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Travel

Salt Cay, Turks and Caicos Pressure Drop

The charms of Salt Cay, a small island in Turks and Caicos with hard-baked ground and little shade, hammered by hurricanes, and cut off from many of the conveniences of daily life, will not be immediately — or ever — apparent to some.

Jun 6, 2019
When In . . . Amsterdam

The dynamic Dutch capital’s reputation for stag parties, spliff, and sex tourism belies diverse offerings for those willing to stray beyond the tourist hot spots. There’s no denying the city’s palpable yet joyful tension between serene beauty and beery hedonism — visitors either come for the picturesque charm of higgledy-piggledy houses on narrow streets or for sweaty techno raves in converted factories — but Amsterdam has it all, from the arts and entertainment to design, food, and greenery.

May 23, 2019
Heathrow Airport: From Glacial to Facial Recognition

Travelers flying out of London’s Heathrow this summer will be able to check in and board their flight without showing a passport or boarding pass.

The United Kingdom’s largest airport has announced plans for an immediate and full-scale roll out of a facial-recognition system costing approximately $65 million. In a press release, airport officials claimed this revolutionary biometric technology could reduce the average passenger’s journey time by up to a third.

May 23, 2019
Positano Grandeur, Gladiators, and Gelato

I always pictured my first trip to Italy as a romantic getaway, maybe to celebrate a milestone anniversary after two children and a certain number of years of marriage.

May 23, 2019
The Getaway: Chinatown

Emerge from the subway on Canal Street in Chinatown, New York City, and be prepared for a wonderfully chaotic assault to the senses. Wizened grannies haggle loudly over all kinds of unrecognizable goods, younger women step into your path, whispering, “Handbag, Rolex, perfume.” Buckets of eels and brilliant blue crabs spill onto the sidewalk as customers clamor over fresh prawns and whole fish. Peking ducks hang in restaurant windows with skin like glass and the color of Chippendale mahogany.

May 23, 2019
Next Stop: Expat Life

Dollar, a beautiful white tiger around 2 years old, was serene, lazily lounging on the ground as I stroked her flank and gently rested my head on her 400-pound body, blissed as could be, all senses sharper than at any other time in memory.

Without warning, Dollar lifted her massive head and turned directly around. Eyes locked, our faces inches apart, time, the earth, and my heart stood completely still. We looked into one another’s eyes for a long, long moment. Terrified and exhilarated, I tried to will any lingering fear from my consciousness.

May 23, 2019
On the Freedom Trail

Cruising west along Highway 80, between Montgomery and Selma, my kids and I sang along loudly to “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around,” over and over, to get our off-key harmonies right. We were on a weeklong pilgrimage to the holy sites of the civil rights movement.

May 23, 2019
When in . . . London: Hackney

Traveling to London and worried about Brexit overload? Head straight over to Hackney, in the east end of the city, and simply enjoy London for what it really is: the world’s most ethnically diverse city.

Apr 18, 2019