selected work
The Midnight Train to Cockfosters
Explore Parts Unknown
All aboard the Night Tube, the London Underground’s long-overdue, politically contentious, sometimes raucous overnight service. For the companion site for Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown.
Surfing the Embargo
roads and kingdoms
Roads and Kingdoms’ Alexa van Sickle braves sea urchins, jagged rocks, and myopic U.S. foreign policy to surf Havana’s Calle 70 break.
Beyoncegate:the real problem with travel to cuba
The atlantic.com
The Carters' jaunt brought unprecedented publicity to the complex travel licenses that allow Americans to visit Cuba.
The Accidental Activist:A Q&A with Janey Godley
Explore Parts Unknown
Interview with Janey Godley, 57, a Glaswegian comedian, playwright, and author. A companion piece for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown’s Glasgow episode.
Guide to the Moscow Metro
R&K Moscow City Guide
Spend some time in one of Russia’s finest museums. The definitive guide to the Moscow Metro, featured in the Moscow edition of R&K City Guides.
The Perfect Day in London
Explore parts unknown
A meandering food-and-pub crawl from south to north of the river, an open loop that embraces the City of London, with some big-ticket sights and some less-examined corners. For the companion site for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.
The Magic Mountain
Roads and Kingdoms
A journey to Mt. Shasta City, the New Age capital of California, where ancient enlightened beings dwell in underground cities and humans squabble over who truly represents them.
The Story Behind Cuban Ajiaco
Explore parts unknown
No dish contains the story and spirit of Cuba quite like ajiaco, a heady, creole stew of meats, vegetables, and spices pulled from the Americas, Europe, and Africa—the encounters that created Cuba.
City guide: edinburgh
Roads and kingdoms
Those who drop anchor in Edinburgh share a smug delight in having discovered this chilly, beautiful corner of Britain. Just pack a jacket.
A Farewell to the alps
Roads and Kingdoms
R&K’s Alexa van Sickle takes a boozy, sentimental farewell trip through Austria.
Know Before You Go: Vienna
Roads and kingdoms
A Vienna guide from schnitzel to wine hikes. Part of R&K’s Know Before You Go series.
Viva la revolución: Cuban farmers regain control over land
The Guardian.coM
As the state loosens its grip on food production, Cuban farmers and independent co-operatives will need support to help solve the country's agriculture crisis.
The Myths of October
Survival: Global Politics and Strategy
Fifty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, lessons are still being learned, old myths still persist, and new evidence is emerging. Review Essay. (Paywall)