Travel

Tipping has gotten weird

June 4, 2023

Tipping in the 21st century has gotten weird. I grew up with a simple formula: Did a service provider improve your experience? Then leave a tip.

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From bother to benefit

May 7, 2023

“You have to put up with some bother in order to reap the benefits,” my therapist cautioned me just prior to our two-week excursion in Ecuador. What he meant was that everything involves some “bother” – annoyances you simply can’t avoid. The key is to put the bothers in perspective, so you don’t lose sight […]

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Charmed in Sharm

January 7, 2023

In 2005, my family and I spent a week touring Egypt. We hid our Israeli identity. We recently spent 5 days in the Sinai. What a difference.

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Embracing the empty nest

August 27, 2022

On the day we took our son, Aviv, to Ben-Gurion Airport to begin his new life as a music student in New York, we couldn’t stop crying.

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50 shades of chutzpah

August 18, 2022

When our hotel canceled us at the last minute, I demanded an upgrade. Was that Israeli chutzpah or just being assertive. (It worked.)

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Dreaming of Dubai

May 8, 2022

Reflections on four days in Dubai: Miracle Garden, Expo 2020, Global Village, Butterfly Garden, Desert Safari, Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa

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Musings of an Israeli in America

July 6, 2021

I just spent three weeks in the U.S. I have nine observations, covering everything from masks to pancakes. Plus one-hour weed delivery!

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Eating our way through Nazareth

May 8, 2021

Yum! A culinary “tasting tour” of Nazareth. Knafeh, kadaif, fatayer sabanekh, freekah, inar, al-ma’ashuka. Tour guide: Mona el Abu-Assal.

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Tuesday tiyulim and Wednesday walks: Prescription for a pandemic

January 31, 2021

With international travel off the table for the last year, Jody and I have been exploring what’s closer to home. 8 short treks near Jerusalem.

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How to not celebrate a birthday during corona

September 27, 2020

I wanted to skip my birthday this year in the midst of corona. Here’s how I transformed a singular birth date into a year-long, hopeful process.

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