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The beaches and shore towns of New Jersey are open and as they say"Stronger Than the Storm”. So “The Jersey Shore is Open”. Bradley Beach is a beach town just south of Ocean Grove in New Jersey and it will be open with its Annual Lobster Fest again this year. The annual Bradley Beach Lobster Fest will be held on July 13th and 14th, 2013. The Chamber of Commerce is presenting the Fest and the hours will be Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. & Sunday 11:00 - 6:00. The festival will have every kind of lobster choice you can think of. (Each year is better than the last). There will be 6 bands, craft and specialty vendors, and a beer and wine tent. There will be activities for the kiddies such as face painting and amusement rides. Entrance to the festival is free. The event will be held at 500 Ocean Ave., Bradley Beach. I enjoy these Shore festivals. Since I am a local, I always see someone I know. These events are so much a part of our Jersey beach towns and I am very happy to see that Bradley Beach will be having their Fest this historic summer. Mark down the dates on your calendar and get to Bradley Beach’s summer lobster party. It’ll be fun at “The JerseyShore”. More info:www.BBLOBSTERFEST.COM

Who knew Malta was so pretty? Well, I suppose the people who live there knew. I didn’t. There was, to be fair, a lot I didn’t know about Malta, including that the national language is actually Maltese, which sounds like no Mediterranean language you’ve ever heard. But one of the most unexpected delights were the narrow streets of the capital city, Valletta. The closed balconies that jut from almost every house are a major feature; they’re the first thing you see as you walk down Republic Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, where they are painted a uniform dark green. Meander away from the shops and into some of the smaller residential streets, and you will be rewarded with a wider palette. Bright reds and yellows, cornflower blues, pastel greens, and dusky pinks—it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Go feast your eyes.

To get from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, don’t take I-25 North--it’s busy and sterile. Drive east on I-40 to the backside of the Sandía Mountains, get off on exit 175, and head north on Highway 14, also known as “The Turquoise Trail.” You’ll wind through forest to plateau, through mining towns and old Spanish land grants. Halfway to Santa Fe you’ll come to Madrid. (Note--do NOT pronounce it the way you would the capital of Spain; here it’s “MAD-rid.”) In the early 20th-c., some four thousand people lived here; by WWII it had become a ghost town when the local coal demand dropped. By the 1970’s the town began to be reoccupied--artists moved in, galleries set up...it claims to have more artists per capita than any other town in the country. (The population is around 400.) And in 2006, the town served as the set for the John Travolta film “Wild Hogs.” Driving in from the south, you’ll note the brightly painted houses; just after the highway curves, find a place to park among the motorcycles and grab a coffee at Java Junction (they have a B&B upstairs)--their motto: “Bad Coffee sucks.” The morning I stopped here, the café had a welcome sign in German; some Mercedes businessmen were having a road-trip meeting...Madrid is alive and well.

Encompassing early 200 acres of rolling parkland, Villa Borghese is Rome’s verdant heart and everyone’s favorite place for an afternoon walk. The vast gardens are criss-crossed with picturesque paths, where visitors can meander past ancient statues and fountains, sit by a lake or caffè, and take in a film at one of two cinemas. For culture vultures, there is a Shakespearean Globe Theatre with a robust summer schedule, a historic puppet theater, and several world-renowned museums including Galleria Borghese with its enviable collection of Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings. Younger kids enjoy playgrounds, electric train rides, and a kids museum, while children of all ages can get active with skate, bike, and paddleboat rentals.

Three friends who found themselves thrown together in the New York of the 1990s—artist Gabriel Orozco, who has been featured at MoMA, the Pompidou Center, and the Tate Modern; Mónica Manzutto, who worked at the Marian Goodman Gallery; and José Kuri, who was completing an M.A. at Columbia—originally came up with the idea for what is now arguably Mexico’s most influential gallery. Kurimanzutto began with some ephemeral Colonia Roma events, often in nontraditional spaces. Today the gallery occupies a structure commissioned from renowned architect Alberto Kalach; its stable of artists includes Mexican creators of international stature like Dr. Lakra, Miguel Calderón, Carlos Amorales, and Damián Ortega, as well as global talents like Akram Zaatari, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Anri Sala, Danh Vo, Jimmie Durham, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Monika Sosnowska. Kurimanzutto’s shows—not to mention the openings—mark the pulse of the Mexico City arts scene.

Old San Juan is known for its atmospheric and historic hotels, but none quite match the Gallery Inn for personality and creativity. Composed of six intertwined town houses, this endlessly fascinating hotel beckons guests to wander through its nine interior gardens and patios, and seven parlors and porticos. Dating to the mid-1700s, the oldest building, La Cueva Del Indio, is located above Old San Juan’s north walls, meaning the views out to sea are the same ones that captivated the conquistadors.

Owner Jan D’Esopo, is a well-known sculptor and her works dot the hotel’s meandering interior, which has enough comforts and homey character to avoid feeling like a museum. Equally unique are the 25 rooms, decorated with everything from silk screens and watercolors to sculptures and paintings. Some even feature elegant, four-poster beds and balconies with views of the ocean. Just don’t expect to watch TV—one, there are no TVs, and two, the views out over the old fortress walls are better than anything on Netflix.

Convenient to Montevideo’s cruise ship terminal, the Mercado del Puerto was first inaugurated in 1868 and long served as the city’s principal meat and produce market. The clock here is almost as famous as the building itself. Constructed, like the entire market, in England and then shipped to Uruguay, it dominates the central hall of the cast-iron building. The Mercado del Puerto no longer operates as a market and today houses a number of popular restaurants serving typical Uruguayan dishes.

For years, the easternmost section of the Marais, one of the city’s most beloved districts, was a sleepy, underdeveloped neighborhood. That all changed for L’Arsenal in July 2022 with the arrival of the design-driven SO / Paris, located at La Félicité, a massive urban revitalization site overhauled by British architect David Chipperfield. The hotel occupies one side of the 1960s-era complex (which includes the Terroirs d’Avenir green market and bakery and the Atlas art gallery). The design from Paris-based architects RDAI is retro-futuristic, with rounded couches and soaring ceilings, while decorative touches are nods to the neighborhood (the tiles of the hotel entrance mimic cobblestone streets).

La Topa Tolondra is so focused on dancing that the cocktail menu feels like an afterthought (so much so that it mostly features beer). The lack of variety in the beverage category is amply compensated by the mad range of music you’ll hear. The bar is perfect for those ready to show off their tightest moves—and great for those still learning; there’s no time for judgment when everyone’s busy shaking their tailfeathers. You’ll find some turistas, but mostly fun-loving locals. Check their social media updates to catch live-music nights.

El Be Tamarindo Beach Club will never go out of style. Take your pick between the bar terrace and DJ—ideal for dancing all night—or the Sandbar, where you can relax on the beach. In either spot, you’ll enjoy an authentic Costa Rican kind of party, with friendly locals and surfers, and happy travelers.

“A poorly grilled turbot is a turbot that has died in vain.” This is the motto that hangs in Kai Kaipe, one of the two stars in a village that really shouldn’t have any. They specialize, like Elkano, in grilled fish. Locals who prefer Kai Kaipe do so for the wine list and the ambience.

“First stop in Barcelona is Bar Mut. Great vibes, wine, and this house classic of egg yolk, prawns, and crispy potatoes. Hot damn, it’s good to be here."—Matt Duckor

House in a restored colonial building, Spencer Cameron Gallery, which is helmed by expat painter Rosey Cameron Smith, sells a mix of art work (sculpture, paintings, blown glass), plus reproductions of island charts and maps. For a unique souvenir, take home some of the gorgeous pottery by local artist Carla Astaphan.

The building is also home to a secluded courtyard café that sells coffee, bread, and cookies, as well as a women’s clothing store called NOMAD. The top floor, which dates back to the 1750s, even hosts yoga classes on Saturday mornings if you’re looking for a good stretch before breakfast.

This landmark hotel, built in the Swiss rustic style popular at the turn of the 19th century, has hosted Winston Churchill, Arturo Toscanini, Albert Einstein, the Shah of Iran, Henry Kissinger, and the Rolling Stones, among others. Situated high above Zurich, with a sweeping forest and a golf course for company, it offers breathtaking views of the city, the lake, and even—on clear days—the Alps.

Renovated in 2008 by Lord Foster for a cool 385 million Swiss francs, it now features a bold, contemporary edifice that wraps around the turreted original, two entirely new wings (the Spa Wing and the Golf Wing), and a completely revamped interior. While the rooms in the Main Building (the historic structure) are appointed with traditional furniture and hand-painted wallpaper to give a regal, turn-of-the-century feel, the newer rooms are equipped with balconies and bathrooms of white marble or sand-colored Jura limestone. Imagined by London-based United Designers, they also come with flat-screen televisions with integrated Bang & Olufsen CD and DVD players.

The four signature suites sprawl over hundreds of square meters and feature steam showers, whirlpool baths, and even (in one case) a grand piano. The hotel also offers an expansive spa and wellness center.

Located on the north coast of Isla Robinson Crusoe, Cumberland Bay sits in the shadow of the volcanic peaks that form the spine of the island. Along the bay is the island’s only settlement, San Juan Bautista, a quiet town of fishermen living in modest homes. Below the sea here is an artifact of a moment when the island played a brief part on the global stage. The German SMS Dresden was launched in 1908 and took part in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914, during World War I. The ship then sought a safe harbor on Isla Robinson Crusoe, as Chile was neutral in the war. British ships, ignoring Chile’s neutrality, attacked the Dresden and its captain intentionally sunk the ship. It remains to this day resting on the bottom of Cumberland Bay.