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I’m sitting in for the footloose travel editor Will O’Connor, filling his seat if not his shoes, and in his honor, let me first draw your attention to his absorbing story about the wonders to be seen on a roadtrip through northern Nevada. It’s been a long time since the Comstock Lode’s silver mining made the region famous more than a century ago, but there’s still plenty of Wild West to be found in places like the Tahoe House Hotel in Virginia City, or Lake Tahoe’s historic Thunderbird Lodge. Geographically, the area is ravishing, but the historically-minded will also be fulfilled by checking out the Stewart Indian School, once a federally-run school for Native American children who the school sought to mainstream into “normal” Americans by shoring them of their heritage. The school is now restored and houses a cultural center and museum. On a brighter note, don’t miss the Keck Museum and its vast collection of silver, housed in the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada, Reno.  

Under our rubric for underrated destinations, It’s Still a Big World, do check out Brandon Withrow’s paean to the joys of the too often overlooked Columbus, Ohio, a city that as Withrow amply proves, is full of surprises.

And by all means read our excerpt of The Book of Travels, Ḥannā Diyāb’s 18th century travelogue of a trek through Europe that found him in Paris in 1707 just in time to record, in hair-raising detail, one of that city’s deadliest freezes. A man of parts,  Diyāb was also a contributor to The Story of the Thousand and One Nights.

Enjoy!

–Malcolm Jones, Books Editor

A Murderous Innkeep, a Hidden Lakeside Mansion, and Unbeatable Views—Northwest Nevada Is a Trip for Everybody

It could be the colorful history or it could be the spectacular landscape, but this slice of the U.S. is perfect for a week away.

One of America’s Fastest-Growing Big Cities Is Often Overlooked

Despite being Ohio’s largest city, it is still small enough to navigate to its various neighborhoods, cultural centers, and food scenes.

Would You Fly on a Battery-Operated Plane?

Electric aircraft are coming, and that could help reduce climate change.

A Paris Deep Freeze Almost Killed ‘Aladdin’ Storyteller

Ḥannā Diyāb was one of history’s greatest travelers and raconteurs, but he was almost lost to us when he went out for a shave!

“On the fifteenth of December [1707], Paris experienced a bout of cold weather so extreme that the trees froze stiff. So did the Seine—the river that flows through the city. The sheet of ice covering the river was as thick as a handspan and carriages could drive across it as if they were upon dry, rocky ground. ”

—from The Book of Travels by Ḥannā Diyāb

Modern Treehouse, Sundance, UT (Vrbo): We don’t like to begin a tour of a gorgeous vacation home on a negative foot, but we have to in this case. If this is a treehouse, then our entire childhood has just been exposed as a lie. This is definitely not the wooden platform and vertical slat-with-nails stairs that this author’s father passed off as the real deal in our youth. But while we wait for our therapist to return our emergency call, we would like to suggest planning a trip to Sundance, Utah, where the skiing is smooth, the visitors are glittering, and, if this rental is any indication, the digs are magical.

If a winter trip isn’t in the cards for you this year, then try your luck next summer, which has the added benefit of allowing you to comfortably use the glorious backyard. Afternoon nap in the tent followed by s’mores and a glass of bubbly around the outdoor fireplace, anyone?

Book Your Stay: Modern Treehouse, Sundance, Utah: $1,100/night via Vrbo

Don’t miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives. 

Travel to the World’s Coolest New City Parks

Many of us aren’t aware, but we’re actually living in a second golden age of urban parks. That, at least, is the takeaway from the fascinating new book from Rizzoli, Parks of the 21st Century: Reinvented Landscapes, Reclaimed Territories by Victoria Newhouse. 

Inside, the book is a very serious examination of the explosion over the last decade in innovative and spectacular urban parks–places that have been reborn out of the remains of the second industrial era. Highways, airports, waterfront industrial sites, and railroads have been transformed into playful and serene spaces.

Don’t miss our other selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked.

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