This truly is the good life

This truly is the good life. We live above a boutique serving up the likes of Vera Wang and Emporio Armani. Look, but don’t touch, I tell Jen. Upscale cafes dot our SoHo-meets-Bryant Park neighborhood. And only yesterday while walking back from a nearby park we stumbled across a photo shoot for the new Polo Ralph Lauren line just a block from home. Home? Yeah, I guess this luxurious locale is now home. Or at least it will be once my garlic press and truffle oil arrives.

The fresh produce here is delicious and cheap—a handful of freshly-picked dill goes for two shekels (75 cents). Which is great, because everything else is crazy expensive. Like $7 for a jar of tomato sauce. So, yes, we discovered that you can make pasta sauce, salad dressing, and grilling rub out of dill. Can dill be made into a refreshing tea? Stay tuned for the answer.

But best of all, I just discovered that we live half a mile from a verdant 10km running and biking path that straddles both banks of the tree-lined Yarkon River. It is as if a river ran through Central Park’s Great Meadow. Which means I will be running much, much more.

Just before our departure I purchased a new pair of running shoes—I swear by Brooks Trance line—and a pair of Vibram FiveFingers. Those are the “barefoot” running shoes that have a thin rubber sole and individual toes. They must not be available here in Israel because I get lots of looks when I run in them. I’ve been assuming that these gawkers have been shouting words of encouragement, but then again, ani lo medever ivrit—I do not speak Hebrew. I just smile back, pick up the pace, and think to myself, this truly is the good life.