Austa Somvichian-Clausen

Lead Respect Writer at Changing America by The Hill, City Editor at InsideHook covering Washington, D.C. and New York City. Dynamic freelancer with a deep love of travel, culture, and the environment. Proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.







I'm also a freelance writer and creative consultant living in New York City. My primary beats are social justice, culture, food, and travel, but I've covered everything from the rise of organic marijuana (for National Geographic) to social media slacktivism (for Women's Health in print), and beyond. 


Though I'm currently based in NYC, I've also called Washington, DC and Los Angeles home (and take assignments in both cities). I hold dual U.S. and Icelandic citizenship, so I'm also able to work across Europe without requiring a visa. 


Formerly: Apartment Therapy, National Geographic.

Travel

InsideHook •

Three World-Class Road Trips for When You’re Ready to Leave New York

New Yorkers have been largely confined to the indoors for going on 14 months. Now that vaccines are rolling out and temps are rising, it’s time to reconsider — starting with a good old-fashioned American road trip. With an abundance of destinations just a few hours’ drive away, the world — or at least the Eastern Seaboard — is a New Yorker’s oyster. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing beach weekend, hiking trip or cultural sojourn to a smaller, more walkable city, you can do it all without ev
InsideHook •

Review: Urban Cowboy’s Latest Outpost Brings Brooklyn to the Catskills

The last few snowflakes have finally melted into the dirt of my Brooklyn backyard, but up at the Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills, you can still find powder covering the ground. Just a three-hour drive from the city in Big Indian, Urban Cowboy’s second New York property (the first, in Brooklyn, is now a private residence and photoshoot location) and third overall (they also have a guesthouse in Nashville) feels like it’s located in another universe — one where Wes Anderson is God, the vibes
InsideHook •

Three Excellent Winter Getaways Hiding in the Hills of Virginia

Only two months into the year, and 2021 has already brought us enough drama to fill the full 12 — between the insurrection of the Capitol and the lawyer who had to declare on Zoom that he is not, in fact a cat, we’re ready for a vacation. Even during more normal times, the chilly monotony of winter is best served with at least one relaxing escape from the city. But considering we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, that vacation will, and should, look different from the ski trips and resort v
InsideHook •

The Best Arts, Eats and Lodging for a Long Weekend in Baltimore

Most longtime Washingtonians know the talking points of the District’s rich cultural history — one that is deeply intertwined with Black American culture and the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, Washington, DC, was affectionately called “Chocolate City” for decades, an homage to the demographic majority there which at one point hit 71 percent African American in 1970. Surprisingly, though, many DC residents are fairly unfamiliar with neighboring Charm City to the north — Maryland’s most populous
InsideHook •

Rosewood Hotels Levels Sights Directly at Airbnb With Latest DC Offering

If there’s one thing we’ve learned to appreciate from the absolute shitshow that was 2020, it’s that even cityfolk desire a little bit of extra space to stretch out in. Any chance to escape the limited square footage and mundane nature of working from home was heartily welcomed, though the realities of COVID-19 obviously made traveling a tough proposition. The hotel industry as a whole was rocked, but properties did their best to pivot and survive despite months of empty rooms. Luckily for DC
InsideHook •

These 7 Airbnbs Are Perfect for Escaping DC This Holiday Season

It’s hard to imagine, but last year more than 115 million people traveled over the holiday season — an all-time high since tracking by AAA began back in 2000. This year, things will no doubt look very different. The holidays are a stressful enough time on their own, before you add in the possibility of infecting a loved one with the coronavirus (or vice versa) while passionately discussing politics at the Thanksgiving table. For this important reason, certain trends are already beginning to d
InsideHook •

Five Brand New NYC Rooftops You Should Probably Visit ASAP

In what appears to be the turnaround of the century, life in New York has finally begun to form some semblance of what it was pre-pandemic. After two months of strict quarantine that simultaneously felt like a full year and one endless day, the number of new cases and hospitalizations have dropped to their lowest rates since March. It’s good news, but numbers don’t stay that good without exercising some pretty serious caution. Currently, more than half of the country is on a Tri-state quarantin
InsideHook •

How and Where to Safely Rent a Summer House Near NYC

The Hamptons are one of many places you can safely shake off your shelter-in-place blues this summer. A true New Yorker’s love for the city is unconditional. Nothing unites its inhabitants more than a sense of collective struggle, whether that means passing a knowing glance to one another on a packed 9 a.m. Subway car or seeing a fellow Uber rider stuck in Midtown traffic on the way to spend $17 on a cocktail. But since the coronavirus pandemic hit, those invisible connections have grown even d
InsideHook •

How and Where to Responsibly Rent a Summer House Near DC

Summertime in DC is a postcard: biking under the trees on your way to the Lincoln Memorial, strolling the cobblestoned streets of Georgetown, oysters on the half shell and bottles of rosé by the waterfront. But man — that heat. No matter how idyllic the city can be amid the swelter, this summer will undoubtedly look different in many ways. While Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan, announced a gradual easing of pandemic-related restrictions that started May 15, DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser extended th
InsideHook •

America’s Premier Beer-Biking Trail Is an Hour From DC

Own a bike and want to get outdoors this fall? Great. Like beer? Even better. As the hot days of summer make their way toward an eventual end, it’s time to start thinking about what activities you can add to your fall weekending checklist. To make the most of this extremely limited time, we suggest taking advantage of a perfect two-fer adventure that combines scenic fall biking with some of the region’s best craft brews: the LoCo Ale Trail in Loudoun County, Virginia. Located only an hour’s dr
InsideHook •

A New “Whiskey Trail” From DC-to-Pittsburgh Is Just One Reason to Visit Steel City

Stipulated: the perfect travel time for a three-day weekend getaway is four hours. More, and you waste your vacation. Less, and you’re still near home. Hence our series, The 4-Hour Rule, dedicated to revealing the best destinations that are far away, yet still close to home. In this installment we’ve got our sights set on Steel City for a long weekend of whiskey drinking, river fishing and art appreciating. Sometimes living in Washington, DC, can be … overwhelming. Whether it’s the hordes of p
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