717 Bill Bryson At Home; Pico Iyer In Search of Paradise; Walkable Cities

Author Bill Bryson describes how buying an old house in England has made him appreciate how dramatically domestic life has changed in just a few generations. Then writer Pico Iyer explains why visiting difficult destinations can shed light on where — or what — "paradise" might be. And urban planner Jeff Speck celebrates some of the North American cities that are catching up with their European cousins in designing pedestrian-friendly streetscapes.