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This three-and-a-half hour ride up the nation’s highest and steepest cog railway, allows a 45-minute break on the summit to take pictures from 14,115 feet above sea level. It’s quite an experience, with various levels of ticket prices and car types. If you’d rather attempt the burly hike to the summit, the Barr Trail is about 12.9 miles each way—with a 7,800 foot elevation gain.

Guests of sports bar Taco Mac in Sandy Springs might not know that there’s a secret beer heaven at their feet. Formerly known as The Fred Bar, named for beverage manager Fred Crudder, it is only available to members of Taco Mac’s Brewniversity and their guests. It’s now called the Georgia Chapter Room. Signing up for the program is free, but you must be at the “pledge” level, meaning you’ve sampled at least seven of their beers. To enter, go down to the loading dock area where the door on the left has a red button. Press the button, and an employee will let you in after verifying your credentials. The decor is swankier than upstairs, with leather chairs and curtains. The entire menu is available on an iPad placed on your table. The secret locale is also a step above when it comes to both food and drinks. The beer selection includes aged, rare, and lesser-known brews curated by the knowledgable staff. This is the place to splurge, as the staff can recommend something you will enjoy.

St. Lucia’s iconic twin peaks—Gros Piton and Petit Piton—dominate the island’s scenery, soaring 2,500 feet from the sea on the island’s southwest Soufrière corner. Designated a World Heritage Site along with the surrounding Pitons Management Area, these volcanic spires take every first-time visitor’s breath away. There are various ways to experience the Pitons. The brave hike either peak—Petit Piton is more strenuous, and the trail isn’t marked; Gros Piton has marked trails and is a two- to three-hour hike from the village of Fond Gens Libre. Others opt to take it easy and sail past them on a catamaran cruise, or view them from land along the coast or from the terrace of La Haut’s restaurant. Sugar Beach, facing Gros Piton, offers a frontal view of the peaks as you swim.

Mexican Independence is celebrated on the night of September 15 and throughout the day on September 16. On the night of the 15th there are celebrations called “El Grito” (the shout or cry of independence) that take place in the plazas and main squares of cities throughout the country. In Oaxaca people gather in the Zocalo and at 11 pm the governor comes out on the balcony of the Palacio de Gobierno and leads the shout, to which the crowd responds enthusiastically "¡Viva!” after each of his cheers. Following the grito, there are fireworks, and people wave flags, and throw confetti in an enthusiastic display of patriotic feeling.

At over 1,000 years old, Hanoi is not exactly a spring chicken. For some truly ancient Vietnamese history, however, it is worth spending time at Co Loa, the country’s first fortified citadel and a onetime capital of the nation dating back to the third century. Only three of the original earthen ramparts are extant today, but a pretty temple underneath a banyan tree provides added diversion.

The Rose Garden at Emmarentia Dam is a favourite spot for locals to hangout and relax under the shade of a tree and have a picnic. Did you know: There are approximately 4500 rose bushes in the garden! The best time to go is in Spring or Summer when everything is green and there’s a good amount of foliage on the trees for shade.

Early this spring, I had an hour to kill in Manhattan, so I ducked into the Grolier Club, America’s oldest bibliophilic society, where I saw a fascinating exhibit devoted to Wunderkammer, the cabinets of curiosities that originated in 16th-century Europe. I am a big fan of visiting cities’ lesser-known museums and cultural institutions. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue.

After a five-year, $30 million renovation, The Adelphi is Saratoga’s grande dame once more. Housed in a stately building from 1877, the hotel takes its design cues from the Victorian era, featuring everything from ornate wall moldings to brass lighting fixtures and tufted-leather headboards. Modern conveniences also abound, including hidden storage cabinetry and marble bathrooms with freestanding tubs and glass showers. Downstairs, carved horseheads at Morrissey’s bar are the only reference to Saratoga’s racing heritage, but the area’s farmers get their due at the Blue Hen, the hotel’s farm-to-table brasserie, and Salt + Char, its rustic-chic steakhouse.

Hallerbos (Flemish) or Bois de Halle (French) is a beech forest just south of Brussels. It’s a popular spot for walking, cycling and horseback-riding. Every spring, for a few short weeks, the forest makes a magical transformation into a blue carpeted wonderland. Millions of tiny bluebell flowers bloom under the shade of the beech trees and people flock to the forest to catch a glimpse. Timing is everything, too soon and the bluebells aren’t out yet; too late and you’ve missed the show for another year. But that’s what makes seeing it so special.

The Forbidden City gets top billing in Beijing, and that’s good news for visitors to Jingshan Park. The 23-hectare (57-acre) park is just north of the Forbidden City, separated by a moat. A former imperial park dating to the 11th century, this was where the emperor and his family, living in the Forbidden City, would come to stroll. The big draw here is the hill (shan means mountain) with five summits, each of which has a mid-16th-century pavilion that once housed copper Buddha statues, destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. Stake out a spot on Wanchun (Ten Thousand Spring) Pavilion from where, on a clear day, you have a stunning view of the entire Forbidden City, the Bell and Drum towers, Miaoying Temple, and Beihai Park.

With its white, single-story exterior and dark window frames, this 12-room inn on the Saratoga Race Course looks like a Tudor take on a vintage motor hotel. Once inside, however, visitors realize the boutique property is much more luxurious than a roadside motel. Rooms feature light-wood bed frames and equine-inspired art, while the bar offers an excellent wine and cocktail menu, which regular happy hours featuring Moscow mules served in copper mugs. There’s also an outdoor patio, where the hotel can arrange barbecue meals on request, and free bike rentals for those who wish to venture farther into town.

It’s hard to say what’s most appealing about the ultraluxurious Four Seasons Gresham Palace, a stately Art Nouveau hotel on the banks of the Danube. Perhaps it’s the central location, on the Pest side of the iconic Chain Bridge, or the swank accommodations, which range from lovely river-racing rooms with marble bathrooms and deep soaking tubs to sumptuous suites, the largest of which measures 1,464 square feet and features a dining room with crystal stemware and private butler service. With its top-floor infinity pool and picture windows overlooking the city, the spa alone makes a stay worthwhile—a coup in a city known for its thermal bath complexes—but for many travelers, it’s the hearty dishes served at Kollázs Brasserie & Bar (rotisserie lamb shoulder with eggplant and olives; octopus and scallops with potato paprikash) that seal the deal.

One of the five original public squares in Philadelphia planned by William Penn, Rittenhouse Square was originally called Southwest Square and was later renamed after David Rittenhouse, a Philadelphia astronomer, inventor, and clockmaker. Although it is now one of the most popular public spaces in Center City, in the 18th century it served as a livestock pasture and later, brickyards surrounded the square. Not until the 1880s, when the city’s elite began moving into the area, did the park begin to take on its modern-day elegance. High-rise condos and luxury hotels have replaced many of the historic mansions that once surrounded the square. Many of Philly’s finest boutiques, hotels, and restaurants sit nearby, including Parc Restaurant Bistro & Café, a great spot for people watching and celebrity spotting. Rittenhouse Square hosts many events from spring through fall, including: A weekly farmers’ market every Tuesday from 10 am to 1 pm (May through November). The biannual Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show in the spring and fall. The next art show will be held June 6-8, 2014, when the area in and around the square displays original work by more than 140 artists. This event is the nation’s oldest outdoor original art show.

If there’s one night to slide into a booth at this casual diner inside the hip Ace Hotel & Swim Club, make it a Monday. That’s when the place is transformed by the unmissable presence of 90-year-old ex-showgirl Shirley Claire, who sings and brings a healthy dose of razzle-dazzle as she hosts Fabulous Bingo. In fact, most nights of the week have a theme—see Tuesday karaoke at the adjacent Amigo Room bar, half-off wine bottles on Wednesday, and Taco Jueves—so making reservations is a good idea, but not a must. If you wind up waiting for a table, grab an Orange You Glad To See Me—made with gin, orange, Chareau, and lime—and pop into the photo booth. With its stone wall, leather booths, and globe pendant lights, the diner (a former Denny’s) embraces the spirit of the sixties, while the menu offers a distinctly Californian twist on Southwestern and Mexican fare. Must-orders: For breakfast (served until 2 p.m.), opt for the desert classic Date Shake and Huevos Rancheros, made with California- and Coachella Valley–sourced ingredients. For dinner, try the Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos or Desert Highway Burgers, and request the pickled jalapeños for added kick.

Situated in the historic West End—what some consider to be Portland’s prettiest area—this red-brick, Federal-style mansion has housed a Prohibition-era hideout, a boarding school and, for the past two decades, the intimate Danforth Inn. Today, its nine rooms are uniquely furnished with a mix of contemporary European pieces and Asian influences, as well as nearly a million dollars’ worth of modern art.


A small garden blooms with lilacs, fragrant herbs, and edible flowers in the spring and summer, while 13 working fireplaces—there’s one in each room and two in the West End Suite—make for cozy evenings come fall and winter. After a renovation completed in 2015, Tempo Dulu, a 36-seat Southeast Asian restaurant, opened with dishes like grilled lobster with spring onion cake, and dramatic design details such as a live-moss chandelier.


In 2017, the inn expanded on the Asian theme with its Opium bar; decor is meant to evoke a 1920s Shanghai speakeasy, and cocktails include the Danforth Swizzle, a rum-based drink accented with Chinese five spice–infused bitters.