Setting out into the great big world with faith in your omnipotence is arrogant, and will prevent one from learning about the world which we'd be lucky to see a speck of in a lifetime. Only by truly living as a visitor, humbly open, can we learn and be changed. After all, what are we if not visitors?

This is the kind of mentality I learned to embody abroad, and por suerte or maybe causation I found many others also possessing an appreciation for the unknown. During my time in NYU Madrid this summer, I was very fortunate to be able to spearhead the Baedeker Madrid location. I was even more fortunate to have met the creative, observative, and wise artists here in Madrid who were able to pull off creating a magazine in such a short time frame.

Through our photography, writing, and design, we strived to not only represent the feeling of Madrid, but also give tips and advice to those wishing to visit or live here in the future. All we ask, dear viewer, is to take our recommendations in stride, heed our warnings graciously, and enjoy knowing that behind each photo and printed word lies a beautiful memory. Encantado.

Jack Sloan, Editor-in-Chief | Abby Hricik, Chief of Design

The four months NYU Florence’s students spend in Italy are nothing compared to the entire life span of a person, not to mention the day trips and weekend trips squeezed out from their busy schedules of coursework and volunteering activities. Yet, it is within these brief interludes that our identities are shaped, our perspectives broadened, and our stories enriched.

As we launch Baedeker’s second issue di Firenze, we invite you to contemplate the intersections of life and travel—the transient moments that shape our identities and illuminate our paths. Like passengers on a train, we pause at different stops, absorbing the sights, sounds, and stories that define our odyssey.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the editors and designers of this magazine for their tireless effort and creativity, the dedicated faculty members of NYU Florence for their invaluable support and guidance, and everyone within the NYU community who contributed to the journeys and adventures of this semester.

Jingshan Wu, Creative Director | Lydia Tian, Chief of Design

Two weeks before orientation, I was so bored I was losing sleep. I had some hostel friends and some Australian friends who I’d see for Monday's trivia, but I didn’t have a community or purpose. I spent a lot of time drinking too much coffee in a Starbucks just to have something to do.

Around this time, Shuhe Ma asked me if I’d run a satellite Baedeker magazine in Sydney. He told me that his time in Florence running a satellite magazine was incredibly rewarding, despite being the hardest thing he’s ever done. It was daunting but I quickly agreed, worried that the opportunity would pass me by.

It was tricky. And there were many times that I wasn’t sure it would happen. Hell, three weeks ago I had half the submissions that you’ll see in here. But thanks to my cohort, my community, and my kin, you have what’s in front of you.

This magazine will take you through Outback Campgrounds, Warehouse Raves, Gili Trawangan, Bangkok, Austin and more. Special thanks to Kaitlyn Zhu and Shuhe Ma for making it happen and believing in me, respectively. Thank you to everyone that submitted. KIN was made for you.

Charles Roth-Douquet, Creative Director | Kaitlyn Zhu, Head Designer

Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. What you hold in your hands right now is Baedeker’s third iteration since its relaunch, and hopefully by now, we have established a pattern.

I’ve come to accept that at its core, travel is simply change itself. Trite, slightly uninspiring, but it’s true. Change is the only thing we cannot stop—we are traveling from point to point, moment to moment. The true backbone of Baedeker is the insatiable thirst everyone has for travel combined with the incredible community that’s formed due to this magazine. We hope that through this issue, you see just how much this creative spirit shines through.

Third time’s the charm, right? We’ll let you be the judge.

Cal Galicia, Editor-in-Chief | Eva Holwick, Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to your destination!

Through Baedeker London, you will be able to travel from England’s sweeping Thames River to the majestic snowy mountain ranges of Iceland, all within the time spent immersed in our magazine.

From the pages of this magazine, I hope you can feel the experience of our time abroad. We embraced our commutes to campus, whether by the city’s classic red double-decker buses, the London Underground, or paths through Russell Square Gardens, while anticipating with excitement the travels and cultural enrichment planned ahead. Each and every one of these travels, from commutes to NYU London to 4 a.m. airport boarding calls, is an adventure. I want to thank everyone who contributed to NYU Baedeker London; you made this collection of stories, cultures, and voyages possible. Now, let’s get traveling! I challenge you to be curious and vulnerable to the journeys the world has in store for you. Find the remarkable in the ordinary, and never stop exploring

Brianna Strauss, Creative Director

Through countless trips squeezed out of fleeting weekends, memories made during ‘sick days,' the students of NYU Florence traveled far and wide this fall, all across the Old world, from windswept fjords in Norway to technicolor communes in Procida. In the 52 pages of this debut issue, their writings and photos are spun into adventurous tales and mementos of candor.

This is an old land, a place where villages were capitals of innumerable kingdoms. The shadows of human history can be felt everywhere here, if one is willing to go and hunt for them.

Through Baedeker di Firenze, we want to impart to you the value of this history: the bloody wars and churn of kingdoms that drew the borders and gates you will cross; the ever-changing fortification constructs that produced the labyrinthine cities you will lose yourself in. Perhaps you will be sleepless, but the friends you make along the way will accompany you to a distant shore. Talking in their foreign tongues and grasping rich histories, you will start to appreciate the beautiful cultural tapestry you are a part of. Find solace in your journey.

Shuhe Ma, Creative Director | Kaitlyn Zhu, Chief of Design

Congratulations! You have managed to exist at the perfect moment to experience this magazine. That may seem trivial but think about it—how many things have you seen where, had you been somewhere else, you would not have?

This marks the second issue of Baedeker’s revival. As the saying goes, once is an accident, twice is a coincidence. Three times is what makes it a pattern. You’ll just have to stick around and see.

Cal Galicia, Editor-in-Chief | Eva Holwick, Editor-in-Chief

[...] and that is why, as we begin a new chapter for Baedeker, we want to emphasize that the location of a story is not all that important. The format, too, is not important: a story, a poem, a packing list, a recipe. Whatever you saw, wherever you went, whomever you met. What's important is the essence of travel: change. Improvement. A conversation over tea with Yintso, patron of a Tibetan décor shop three blocks from NYU, could be as meaningful as one with a Lama in faraway Dzongsar Monastery, if both have personal meaning and offer a chance for improvement.

With all that being said, get out there! Life is short, the world is wide, and you are human, endowed with all the capacities for personal change that being a human entails. Write anything! Go anywhere! Meet anyone! Get out there, traveler.

Jonny Rothberg, Editor-in-Chief | Shuhe Ma, President

At Baedeker, you drive the conversation. We highlight the experiences of students studying at NYU's many global campuses. By doing so, our magazine is relatively free-form, breaking the traditional formalities of a "travel guide." We invite your stories-pho-tos, poetry, and longer reflections to speak individually on what it means to step out of one's comfort zone and onto the global stage.

This semester, we have been amazed at our authors' ability to capture the current moment of global political tension and make it human, reminding us that behind the names of faraway countries are real people, with common needs and unique histories. We explore the beauty of travel to reveal these histories of people, families, and nations; in doing so, we hope to all become stronger global citizens.

Kristina Hayhurst, Editor-in-Chief | Sam Winslow, Creative Director

The stories within this edition of Baedeker explore the many paths that lead away from Washington Square and into the rest of the world. From dancing with history in the Dominican Republic to evading death on the frozen lakes of Minnesota, these stories embody New York's simultaneous global and individual identities. Alongside narrative, Baedeker also holds space for stories better told in visual form. For the past two issues, we have placed a renewed focus on curating highquality photography and a consistent aesthetic.

In the age of Instagram, it's more important than ever to slow down, peel your eyes away from ever present screens, and enjoy the natural beauty of our world.

We hope Baedeker helps you do just that.

Kristina Hayhurst, Editor-in-Chief | Sam Winslow, Creative Director