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Fresh off the press —

Here you’ll find my latest travel stories — reported from the beaches, backstreets and restaurants of Brazil (and beyond). I write the kind of travel I like to do: immersive, intentional and grounded in real experiences. My work has appeared in The Washington Post, Condé Nast Traveler, Tripadvisor,  Eater and Beach.com, where I've covered everything from NYC's street food culture to the ethics of digital nomadism to guides to Brazil's best under-the-radar destinations. View my latest linked below.

The best beaches to visit in Rio de Janeiro, as told by a local for Tripadvisor

For Tripadvisor’s Rio de Janeiro destination page, I curated a mix of the city’s most iconic beaches and lesser-known escapes — helping travelers choose whether to dive into the action or avoid the crowds. (This piece appears as a section within the largest destination page)

Beach.com •

Fernando de Noronha: Brazil’s Remote Island Paradise

My favorite beach on the island. No cell service. No Wi-Fi. Just sunshine, sand and one of the best views in Noronha. Praia da Conceição is easily the island’s most social beach—a place where locals and travelers come together at the end of the day to watch the sun sink behind Morro do Pico, another iconic peak that juts dramatically into the sky. There’s just one beach bar, which keeps things simple: cold drinks, occasional live music and a laidback vibe that never feels chaotic. The wide swath...
Beach.com •

A Local's Guide to Rio de Janeiro

You know that rule about needing ten years to officially become a New Yorker? Well, Rio de Janeiro has something similar. But here, becoming a local—a carioca—isn’t measured in years. It’s measured in lifestyle. You earn your stripes after your 50th grocery run in Havaiana flip-flops, or after your 100th saideira (the “last” beer that’s never actually the last). Bonus points if you have a personal relationship with a vendor of sweetened iced tea (called mate) on the beach.
Beach.com •

Best Rio de Janeiro Beaches (That aren’t Copacabana and Ipanema)

Sure, Copacabana and Ipanema are the icons of Rio’s beach culture. And if I’m being honest, that’s probably where you’ll find me during the week, when I escape for a quick and sunny lunch break (only possible when you live steps from the sand). But when it comes to a real beach day, I prefer something more laid-back—fewer crowds, fewer vendors and more of that untamed coastal beauty that makes Rio such a wonder to visit in the first place.
Matador Network •

Iceland Gas Station Food Is so Good It Puts Even the Best US Fast Food to Shame

Normally, a bag of chips or a doughnut is as far as I’d go in terms of buying food in a gas station. But this gas station immediately differentiated itself from other gas stations I had visited: It was sleek and modern, with bright lights and clean floors, and the shelves were stocked with all kinds of pre-packaged meals, snacks, and drinks. The N1 even had a cafe and fast-food counter furnished with tables for people to dine on.
Eater NY •

Amid Booming Growth, Downtown Flushing’s Street Food Scene Has Been Decimated

As John Choe walks down Main Street in downtown Flushing, a neighborhood he’s lived and worked in for over a decade, he points out the different street corners where he and many others used to grab lunch. Here, one of the best ways to eat has always been on the street, where grilled meat skewers, Chinese barbecue, and sweet egg cakes have been sold from their respective corners for years. But those vendors — many of which helped build the neighborhood’s reputation as a haven for the city’s best and most affordable Asian food — are now gone from their usual spots on Flushing’s busy main street.
Eater NY •

Can These Mexican Chefs Make the Tamale as Popular as Tacos in NYC?

In Mexico, the tamale is both a breakfast staple and a celebratory meal, nearly always present at holidays or birthdays, and it’s very much a part of everyday life. But these meat-stuffed pockets of masa (corn dough), hand-wrapped within corn husks and steamed, haven’t had as big a presence in New York, at least not in standalone restaurants. Instead, tamales are typically found on the street, inside subway stations, or as a part of a larger menu.