The towns north and west of Stowe, Vermont (including Johnson) have some of the best scenery in the state, partly because they are located in a low valley that runs far below Mount Mansfield and some of the other high peaks in the area. The low elevation and relatively flat geography make for some truly stunning rural farmland scenes as well, including the scene shown here, which was taken in October of 2007. I took several black and white photos at this spot, as the scene (which was just west of town) had a timeless, frontier-like quality to it.For a larger version of this photo, go to the Johnson, VT photo on the Travel Guide of America site.
Much of the Maine coast north of Portland consists of either moody fog-shrouded coastal villages where fishing and boating are a way of life, or bustling tourist towns with gift shops, restaurants, and inns. But there is one town on Mount Desert Island that has a tidy, colonial feel that wouldn't be out of place on Cape Cod in Massachusetts or along the Connecticut coast. Indeed, Somesville is an historic community with beautiful homes and peaceful tree-shaded lanes and very little in the way of commercialism. The photo shown here, which was taken in May of 2008, shows a charming footbridge in the heart of the "downtown" section of the village.
Sherborn is one of those idyllic rural towns west of Boston that has a nearly perfect mix of low hills, woods, and farmland. Near the Framingham border is a beautiful open area that includes a place for strawberry picking. The photo shown here, which was taken in the summer of 2007, shows this spot on a day when the clouds were very dramatic. The people picking in the fields give the picture a sort of timeless quality to it. 
The cliche "Getting there is half the fun" certainly applies to Muir Beach, California. Whether you are coming from the north (along the stunning highway 1) or heading up from the south (along a steep, winding road from San Francisco), this beautiful beach in Marin County is well worth the ride. And as can be seen in this photo taken in November of 2004, the beach itself is breathtakingly gorgeous as well. 
Groton is probably one of the most beautiful towns within an hour's drive of Boston. In and around the town center are tree-shaded streets lines with historic old homes and churches, while a short distance away from the center are a number of apple orchards and farms. The photo shown here, which was taken in October of 2006, gives a view of a church that sits along a village green at the eastern edge of the center of town.
Although they are separated only by a narrow mountain pass (or "notch," as it is called here), Stowe and Jeffersonville are vastly different places. While Stowe is a bustling resort with endless options for shopping, lodging, and dining, Jeffersonville is a rather remote place with charming inns, general stores, working farms, and winding roads. The photo shown here, which was taken off Route 108 in October, 2007, shows a stark view of the landscape coming out of town on the way to Mount Mansfield and Smuggler's Notch. I took the shot in black and white to emphasize the haunting feel of this part of Vermont, especially when there are low clouds and fog.
Some of the most dramatic scenery in the Eastern United States can be found in and around the Lake Placid area within the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Just east, south, and north of the village are the highest mountains in the state as well as raging rivers and pristine woods. The photo shown here, which was taken in the late 1990s, shows typical view from Route 86 between Lake Placid and Wilmington, heading toward Whiteface Mountain, a ski area with the biggest vertical drop east of the Rockies.
The Southwestern part of Connecticut has some really attractive towns and villages, and few are more charming than New Canaan. Bigger than many of the villages around it, but much smaller and more manageable that the nearby cities along the coast, New Canaan has a feel of yesteryear with its old-fashioned streetlights, charming downtown clock, and friendly little independent shops and restaurants. The picture shown here, which was taken in February of 2009, shows the heart of the downtown section of New Canaan.
The city of Boston is densely populated in many areas, but it also has a park system that is about as nice as you will find in a large city. One of the most scenic open areas is the Public Garden in downtown Boston, which is shown in this photo, which was taken in April of 2007. The Public Garden and many other parks, including the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park, have a variety of plants and trees, allowing for beautiful and always-changing colors from the springtime to the fall.
Taking a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway can be an exhilarating experience, as it changes seemingly from mile to mile. While much of the North Carolina section is wild, rugged, and mountainous, parts of the Virginia section are a bit more placid and have a more historic feel, including, at times, almost a frontier-like quality. The photo shown here, which was taking while on a road trip in the early 1990s, shows a well-preserved old cabin along the Blue Ridge Parkway between Roanoke and the North Carolina border.
As I mentioned earlier in a posting about Sakonnet, Route 77 goes through some of the most scenic parts of Rhode Island, if not all of New England. Open fields and meadows drop down to the ocean, farm stands are scattered about, and the towns, including Little Compton, are charming, rural places that are worlds away from Providence. The photo shown here, which was taken in the summer of 2004, is of a vineyard that is located just off of Route 77 and a short distance west of the center of Little Compton.
Chapel Hill is one of the most attractive towns I have been to in all of America, so much so, in fact, that I could almost picture living there even though the heat can be extreme in the summer. The photo shown here, which was taken on one of those brutally hot (but otherwise beautiful) July days in 2008, shows a pleasant, tree-shaded part of the UNC campus in the center of town. This scene is a stone's throw from the shops and restaurants of Main Street, indicating the close connection between the university and the town of Chapel Hill. 
Bar Harbor, Maine, is an attractive town for strolling and picture-taking, but some of the greatest views of Bar Harbor are from 1,500 feet up. The road to the top of Cadillac Mountain has some spectacular views of the town (and the water and landscape around it) from several turnoffs, as well as from the summit of the mountain, where this photo was taken in May of 2008. The Porcupine Islands can be seen in the distance, as well as the mainland of Maine.
Route 16 in New Hampshire starts off as a fairly scenic road heading out of Portsmouth, but eventually becomes a somewhat ugly commercial strip as it passes through the eastern edge of Central New Hampshire. But as it approaches the White Mountains, it becomes quite beautiful, with particularly stunning scenery as it passes Mount Washington on the left. Relatively few tourists go beyond this point, however, which is a shame, because the upper stretch of Route 16 has some of the most incredible scenery in all of New England. One part of this stretch goes through the Thirteen Mile Woods, a remote region of waterways, spruce and fir forests, and low hills. The photo shown here, which was taken in late September of 2004, shows the breathtaking beauty of this area.
The Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard is considered by many to be a playground of the rich and famous as well as a place that can get pretty wild and crazy during the summer in spots. But much of it is charming and sedate, feeling a lot like Cape Cod used to be before big parts of it became commercialized. And Edgartown is about as charming a village as you'll find, with white clapboard colonials, tree-shaded lanes, stunning water views, and refined shops and restaurants. The photo shown here, which was taken in the early 1990s, gives just a glimpse of this beautiful village near the southeastern edge of the Vineyard.
One of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen is in the western section of Glacier National Park in Montana. The western side of the park is deeply wooded and lush (unlike the dry, mostly prairie-like eastern side), which makes the lake feel both insulated and hidden. The photo shown here, which was taken in the mid-1990s, shows an eastward view of Lake McDonald from the tiny village of Apgar, about 20 miles east of Whitefish as the crow flies.
Some photos take on a timeless quality to them, especially when they are in black and white. Such is the case with the photo shown here of the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. This picture, which was taken in April of 2007, displays a view that almost has a frontier feel to it, even though this spot is less than an hour west of Boston. I took this on a day that featured some rather striking cloud formations, which added to the moodiness of the shot.
Much of the York Beach area in Maine is flat (as you would expect in a beach town), but heading east out of the village of York Beach, you quickly encounter some rather steep and winding roads that afford dramatic views of the ocean. The photo here, which was taken in December of 2008, shows a look eastward out over the open ocean near Cape Neddick Light (an often-photographed lighthouse). The rugged, rocky shore in this area is much different from the sandy beach areas found only a little more than a mile away.
If this scene looks familiar, that is probably because you have seen it on a calendar somewhere. Or in a photo book. Or a travel guide. Or so many other places. This is because Waits River is one of the most photographed villages in all of New England, if not the entire country. It is a tiny community located between Barre and the New Hampshire border, and probably attracts more professional photographers than tourists. This photo, which was taken in the late summer of 2002, seems to have a timeless quality, and for good reason; the village simply hasn't changed much in the last hundred-plus years.
Portsmouth, NH, is a delightful city with beautiful water views, historic homes, narrow little streets, funky shops and restaurants, and wonderful parks. One of the nicest parks is a waterfront spot within walking distance of downtown called Prescott Park. During the spring, the park's garden areas explode in color, as can be seen from the picture shown here, which was taken in the spring of 2004. The park is fairly small, but is often quiet and a great place to relax. 
Carlsbad is a peaceful, prosperous seaside town north of San Diego that I visit every now and then because I have family out there. The coast of Carlsbad is mostly flat with some nice beaches, but in some spots there are towering cliffs with awe-inspiring views, including this one, which was taken in June of 2006. Looking north, you can just barely make out the village of Carlsbad in the distance. 
Depending on the season, Crawford Notch, NH, can be a desolate place, unlike some of the other notches in the White Mountains. The picture shown here was taken at Crawford Depot in September of 2006, in between the summer season and the foliage season, and the area indeed had a haunting quality to it when I took it. The railroad tracks shown in the photo go east through one of the wildest and most rugged sections of the Northeast, dropping steeply into the Mount Washington Valley, and eventually, North Conway.
You don't have to travel very far out of Boston to find some truly unspoiled areas. One example is World's End in Hingham, which is only about 10 miles south of the city as the crow flies, but has the look and feel of a coastal spot about as far away from civilization as you can get. World's End is a coastal conservation area made up of hills, fields, and woodlands, and was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also helped the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Central Park in New York come into being. The photo shown here, which was taken in May of 2006, shows just one of many beautiful tree-lined paths that wind through through the reservation.
Unlike its neighbor (Vermont), the state of New Hampshire is not really known for having charming towns and villages. Indeed, many communities in the Granite State have strips of shopping centers rather than village greens, and some towns have no discernable centers at all. But this is certainly not the case in much of the southwestern part of the state, which is also known as Currier and Ives Country; many communities, including Jaffrey, Peterborough, Wilton, Fitzwilliam, and Harrisville have town centers that wouldn't be out of place in Vermont. And Hancock, which is next door to Peterborough, might have the most charming center of them all, with churches, a country store, an inn, and beautiful old houses, all framed by a backdrop of lush hills. The photo shown here, which was taken on a beautiful day in early October of 2006, shows a typically pastoral scene right in the center of Hancock. 
Because today is St. Patrick's Day, I figured it would be a good time to post a photo of an area that, in many ways, has the look and feel of parts of the Emerald Isle. Woodstock, CT, and particularly East Woodstock, has rolling green hills, narrow lanes, and lots of farmland, giving it a look not unlike the rural sections of Ireland. The photo shown here, which was taken in 1999, was taken near the top of a steep hill just north of the center of the village.
The central coast of Oregon is a magical place, with deep woods, towering cliffs, pristine beaches, and charming villages. And the part just south of the little town of Yachats is particularly stunning, including an area where the mountains truly do meet the sea. The photo shown here, which was taken in June of 2000, gives a view of Cape Perpetua, which we drove through on our way south from Yachats to the town of Port Orford.
Newfane, VT, is known in part for its exquisite village green that can be seen in all kinds of calendars and travel books. But the areas outside of Newfane aren't too bad, either, with scenic winding roads cutting through hilly, wooded landscapes and placid rural places. Some of the most beautiful parts of the Newfane area can be found in South Newfane, which is where I took this photo while bike riding on a fall day in the mid-1990s.
Much of Rhode Island is densely populated, but there are areas within the state that feel as rural as any part of New England. One of these areas can be found along scenic Route 77, which meanders through the southeast part of the state, ending at a wild and rugged coastal community called Sakonnet. The photo taken here, which was taken on a windy day in the fall of 2002, shows the desolate yet beautiful feel of the place.
The Public Garden in downtown Boston is one of those places that explodes in color depending on the time of year you go. Colorful flowers abound in the spring, while incredible foliage can be seen in the fall. But it also has a somewhat haunting feel depending on the time of year--and the time of day--which is what led me to take a number of black and white photos there one day in April of 2007. The photo shown here was taken just before sunset from the banks of the small pond in the garden, looking toward the skyline of downtown.
The photo shown here of Southport, CT, which was taken in February of 2009, was one of those "good timing" pictures. We were driving under a railroad bridge in this beautiful town when we happened to come across this scene from the road. It was in the middle of the afternoon with the sun just starting to drop a little behind the trees, so I pulled over as quickly as possible and took this picture while the lighting was still good. It turned out to be perhaps my favorite photo of our entire trip to Fairfield County, CT, which is a really beautiful area, by the way.
I have been to a lot of beautiful places in the United States, but few match the scenic splendor of Glacier National Park in Montana. And few spots within the park are as awe-inspiring as Logan Pass. This photo, which was taken on a mild summer day in the mid-1990s, is only a few hundred yards from the Going-to-the-Sun Road (the main route through the park), but the silence and stillness from this spot is something I won't soon forget.
Even though Boston is a large city with a good amount of sprawl, you don't have to go too far to find some really wild and remote areas. One example of this is Bigelow Hollow State Park, which is just over the border in Union, Connecticut (near Sturbridge), about an hour away from Beantown. The photo shown here, which was taken in October of 2006, shows the very bucolic Bigelow Pond, which is surrounded by low hills and has hiking trails running alongside it, as well as in the deep woods nearby. 
Even though Portland, Maine, is a cosmopolitan city with a striking skyline and a real urban feel to it, you don't have to drive far to get into some truly rustic areas. Sebago Lake, for instance, is less than 20 miles from Portland, yet feels like it could be in the great North Woods of Maine. The photo shown here, which was taken in June of 2006, shows the mostly unspoiled southwest shore of Sebago lake near the tiny town of Sebago.
Cape Cod is a beautiful place, with long stretches of beach, haunting lighthouses, and sand cliffs above the ocean. Much of the Cape, however, is deeply wooded, with some very old pine, cedar, and maple forests in some areas. The photo shown here, which was taken in August of 2006, shows a part of Eastham (on the Outer Cape) that is near a sandy ocean beach yet feels almost like a dense rainforest. There are a number of deeply wooded boardwalks trails on the Outer Cape, with this one in the Red Maple Swamp near Fort Hill being one of the most scenic. 
Providence has some very old sections--especially on the east side of the city--and Benefit Street, which is just east of downtown, is like a living, breathing museum piece with old homes, buildings, and churches. The black and white picture shown here, which was taken in December of 2006, shows a downright spooky scene of a church on Benefit Street. The day I took this, it was dark and gloomy out, which certainly helped the overall mood of this shot.
Because Chicago is such a big city, people often assume that the areas in and around downtown must be little more than skyscrapers and busy streets. But this couldn't be further from the truth, as Chicago has a lot of open space, even in the center of the city. One of the nicest spots is shown in this photo, which was taken in November 2008. It gives a view of Washington Square Park in the Near North Side section of the city. It is only a few blocks from downtown, but is a quiet and attractive oasis that is also surrounded by some stunning architecture.
In some ways, Essex, CT, is nearly the perfect town; it is located on a lazy river, has interesting shops and restaurants, is blessed with beautiful scenery nearby, and has homes straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. It is also a nice place for fall foliage, as this photo which was taken in 2000 shows.
Every now and then, I take "throwaway" pictures that turn out to be among my favorites. This scene of Waterville Valley, NH, which was taken from a cross-country ski trail in February, 2005, is one such shot; I just happened to be finishing up my skiing for the day when I came to this outlook along one of the lower trails near the village. I took a very quick black and white photo (it was cold out), put my camera away and my gloves back on, and forgot about the picture, until I looked at it a day or two later. It is tough not to take a good picture in scenic Waterville Valley, but this one was purely an accident.
Bodega Bay is one of those spots where the Northern California coast becomes really wild and rugged. A tiny town located between San Francisco and Mendecino, Bodega Bay is one of my personal favorite spots along the entire coast of California. This picture was taken from Route 1 on a chilly November day in 2004, and shows the sheer power of the ocean in this part of the state. 
Vermont has some attractive villages, but few are as nice as Grafton, VT. The entire village looks like a museum piece, but it's a real, working town. Its riverside location in a deeply wooded valley seemingly in the middle of nowhere just adds to the mystique of the place. The photo here, which was taken in the late 1980s, gives just a taste of the charm of this stunningly beautiful village.
Sometimes the most interesting scenes can be found in the most unlikely of spots. This photo, which was taken in January 2009 while on a snowshoe hike at the AMC Ponkapoag Camp south of Boston, shows a section of Randolph that many people don't know about. Randolph is a community south of Boston that is mostly residential and commercial, and is probably not seen as a place of scenic beauty. But some of the Boston area's most remote--and scenic--areas can be found in the Randolph section of the Blue Hills, as can be seen here. 
Some say that Mount Katahdin in Northern Maine is the one place in New England that has a distinctly western feel to it. From the bottom especially, the broad, massive mountain with its series of summits looks like something you might see in Montana or Wyoming. This photo, which was taken in the late 1980s, gives a view of the Knife Edge from the true summit of the mountain. There is a trail along the Knife Edge (which I took partway) that has dizzying views 2,000 feet below from either side of it.
For all the bad press that Washington, DC, gets as a corrupt, crime-ridden city, it really is a beautiful place in many areas. The northwest quadrant of the city is particularly attractive, with tree-shaded streets and parks found in neighborhoods such as Georgetown, Kalorama, and Dupont Circle. This photo, which was taken near Dupont Circle in April of 2006, shows a section of Massachusetts Avenue called Embassy Row, which has a large number of mansions and lies within one of the wealthiest parts of Washington.
Thendara, NY, is a tiny hamlet located next to Old Forge (a popular resort town) in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The photo shown here, which was taken in August of 2006, shows a spectacular sunset that caused driver to pull over and take pictures along the Moose River, which forms the border of Old Forge and Thendara. I used both color and black and white in taking pictures of the sunset, but the black and white ones actually came out more interesting, as the contrast of light and dark was quite striking.
It is relatively difficult to watch a sunset over the ocean in New England, but there are some west-facing areas scattered about that make for great sunset viewings. As this photo from the summer of 2003 shows, Newport, RI, is certainly one of these spots. Not only does the Ocean Drive south of the city center offer terrific places to watch the sun set over the ocean, but the downtown section of Newport is also a good spot for this. This photo shows a particularly nice sunset from the docks right in the heart of the city.
Much of Connecticut is very scenic (especially once you get off the highways), and the western part of the state is particularly nice. Many of the towns near the New York border are utterly charming, with church spires, village greens, and, in the fall, foliage that rivals that of Vermont. This photo, which was taken on a cool, crisp day in the fell of 2006, shows the village of New Milford, which has an extraordinarily beautiful village green and is perhaps one of the prettiest towns in the state.
The panhandle of Idaho is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful spots in the entire United States, and after visiting this area in the early 1990s, I find it hard to disagree with that assessment. This photo, which was taken a little south of Coeur d'Alene on a warm spring day during that visit, shows the contrast between the relatively flat fields and meadows of the valleys near the lake and town, and the towering mountains a short distance away.
This photo, which was taken in June of 2007, shows what kind of scenery can be found in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. Just an hour and a half from the Boston area, Sunderland is a small town surrounded by hills and mountains and looks more like it might be in Vermont rather than Massachusetts. I took this photo from the top of windswept Mount Sugarloaf, which rises sharply from the Connecticut River and the western edge of town. 
Not all old mill towns are ugly, sinister-looking places. Take Harrisville, NH, for example. Harrisville is indeed a former mill town, but it also happens to be one of the most picturesque villages in New England. From the river that roars through the town to the historic houses and churches that line the quiet streets to the serene pond that comes right up to the town center, Harrisville is a living postcard. It is also a great place to view foliage, as this picture taken in October of 2006 shows.
There isn't much to Westport, a small town north of Mendocino and Fort Bragg in Northern California. But what the town lacks in shopping and dining it more than makes up for in jaw-dropping scenery. The photo shown here, which was taken from Route 1 on a particularly beautiful day in November of 2004, shows the awesome natural beauty of the Westport area, with scenes that rival any along the California coast.