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Re: Israel Master Thread: Things To Do, Places To Eat
Great restaurant in Kiryat Ata. Cafe Gregg.rabanut mehadrin Service is phenomenal Food was great minus chips I've had fettuccine/pad thai/different salads Desserts out of this world Cost for 2 mains plus desert around 200ils December 28, 2016, 04:41:27 PM |
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Re: Israel & Bali: around the world in 17 days
The highlight of my morning is reading this TR. Thank you!
July 21, 2017, 02:22:25 AM |
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Re: Israel & Bali: around the world in 17 days
What happened to the final installment? My morning was not the same! 
July 27, 2017, 06:47:23 AM |
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Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
It all started with a small trip I arranged for my wife and her sisters to Cyprus for 4 days....one of my Brothers-in-law said "hey we should get away too" I could not agree more though was not sure he was the exact person I was looking to get away with....soon enough the trip went from me and him to include my wife's Father-Brother-Sister-Her Husband-Her Uncle and Aunt (No the wife did not come). Given my travels in the past I was voted to be the tour guide and arrange this trip for them. After much deliberation my final trip was going to be as follows for them: 11/5-TLV-CDG-LAX Air France $690 11/6 LAX-SJC Southwest $55 11/7 OAK-PHX Southwest $48 11/15 LAS-LAX Southwest $40 11/15 LAX-FCO-TLV Alitalia (Included in the 690) For my ticket it was more interesting. I had bought a United flight round trip on 12/16 I flew one way and then cancelled the return to earn credit for half the flight as I decided to book LX Business for the return. When I checked my credit to see what I had to go to LAX I found they had credit me the full flight back so right away I booked a round trip non-stop into Newark. After that I booked an economy award (12.5k) into SFO and for the return I booked a flight with Spirit LAS-EWR (paid to upgrade to the Big Seat $70) and then the United flight back. However I decided to spend some time in my old stomping grounds of Jersey and just booked a return with LX again in business back to TLV. Thank God my in-laws managed well into Los Angeles without issues. I had them booked in the Hyatt Regency at the airport for I believe 190 per room. I had told them to rent a car for a couple of hours to check out the city but they decided on crashing in the hotel and walking to Starbucks (or Coffee Bean). The next morning at around 4 they got up to go to the airport for the SouthWest flight into San Jose. I had arrived in San Francisco the night before and stayed at the Courtyard Marriott at the Airport. They were "officially fully booked" for any upgrades. The hotel was very nice and definitely comfortable for a nights sleep. The one thing to note is there is no shuttle late night. In the early morning around 715 I got picked up by Extranomical tours for my tour to Yosemite, we left to San Jose airport to go pick up the In-Laws in our private 15 passenger coach bus. After picking them up we left to Pars Kosher Market to pick up some Bread/Dips/Cold Cuts and the like for Lunch/Breakfast. The trip to Yosemite took around 3.5 hours from the Market in San Jose.  20171106_154250 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_153816_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_153748_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_141303-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBelow you can see the waterfall flowing even though the winter rains have not started yet:  20171106_135828 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_134622 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_133609 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_133229_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_114732 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_170257_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_160440 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThis is a small picture of the comfortable coach bus with excellent drivers!!  20171106_155843 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThere was a little mix up at the end of the trip as we had booked a night at the Crowne Plaza in Concord, however there is no kosher food in that area. Extranomical worked with us and hired an extra driver to drive us back to the hotel after supper at Sabra Grill in Downtown. Drivers can only drive for 10 hours, they have a timer attached to the car and he cannot legally go one minute past that time. Here is a really bad picture of the outside of Sabra  20171106_200942 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrSome pics of the Crowne Plaza hotel room:  20171106_220537 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171106_220540 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe had paid USD $2,200 for the tour for 8 people. It also included a guided tour of San Francisco the next day. November 16, 2017, 01:22:17 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 2: San Fran city Tour The started with some of the men in the pool:  IMG-20171107-WA0017 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20171107-WA0016 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr IMG-20171107-WA0015 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter swimming the tour met us at around 9 to leave to the kosher bakery/breakfast place Frena Bakery. This place was absolutely AMAZING!!! The bakery items though steep in price were absolutely delicious!! Their Paninis were a huge hit for all of us as well as the pre packaged salads.  20171107_112211 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_112205 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrOnce we finished eating the tour guide took us to all the famous spots. We did not have a full day as our flight to Phoenix was at 545 in the evening. We went to all the main locations to see including the City Hall/Golden Gate/Twin Peaks/Observation tower/Trolleys....Here are some of the pictures from the days adventures:  20171107_102802 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115619 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115631 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_115833 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_121901-EFFECTS by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNot me but you can get a nice shot here:  20171107_122612 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAlcatraz:  20171107_133005 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrMore famous then the Brooklyn Bridge?  20171107_133807 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_134035 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBuildings left from the world fair:  20171107_135923 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_140300_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrHilly San Fran:  20171107_143558 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_144146 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171107_144204 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrAfter finishing the tour we got dropped at the BART given that they are not allowed into Oaklands Airport for dropoffs:  20171107_154701 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrWe took Southwest into Phoenix where I rented a car from Thrifty and Dollar from Tuesday night into Wednesday night, a week later. We went to check in at the Town Place Suites which was a very nice place with a nice breakfast in the morning as well for around 160 a night.  20171108_061725 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061708 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061704_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_061700 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 16, 2017, 01:53:33 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 3: Phoenix Sedona and Grand Canyon village After waking up davening at Chabad, I went to the hotel to check what we can eat from the nice breakfast spread they had, all bread/bagels/dips were kosher, interestingly the eggs were all kosher as well but they warmed them together with bacon. After breakfast we headed to Jerome for some beautiful views and a nice scenic road (Jerome is around 40 minutes round trip off the way to Sedona from Phoenix. I enjoyed it and so did the rest of the family). We then headed to Sedona for our sunset Jeeping tours with Pink Jeep Tours (cost was around 80 per person) we tipped before and the guide really gave us a great time!! We lucked out with a witty/adventurous guide. After that we headed to the Holiday Inn at the Grand Canyon with a pittstop at Flagstaffs WalMart for supplies. Townplace Suites Breakfast:  20171108_083950 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_082757 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063217 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063212 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr  20171108_063209 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_063158_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrJerome:  20171108_143802 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_142903 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_142901 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr8 Seater Pink Jeep:  20171108_160630 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_162345 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_163703 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_163708 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_164033_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_164633_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_172036_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_172048_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173149 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173240 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_173412_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171108_174231 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 17, 2017, 12:18:51 PM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 4: Grand Canyon Day started off normal, after waking up and Davening we headed down to breakfast and man what a breakfast it was, Pancakes/waffles/eggs/bacon/bagels/Cereals/Oatmeals etc....Most of the cold items were all Kosher and we all ate our fill (Big negative the coffee was horrible). After breakfast we finished packing and headed to the cars. My FIL tried starting his car but to no avail. I asked the hotel for a jump and they quickly obliged sending their maintenance guy to jump the car successfully. We got the cars packed and headed to the Grand Canyon. After driving for a while to get the battery's charged sufficiently, after parking and shutting the car we decided to try it again but to no avail. Apparently we had an issue with the alternator. I told the family to go enjoy the canyon while I went to the Info Center to place a call to Thrifty. They told me that I can wait 4 hours until someone from Vegas comes to get me, then take me back to Vegas ALONE, pick up a new car and drive it back to the GC to get the rest of the party. I told them they were nuts to propose that but they would not give me another option. I decided we would jump the car and drive straight back without shutting the engine. We did the tram tours (Yellow I think) to a few locations. Hiked down a little and then headed back to the car to jump it and head to Vegas to the AirBnb. With a massive amount of Siyata Dishmya within 5 minutes I found a guy in an RV who had a portable jumper to give us a jump and get us started. As we were pulling out he came running back and gave us his older portable jumper and told us to pass on the favor to another person in need. I had wanted to stop at the GC Caverns but the last tour was at 4 and we were passing it at 4:15...we drove to the Hoover Dam around sunset for a few pics and then got into Vegas to our AirBnb. We got the absolute jackpot when it came to AirBnb, When I booked I had searched specifically in the area of Chabad so we can walk to shul on shabbos. The place I found had 4 bedrooms with a pool I booked immediately. After I booked I looked closer at the picture of the owner and she was definitely wearing a Sheitl! I reached out to her and she was from Chabad. She gave us her daughters number who lives 3 doors down for any help we would need. They brought us over a grill so we can have a BBQ Thursday night....they brought us pans so we can cook for shabbos and they invited us for the meal Friday night!! It was awesome. The AirBnb cost $180 a night which was a no-brainer as it was split between everybody ($35 a night per person). We went to Smiths to pick up the meat for the BBQ as well as meat for the Cholent and the rest of the shopping for shabbos. Seems to be Sushi and a take out at the Smiths for those who are interested. At night I took the crew to see the Belaggio fountains and a little shopping in the hotels.  20171109_094143_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_094147 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_094156 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120619 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120631_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120634 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_120941_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_121558 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_122003 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThis Picture is taken from the hike down looking up.  20171109_130849 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_130852 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_131038 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThese Elk are everywhere:  20171109_133535 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_173105 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_173611 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_180123 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrThe AirBnB house: Bedroom 1:  20171109_183909 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBathroom 1  20171109_183911 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 2 (With Connecting Bathroom)  20171109_183918 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrConnected bathroom:  20171109_183922 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 3:  20171109_183931 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrLiving room:  20171109_183940 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrDining Room  20171109_184002 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrBedroom 4 with connecting Bathroom+Jacuzzi:  20171109_184013 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr  20171109_184029 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171109_233038 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrNovember 22, 2017, 09:18:30 AM |
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Re: Calling all large families
Any cap to 10k per kid per year? Seems like there is no limit....Pretty sure we can get elected to the BOE pretty quickly there as well. November 24, 2017, 01:24:33 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 5: Lake Mead Started the day with a nice breakfast and quickly left to the lake. We had called ahead to make sure there were Jet Skis available as it is a nice trip to get there (45-60 minutes). After we pulled into the parking lot and went to check in, the lady told us they had to pull the jet skis due to a Fire Extinguisher recall.....We ended up renting a Jet Boat that fit 8 people for $95 for an hour (split 8 ways $15 a steal!) There is a $500 deposit as well. We had a blast heading to the Hoover Dam for some pictures. It was really windy and the waters were rough!! We got back to the house with only a couple of hours to shabbos so finished what needed to be done. Day 6: Shabbos night we ate by the hosts daughter who lives a couple of doors down the block. Food was excellent as was the company! Shabbos day we davened before the Zman then headed to shul at 10 to get Kaddish and Borichu plus Kriat Hatorah... On Moitzei Shabbos they wanted to go shopping so we headed to the Vegas North Premium Outlets they were in 7th heaven....  20171110_134756 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_132132 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_132129_HDR by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171110_130927 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
November 26, 2017, 08:26:11 AM |
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Re: Southwest tour with the....IN LAWS!!!
Day 7: Bryce and Zion National Park We woke at around 7 quickly ate breakfast and we were on the road by 9 heading to Bryce. The drive was around 4.5 hours to get there we did it pretty much straight without any side stops. Difference between Bryce and Grand Canyon is The Grand Canyon is Grand it is too big to take all in at one time. On the other hand Bryce is smaller and you can appreciate the beauty standing from the top looking down. There is also a huge height difference. The Grand canyon main area is around 6500 feet as opposed to Bryce which gets up to over 9000 Feet. We drove to a couple of the scenic outlooks did a short hike (very hard with the thin air and it was freezing!!). After finishing there we headed to Zion around 1.5-2 hours for the scenic drive down and through the tunnels. At the end of the day they all said Zion was the nicest of the entire trip! I highly recommend doing this in 2 days as opposed to the round trip we did it in.  20171112_152757_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_152629 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_151217 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_144835 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_143738 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_141322 by ProIsrael Israel, on FlickrZION:  20171112_174011 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_174004 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172911 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172807 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr 20171112_172804 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr20171112_152757_Pano by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr
November 26, 2017, 08:45:57 AM |
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