The Last Romantic

The Roman Forum at night: floodlit temple columns, the Arch of Septimius Severus, and the Colosseum glowing in the distance

The Last Romantic

four worlds, one writer.

Suki Song · writer and solo traveler · Made in Seoul · Based in Austin

Thirty-five letters Four series Since September 2025 Start here →

The author lies along an orange velvet banquette in a wood-panelled screening room, chin on her hand, long dark braids, red lipstick, white tee, tattooed arms, a round teal ottoman beside her

Chapter No. 04 · The Memoir · 14 minThe Memoir: The Fall, and the Shame of "Daddy Issues"

Domed stone facade of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum under a pale grey sky, exhibition banners above its doors — Pl. 01Vienna, Austria

A snow-dusted wooden pier marked 'Lahn' juts into Lake Hallstatt, mountains rising across still water under a clear sky — Pl. 02Hallstatt, Austria

Ornate carved wooden doors in a baroque stone facade in Mexico City, the building numbered 44 — Pl. 03Mexico City, Mexico

01 / 04 the memoir

The Memoir

The closet, the crayon, the eight words: my life, unfiltered.

The Memoir, Prologue: From the Desk of The Last Romantic

The Black Sheep of the Family

Chapter No. 01 · The Memoir · 7 min 02

The Memoir: The Lesser of Two Evils

Blame the Artist, they all do anyways.

Chapter No. 02 · The Memoir · 5 min 03

The Memoir: A Dozen Shih Tzus, or Me?

At this point, am I just a bunch of dogs stuffed in a trench coat?

Chapter No. 03 · The Memoir · 4 min

all eleven chapters →

02 / 04 bourdainism

Bourdainism

Solo travel essays in the Bourdain tradition: raw, present, cinematic.

Bourdainism in Austin: The Land of Inhale

But life, is about balance. When do I exhale, exactly?

Austin, Texas · 25 Sep 2026 · 7 min 11

Bourdainism in San Juan: The Art of Being Witnessed

Thank you for your patience.

San Juan, Puerto Rico · 27 Mar 2026 · 5 min 10

Bourdainism in Cartagena and Coralina Island: Colombia, Bad Buddy, Immigration, Metacognition and Breaking the Silence on My Last Marriage

Featuring animals, reflections and my love of Colombian culture

Cartagena, Colombia · 13 Feb 2026 · 8 min

all twelve letters →

Sheer black curtains enclose a glowing gold chandelier hung above a shimmering square of copper pennies in a gallery — Pl. 04Psychedelics, Ulysses

Hallstatt's Bone House: rows of skulls painted with names and flowers on shelves beneath candles and a crucifix — Pl. 05The Bone House, Hallstatt

03 / 04 the four c’s

The Four C’s

COVID, a cartel, a con man, a murder: a true story from 2020.

Mexico and the Four C’s Prologue: The Movie of Life, Musings, and Day 0

Audio included.

Letter № 02 · The Four C’s · 4 min 01

read_me: How to Read My Substack and Get the Most Out of This Free Book: The Four C’s: COVID, the Cartel, Conspiracy Theories, and Cryptocurrency

Subscribers new and old, start here as your guide. I’m not an organized narrator, and I don’t think my audience needs one.

Letter № 01 · The Four C’s · 6 min

both letters →

Pl. 06 – 08 plates

Empty wooden bench under trees facing calm water and a pastel orange-and-blue sunset — Pl. 06Coralina Island, Colombia

Empty beach at dusk, footprints across dark sand as waves break under a deep blue sky fading to orange at the horizon — Pl. 07El Tunco, El Salvador

Rodin's bronze Eternal Springtime, two entwined lovers, spotlit on a pedestal in a quiet museum gallery — Pl. 08Athens, Greece

04 / 04 essays & letters

Essays & Letters

Letters to people I love, healing notes, the work in between.

The Quiet, and a Trip Down My Corporate Memory Lane

An update, from the Desk of the Last Romantic: I went quiet. I should explain. Vulnerably, of course. The only way I know how.

Letter № 10 · Essays and Letters · 10 min 09

Thank You Mr. Saint-Laurent for the Puzzle Pieces, Battling Existentialism, the Fragility of Peace, Gratitude, and My Future

My final reflection, and an important update before the Four C’s arc officially starts.

Letter № 09 · Essays and Letters · 10 min 08

Dear Reader, Pay Attention and Laugh More: Opal the OG Therapist Quits to Become a Beekeeper, I Want to Be Alone, Loving Without Attachment, How to Be Sexy, and A Quick Pause in the Tape

Hrm, let the memories stitch, and let the feelings feel.

Letter № 08 · Essays and Letters · 9 min

all ten letters →

Pl. 09 – 18 the wall

Stone ruins and green terraces of Machu Picchu under a bright blue sky, framed by trees and Andean peaks

Machu Picchu, Peru

The author sits against giant lit-up EL TUNCO letters at night, beside a glowing Surf City El Salvador surfboard sign

El Tunco, El Salvador

A gray street cat mid-yawn on a cobblestone plaza in Old San Juan, palm trunks and pastel buildings behind it

Love, a black Lab, lies in the grass on a leash with her tongue out, looking up at the camera.

The author stands waist-deep in the sea, facing the horizon where a distant sailboat sits under a pale sky

Hallstatt and Oberautal

The Louvre's glass pyramid glowing at night in an empty courtyard, an equestrian statue lit against the dark sky

The author in sunglasses with an orange leather bag, standing on the bridge before Castel Sant'Angelo under a blue sky

Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome

Crumbling brick facade of a colonial church ruin beside a white chapel in Casco Viejo, under a moody overcast sky

Casco Viejo, Panama

Lobster pasta, wine, and sparkling water on a restaurant table facing the Pantheon's columns across a rainy piazza

Rome, the Pantheon

Ornate palace room with red damask walls, crystal chandeliers, frescoed ceiling, and a Christmas tree through the doorway

Rome, Christmas week

Stained-glass ceiling of the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México arching over tiers of curved iron-railed balconies — Pl. 19 Gran Hotel Ciudad de México Mexico City