Summer In The City

I'm itching for a road trip. I tend not to travel as much during the summer. Most of my travel takes place in the fall, when the peak tourist season has ended, the crowds have left and flights and accommodations are cheaper. Autumn skies are often blue and clear and best for photography. A camera kit is much lighter to carry without having to navigate throngs of tourists in the steaming heat.

Summer is also the best time to be in New York City for the natives who choose to stay behind. It empties out on weekends as droves of residents flee the heat for the beaches and assorted retreats within a two-hour journey.

But riding home on the No. 6 today I was thinking of the luxurious open highways of New Mexico, where the above photograph was taken. It's time to plot an escape and squeeze a trip in before summer's end and my peak travel season begins.