After a decade of missing fall as a West Coast transplant, Nikki Goth Itoi set out to get reacquainted with her hometown in Dutchess County. In writing Moon Hudson River Valley, she approached the destination with an insider's perspective and a traveler's sense of discovery. As a child, she had made maple syrup in the Catskills, learned to ski at Windham Mountain, and celebrated family reunions at the Bear Mountain Inn. She got married in the riverside village of Rhinebeck, and for several years, she and her husband split time between San Francisco and New York. Nikki became a frequent passenger on the Metro-North Hudson train line, discovering places like The Cheese Shop in New Paltz, the Tinhorn restaurant in Millbrook, and the Hope Farm Press and Bookshop in Saugerties.

Nikki has experience writing for print, radio, and online media. Her work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Red Herring, IndustryWeek, Business 2.0, Hemispheres, and other publications. She is the author of Moon Hudson River Valley and a contributing editor to Gemütlichkeit: The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the New Europe. Nikki has traveled throughout Mexico, Europe, Asia, and the United States for work and fun.

When not on the road, Nikki enjoys outdoor activities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including bay swims, bike rides, and backcountry skiing. She and Paul live in San Francisco with their son, Emmett.