Why Do Fancy Hotels Pipe in Such Powerful Fragrances?

I’m battling my way through the pungent masses of Times Square in August when I’m suddenly transported: a cliff jump into a turquoise cove, fiery sunsets from a hotel balcony, fire-twirlers beneath the stars. The vivid memories flash rapidly through my mind, stopping me in my tracks. The trigger? The scent of lemongrass drifting from the windows of a Thai restaurant.

I took hundreds of photos in Southeast Asia. I brought back piles of silks. But nothing brings me to that time and place more viscerally than the tangy scent of lemongrass.