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1. I love this collection of photographs of America’s Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. The Vietnam War was over, the ERA and the Civil Rights Act had recently passed, and America was becoming a better country — ostensibly for all its citizens. It made me wonder what July 4 photographs will look like this year. They’ll be date-stamped with masks, BLM shirts, and MAGA hats. People who stand close to others will look strange, and those who don’t will look even more strange. Less than a country coming together, this year’s photos will show America breaking apart, while these images from 1976 remind me of a simpler, happier time. — Nabil Ayers is a Brooklyn based writer and the US head of the UK record label 4AD. Nabil’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, GQ and People. 2. I’m just so in love with all that the Delaware water gap area (Barryville, Narrowsburg, Eldred, etc.) has to offer. It’s all the disconnection, nature, and antiquing of Hudson and Kingston, without the NYC-expat pretension. If you’re not up for camping, stay at the Stickett Inn, then hike the falls at any of the Delaware water gap recreational area on your way home including magical Raymonskill Falls. I was there last weekend and what I found so striking about the experience: appreciating this rural area and the grandeur of its setting, despite the surprising number of Trump 2020 signs and visible Confederate flags. And feeling even more heartened by the fact that some of the best local businesses are actually those run by queers (Stickett Inn, Maison Bergogne, etc.). — Daniella Kallmeyer is the founder of Kallmeyer New York 3. While sipping (well, OK, gulping) a ‘to-go’ Negroni made by Hollow Bar in the western Catskills, I can taste the balance of bitters, herby gin, and sweet vermouth. Though the Negroni was an Italian twist on the classic Americano cocktail, sugary alcoholic drinks (prepared or served with ice) have a more distinctly American history. Many of the craft cocktails we’re so fond of today derive from the Prohibition era, which bears its own complicated, dark past. The sugar that made Moonshine go down easier, for example, was a direct product of the slave industry. At home, I use maple syrup in my cocktails (I can’t be bothered to make simple syrup and the maple is always there on hand). This choice is not my invention, but goes back to the early years of the USA, when abolitionists like New York State’s William Cooper advocated native maple syrup as sweetener over slave-made sugarcane molasses. My current summertime refreshment: a teaspoon of maple syrup, a shot of good tequila, plenty of ice, and Pellegrino. A nice, motley mix of ingredients for a distinctly American cocktail. — Aya Karpińska enjoys being Laura’s neighbor, literary and martial arts, and all things bitter. 4. Much of my America is New York, and a big part of that is Chinatown. I don’t get homesick a lot, but every time I’m in the neighborhood and get a bowl of wonton noodle soup, it brings me back. Every other elderly lady minding a fruit stand or hanging out on a stoop reminds me of my grandmother— her mischievous smile, a whiff of scallion and ginger. A lot of the pawpaws and gongongs are without healthy, nourishing meals (or even just general company) at the moment because of COVID, and I’ve been inspired by the kindness and ingenuity of HEART OF DINNER. Its organizers, Yin Chang and Moonlynn Tsai, are providing hot meals to the elderly who are under the care of various social services organizations.” (They’re around $25K away from their goal, so please help if you can!) The idea of ‘need’ and ‘support' can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people in America right now. To me, this is one of several ways I feel we can contribute to the immediate care of an important community. — Jodie Chan, Glitter Savant 5. Can America’s Best Idea be better? Instagram these days is packed with awesome photos of our national parks. It is a relatively safe thing to celebrate about America in this time of national reconsideration. But the popular social history tells primarily of white men as founders of the parks. Absent are the stories of BIPOC who literally built them—Black Buffalo Soldiers who were the first rangers in Sequoia or Chinese immigrants who built the mountain-spanning roads in Yosemite, amongst many others. Last summer, I hiked 230 miles through these parks, and almost everyone along the trail was white. Does neglecting the full social history contribute to this current-day lack of diversity? Even the ‘best ideas,’ can be improved upon: in this case, we need to make our country’s parks more reflective of the whole country. — Bryce Rudyk hikes, gardens and works at the UN
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