Region

Americas

Caribbean walls and Andean altitude — terracotta from Mexico City, volcanic clay from Quito, folk ceramics from Cartagena, and the valleys back home.

Cities

Colombia

Cartagena

Slow afternoons inside the wall, a Getsemaní studio, and a folk-art ceramic that carries the whole Caribbean into the apartment with it.

Cuba

Havana

An afternoon in Centro, a rooftop at La Guarida, and a hand-sculpted ceramic sphere that traveled back in a rolled-up shirt. Empty pharmacies and Ernesto.

USA

Key West

A short stay: Blue Heaven breakfast, Fort Zachary at low tide, sunset at Mallory Square with a crowd that feels affectionate about its own cliché.

Mexico

Mexico City

Terracotta and tortilla — Roma Norte notes, a studio visit near Coyoacán, a set of tequila cups brought home for a birthday.

USA

Miami

Little Havana, tin roofs, coffee. A working base and a city that keeps surprising me — more café than beach, more neighborhood than skyline.

Ecuador

Quito

Andean blues, a clay that wouldn't settle, and a speckled cup bought near San Francisco church at 9,350 feet.

USA

Shenandoah Valley

Valley mornings. A reset — and the rustic American pottery with an earthy glaze that closes the gap between travel and home.

Entries

Pottery

Altitude and Artisans: Pottery from Quito

Quito sits at nearly 10,000 feet. You feel it in your lungs the moment you step off the plane—a tightness that doesn't quite release, a reminder that you're standing on the spine of the Andes.

February 2026

Travel Recs

Cartagena

A three-story cocktail palace in the heart of the walled city, consistently ranked among the world's best bars. Each floor has its own vibe — basement speakeasy, main bar, rooftop jungle. The drink…

February 2026

Pottery

Cuban Cigars and Colorful Streets: Ceramics from Cartagena

The pharmacies had no drugs. The restaurants served a quarter of their menus. And if you needed a taxi to the airport, you booked it days in advance—because the drivers weren't sure they could find gasoline.

February 2026

Pottery

Empty Pharmacies and Ernesto: A Ceramic from Cuba

The pharmacies had no drugs. The restaurants served a quarter of their menus. And if you needed a taxi to the airport, you booked it days in advance—because the drivers weren't sure they could find gasoline.

February 2026

Travel Recs

Havana

Havana's most famous paladar, tucked inside a crumbling mansion with a grand marble staircase. The ropa vieja is exceptional, and the rooftop bar has sweeping views of Centro Habana. Book ahead and…

February 2026

Travel Recs

Key West

Breakfast beneath banana trees and free-roaming roosters — this legendary Bahama Village spot is pure Key West chaos. The banana bread French toast is outrageous, and the lobster Benedict is worth…

February 2026

Travel Recs

Mexico City

One of the world's best speakeasies, hidden behind an unmarked door in Colonia Juárez. The cocktails are boundary-pushing works of art, and the bartenders are among Mexico's finest. You'll need to…

February 2026

Travel Recs

Miami

The Miami outpost of Brooklyn's legendary pizza spot lives up to the hype. Order the vodka pie and watch the flames dance in the wood-fired oven while you wait — it's worth every minute. The calzon…

February 2026

Pottery

Mountain Craft: Pottery from the Shenandoah Valley

Not all my pottery comes from overseas. It's tempting to think handmade objects require exotic origins. But Americans shape clay too. We always have.

February 2026

Pottery

Tequila Cups and Tree-Lined Streets: Pottery from Mexico City

We went to Mexico City for my birthday—me, Peter, and Dave, who'd been living there for a year and promised us things we couldn't get anywhere else. Everything I thought I knew about Mexican food turned out to be wrong.

February 2026