prayformojo

Gamla means “camel” and is named for the hump-like hill it is built on. It is the ruins of a walled city where the citizens allegedly killed themselves rather than surrender to Roman capture and enslavement.

It was neat to see. And the ride there through the Golan Heights is very scenic. There were also hawks and vultures flying low that were great to see.

Stay away from tourist-y places, with the exception of museums and other historical/cultural sites. If you miss out on the history, you’ve wasted the trip. There’s a lot of great shopping, but make sure you reject the initial offer. Everything is open to haggling and thus everything starts off over-priced. I saw Arabs, Jews, and Armenians, and almost all of them were friendly, fun-loving people. The ones who weren’t were at least polite. If someone starts screaming at you about politics, chances are they’re American and you should ignore them.

I was only there for ~45 minutes, but it was nice. I had some good food at a little falafel place. Plus, everyone else I know who’s been there says it’s THE place to be in Israel.

Ann Arbor is to Detroit as Long Island is to NYC. Only with more concrete. Maybe I missed all the cool places, but most of what I saw was a concrete cultural wasteland. I went to a club (Necto) that was relatively fun, but drinks were pricey and the staff, from the aging hipster bartender, to the 5-foot tall Asian doorman, were kind of assholes. We were originally going to another club (Oz) but they raised the cover WHILE WE WERE IN LINE.

As opposed to the night before I was in Detroit at the Belmont where they had decent live music, reasonable drink prices, and people knew how to chill the fuck out.

I’ve lived here for 3.5 years. I can confidently say that it’s the armpit of New York State. Binghamton University is a pretty good school, but it’s a poor, depressing, economically depressed town. It’s called a city, but people keep leaving, making the population fall below that required for a city.

There was a fatal stabbing two blocks away from me this weekend. People here in Binghamton just can’t contain their patriotic spirit. They have to let it out. By stabbing someone.

I don’t really regret my time here because of the people I’ve met, but coming here for any reason other than school or a visit could be enough to make you contemplate suicide.

I spent many years in Ithaca. Cold, grey, and depressing in the winter. Late Spring/Summer/Fall (which accounts for about 5 months of the year, winter is 6-7 months long in Ithaca) is pretty nice. Lots of parks and nature. Two good independent theaters, plus Cornell Cinema, plus all of the events at Cornell and Ithaca College. It’s a relatively pricey place to live for someone not from a major city like NY/LA/San Francisco.

Wander through here sometime when you’re wandering through Manhattan.

Huge. So much art. You could spend a week here.

The Metropolitan Museum alone makes NYC worth it. Great food everywhere on the lower east side. Go to the Siren Festival (http://www.villagevoice.com/siren/) on July 16th at Coney Island. It’s free!

Alaska is vastly underrated. Go in July/August. It was the cleanest air I’ve ever breathed. Amazing mountains everywhere.