A presidential campaign. A hurricane. A cult-favorite cabbage slaw.
For Emily Cochrane, a reporter who covers the American South for The New York Times, no day is ever the same.
“It’s one of the great joys and challenges of this job,” she said in a recent interview. “You could be covering so much at any time.”
Ms. Cochrane joined The Times in 2017 as an intern in the Washington bureau. In 2018, she landed a role as a news assistant and soon became a congressional reporter in Washington, D.C.
When presented with the opportunity to cover the South last year, she didn’t hesitate.
“When I started at The Times, I set out to do as much as possible and see as much of this complicated country and world as I could,” Ms. Cochrane said.
So she packed her things, placed her two cats, Yuzu and Hercules, in carriers and moved from Washington to Nashville to cover the region. In recent months, she has reported on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the block-party celebration of a beloved honky-tonk.
In a few conversations — as she was covering a trial in Memphis — Ms. Cochrane discussed the regional trends she’s watching and the debate over Florida’s inclusion in “the South.” These are edited excerpts.
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“As far back as I can remember, I knew I was different,” says Alexander Smalls. Growing up in a Gullah Geechee household in Spartanburg, North Carolina, the chef says he recognized the implication of those differences—in appearance, history, and cuisine. “I discovered early that my friends did not eat any of the foods that I ate. My foods were more akin to West Africa, you know, and very much pronounced in that way,” he says. It wan't until he moved to New York as an adult, that he assimilated the value of that diasporic connective tissue. “Food was a big part of cultural expression and identity of the African diaspora,” he says.
While passport application and renewal delays are over and traveling internationally is—for the most part—easier than ever, did you know it’s totally possible to hop on a plane to a white-sand beach or streets that feel just like Spain with just your driver's license in hand? The best places to travel without a passport are within reach. You just need to know where to look. And one of the best options American travelers have at hand are the US territories.
An upgraded travel experience just got cheaper. Delta Air Lines recently released hundreds of flight deals in their premium cabins, such as Delta Comfort+ and Delta One for travel throughout the fall and winter. Many of the tickets are priced under $1,000, and travelers can also redeem miles from Delta's SkyMiles program for seats at a discounted rate as well. Some of the lowest-priced flight deals to Europe include New York-JFK to London-Heathrow for only $703 round-trip in Comfort+, or 59,000 Miles, valid on travel from January 7, 2025 through March 6, 2025.
There’s something special about Charleston, South Carolina. Spanish moss drips from the limbs of centuries-old oaks, and the ghosts of bygone eras wander the streets on cool evening breezes. As I step through the front doors of the historic Mills House hotel, I’m quickly reminded that all of the things that make Charleston special are perfectly captured within these walls. If only they could talk.
Amtrak currently operates 39 routes, with trains criss-crossing the country to service 500 destinations in 46 states. Starting November 10, 2024, however, the number of Amtrak routes will go down one notch to reach a total of 38. Amtrak is cancelling two routes and launching a brand new one between Chicago and Miami called The Floridian.
Airbnb compiled its report of the most wish-listed stays in every US state so it’s time for a road trip with some epic accommodations. This road trip that connects the most wish-listed Midwest Airbnbs starts in North Dakota and heads south before turning north again and then back south, a rollercoaster of a road trip that’s even better than the crazy rides at Cedar Point.
While hurricanes bring short-term devastation, they often boost medium-term hotel performance in affected regions. Analysts at investment banks Bernstein, Baird, and Truist expect hurricanes Milton and Helene to impact hotel occupancy and revenue in Florida for months.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Christian Salafia, a former US Navy engineering laboratory technician and cyber and information security consultant who moved from Florida to South Africa in 2021.
This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Helene Sula, an American travel blogger and author of "Two O'Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain: A Search for an Unconventional Life Abroad." It has been edited for length and clarity.