editor, writer, photographer at the @nytimes; alumnus of @parisreview, @uniofoxford, @uva
New York, NY
Joined November 2009
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In April, after spending much of the pandemic traveling around the United States, I opted to settle for a while in the city where I formed my earliest lasting memories: Budapest, my family’s home for several years in the early 1990s. nytimes.com/2022/08/15/trave…
THREAD: Saudi Arabia is spending lavishly to lure tourists with its luxe new resorts, rich cultural heritage and sublime natural beauty. But are would-be visitors willing to look past the kingdom’s long history of human rights abuses? nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
I also visited the holy city of Medina, which only recently opened to non-Muslim visitors. There, I was detained by a Special Forces member, who interrogated me and demanded that I leave the area — despite my following all the rules.
These experiences are a tiny sampling of what I experienced during my monthlong trip. If you’re interested in reading and seeing more, please spend a little time with my story. The link below will get you past the @nytimes paywall. nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Endlessly fascinating look at Saudi Arabia's $800 billion rebrand gambit. A great read and phenomenal pictures from @sahiltner nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
NYT journalist finds John Bolton seated in the front row of a Lauryn Hill concert in Saudi Arabia, lol:
nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Eye-opening, beautifully edited piece by @sahiltner, travelling through Saudi Arabia as it tries to remodel itself and shed its authoritarian and closed image. One reason I love @nytimes is the space and presentation it gives to pieces like this nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Really enjoyed this balanced and beautifully photographed traveller's dispatch on Saudi Arabia's uneasy tourist glasnost, by @sahiltner.
Though I must confess, kinda green at the thought of someone travelling for a whole month on a newspaper's coin!
nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Check out @sahiltner on his 5,200 mile road trip across Saudi Arabia, where among other fascinating encounters he ran into former Trump national security adviser John Bolton at a Lauryn Hill concert in the desert.
nytimes.com/2024/06/05/trave…
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Take a scenic train through New Zealand’s snow-capped peaks. Dive in the Red Sea off the shores of Hurghada, Egypt. Explore the world’s largest salt flat in Bolivia.
No matter why you travel, our list of 52 Places to Go in 2024 offers inspiration. nyti.ms/3TUuG8G
Stephen Hiltner retweeted
Here’s the final @nytimes sports section written and produced by the NYT’s sports department, which our company has closed. I started working in the section 19-1/2 years ago, and this moment is breaking my heart.
THREAD: Shoddy guidebooks, promoted with deceptive reviews, have flooded Amazon in recent months. Their authors claim to be renowned travel writers — but do they even exist? Or are they A.I. inventions? nytimes.com/2023/08/05/trave…
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the full article, where we discuss the risks and ramifications and delve much deeper into these issues. If nothing else, you might appreciate the perspective of the real Mr. Steves — Rick Steves, that is, who weighed in on the matter.
Here’s a gift link that will get you past the @nytimes’s paywall: nytimes.com/2023/08/05/trave…