I’m officially a travel writer, but I dabble in other freelance pools by writing about art, history, literature, architecture, food and wine, and health and gender issues. Here is a selection of stories which appeared in National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Fodor’s, Lit Hub, Atlas Obscura, Wine Enthusiast, and others. I’m also a freelancer with Time Out magazine’s U.S. travel team: click here for those 1,000+ articles (they’re organized in three groups, so scroll down to see articles, reviews, and news posts). In Summer 2026, the Fodor’s guidebook to Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks releases in print; I’m the co-writer with the wonderful Cheryl Crabtree.

My piece on my first ever cruise (to Alaska!) appeared in Time Out in June 2026.
Photograph: Erika Mailman, view of Ketchikan, Alaska port from the Star Princess

My feature on riding the Napa Valley Wine Train appeared in Time Out in June 2026.
Photograph: Erika Mailman, the Napa Valley Wine Train outside the Charles Krug Winery

Learn about this highly unusual hotel in Tomales Bay, California, which was once a Marconi telegraph spot and was used by the Synanon cult. Today, it provides a gorgeous, peaceful stay with lots of history and the best dark skies viewing in the Bay Area. Read my piece about staying there in Time Out, April 2026.
Photograph: Erika Mailman, view through windows of chairs left behind by Syanon members.

I love visiting house museums, and museums made out of authors’ homes are the best. Here’s my feature on the best writers’ homes to visit in New England, from Time Out in May 2026.
Photograph: Erika Mailman, the home of Noah Webster of dictionary fame, in Hartford, CT.

Oakland Magazine:

“Pixar’s Inside Out Is a Love Letter to Kids: Pixar’s latest delights with runaway emotions”

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Pixars-Inside-Out-Is-a-Love-Letter-to-Kids/

The Monthly:

“Donner Dinner Party: An Underappreciated Oakland Author Reports His Take on an Unusual Evening”

http://www.themonthly.com/history1503.html

Diversity Woman Magazine:

“Ditch Your Comfort Zone: Traveling to a destination with a new mind-set can lead to the most rewarding vacation of your life”

http://www.diversitywoman.com/ditch-your-comfort-zone

The Writer Magazine:

“Keep your plot threads under control: When it comes to adding significant plot lines to your novel, you don’t want too many, or too few”

https://www.writermag.com/2015/11/05/plot-threads/

Parents Press Magazine:

“The Wide World of Birthday Traditions: In many ethnic communities, birthdays are celebrated with a lot more than cake and candles:”

http://www.parentspressbayarea.com/Parents-Press/June-2014/The-Wide-World-of-Birthday-Traditions/

Oakland Magazine:

John McCrea and Cake:

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/January-February-2012/Crazy-for-CAKE/S

I’ve also researched local history in Oakland, California, with two books on that topic.

Oakland Hills is a photographic book from Arcadia’s local history series. Many thanks to the Oakland History Room and many Oakland residents for sharing photographs with me.

Finally, I’ve worked as a columnist for several magazines over the years. My favorite was writing the Oakland history column for The Montclarion newspaper from July 1999 to September 2011, twelve happy years of dipping into the history of the city I love. Someday I will collate those columns into an omnibus and go driving around on a busman’s holiday.

I wrote an opinion column for the Gilroy Dispatch newspaper 9/09-1/12 and was a columnist for Parents Press magazine 10/11- 10/18. I continue to write regularly for Diversity Woman magazine, Oakland magazine and others. When I get a great idea, I pitch editors. If you’re an editor with a potential assignment for me, reach me at erika @ this website’s name.