Select Writing Samples
(Here is an incomplete list of people I’ve interviewed)
Still Lazy After All These Years (or In Washington State’s San Juan Islands, Time Stands Still and Nature Reigns Supreme)
Decades after a boyhood of easygoing afternoons in Washington State’s San Juan Islands, Jesse Ashlock returns with his own children to rediscover this bucolic corner of America where time almost seems to stand still. Condé Nast Traveler, July 2024
When It Comes to Summer, Nothing Beats the Northeast
After two decades on the East Coast, native Californian Jesse Ashlock is ready to admit that in the warm-weather months, New York and New England are the places to be. Condé Nast Traveler, July 2023
Origin Story (or A Galápagos Expedition That Connects You Even More Closely With the Islands’ Rare Wildlife)
Aboard Silversea’s new purpose-built Galápagos cruise ship, learning about where we all came from goes hand in hand with discovering what we want most from life. (In which I see my mom for the first time in three pandemic-separated years.) Condé Nast Traveler, July 2022
Where the Wolves Roam Again (or In Yellowstone, Wolf-Spotting Is an Education in the Laws of Nature)
A short dispatch from Yellowstone on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, exploring the emotionally charged politics surrounding the park’s famous apex predators. Condé Nast Traveler, March 2022
Seduced by San Miguel
Historical circumstance left this colorful city remarkably intact. Thanks to first-class restaurants, outstanding hotels, and beguiling architecture, it’s become popular with visitors, who arrive in search of its ineffable magic. Travel + Leisure, May 2019
Along For the Ride (or Skijoring is the Nordic Winter Sport We Never Knew We Needed)
At the Resort at Paws Up, a sprawling ranch in western Montana, Jesse Ashlock tries his hand at the little-known Nordic sport of skijoring— and does his best to hang on. (Part of our Great American Winter package.)Travel + Leisure, December 2018
After the Volcano (or Hawaii’s Big Island Is Back and Better Than Ever)
Last year’s eruption of Kilauea scared some travelers away from the Big Island, but for Jesse Ashlock and his family, the mountain was part of the destination’s appeal—that, and a very nice hotel. Travel + Leisure, February 2018
A Spin Through Spain (or Here’s How to Take the Ultimate Biking Trip Through Rioja
Besides being one of the world’s great wine and food regions, Rioja is a fantastic place to go biking. Jesse Ashlock tests out a new trip designed for the readers of T+L—pedaling by day, dining and drinking by night.Travel + Leisure, February 2018
Bright Side of the Road
Stranded on a Mexican highway, an American couple gets a lesson in true hospitality.Travel + Leisure, November 2016
The Maximum Appeal of Minimalism
The urge to cull, curate, and cut out completely is having a big moment, but when we start talking about hurting our socks’ feelings, have things gone too far? Details, July 2015
Inside the Mass-culine Ideal
These days, there are countless versions of masculinity but only one enduring image of mass-culinity. The rare breed of male who makes most of American womankind swoon is worried less about what it takes to be a man than what it takes to please a lady. This latter-day Fabio can be found on Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelor, and, of course, the covers of romance novels. But sorry, there’s one place you’ll never see him: in the mirror. (Ah, the Details voice!) Details, February 2015
Let’s Get Lost (or read the online version)
By chasing a gonzo new adventure every summer, the viral filmmaker Casey Neistat and his son, Owen, embrace the unfamiliar and forge a closer bond. (In which I tail the YouTube provocateur and his teenage offspring on their vacation to Namibia until they fire the charter pilot and we fly first to Johannesburg and then to Victoria Falls to soak in the legendary Devil’s Pool.) T Magazine, March 2014
At Age 70, A Star Is Born
More than four decades after releasing her little-heard debut album, the folk singer and lifelong dental hygienist Linda Perhacs takes another shot at greatness.T Magazine, February 2014
From Russia With Love
The story of J. Mendel is a fashion fairytale, starting among the aristocracy of St. Petersburg, occupying a central position in Parisian culture for much of the 20th century and continuing today with a new generation, led by Gilles Mendel, that is creating the most elegant of designs for the swans of New York. T Magazine, February 2014
Brian Eno on the Best Use of a Television, Why Art Students Make Good Pop Stars, and the Meaning of ‘Visual Music’
T Magazine, November 2013
Q+A With Kevin Bacon
The 52-year-old has been a teen idol, a parlor-game subject, and a Madoff victim. But how does he see himself? As the next best thing to Jean-Claude Van Damme. Details, June 2011
Q+A With David Chang
The man behind New York City’s Momofuku restaurants is trying to relax more. But he’s not letting that get in the way of building his global empire. Details, May 2011
Diner’s Club
Eat your heart out, bottle service—nightlife’s new meal ticket is the sit-down supper. Details, August 2010
Sasha Fierce
She’s barely old enough to drink, but porn star Sasha Grey has already appeared in more than 150 adult movies. Now she’s starring in the latest from Steven Soderbergh. A crossover bid? Not really—she’s just diversifying her brand. V Man, 2009
Remains in Light
Hiro Yamagata’s art for a new Afghanistan. I.D., 2006
Please Feed the Animals
Natalie Jeremijenko’s hands-on environmentalism. RES, 2006
What a Scanner Sees
Richard Linklater animates a Philip K. Dick classic. RES, 2006