majority of pet cats roam the streets freely; thus do not wear tags/collars because they can prove detrimental in case of a fight.

- Green Peace has 15,000 registered members in Israel. They are trying to increase their membership to 20,000. The Membership fee is as little as 13 NIS, per month. I know this because they solicitated my membership today.

- The non-smoking signs make good markings for glass doors ... they are ignored pretty much everywhere.

- There are homeless people in Tel Aviv ... for some reason, I found that odd.

- Starbucks did not make it in Israel but Coffee Bean and Tea Leafs is doing all right (this company is from LA). Both are owned by Jewish people, but one is more orthodox than the other. Not sure if that has anything to do with it though.

- A civilian must pass rigorous tests, including psychoanalysis, in order to obtain a license to carry a weapon.

>>>> I will add more to this posting as time passes ... I'll add new ones to the top of the list <<<<<

Terror Alerts

We've lost count of the number of terror alerts/warnings issued since Passover started, but the last count was 57 ... I guess it's a bit more tense in Jerusalem and the territories, but luckily all major attacks have been foiled so far. The defensive tactics are proving effective.

In any case, I am sorry that I have not been able to post any pictures ... to be quite honest, I've been having a hard time taking pics as I have not figured out how to capture what I see. I am failing to use my camera to capture the essense of Tel Aviv or its people ... I am definitely going to have some pics when we start traveling.

As for pics of Tel Aviv, I am going to follow Hanita's suggestion and take a few pics of us in it, and post those. What an idea, eh? I'll post some of these, soon.

OK, I close this posting by sharing an amazing experience: Last night, I releaved myself (#1) facing a bar full of people .... Ha. I could see them, but they couldn't see me ... we made a stop at this very fun bar to meet a friend who's leaving for NY, and I was advised to be sure to visit the bathroom before we left. I am glad I did. The architecture and designs of all bars and Restaurants in Tel Aviv are quite impressive ... this one was entertaining as well. Loved it.

Out and About

For some reason, I expected to see much more of a military presence in the streets, but that's not the case ... at least, not in Tel Aviv.

You are stopped by armed security guards when entering bars, restaurants, cafes and shops ... if you are carrying a bag, they'll want to see the content, and if you are a young male, you are often asked whether you are carrying a weapon, and may be frisked. I have been asked the question enough times that I don't need Hanita's help answering any more ... I can say 'Lo' (No) all by myself.

I suppose the security guards are more for psychological comfort of the patrons ... well, whatever the intent, it wors because the cafes, restaurants and bars get packed!! As watchful and worried as they may be, Tel Avivians are going about their lives during this special time (Passover) ... so are Hanita and I.

Bars
We have been to so many great bars that I couldn't possibly go through them all ... every fucking place has been cool in its own way, catering to a different crowd, fulfilling every mood!! I could be very content living in Tel Aviv ... at nights!

I am certain that we couldn't have found any of these cool places had it not been for Hanita's friends .... Especially, Arik. This man knows Tel Aviv!! See, the bars are quite non-descriptive on the out side. Even though, you may not be able to identify the name of a bar from outside, you can tell one by the couple of security guys standing outside. This makes the experience that much more fun because it's as if you enter a hidden world, once you walk into a place. There are mysteries awaiting behind the dark, unmarked doors.

As for drinks, you can find anything you like, plus some. Arack (I would've spelled it Arag or Araq, but ...) is a locally distilled spirit ... it's an anis-based drink. Less smooth and round in nature than the fancy French or Italian versions ... closer to its greek cousin, Ouzo. Not sure if I were the first to try this, but Arack and grapefruit juice didn't taste too bad.

Restaurants
What can I say ... Food is absolutely amazing. Salads are worth writing about but I need to come back to this topic later as this post is getting quite long.

More later ...

Pessach

Hmmm, what can I write about the Passover at the Schwartz's?? It was such a surreal experience for me that I am not sure I can put it down in words.

Suffice it to say that I will not forget my first Passover ... I had a good time!!

No leavened bread for the next few days, so no shwarma ... well, at least not at the good spots. Have to wait it out or go to Arab part of Jaffa to get some ... we shall see.

On the serious side, the country remains on high alert for the remainder of the month, specially during Passover. I lost count of the number of terror warnings and uncovered plots ... mostly in the territories, but close enough to feel the tension. Mind you that being on high alert is quite different here than in the States ... as if individual citizens are more watchful as well.

Let's hope this is will be a safe Passover.

Arriving in Tel Aviv

Our stop in Amsterdam was non-eventful ... we had grand plans for our 12-hour layover, but we were so tired that we ended up using the Day Hotel as intended: we ate, slept for a few hours and freshened up for the second leg of the trip.

Hanita and I were asked a few detailed questions before boarding the flight for Tel Aviv, but I had no problems in Amsterdam or Tel Aviv.

I wish you could've seen the grin on Haita's face as the plane was preparing for landing .... Feeeling of anticipation - what a gift, eh?

We arrived in Tel Aviv some time around midnight and were bused to the terminal. We entered the building from an entrance that resembled that of a Las Vegas hotel, and got in the queue with other non-citizens. We hadn't reached the headof the queue for more than a few seconds, when the guy behind us pointed out that I had already let two other people cut in front of us and that I need to PUSH my way through to the next open window ... "Welcome to Israel", Hanita said with a big smirk.

We were met by Hanita's family, went to the only airport restaurant open at that hour, so the kids could grab a bite to eat before heading home. Security was pretty tight as expected. Airport Security made regular rounds in the restaurant and checked every corner (and I mean EVERY CORNER!) and under every seat.

We picked up our rental car and headed towards Tel Aviv ... had a delicious humus sandwich and shot of Whisky when we arrived at her parent's.

Days are flying by ...

Have not had a chance to get excited about the trip, yet. Too many lose ends to tie up before we leave. Also, I found out that our flight leaves at mid-day, giving me a half day less than I was anticipating to put things off .... aarrrgh!!

I am going to send out this blog's URL to some friends, tonight. I think it'll be the best way to keep in touch ... I hope I'll have some interesting observations and pictures to post. On the topic of pictures, I am going all digital on this trip. I am only taking my digital SLR and my card reader. I have a relatively small memory card, so that should force me to download my pictures more frequently, and hopefully a few of them will make their way to this blog.

It's late and I still have quite a few things to take care of.