The International Edition: 6 Hours in Tel Aviv

Ok, so, when I brought the blog back, the goal was to blog twice a week. Clearly that's not going very well so far. So, we'll aim for once a week while I get back into the swing of things. Better a little than never, right?

When I was in Israel (admittedly, already a long time ago), I forgot to make plans in advance. Oops. It's because I was so excited to hang out with Gila, I didn't think about anything else. Also, it was so hot that it was sometimes difficult for me to motivate myself to go outside. (That's why there aren't more blog pictures from this trip. Tooooo much sweat.) But one morning, two days before I left, I realized I had nothing to do and Gila had to work all day. So... time for a spontaneous trip to Tel Aviv!

Everything is better on the beach.

Literally, when we left the house (for Tuesday coffee and AMAZING PANCAKES), I didn't know I was going. But then I decided to get on the train. I'm so impulsive guys!

Tel Aviv is hopping, but also pretty strange (is it a city? super fancy? full of slums? high rises? low rises? Yes to all of the above!) I don't know my way around there at all, unlike in Jerusalem, so I got lost more than once, but I persevered.

This is why I don't pose for pictures.

 Luckily, my friend Shayna has been living there for the past two years on a post doc, so she gave me excellent advice about where to go, and also met me for delicious frozen lemonade and a walk to the beach. My favorite place was the Carmel Shuk (see pics below!) mostly because it was so bustling and crazy. It's what the Shuk in Jerusalem used to be like, before it got super fancy and filled with expensive restaurants. I walked back and forth probably five times, just taking in the sites and occasionally dodging the vendors who tried to shove things in my mouth to get me to eat them.

I decided to finish off the day at the beach, which was beautiful. As you can see, I was not at all dressed for it, but really, as long as you can take off your sandals, you can always make it work. I might have been the only woman not in a bikini. I'm an individual through and through, even internationally. And I was extremely proud because I asked someone to take my picture in Hebrew and she didn't answer in English.

I started work this week. It's actually the best (I heart teaching), but there is a part of me that misses vacation. And Gila. And pancakes. Oh well.

Coming soon: the unveiling of the new Summer Bucket List (aka SBL2.0). Get psyched!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (with pockets!), Jones New York top via TJ Maxx (similar here), Bare Traps sandals (similar here)

ABD(inner)

Well, I am back on the train after a super fun trip to DC. More on that later. In the meantime, I am almost caught up on blogging (mostly because I have been a picture taking delinquent, but so it goes sometimes), and we are finally experiencing winter here in the Northeast. So, welcome to my winter wardrobe, such as it is.

If you have been reading along, you know that I passed my last comp in November, right before Thanksgiving, and have since been mostly procrastinating on working on my prospectus. However, when I passed, my parents generous asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate, and I told them I wanted to go to Basil for dinner.

Basil, located in Crown Heights, is a high end brick oven pizza restaurant. The vision was to create a place where the food was good and interesting enough that non-kosher keepers would want to eat there, but still be kosher. The blending of the different demographics in Crown Heights, you might say-- hipsters and hasids. I've wanted to go for a long time, but never made it, so we took this as an opportunity.

Here are some things to know:

1. They don't take reservations and it can get very crowded, especially on a Saturday night and especially if you go with a big group. Plan accordingly. (We got there before they opened, so we were seated right away.)

2. They make their own cheese. Everything we ate was awesome. And my soup came in a squash. It was both beautiful and incredibly tasty.

3. It is not cheap, to put it very mildly. Be sure to bring your armored car. (Or your parents. Thanks parents! It was delicious.)

The Skirt.

 4. There's kosher funnel cake. Enough said.

Because we left right after Shabbat, I was still in my Shabbat clothes. I love this skirt and its 1950s feel. I've also been sort of into yellow lately. It's not really my color, but it works great as a bottom because you don't see how bad it looks against my skin tone. Also, the skirt is warm, pleated and has pockets. Check! The only problem was that I sort of regretted its fitted high waist when I ate all that pizza. Next time, sweatpants for everyone! I mean, not really. But sort of. I wasn't sure about tucking in the sweater, but it was cold and I think it worked okay in the end. I added the pendant I got in Nepal to break up the black a bit. There you have it.

Coming attractions: a trip to the Nutcracker, and TWO trips to the White House. Yup, I am that cool. Or at least, my friend Cindy is.

What I'm wearing: GAP sweater (similar here), Eshakti skirt (sold out), HUE tights, Matisse boots (similar here), necklace and bracelet from Nepal