Literary City Guide: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Literary City Guide | Santa Fe

New Mexico is a famous state in my family, chiefly because of an incident that occurred on a vacation one summer. There's a patch of road called "Four Corners," where four states converge--Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico--and we were scheduled to stop during our road trip, but some kind of outburst ensued instead. It involved screaming, along with threats to drive straight through if the yelling didn't cease. I may have kicked my brother, I don't remember now. But I was eight and my brother was four, so that might at least give you an idea of what could have happened. In the end, my parents made good on their promise, and we missed Four Corners all together, so I never did set food in New Mexico after all.

I'm unsure when I'll make another attempt, but today Aviva Markowitz takes us on a literary tour of Santa Fe, which is a good substitute. You'll want to bookmark her recommendations for coffee houses (some with roaring fireplaces), huevos rancheros, and independent movie theaters before your next trip to this breathtaking desert landscape.

 

What I'm Reading | February 2014

Earlier this month, I revisited this old favorite. 

January was spent teetering between the swell of the holidays and our convictions about the new year, but now we're really in it. And California is in the middle of a drought and one of the warmest winters I can remember in recent years. Also, I finally went to see Book of Mormon (!), and snuck in a few memorable restaurant meals, too. Happy reading! 

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The best chocolate chip cookies in LA.

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6 lessons from street food pioneer Roy Choi.

So, how was your day?

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10 ways to leave your comfort zone and write.

Literary City Guide: Tampa, Florida

“The railing of the balcony was cold but the blue-black night air was so warm in October, in Florida, it felt as if it could hold you, all that wetness like a blanket of kisses.”

— Heather Sellers

Photo by Cassie Childs

In November 2004 I flew from Los Angeles to Tampa on a red eye to attend my future brother-in-law's wedding. At five o'clock the next morning, Andrew and I wiped the sleep from our eyes and found his dad waiting for us at baggage claim. It was already humid, and we spent the day shuffling from one place to the next until collapsing at a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner.

Unfortunately, that trip was a quick one, with little time left for exploring. You can bet if I ever make it back to the Sunshine State, I'll be taking this literary city guide with me.

PhD student Cassie Childs is composing her dissertation on women writing about food and travel, so she knows a thing or two about a good meal, and took time away from her studies to play tour guide. You'll find that Tampa is home to a handful of independent bookstores, bakeries, and a thriving creative writing community supported by the University of South Florida, so pack your sunscreen! 

Photo by Cassie Childs

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For more Florida inspiration, read this poem by Charlie Smith. It's hauntingly beautiful. 

"It is night  
in Florida
and, in a moment, one of us will recall  
the time our father, in a gray suit,  
climbed the steps of an airliner  
bound for Paris
and never came back."

-from "Talking Among Ourselves" by Charlie Smith