A Note from "That KEVIN" - 08-01-26
Travel
Audio By Carbonatix
By Kevin McCullough
A Note from That KEVIN
August 1, 2026
Welcome to August!
Ugh… where has the first two-thirds of this year gone?
Your amiable correspondent usually files this little missive from the quiet of my home studio. This week, however, I’m putting the finishing touches on it from a room atop one of the East Coast’s great historic hotels, overlooking a gorgeous little corner of paradise that has welcomed presidents, celebrities, honeymooners, and hardworking families for more than 150 years.
It seems fitting, because this week’s edition of That Passport Life celebrates history in more ways than one.
You’ll discover Two Grand Hotels whose stories are as fascinating as the destinations themselves. You’ll join us for Three Perfect Bites—our family’s culinary tour through three unforgettable Cape May restaurants that somehow managed to make four of our five vacation meals some of the highlights of the trip. And back in New York City, we’ll introduce you to Music City, one of the most heartfelt theatrical experiences we’ve enjoyed in years.
Standing beside two former World War II coastal lookout posts and gun emplacements this week also sent my imagination racing. Those windswept bunkers overlooking the Atlantic became unexpected inspiration as I completed several more chapters of my latest writing project—an historical novel set during the 1940s.
That’s about all I’m allowed to say for now.
A handful of outstanding literary agents have asked to take a look, and until they do, I’ll keep the story tucked safely under wraps. But I do hope you’ll stay tuned.
While I was away from the microphone, you were in extraordinarily capable hands. My sincere thanks to Michael Woolworth, Patrice Onwuka, Meaghan Mobbs, and Bethany Mandel for stepping behind the microphone this week. I can’t wait to catch their shows on the drive home. My gratitude also goes to Linda Perillo, Imran Ansari, and Cristyne Nicholas for faithfully holding down the local front.
Stepping away from work isn’t something that comes naturally to me. But watching my children build sandcastles, chase waves, splash through endless games of Marco Polo in the pool, and engage in wonderfully serious conversations about mathematical theories, Pokémon history, and why one Marvel storyline simply could never work… well, those are the moments I want filling their memory banks.
Last summer, those memories were Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and more gelato than any family probably ought to consume.
This year they’ll remember Cape May… incredible beaches… mini golf… and, yes, those tacos.
Because that’s what travel is really about.
Not checking destinations off a list, but filling our lives with moments that become stories we’ll still be telling around the dinner table decades from now.
On that measure, I think we succeeded.
Back behind the microphone on Monday.
Until then, may your own travels be safe, joyful, and filled with memories worth keeping.
– That KEVIN
