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...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, By July, something shifts here in California. Winter in the Sierra has us braising and roasting because it’s dark by five and there’s snow to the windowsills. Then summer starts, the weekly market sets up in town, and we leave the hearty dishes behind. It’s more assembly than cooking...slice a tomato, salt it, tear some basil, and that’s dinner. That kind of eating only works when an ingredient is ripe enough to be the star of the show. That window lasts about six weeks a year, and...
23 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Did I ever tell you I live just 45 minutes southeast of Yosemite? Tbh, it was a bit of a lucky accident. I moved to Mammoth Lakes for the skiing and to be near family, and a national park in the backyard was the bonus. When the park opens from the east each summer, I make it my mission to get there often. I went last Sunday for a full day of hiking and came home with wrecked legs, which translates to a good day in outdoor speak. The Challenge That's Worth The Effort While winter in...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I just got back from a family trip to New York, ten of us in all, to celebrate the Fourth. Somewhere between booking show tickets and mapping subway routes, I remembered that when travel planning is your actual job, you never really clock out. I don't mind it. I went to school upstate and spent years in the city, so I have opinions, and a group trip is basically an invitation to use all of them. Doing The Classics, First-Timer Style It was my nephews' first time, so we clocked some...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Travel + Leisure asked a handful of experts to name the best food destination on earth. Every one of us said Italy. But, when they got to me, I didn’t say Rome or Bologna. I said Palermo. Nothing against the rest of Italy but this city always seems to fly under-the-radar. Why I Said Palermo Sicily reminds me as much of Beirut as it does of Naples. It belongs to the Mediterranean more than to any one country, and a city like Palermo, with its millennia of history and layers of food...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I couldn’t sleep, so at some unholy hour I pulled up the Kīlauea eruption updates. The volcano was just starting to put on a show. We threw on shoes and made it to the lookout right as the lava fountain hit its stride, a column of fire roaring up against a black sky. I’ll be honest, catching a fountaining episode was my not-so-secret second goal for this whole research trip, and I’d half talked myself out of it ever happening. Then it did. Watching that glow climb into the night is...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, There’s a stretch of June where the calendar quickly fills up. A graduation party one weekend, a backyard cookout the next, the start of summer, and Father’s Day landing on the 21st. The reality is, the food has to be good, and it can’t keep you stuck inside while everyone else is enjoying the sun. These are the recipes we have on our short list and we’re sure will be in rotation all season long. Nearly every piece can be made ahead, which means you actually get to enjoy the party....
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Spring has been nonstop around here in the best possible way. Late spring in the travel world is basically our version of tax season: we’re finalizing summer itineraries, locking in fall travel, and already deep in conversations about holiday trips and even 2027 planning. Meanwhile, our team is getting fresh destination guides up on the site, sharing travel tips on Instagram, and I’m currently in that very specific pre-trip phase where my suitcase is still empty but my nightstand...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, This month took me from California wine country to vetting new partners and planning fall trips in France and Italy, and I came away with a few things worth sharing. Starting with a plate of Santa Maria tri-tip, pinquito beans, and cornbread at Paso Robles Inn. If you haven’t had this combo, add it to your must-eat list. It’s my favorite BBQ in the country because, well, it’s from my home state and simply delicious. It’s California’s Central Coast in a bite, and you won’t find it...
3 months ago • 4 min read