Tel Aviv
I'm enjoying Tel Aviv a lot for a few reasons. In no particular order:

Size of City
I don't really like small areas for the simple reason that it's too easy to get bored. On the contrast, I'm not too wild about large cities either. There's something about the hustle-bustle and magnitude of large, urban areas that overwhelms me. I don't like going to a place for several nights and still feeling like I have no grasp on the size and scope of the city. Houston sits alright with me because it's not endlessly urban; rather, the city is more a bunch of neighborhoods and suburbs that just have no clear delineations between one another. But even after living there for three years (this month), there are still parts of the city I've never been to and some I'm sure I haven't even heard of.
What I like about Tel Aviv is that it fits in that perfect zone between small and large. To be sure, it's a very large city, but it doesn't seem so large that you couldn't know your way around after just a couple of months.
Girls
The women here are really good looking. I'd guess there are a couple primary reasons for this. First of all, military service is required for all Israelis around the age of 18. That obviously helps promote fitness. However, I'd say what's more important is the diet of the region. This is more of a eat to live, not live to eat culture. There's less wealth per capita here which helps discourage a lifestyle of excess. Additionally, since the weather is so good, people are able to stay active outdoors for most of the year.

Food
The food here has been surprisingly great. Most food in Europe sucks in my opinion. I know that's counter to what most people like to claim, but most people are idiots. The food in Israel is actually pretty solid. The produce is very fresh and most foods are prepared with olive oil. A strong emphasis on spices and seasonings in most entrees make for very flavorful dining.
Misanthropic Inhabitants
People in Tel Aviv keep to themselves. I've hardly noticed anyone who could be classified as loud or obnoxious. They go about their routines and find little need for exhausting chatter. Perhaps this is rooted in some sort of innate distrust for others. After all, many people here are the descendants of Holocaust survivors living in a nation where every neighboring country wants to wipe them off the map. However, this isn't to say that they aren't courteous, which they are.

Climate
At least right now, the weather here is simply fantastic. Aside from a couple brutal summer months (which I'll take any day over a frigid winter), the climate here is great.
Safe Region
Before arriving, my friend Ira told me he felt safer in Tel Aviv than he does in the U.S. I figured that was just his Jewish-bias trying to stick up for an area with a reputation for being dangerous, but he wasn't exaggerating. I feel completely safe here. Even wandering around the streets at night, which is something I would never do in most parts of Europe (thanks to some unsavory experiences in Amsterdam), it doesn't even cross my mind to feel unsafe. The only particularly dangerous parts of Israel are the West Bank and Gaza, both of which are a very safe distance away from Tel Aviv.
I've noticed that in places where all of the people have an easier time feeling like one big family, the area is just a lot safer. Another example of this is Copenhagen. Both there and in Tel Aviv, there are a fairly small amount of people who share their own language and currency that is foreign to the rest of the world. It's like being in a small community where no one would think to bring harm upon one another because they have an easier time adopting a "we're in this together" mentality. Not surprisingly, the people of both areas have chosen a strongly socialist form of government.

Developing Region
To me, there's something that energizes me about areas that are less developed than the U.S. Maybe it's all of the opportunities for growth and adding efficiencies that fosters a certain level of excitement. Tel Aviv is very refreshing in this regard. It's a nice reminder that not all the world is spoiled by a sense of entitlement and destined to stagnation.
It has me thinking that my friends Sam and Justin, who each left the U.S. for South Korea and Thailand, respectively, might be on to something. I would love an excuse to spend a couple months out of the year here. It's possible, though not too likely, that such an excuse could materialize out of a new business relationship that brought us to this lovely city in the first place.

Sunset view from our hotel.

Size of City
I don't really like small areas for the simple reason that it's too easy to get bored. On the contrast, I'm not too wild about large cities either. There's something about the hustle-bustle and magnitude of large, urban areas that overwhelms me. I don't like going to a place for several nights and still feeling like I have no grasp on the size and scope of the city. Houston sits alright with me because it's not endlessly urban; rather, the city is more a bunch of neighborhoods and suburbs that just have no clear delineations between one another. But even after living there for three years (this month), there are still parts of the city I've never been to and some I'm sure I haven't even heard of.
What I like about Tel Aviv is that it fits in that perfect zone between small and large. To be sure, it's a very large city, but it doesn't seem so large that you couldn't know your way around after just a couple of months.
Girls
The women here are really good looking. I'd guess there are a couple primary reasons for this. First of all, military service is required for all Israelis around the age of 18. That obviously helps promote fitness. However, I'd say what's more important is the diet of the region. This is more of a eat to live, not live to eat culture. There's less wealth per capita here which helps discourage a lifestyle of excess. Additionally, since the weather is so good, people are able to stay active outdoors for most of the year.

Food
The food here has been surprisingly great. Most food in Europe sucks in my opinion. I know that's counter to what most people like to claim, but most people are idiots. The food in Israel is actually pretty solid. The produce is very fresh and most foods are prepared with olive oil. A strong emphasis on spices and seasonings in most entrees make for very flavorful dining.
Misanthropic Inhabitants
People in Tel Aviv keep to themselves. I've hardly noticed anyone who could be classified as loud or obnoxious. They go about their routines and find little need for exhausting chatter. Perhaps this is rooted in some sort of innate distrust for others. After all, many people here are the descendants of Holocaust survivors living in a nation where every neighboring country wants to wipe them off the map. However, this isn't to say that they aren't courteous, which they are.

Climate
At least right now, the weather here is simply fantastic. Aside from a couple brutal summer months (which I'll take any day over a frigid winter), the climate here is great.
Safe Region
Before arriving, my friend Ira told me he felt safer in Tel Aviv than he does in the U.S. I figured that was just his Jewish-bias trying to stick up for an area with a reputation for being dangerous, but he wasn't exaggerating. I feel completely safe here. Even wandering around the streets at night, which is something I would never do in most parts of Europe (thanks to some unsavory experiences in Amsterdam), it doesn't even cross my mind to feel unsafe. The only particularly dangerous parts of Israel are the West Bank and Gaza, both of which are a very safe distance away from Tel Aviv.
I've noticed that in places where all of the people have an easier time feeling like one big family, the area is just a lot safer. Another example of this is Copenhagen. Both there and in Tel Aviv, there are a fairly small amount of people who share their own language and currency that is foreign to the rest of the world. It's like being in a small community where no one would think to bring harm upon one another because they have an easier time adopting a "we're in this together" mentality. Not surprisingly, the people of both areas have chosen a strongly socialist form of government.

Developing Region
To me, there's something that energizes me about areas that are less developed than the U.S. Maybe it's all of the opportunities for growth and adding efficiencies that fosters a certain level of excitement. Tel Aviv is very refreshing in this regard. It's a nice reminder that not all the world is spoiled by a sense of entitlement and destined to stagnation.
It has me thinking that my friends Sam and Justin, who each left the U.S. for South Korea and Thailand, respectively, might be on to something. I would love an excuse to spend a couple months out of the year here. It's possible, though not too likely, that such an excuse could materialize out of a new business relationship that brought us to this lovely city in the first place.

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