Search results for

A modest three-story building in the Ferreirasdorp area of Johannesburg, Chancellor House once contained the first black law firm in South Africa, opened by Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo at the height of apartheid. It was here that the two attorneys fought for those accused of crimes against the state—many of which they were also held accountable for later in life.

Left to languish for years, Chancellor House was restored to its former glory in 2010 and now features a freedom struggle museum on the ground floor. One particularly fascinating display includes a timeline with photographs and interesting events from Mandela’s life, including a picture of him sparring with Jerry Moloi on the rooftop of the South African Associated Newspapers Building. Many of the displays are also visible from the street so passersby can learn more about Mandela and Tambo while exploring the surrounding neighborhood.

Located beneath the San Diego–Coronado Bridge, this public space might not be green and tranquil, but it tells a story of perseverance. In 1970, residents of the predominantly Latino Barrio Logan neighborhood staged a nonviolent takeover when the state attempted to build a California Highway Patrol station on land the city had promised would be a community park. Their protests were ultimately successful; the area was designated a park shortly thereafter. In 1973, brightly hued murals touching on Chicano identity and struggles began appearing on the concrete pillars surrounding the space. Today, visitors can see more than 50, which are considered so culturally significant that they earned the park National Historic Landmark status in 2016.

This boutique hotel in the downtown business district exudes timeless class, with accents of wood and leather throughout. While the rooms are spacious and elegant, the most impressive features are the amenities. They rebooted the hotel’s historic 1915 beginnings as the Minneapolis Athletic Club with a massive modern fitness center, including a full indoor six-lane lap pool, running track, and racquetball, handball, and squash courts. The swanky hotel lobby serves food and drinks from the infusion specialists at Six15 and has a complimentary wine reception hour for guests each night.

Sustainability is the name of the game at h2hotel in downtown Healdsburg. The building is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council and has a living roof of grass and succulents that filters rainwater to reduce the impact on Healdsburg’s storm-drain system and neighboring Foss Creek. Inside the 36 rooms, sensors turn off lights, fans, and air conditioners when guests leave, and the bamboo flooring is layered with fair-trade, chemical-free rugs. Even the way the hotel approaches in-room beverages is green; instead of plastic water bottles, guests are given recycled glass wine bottles to refill at water stations around the property (there’s at least one on each floor). The hotel isn’t only eco-friendly; it’s swanky, too. Out back, along Foss Creek, a lap pool is an inviting spot to spend a hot and sunny afternoon. In the lobby, the bar at Spoonbar! Restaurant still turns out some of the tastiest craft cocktails in town. All overnight stays include complimentary breakfast and access to the hotel’s collection of Public bikes. There’s also a free yoga class for guests every Sunday morning. Be sure to see the on-site Hand Fan Museum, a passion project for Pam Sher, the matriarch of the family in charge. Also make time for a meal at Oaxacan restaurant Mateo’s Cocina Latina across the street (chef Mateo Granados is married to the owner of the hotel).

In 1929, the man who would become Latin America’s most celebrated architect, Luis Barragán, built two houses for Sr. Ildefenso Franco to rent. Many years later, an architecture aficionado purchased and restored one of the houses, preserving its original tiling, floors, and finishes while adding contemporary furniture and local artisan textiles. The house, which features five private rooms, now operates as an Airbnb, giving guests the chance to stay in one of Barragán’s earliest works.

If you choose to stay here, be sure to check out the hidden room above the garage. Working during an era when the Mexican government endeavored to suppress the Catholic Church, Barragán—himself a devout Catholic—built the secret room as a place where priests could lead mass in the old-fashioned manner, by turning their backs to the attendants. The space eventually became the servants’ quarters and fell into disrepair, but has since been restored to its former glory, along with its lovely terrace.

A whole lot of history converges at the Fairmont San Francisco—as do all of the city’s cable car lines, which offer easy transportation to the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf. The hotel was built in 1906 but damaged in the Great Earthquake and subsequent fires before it even opened, so celebrated architect Julia Morgan was brought in to repair the building. Once it debuted, the hotel quickly became a city favorite, hosting more than its share of historic events, including the series of meetings in 1945 that resulted in the formation of the United Nations. The hotel’s storied bar, The Venetian Room, also featured big names, from Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole to Tony Bennett, who first performed I Left My Heart in San Francisco here in 1961 (Bennett still frequents the hotel).

Today, the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar is a draw for tourists and locals seeking a kitschy, iconic San Francisco experience, with live music, Polynesian food, and Mai Tais severed against a backdrop of occasional staged thunderstorms. Other dining options include Laurel Court for all-day coastal California fare and the famous Afternoon Tea, a local tradition since 1907. The opulent design of the hotel extends from its lobby—with marble floors and sumptuous fabrics—to the 606 luxurious rooms, each outfitted with comfortable furnishings and modern technologies. Of the 62 suites, 10 also include balconies with city and bay views.

A short walk from Daikanyama Station is one of the metropolis’s iconic bookstores, Tsutaya at T-Site. Designed by Klein Dytham Architecture, the Tsutaya bookstore is celebrated not only for the beauty of its three buildings but also for the extensive selection of books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs. Tsutaya opens at 7 a.m., perfect for travelers who land before hotel check-in. You can have a coffee or a cocktail in the Anjin Lounge while perusing books. The concierges are specialists in a variety of topics to help guide consumers through the books, music, and movies.

An iconic name in Portland retail—as well as among readers who have never been to the city—Powell’s has multiple locations on both sides of the Willamette. The downtown store remains the one best suited for visitors to explore, with miles of used reads, a tightly curated selection of books from the knowledgeable staff, and every Portland-themed book you could hope to find under one roof. A renovation in 2014 opened up the space and made it feel less like a warehouse of dusty stacks, an improvement that bodes well for the future of the business. Author appearances, even those at the satellite branches, are some of Portland’s best events for interesting discussions.

Hot chocolate may not sound like a Peruvian classic. However, this country grows some of the best cacao in the world, and sampling the local chocolate can be an exquisite experience. Be sure to visit the ChocoMuseo, a Latin American chocolate museum and workshop chain with locations in both Lima and Cusco. Here, you will find hot chocolate prepared fresh from pure, organic cacao bars – a truly decadent experience. You can customize your drink from a wide variety of chocolate types, based on place of origin and percent of pure cacao.

English-speaking bibliophiles love Under the Volcano for its cozy, welcoming space, where shelves stretch from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, sagging under the weight of previously read and gently used books. Those that don’t fit on shelves sit in towering stacks on the floor. Don’t expect the kind of boring pulp that tends to get left behind at hostel book exchanges. These are quality reads, including some unexpected and even rare finds.

I forgave the service (slow as molasses) at Donald Link’s newest seafood spot, Peche, where highlights included crab-and-chilies capellini, fried bread, and fish sticks. Go with a crowd and order everything.

It takes patience and good fortune to create a unique image in a place considered Canada’s second-most-photographed landscape. The Through the Lens Cruise on Maligne Lake gives amateur and professional shutterbugs such an opportunity. While in the boat, the onboard instructor talks technique and composition with aspiring photographers and challenges seasoned veterans to try new perspectives. Once the group arrives at Spirit Island, everyone spends an hour framing the perfect shot. The cruise experience hasn’t changed much since Jasper National Park pioneers Curly Philips and Fred Brewster set up shop at Maligne Lake in the 1920s.

Pass through the iconic arched doorway at College Green and enter the elegant quads, handsome architecture and verdant lawns of Trinity College, one of Ireland‘s most prestigious universities. Among its many attributes is the atmospheric 18th-century Old Library, whose most precious tome is the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, a priceless illuminated manuscript. Also worth a visit are the college’s Douglas Hyde Gallery, devoted to contemporary art, and the thought-provoking Science Gallery.

Ascona, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, has swaying palm trees and a mild climate, and is Switzerland‘s lowest-lying town (643 feet above sea level). The lakeside promenade (Lungolago) offers a Mediterranean feel with streetside cafés, warm breezes, and diners clinking wineglasses—all with a backdrop of historic 19th-century merchants’ houses. The town, a former fishing village, has become an upscale resort town—known for its water sports as well as some of the best hotels in the country. Ascona’s old town center, the Borgo, is a warren of charming alleyways and chic boutiques.

The peak called Monserrate towers over central Bogotá and lends its name to the church that tops it. Perched more than 10,000 feet above sea level, the sanctuary—dedicated to the Passion of Christ—has beautiful gardens showcasing marvelous highland vegetation, and the city views from here are spectacular (sunsets are especially recommended). Ascend Monserrate by cable car, via railway, or on foot (this last is only for the fittest and those already acclimated to the altitude). That beautiful white house on the mountainside is Casa Santa Clara restaurant, a better-than-expected, special-occasion-suitable venue at which to try traditional Bogotá favorites like ajiaco, a thick potato-and-chicken soup.