The Newsletter

Past issues · 13

• August 24, 2026Latest

  Two trips worth bookmarking

  No new articles this week, so we're surfacing two pieces that hold up regardless of when you read them. One is a running list of day trips from Rochester that most people haven't considered yet. The other is a ground-level guide to Barcelona's Gothic Quarter — the things that don't make the top-10 lists but shape the whole experience.

• August 17, 2026

  Two places worth slowing down for

  Not every place announces itself. This week we're revisiting two that reward the traveler who shows up curious — a Finger Lakes town that quietly invented both American aviation and the region's wine culture, and Barcelona's Gaudí sites, where the gap between what you expect and what you actually find is wider than you'd think.

• August 10, 2026

  Start here, then slow down

  Some trips have a clear first move; others ask you to rethink the whole pace. This week we're revisiting two pieces that sit at opposite ends of that spectrum — one that answers the question every Finger Lakes first-timer asks, and one that reframes what a good trip is actually for.

• August 3, 2026

  The waterfall that outdrops Niagara

  Taughannock Falls drops 215 feet, taller than Niagara, yet it somehow stays off most travel itineraries. This week we took a closer look at what makes it worth the detour — and what to know before you go.

• July 27, 2026

  Two places worth going back to

  Some travel pieces have a shelf life. These two don't. Whether you're planning a Finger Lakes weekend or a longer European stretch, the places that slow you down and show you something real tend to hold up — no matter when you read about them.

• July 20, 2026

  Two places worth going back to

  Some places don't age. Ithaca on a Saturday morning — gorges, farmers market, the whole ritual — is one of them. Barcelona's Gothic Quarter is another: a neighborhood that looks better the longer you wander it, and worse the faster you try to see it. Two different trips, same idea.

• July 13, 2026

  Worth the Trip, No Matter How Far

  Some weeks the pull is toward somewhere iconic — a city you've always meant to do properly. Other weeks it's closer: a place an hour away that you keep meaning to get to. This issue covers both ends of that spectrum, with no expiration date on either.

• July 6, 2026

  The how matters as much as the where

  No new pieces this week, so I went back to two that keep earning their keep. One asks a real question about what travel is actually for. The other saves you a planning headache if you've ever stared at a Finger Lakes map and wondered where to start.

• June 29, 2026

  The Finger Lakes ice cream stops worth the detour

  The Finger Lakes is easy to reduce to wine trails and waterfalls, but the ice cream scene quietly earns its own trip. This guide covers the shops worth pulling over for — specific enough to actually plan a stop, honest enough to skip the ones that aren't.

• June 8, 2026

  Why June is the Finger Lakes' best month

  One feature this week, and it's well timed: why June may be the best month to visit the Finger Lakes, and how to plan a trip that makes the most of it — the wineries, the water, and the long light of early summer.

• June 1, 2026

  Where to actually jump in this summer

  Summer's here, and the Finger Lakes are calling. This week we rounded up the best places to actually get in the water — from the obvious gems to the spots locals keep quiet about. Bookmark it for your next warm afternoon.

• May 4, 2026

  Corning, Canandaigua, picking a wine trail, and the Cayuga Lake Wine & Herb festival

  Four Finger Lakes pieces this week. A full-day guide to Corning. A perfect day in Canandaigua. How to choose your first wine trail. And a guide to the Cayuga Lake Wine & Herb festival this summer.

• April 27, 2026

  Florence with our daughter, Hammondsport's hidden history, and the Finger Lakes as a coolcation destination

  Five pieces this week, all with a Finger Lakes thread running through them — plus a personal one from Florence. The Hammondsport piece is a genuine discovery: a small town where American aviation and Finger Lakes wine history overlap in ways most people don't know. The coolcation piece explains why the Finger Lakes keeps showing up in 2026 travel trends. And the Florence piece is personal.