On the New York Times list of “Places to Go in 2026,” Revolutionary America is #1 and Warsaw is #2. I generally pay little attention to such lists, but the recognition of Poland’s capital – so often overshadowed by Krakow – is well-deserved and personally satisfying. I have been writing about Warsaw since the late ’70s, when it was a little-visited capital behind the Iron Curtain, and I have delighted in seeing its evolution into a world-class city. In 2011 I wrote about its resurgence for National Geographic Traveler (yes, the New York Times is a little late to the party) and the story appears in my book The Joys of Travel. It is completely different from the story the magazine published, which is a story unto itself, one that – now that Warsaw’s in the spotlight – I might try to publish.
