From the Editor

July is one of those months when it’s hard to focus on work but easy to focus on fun. It’s the heart of the summer and it seems to demand, in its own lazy way, more time off, more long-weekend getaways, a more relaxed pace. And it’s funny, isn’t it, how planning a summer vacation can be a reminder of summers past. The getaways in this issue made me feel nostalgic for the days when I was just starting out as a journalist: I headed to Europe one summer to write about racing instructor Marc Surer and learned that navigating a curve is much more fun in a race car, on a test track, than it is in your own car at rush hour on the interstate. That same summer, I also touched down for a few days in Switzerland, where I discovered the deliciousness of raclette and fondue. 

All that nostalgia for racing around in cars and dining on great Swiss cuisine brings me to our current issue, which I hope will inspire you to venture out and create some summer memories of your own. You might want to start here, where you can (vicariously) buckle your seat belt and drive the test track with racing instructor James Rogerson at the MSR racetrack in Houston. Or join writer Jim Cornfield for one very athletic adventure, as he mountain bikes, kayaks, rappels, and scuba dives his way across, through, and into some of the most beautiful and historic sites of Israel — from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea, and back again.

If gastronomic adventures are more your summer vacation style, then you won’t want to miss this month’s Guide, devoted to sushi, or the clutch of great Alpine eateries we’ve found in Geneva.

Next month, while we eagerly wait for the Summer Olympics to begin in Beijing, we’ll stop over in Milan to watch while that city prepares for the big match between two top Italian teams (Inter Milan and Milan AC). No prior soccer knowledge is required, just a willingness to enjoy the twin pleasures of life in this beautiful city in Northern Italy: café society and all-out, rabid, pregame adrenaline.

Until then, I wish you great adventures and good reading.

Shawna Mullen, Editor