United Statesian

View at night from the 14th floor of the Leonardo City Tower Hotel In Tel Aviv, Israel Dear Citizens of the world! First impressions are important when moving to a foreign country. This is the view from our hotel room. The highway, train line, and luxury apartment towers can not compete with the Mediterranean sea views that are typical of the posh hotels that are only 3kms away...but it could be worse. Last-one-out turns off the lights! Later that same evening... This poor guy was the last one left in the office building. Late on a Sunday evening (Israel's Monday), I could feel for him because were were still working as well. The United Statesian

The Diamond Exchange Building...the shape resembles the cut of a diamond. The West-facing, almost-windowless facade glimmers in the afternoon sun. Dear Citizens of the World! As promised, here is a look at the shiny side of Tel Aviv. The shiny side is a stark contrast to the gritty element of TA. However, they are not seperated by areas...they actually co-exist. The Azreily Towers...gorgeous!...more pics later. Very shiny office building... A small part of an apartment block in the centre of TA. Reminds me of a Beehive. Our hotel and a shiny, rounded office building. The hotel's reflection makes it look like the windows are missing in part of the office building. The big question is... Will our new apartment be shiny or gritty? The United Statesian

Flowers in the garbage can in Tel Aviv Dear Citizens of the World! Today marks the end of my first week here in Tel Aviv. The focus of my days has been on looking for an apartment to call home the next two or three years. The search has not been easy. It is hard to look for an apartment when you don't know the city and it is double hard when the prices a very high. Tel Aviv is a relatively new city where most buildings came about over the past 50 years, but the first impression is mixed. Most of the buildings are four-story, off-white and very dusty buildings. Old apartment being remodelled...are they paying for those colours? However, many of these older buildings are being renovated inside. Therefore, you never know what you will find on the inside -- much like the flowers in the garbage can in the picture at the top. Reflection of our hotel in a shiny office building There are also lots of nice shiny, new buildings mixed in with the rest. Maybe - if we are lucky -we will end up...

The calm after the stor m Dear Citizens of the World! Marina D'Or "Vacation City" is now officially (Rain city). After a week of August rains, a huge thunderstorm rocked the city, flooding streets in seconds. This reflection is from the day after... The day started with rain and dark clouds. The afternoon started looking better, but then I heard the screems... I ran out to our 9th floor terrace which has a good view of the surrounding area. The storm was moving North at such a speed that birds running for cover were blown away. The rain and extreme winds only took a few seconds to cover the mile (1.5km) distance from Marina D'Or Hotel/Spa. The incredible speed of the storm scared the tourists, caught off guard I leave you with a parting shot from this morning. The sun and heat is back to the beach...for now... One of the more colourful buildings in Marina D'Or -- City of Rain The United Statesian

The sun sets over the Solar House Decathlon Dear Citizens of the World! Yeah!!!! Virginia Tech has just won the 2010 Solar Decathlon which was held in Madrid this year! The Hokies are great in United Statesian Football, yet they still Rock in Solar house design! Here are a few pics from the competition that took place down by the river. A few pics are more artisitic than others. The winning "Hokie" house at sunset Sunset over the river. Just in case there was any doubt as to the origins of Tech's House Green solar panels A profile shot of Tech's LumenHaus City sunet in solar panels... Reflection in the river alongside the competition...fitting image of Madrid's river's "green water" next to the "green homes." Tech on top! The United Statesian