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Gallery 02 of 05

Inhabited

Places shaped by people, and the everyday life that fills them.

Crowds crossing a lamplit stone bridge toward a hilltop castle at dusk

Charles Bridge at DuskPrague, Czech RepublicSqueezed into a tight corner of the old tower, I watched the whole city pour across Charles Bridge toward the castle as the lamps came on. It has carried people over the Vltava since the fourteenth century, and at dusk it still feels like the only road home.Charles Bridge at DuskPrague, Czech Republic

Paris glowing at dusk with the Eiffel Tower lit

City of LightParis, FranceNight arrives in Paris one street at a time, and from high above the rooftops I got to watch it happen. The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair and meant to come down after twenty years. It stayed, and the city learned to glow around it.City of LightParis, France

Lit chain bridge and riverside parliament at twilight

The Chain BridgeBudapest, HungaryI found a gap in the trees of the Buda hills just as the Chain Bridge lit up, stitching two cities together with light. Before it opened in 1849, crossing the Danube here meant a bridge of boats in summer and, some winters, a walk across the ice.The Chain BridgeBudapest, Hungary

Parliament dome and bridge tower above the river at sunset

Parliament at SunsetBudapest, HungaryCopper on the river, copper on the dome. Hungary’s Parliament, finished in 1904, is still the largest building in the country, and for a few minutes at sunset it looks as if it were lit from within.Parliament at SunsetBudapest, Hungary

Lit suspension bridge over the river with a foggy skyline at night

Under the Brooklyn BridgeNew York, New YorkStanding on the Brooklyn shore beneath the span, I watched fog swallow the tops of the towers across the river. When the bridge opened in 1883 it was the longest suspension bridge on earth; tonight its cables read like the strings of a harp.Under the Brooklyn BridgeNew York, New York

Grey slate rooftops and dormer windows stretching to a Gothic church

Rooftops of ParisParis, FranceI climbed to the top of the Centre Pompidou, looked out across the plaza, and Paris rewarded me with this: zinc, slate and chimney pots rolling toward the spire of Saint-Eustache like a grey sea. Those little dormer rooms under the eaves once housed the city’s maids; now people dream of living in them.Rooftops of ParisParis, France

Curling iron lamppost before a brick-and-stone facade

Lamp at Place des VosgesParis, FranceParis is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own character. Wandering with no guide, I stumbled onto Place des Vosges: matching houses of rose brick and pale stone, steep slate roofs, shaded arcades below, all wrapped around a small park where everyone seems to be on their way somewhere.Lamp at Place des VosgesParis, France

Domed church roof over a lagoon lined with terracotta buildings

Above the LagoonVenice, ItalyI took a water taxi across the lagoon and climbed to the top of San Giorgio Maggiore, and this was my reward: the church’s silver dome below and Venice spread across the water in terracotta. The whole city stands on wooden piles driven into the mud, floating on faith for more than a thousand years.Above the LagoonVenice, Italy

Hillside city curving around a bay under towering clouds

The Bay of NaplesNaples, ItalyI’d just had the best pizza of my life from a tiny stall by the train station, light and crisp and heaped with fresh seafood. I folded it like a New York slice, and passersby smiled and gestured as I ate. Then I climbed the hillside and watched Naples spread out below, Vesuvius brooding across the bay.The Bay of NaplesNaples, Italy

Blue-domed chapel and bell tower above the caldera

Watching the CalderaSantorini, GreeceBlue dome, white bell tower, and nothing but sea beyond: the perfect place for quiet contemplation. The calm water below fills a crater left by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history, some 3,600 years ago, though sitting here you would never guess.Watching the CalderaSantorini, Greece

Two blue domes and whitewashed steps in late sun

Twin DomesSantorini, GreeceGetting up early in the off season paid off: no crowds, no stress, just an otherworldly town all to myself. Two domes the color of deep water, the sun glinting off the sea beyond. In high season you’d wait an hour for this shot; that morning, it simply waited for me.Twin DomesSantorini, Greece

Blue dome framed by flowering branches over the sea

Blossom and DomeSantorini, GreeceA branch of bougainvillea leaned in, as if it wanted a look at the sea too. It could have been a backyard in Southern California, but the blue dome and the Aegean far below reminded me I was a world away from home.Blossom and DomeSantorini, Greece

Whitewashed clifftop village with windmills and a ferry at sea

Oia, Falling to the SeaOia, GreeceThe classic Santorini shot, Oia tumbling down the cliff in whitewash and ochre. A hundred years ago these cave homes housed seafaring laborers; now they shelter travelers lucky enough to be here. The seagull and the ferry weren’t luck, though. I waited for both.Oia, Falling to the SeaOia, Greece

Bell arch beside a hillside of pastel houses and blue domes

The Bell ArchOia, GreeceA bell in a whitewashed arch, a village stacked in pastel beyond it. Many homes here were carved straight into the soft volcanic rock, cool in the heat of summer and tucked away from the wind.The Bell ArchOia, Greece

Clifftop village lights glowing at blue hour

Oia at Blue HourOia, GreeceI sit on my room’s balcony in a cool breeze, taking it all in as blue hour settles and Oia turns on its lights one window at a time. The village was badly damaged in the 1956 earthquake and rebuilt slowly, stone by stone. Tonight it glows as if it had never fallen.Oia at Blue HourOia, Greece

Sun setting behind the caldera beyond a white village

First Light over the CalderaOia, GreeceNo crowds, no jostling for a spot on the wall, just my hotel room window and the sun rising over the rim of the caldera. Behind the scattered clouds it felt extra omnipotent that morning, as if the whole island had paused to watch it arrive.First Light over the CalderaOia, Greece

A monk in an orange robe at the rail of a blue riverboat

Saffron and BlueLuang Prabang, LaosSaffron against sky-blue boards: a young monk leaning on the rail of the ferry, waiting to cross the Mekong. For him it was just an ordinary day on the river. For me, it was a moment I’ll treasure.Saffron and BlueLuang Prabang, Laos

Rows of colorful lit tents at a night market seen from above

Night JewelsBangkok, ThailandOn the outskirts of town, I climbed a dark, gritty parking garage, and the view opened onto something unexpected: rows of tents glowing like colorful jewels. Under every one, someone was grilling, haggling or laughing, and the market hummed along long after the city should have been asleep.Night JewelsBangkok, Thailand

Three small children watching red fishing boats in a whitewashed harbor

Sunday BestMykonos, GreeceA Sunday morning by the harbor: three small explorers in their Sunday best, deciding which red boat should be theirs, while their parents sat in the café nearby catching up. For a little while, I felt like part of everyday island life.Sunday BestMykonos, Greece

Freeway light trails curving toward a city skyline at dusk

Evening RushLos Angeles, CaliforniaHome. From my perch on Mulholland Drive, Hollywood glitters below while rivers of light run both ways, red tail lights streaming toward downtown and white headlights flowing out into the hills. Los Angeles began as a small pueblo in 1781; tonight it stretches as far as I can see.Evening RushLos Angeles, California