The untold stories behind some of our travel writer’s favorites moments of 2023
After writing about travel for nearly a decade, I had miraculously escaped illness while on the road. But on a foggy morning last March, my luck ran out, and it ran out hard. I woke up in a hotel room in Bogotá and felt as if I was getting punched in the stomach while riding a roller coaster. I was green in the gills and gripping a pillow in agony.
I opened my laptop and scanned the itinerary for the day. It included driving through the Colombian countryside to Cucunubá to see the wool trail, a route chockablock with sheep, old-timey looms, and many hand-made blankets. The car was rented, and I had already arranged to visit farmers and small family-owned shops. Sick or not, I had a job to do. I got in a car and made the appointed rounds. But later, when I sat down with my notes, it seemed too complicated to recreate the wool trail experience in a story. Also, I really wasn’t keen on reliving the day, no matter how cute the sheep looked.
There are moments such as these (thankfully, most of them are far more pleasant) when I notice things in my adventures that may not work for a story, but they stick with me, and I think, “Someday, I’ll write about this.” Well, my friends, someday is today, and I’m opening my notebook. Here are some of my favorite 2023 moments that I didn’t have an opportunity to share.
SCHIEDAM, Netherlands, Sept. 23 — When I tried JetBlue’s new route from Boston to Amsterdam, I landed, collected my luggage, and headed directly to Rotterdam, which is 25 minutes away
by train. Amsterdam has gotten plenty of ink, but I was curious about Rotterdam, a city that was heavily bombed in World War II and is now a showcase for modern architecture. I also visited the nearby town of Schiedam to see Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s show “The Dutch Years 1965-1970.” Kusama hosted and participated in some wild parties in the Netherlands during the era of free love. Her psychedelic, phallocentric show caused a few museumgoers to blush. OK, fine. I was the only one blushing. The exhibition is a fun romp through the 1960s, but I recommend you see it for yourself. It runs through February at the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.
POMPEII, May 23 — The plan for the day had been to walk around Sorrento and explore nearby towns. I’d enjoy the sea views at Bagni di Regina Giovanna, take the ferry to Positano, or just loaf around in Piazza Tasso. The weather had other plans for me. Torrential rain meant I was ducking into shops that were crammed with other tourists who were also avoiding the rain. I wasn’t in the mood to look at tchotchkes in crowded stores, so I got on the Circumvesuviana train and traveled 20 minutes to Pompeii. I reasoned that the ancient city wouldn’t be as crowded on a rainy day, and I was right. I didn’t have the 79 A.D. archeological site all to myself, but it was pretty empty by Italian tourist attraction standards. There were far more poppies than people.
LONDON, Sept. 7 — After trying Norse Atlantic Airways’s new route from Boston to London, I walked around the city in an incoherent jetlagged haze. I was staying in England for a night and heading home the next day. I used my groggy downtime to view a few attractions I’d never seen, including 10 Downing St., home of the British prime minister. Truth be told, I wasn’t interested in spotting Rishi Sunak. But I really wanted to meet Larry, the cat who holds the title of chief mouser to the cabinet office. I saw the furry fellow regally perched on the steps and quickly ran over. Larry stood up, stretched, and looked in my direction. The highlight of my year probably shouldn’t be a brief encounter with a famous British cat, but it was.
NORTH ADAMS, June 4 — It was an eerily quiet Sunday night in downtown North Adams. I was here to review a new hotel called Hotel Downstreet, which was technically not new, but an old Holiday Inn that had been gussied up and renamed. I thought, “I’ll just take a walk around town and find a restaurant.” I walked, but there was nothing open. With no cars and no people around, I could stand and admire the marquee of the 1938 Mohawk Theater. The city-owned Art Deco theater has sat empty since 1991. It looks as if it will stay that way for a while. Last summer the city looked for a buyer, and not a single bid was submitted.
CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss., Nov. 4. — On a road trip from Natchez to Memphis, I realized that I would be passing through the hometown of singer Bobby Gentry and the famed Tallahatchie Bridge from her 1967 Southern gothic hit “Ode to Billie Joe.” There’s a sign celebrating Gentry posted at the bridge, but that’s about it. Shouldn’t there be a museum dedicated to Gentry somewhere in the county? Perhaps with a cafeteria that serves biscuits and blacked-eyed peas attended by a waitress who asks, “Child, what’s happened to your appetite?” Without a museum, I thought the best way to show my respect was to retrace the steps of Billie Joe McAllister along the bridge (minus the jump), and then head up the street to the Crystal Grill. I decided to forgo the black-eyed peas for the smooth, tart icebox lemon pie.
MONTREAL, Feb. 3 — When you’re writing a story about embracing the outdoors in winter, but the high temperature is -11 degrees, it’s wise to find excuses to occasionally step inside and warm up if you intend to keep your toes intact. I found an exceptional place to defrost. Semi-retired IT execs and couple Paul Hamelin and Danielle Lysaught turned their 111-year-old home into an art gallery during the pandemic when emerging artists had nowhere else to exhibit their work. It was so successful that they kept it open. Called Projet Casa, the gallery occupies the ground floor of the couple’s Plateau Mont-Royal mansion. When I was there, there was an exhibit featuring the work of 16 artists. Despite the snow and cold, the gallery was lively. It felt more like visiting a friend’s house than going into a sterile gallery. Admission is free, but be sure to check gallery hours before you visit (www.projetcasa.org).