Justin Was Here

The phone rang at 4:45AM and I shot out of bed and grabbed the receiver. The person on the line said something in Hebrew and hung up.

It took me a minute to realize that I was in Israel, in the desert, and that the phone the phone call was my wakeup call. I […]

The city of Jerusalem is unlike any place I’ve ever been. The layers of history run deep in this city, and it’s hard to fully appreciate it all in just two days. It is a place where history and religious stories come alive, and it is a nexus of religions and cultures. There are […]

My flight landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 4:30 AM. In a groggy haze, I made my way through the airport, not looking forward to the customs checkpoint. Before my flight, I had been singled out and searched excessively at Heathrow, and I expected a repeat of the strict Israeli security […]

The last couple of days it has been nice to just chill out in London. I convinced Jocelyn to extend her stay and hang out for a couple days, intending to show her around the city. Somehow we both had some money issues (declined cards, overdrawn accounts, etc.) so that put a bit of a […]

This Contiki fiasco is finally coming to an end, and the camaraderie is in full swing as people take group photos, exchange emails, and make plans to visit each other in the future. Some of us are already nostalgic for these days of cheap Italian wine, crowded Parisian cafes, and too little sleep. […]

Yesterday I rediscovered a city that I had once written off as just another old, dirty tourist trap. I always understood the cultural and historical significance of Rome, but I never saw past it.
I took my first trip to Rome when I was just 19 years old. I snapped pictures of […]

I arrived in London yesterday evening after a long and uneventful flight. Believe it or not, it’s not even that cold here –and that is coming from a person who wears winter coats and scarves in Los Angeles. I hate the cold.

Anyway, I’ve spent the last day and a half wandering around […]

Just after 2am, my booze-clouded mind convinced me that it would be a good idea to walk home from the bar.
It was New Years and I had somehow gotten separated from the pack and was sitting alone at a private booth in the Cabana Club on Sunset and Ivar. The table was strewn with empty […]