Why was Tom Cruise’s Olympics appearance so weird?
It may not have helped that, in France, Scientology is not regarded as a religion, but as a cult
Spectator Life
An intelligent mix of culture, style, travel, food and property, as well as where to go and what to see.
August 6, 2024
The joy of watching terrible athletes compete at the Olympics
It would be boring to see just a handful of highly athletic countries participating
July 18, 2024
Coercion and coddling take campus
A Disney version of campus is easier to sell. All flowers, no bees
Should Olympians be paid?
Sporting events like the Olympics generate billions. But while officials, organizers and broadcasters are well-compensated for their roles, the athletes are not
Why New York is a city built on the written word
To have been born there and live there all your life? It is hard to imagine any author having a greater privilege
Unplugging in the Western Ghats
No coffee, no booze, no news and no shoes at Dharana Wellness Retreat
A tale of two safaris
Why you should pair the Maasai Mara’s iconic savannah-scapes with Kenya’s Northern Frontier
Going ham in Andalusia
I didn’t think it was possible to eat all day, but when the food is this good and meticulously chosen, it is
Pavlova: a dessert inspired by the Dying Swan
Where the Dying Swan is about nature and spirit terribly at odds, delicious and beautiful food literally keeps body and soul together
July 15, 2024
Copa América’s finale fiasco casts doubt on the US’s soccer gambit
Crowds of Colombian and Argentine fans attempted to force entry into the stadium as if they were illegal immigrants with their eyes on McAllen, Texas
July 10, 2024
Exploring the rise of vaping
It began with defensible intentions
June 26, 2024
Conservatives who complain about Bill Maher are missing the point
All of the criticism seems to boil down to one point: Maher is not a conservative. But when has he ever said he was one?
June 17, 2024
Rewilding the world
The movement to bring back wildlife and nature is gaining steam
A mystery on Mount Everest
A century on, the outcome of George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine’s tragic ascent still looms large over the world’s highest mountain
Paris: a gold-medal minibreak
As the Olympic Games descend on the French capital this July, the contest that really matters for this sports-shy travel writer is where to stay
You know when you’ve been ‘Peru’d’
A South American adventure
Iron clad: good cooking’s most essential metal
Here the ancient actually beats out the modern
Venezuela’s arepas are a godsend
The older the budare is, the better. Or so says my mom
How to make the perfect clafoutis
Difficult to pronounce. But oh-so divine and easy to make
June 7, 2024
Hating Caitlin Clark for all the right reasons
Absolutely loathing other players is one of the many things that makes sports great
May 29, 2024
A solo summer sojourn in the Algarve’s Pine Cliffs resort
This being Portugal, the food is of a naturally high standard
May 18, 2024
Where to eat, drink and stay in Cape Town
Ever-excellent spots in South Africa’s epicurean dreamland
May 17, 2024
Why students at historically black colleges aren’t protesting
President Biden will likely encounter a subdued crowd at Morehouse College’s commencement speech
May 15, 2024
Lisbon and the Algarve: the spots I find hard to share
The secret’s out, so here are the spots I recommend you book ahead
Loving Las Vegas
Food tastes so much better with jetlag
On D-Day at eighty
All the sadness of lost youth hovers over Normandy
A terrible tale of a French village
With the eightieth anniversary of the Oradour massacre this summer, the descendants of the victims are making sure they are not forgotten
The Galápagos evolution even Darwin didn’t foresee
Is eco-tourism sustainable? The islands will tell
Dispatch from an unloved borough
Staten Island shouldn’t be overlooked