The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and National Geographic round out our top picks for this week.

The Washington Post – Things to do in Scottsdale, Arizona

Andrea Sachs

This is the first I have seen of The Post’s travel series “You’re going where?” and appears to be the first article the series has featured. The series looks to be off to a great start, with a heavy focus on multimedia. The article includes beautiful photos and a detailed (color-coded!) map of recommended locations.

The New York Times – We Have Some Good News on the California Drought. Take a Look.

MIKE McPHATE, DEREK WATKINS and JIM WILSON

Using maps and gorgeous photos, the Times details the California drought with a look at the Sierra Nevadas. There’s lots of data sprinkled lightly throughout the piece and the visuals are well-integrated, making it easy to comprehend with less of a focus on the statistics.

The Los Angeles Times – What Californians need to know about the state’s $52-billion transportation plan

Patrick McGreevy and Kyle Kim

Color-coded graphics that simplify data are becoming a continuous and necessary trend in data journalism. The LA Times has done a great job of making a less-than-exciting topic seem interesting through the use of bright, geometric graphics.

National Geographic – Seven things to know about climate change

Each page of this graphic brings a new surprise. National Geographic has looped in color, motion graphics, and fun shapes to illustrate important facts about climate change. The incorporation of motion will keep you clicking, and the simple headers will make you read on!