Hi Reader, When I was a kid, my mom used to ski in Cortina, and her stories were never only about the skiing. She’d plan her outfits for the slopes, then change for the passeggiata, the evening stroll when the whole town comes out to see and be seen. She always said that at sunset, the mountains turn pink. I didn’t believe her. Pink mountains? Long before I ever lived in Italy, or even set foot there, seeing them became a dream of mine. (She was right, by the way! When the sun is low at...
17 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, I’m writing you as I depart Venice after spending nearly a week along the canals. This was the first stop on the Italy leg of our fall research trip, and, even after dozens of visits, the city still manages to surprise me with its creativity, beauty, and vibrancy. It’s also more crowded than ever. If you spend your whole visit moving between St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, it’s easy to leave thinking Venice equals crowds. But step away from those landmarks and the city...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Greetings from the road. I’m en route to the Central Coast, one of my favorite corners of California, for another edition of Cherry Bombe. The Farmers and Makers weekend gathers women farmers, makers, and artisans in Paso Robles for three days of tastings, dinners, and long conversations. A whole weekend built around people who make things by hand is a rare thing these days. So much of what we buy is cheap and on our doorstep the next day. Getting our travelers into a room with the...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Travelers come to us this time of year dreaming of wine country. They're picturing golden afternoons in the vineyard, walking rows heavy with fruit, and sipping a glass of something local. Most choose fall based on two assumptions... that fall is grape harvest, and harvest is magic. Unfortunately, this isn't quite true anymore. Harvest Is Earlier Now Harvest keeps creeping earlier, and in most Northern Hemisphere regions it now lands in late summer. The weeks from harvest into fall...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, I don't know about you, but I treat September as a second new year. The minute the kids go back to school, you can feel everyone resetting. Summer's over, and we all slide back into real life. I pull up my annual goals, see what's drifted, and right the ship before the last stretch of the year. When I lived in Europe, I loved that everyone there makes the shift out loud. There are actual names for it. The French call it la rentrée; the Italians, il rientro. It translates to "the...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, My 2026 has been packed with family events. As in, my sibling turns 40 this year. My mom turns 80 (don’t tell her I told you). My in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, my second cousin got married, and my niece graduated high school. Five milestones, one calendar year, and every single one involves some sort of travel. As you can tell, I come from an enormous family, and we gather often. So, 2026 has turned into an accidental audit of how to handle family travel. We’ve...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I caught myself running through a French conversation out loud while on a walk yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I came across like some caffeinated flashcard robot to anyone who saw me. Language apps are open on my phone after a few months of neglect, and I'm having full-blown conversations with AI like we're besties. That combination only means one thing, a trip is near! This fall, I'll be in France and Italy for partner meetings, and rather than show up rusty, I'm getting my skills...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I’m writing this to you horizontally, tissues within reach, on what my body has decided is a soup-and-loungewear kind of day. I just got back from a cruise, and I did the exact thing everyone swears happens on a cruise: I came home sick. We still can’t tell if it’s a bad cold or COVID, but I’ve been in and out of bed since the gangway. Here’s the part that’s almost funny. I have a whole system for not getting sick when I travel, and (almost) all of the time it works. This was not...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Let's get the math out of the way: my first trip to Alaska was thirty years ago. Which means I am now officially old enough to have "last time I was here" stories, and to tell them unprompted. Here's the part I didn't expect, though. Coming back to a place after that long isn't really about what's changed there. It's about seeing what your memory kept, and what it quietly deleted without asking. I remembered the scale of it, the light that barely dims in summer, that specific...
3 months ago • 3 min read