California
Adeena Sussman, 46, from Palo Alto, works at the intersection where “cutting board meets keyboard,” co-writing cookbooks like Christy Teigen’s Cravings, a New York Times #1 best-seller
Although she grew up in a Jewish Orthodox home on the west coast, Adeena ended up here after falling for Her Israeli blind date in NYC. The recently married couple live right by the Carmel Market: “I am a ride-or-die shuk girl. I always thank my husband for not allowing this third entity to get in the way of our relationship.” On chill days you’ll find her swimming laps at Gordon Pool, grabbing a bite at M25, HaBasta, or Haluzim 3, or scooping hummus at Shlomo & Doron in the Yemenite Quarter. While she misses “true seasonal weather” and “hitting the open road for days or even weeks without reaching a foreign border,” she considers Israel’s “special Friday afternoon/evening atmosphere – that collective sense of an entire nation taking a deep breath, slowing down, and relishing time with food, family, and friends – a true national value.”
Find A local slice
- Indulge in the Eggs Benedict on Fridays at Coffeebar.
- At the sleek cafe-restaurant Delicatessen inhale the steady stream of gourmet American products – plus they DELIVER (hello, American-style).
- Head to stationary stores like Papier and Notbook, which sell craft papers, journals, and other gift-wrapping ephemera.
- For hitting the Tel Aviv pavement like a local, you’ll need some reliable kicks. Head to Jiffa for Vans, Chucks, or Docs.
- The organic juice bar and raw food diner Neroli literally seems transported straight off of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. For those who don’t get to frequent Venice Beach often enough for their uber-health food fixin’s, this mini market hits all the sweet spots for plant-based diets, vegans, raw foodies and curious folks alike.
- For purple-lipped,
- Napa Valley oenophiles craving their grapes, bask in Israel’s burgeoning wine country - the picturesque vineyards of Zichron Ya’akov and Binyamina.
- If you’re looking for some Seattle beans (don’t expect a Pumpkin Spice Latte in these parts, Starbucks doesn’t exist here), get your java buzz going at any neighborhood nook cafe – they’re everywhere.
Here’s a TIP:
Skateboarders and bikers alike can ride/flip/ollie the epic ramps and rails at Tel Aviv’s Galit Skate Park. Even sicker? Skateboarding is not a crime in Israel, so you don’t have to book it from the po po.
And, that’s not all!
THE EAST COAST
Most New Yorkers are shocked to find out just how rare “good” bagels are here. Tal Bagels has very rightly acknowledged this demand for supreme dough. Order a toasted sesame and sink your teeth into the flavors of NYC. For more Manhattan vibes, the Cameri Theater is Tel Aviv’s answer to Broadway, with stellar renditions of Funny Girl and Cabaret.
THE MIDWEST
Tree-lined residential streets, a baseball diamond for the kids, and upper middle class parents who commute daily to the big city. Stumble into the suburban enclave of Ra’anana, and you might as well be in anywhere, USA, especially at Meatland – a supermarket filled with super-sized goodies.
THE WEST COAST
Like Portland, Oregon’s Frances May, intimate designer boutiques like Verner and Banker are the kind of local shops that reign supreme among in-the-know stylists and fashion fiends, where you can snag labels not otherwise found in the rest of the country.
THE SOUTH
Love old LPs and flannel-clad sales guys who know every lyric to “Rebel, Rebel”? When you can’t head to Austin for your rock fix, head on down to the very charming and just-grungy-enough HaOzen HaShlishi.
CANADA
While their climates clash like Blundstones and bowties, Canadians can get a taste of home at the Metulla Canada Center, and face-off at the biggest ice skating rink in Israel. Other indoor sporting activities include squash, bowling, and a shooting range.