In March I needed to get away from the cold and snow of Upstate New York, so I flew to Jamaica and stayed at the SamSara Cliff Resort (West End Road, Negril, Jamaica; phone, in the US, 876/957-4395 or 315/307-4395, negrilhotels.com).

The hotel is a couple hours from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport, but the hotel provides transportation for $87 one way.

The hotel is located on low cliffs, with several flights of steps down to or into the water. Guests enjoyed...

There is an old adage that “all roads lead to Rome.” It’s a statement with much truth in it, since most, if not all, roads in the early centuries of the Christian era did lead to Rome, then the center of a vast, far-flung empire.

The same adage could be applied to 14th-century Tenochtitlán, then the center of the Aztec empire in Mesoamerica. All roads seemed to lead to Tenochtitlán. Or at least they did from AD 1325 to 1521.

Before then, the Aztecs were a...

A walk through the heart of north Dublin recalls Ireland's long fight for independence, and makes a fine introduction to the historical lay of the land.

Start at the O'Connell Bridge, which spans the River Liffey. The river has long divided the wealthy south side of town from the working-class north side. From the bridge, you can see modern Dublin evolving: A forest of cranes marks building sites all over town.

Leading from the bridge...