It was the promise of danger that enticed my 11-year-old son. Sebastian, my oldest child, has grown up reading fantasy novels and watching “Lord of the Rings,” so he knows every inch of Frodo and Sam’s journey, from the Dead Marshes to Mount Doom. So this is how I sold it: We were going to…
The 52 Places Traveler A little behind-the-scenes peek into his strange, but wonderful, day-to-day. Aug. 20, 2019 Video Produced by Meg Felling and Sebastian Modak Our columnist, Sebastian Modak, is visiting each destination on our 52 Places to Go in 2019 list. With a visit to Golfo Paradiso in Italy, where he ate divinely with…
Image A scene outside Bristol, Tenn., where the famous Bristol recording sessions showcased future stars of the country music scene. This building was demolished late last week. CreditMike Belleme for The New York Times While the rest of America was roaring to jazz during the ’20s, in a small corner of the South, where back roads…
We launched into the Potomac River just beneath the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which links upscale Georgetown with the chrome-and-glass office park of Rosslyn, Va., and immediately faced the D.C. kayaker’s quandary: Paddle downstream first, taking advantage of the current, to enjoy the majestic bottom-up view of the Lincoln Memorial? Or push upstream against the…
The professional dancer Mickela Mallozzi woke with a jolt of an idea one night: She would create a television show where she would connect with people around the world through dance and music. Ms. Mallozzi had started traveling internationally while a student at New York University. Everywhere she went, she danced with locals. “It was…
Greenville, S.C., near the Blue Ridge Mountains, has emerged as a buzzy destination for the culinary and creative arts after years of economic growth and urban revitalization. One of the Upcountry city’s most intriguing areas is West Greenville, the former hub of the city’s textile production. In recent years, the enclave known as “The Village”…
With its Mission-style facades and showy tropical foliage, Santa Barbara could be a commercial for the California good life. It can be easy to underestimate the struggles of a place so seemingly flawless. But Santa Barbara has had a tough few years. From the devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018 to the flooding and mudslides…
My teenage son groaned from the back seat as we pulled over in Wabeno, about the 10th Wisconsin town with a population of 1,000 or so that we had stopped at that day. My attempt to get him to leave the car to look at the 22-foot statue of a lumberjack across the street was…
The 52 Places Traveler The Golfo Paradiso, a tiny stretch of coastline not far from the Cinque Terre, is ‘for us Italians.’ The 52 Places Traveler settles in. Aug 13, 2019 Video CreditCreditSebastian Modak/The New York Times Our columnist, Sebastian Modak, is visiting each destination on our 52 Places to Go in 2019 list. Before…
Hong Kong International Airport on Monday abruptly grounded all departing flights and kept 70 flights from arriving after thousands of protesters filled the airport, stranding air passengers at one of the world’s most important transportation hubs. A statement on the airport’s website said that operations “have been seriously disrupted, all flights have been canceled,” and…