For decades, artists and freewheelers have made California’s Joshua Tree region their desert hideout — but the secret is finally getting around. In the featured article “Space And Time,” novelist Rosecrans Baldwin reflects on what’s changing.

Though the port city of Rotterdam is increasingly vulnerable to rising seas, there’s good news: inventive, eco-forward projects are part of the Dutch destination’s fresh appeal. Writer Chris Schalkx explores the city’s sustainability efforts in the article titled “Higher Ground.”

In Vermont’s Upper Valley, new farm stays, general stores, and restaurants are putting a fresh spin on small-town life. Journalist Tom Vanderbilt explores this in the article titled “Home Grown.”