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A few years back, when Lima’s Central Restaurante was closed because of zoning issues, Peru‘s celebrity chef, Gastón Acurio, was one of many who petitioned for it to be reopened. I knew that meant the young chef at Central, Virgilio Martinez, must be doing something truly special. Virgilio’s restaurant is located in Lima’s hip Barranco neighborhood. I stopped in solo one afternoon for lunch and was dazzled by the dishes his servers put in front of me: charred purple corn with scented octopus, lentils, yuzu, and bok choy; “mask of the suckling pig” (or pig face) with tart green apple, baby tomatoes, and galangal; and suckling goat with chickpeas, goat cheese, and lemon verbena. Each course was plated like a work of art and was a beautiful riddle on the palette. My enthusiasm for my food earned me a tour of the open kitchen and the rooftop garden, where servers pluck flowers or clip herbs for dishes like the citrus gelée with edible flowers (pictured above). Chef also gave me a tour of his incredible chocolate cellar, where he shows off his favorite chocolate bars from around the world.

This luxury hotel melds historic charm with 21st-century designer sass. Located deep in the middle of Barcelona’s bustle, it occupies a 1920s building that’s been lovingly reworked by architect Oriol Tintoré. Original features, most notably the winding neoclassical stairway, are immediately apparent in the stately lobby entrance, and these heritage touches continue into the hotel’s public spaces and many of the rooms. Not that the rooms are traditional; on the contrary, they’re very slick, decked out with modern conveniences such as media hubs, complimentary minibars (restocked daily), and rain showers. The rooms, arranged so they face outward, are generously flooded with daylight, which highlights the restrained color palettes and elegant wooden floors. Shared facilities at the hotel include a roof terrace with infinity pool, a Mediterranean bistro-style restaurant, and a comprehensive spa and wellness center.

The AAA Five-Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya features 491 spacious suites boasting sweeping views of the shimmering Caribbean Sea or lush jungle vegetation. Top drawer amenities include: whirlpool bathtubs, 42” flat screen plasma TVs, Wi-Fi, Nespresso machines, DVD, CD and MP3 players, iPod docking stations - and an all-inclusive stocked mini-bar. Abundant dining is assured with 15 food and beverage outlets ranging from Spanish specialties, to Mexican fine dining, French haute cuisine and Italian fare. Five diverse bars, including the Sky Bar, Sen Lin Bar, Piano Bar, Karaoke Bar and Aqua Bar, serve innovative libations and sensory ambiances for every mood. A full service spa offers treatments incorporating products of the earth - such as honey, vanilla and lemon herbs - traditional Maya ingredients

San Diego foodies all swear by this Central Texas-style barbecue joint. If you’re dying to try it, get there close to when it opens (11:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday), as lines can be long and the restaurant shuts when the meat runs out. Order pulled pork or Texas turkey either in a sandwich or by the pound, then pair it with sides like Peruvian white beans, coleslaw (traditional or spicy), and potato salad. On Sundays, the restaurant also does an Argentinean-style asado, complete with chorizo, skirt steak, blood sausage, and house-made chimichurri. The original North Park location is currently closed for renovations, but the larger El Cajon location, which also hosts live music, is open.

From the royal ambience of the lobby (bedecked with Murano glass chandeliers and a grand piano) to the classical elegance of the rooms, the Grand Hotel Oslo pulls out all the stops in making guests feel like visiting dignitaries—which should come as no surprise since the hotel has played host to countless actual visiting dignitaries. Nobel Peace Prize winners including the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela give interviews and greet crowds from the balcony of the eponymous Nobel Suite, but junior suites offer the best views overlooking buzzing Karl Johans Gate. Be sure to make time for a visit to the hotel’s Artesia Spa, where birch tree trunks separate the chromatherapy pool from a rooftop sun terrace.

Bringing riders on a journey through the heart of the Grand Canyon since 1901, Grand Canyon Railway takes you from a starting point in Williams, Arizona, to the South Rim and back for a full-day excursion, complete with on-train entertainment from strolling musicians. Multiday packages include a Wild West kickoff show, narrated motor coach tours along the South Rim, and free time to explore the canyon on your own. Overnights take place at the Maswik Lodge North and the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, along historic Route 66.

In a picturesque setting near the shores of Lake Geneva and the famous Jet d’Eau fountain, the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva is a modern, upscale hotel that serves as a high-end summer and winter retreat. Its 412 rooms, suites, and apartments mix contemporary and classic decor and come with modern technologies such as flat-screen TVs and in-room iPads. If you want views of Lake Geneva and the Alps, you’ll need to book one of the Deluxe rooms, most of which have the added allure of being situated in the historic part of the hotel.

The service is immaculate, with a concierge team that can work miracles. The hotel has three restaurants and a second-floor bar with a fantastic terrace. Weary travelers can revive themselves at the spa. For the ultimate health break, you can also take advantage of the hotel’s on-site pharmacy and dentist.

The Great Market Hall in Budapest should be any visitors first stop in order to get acquainted to the people, goods and grub of Hungary. The market is one of those strange places that caters to both locals and tourists alike without losing its authentic appeal. Under one roof you can by meats and sausages, Royal Tokaji wine, paprika, hot Hungarian favorites, such as Goulash, an assortment of pickled vegetables and fresh produce. The upper floor has small eateries, where you can sample a variety of Hungarian favorites for very little money.

The Grand Place in Brussels is the magnificent main square in Brussels. The square is the main tourist attraction in Brussels and is surrounded by numerous cafes and shops. Most of the buildings were constructed in the late 17th century, although market activity in the square dates back to the 12th Century. It’s a great place to hang out, grab a coffee or a liege waffle, and people watch.

Manhattan can, famously, feel like endless rows of apartment blocks and office towers for most of its length. At least above 14th Street, a regular grid of streets and avenues, bisected only by Broadway, has transformed the city into a dream for real estate developers. The green spaces interrupting the pattern—Union Square, Gramercy Park, Madison Square Park—are few and far between, with one enormous exception: Central Park. Running from 59th Street to 110th Street, and between Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) and Fifth Avenue, it is one of the world’s largest urban parks, measuring some 843 acres. It is the masterpiece of the 19th-century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted working in collaboration with Calvert Vaux. Inside its borders are stately allées and naturalistic scenes, ice-skating rinks (in the winter), an enormous reservoir, and a faux castle. The park is hugely popular, and so to call it an escape from the bustle of the city is often not accurate, especially on mild summer days and the first warm ones in the spring when thousands of residents head to its playing fields, bike and run along the road that loops the park, and enjoy picnics on the Sheep Meadow or one of its other lawns.

Of course I was in awe of the imposing temples at Tikal, but my favorite area was the Central Acropolis. Walking through the various buildings of this residential complex, it was easy to imagine how it might have been when people lived here. I lingered for a long time, wandering through all the halls and chambers, and finally climbing the stairs to take in the view from above. A magical place...

You have to be a little bit loco to want to visit Central de Abasto, much less actually go there, but it is the ultimate market experience. Central de Abasto is the market that supplies all of the other fruit and vegetable markets in the city and many others throughout the country. More than 30,000 tons of fresh produce enter and leave the market daily, or the equivalent of 80% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the capital. It’s not for the faint of heart, though; this market is all business and hustle is the name of the game. Browsing and taking photos of towers of colorful vegetables are not recommended because aisles are crowded and fleet-on-their-feet workers moving hand trucks of goods don’t tolerate dawdling slowpokes.

Dining at Made in China at the Grand Hyatt is expensive, but the staff creates an excellent experience. Open kitchens allow you to catch a glimpse of the Peking ducks roasting in ovens over fruitwood-fueled fires. I always order the dumplings. —Fuchsia Dunlop This appeared in the May 2013 issue.

Central Plaza is a lovely place to spend the day and watch the community wind down in the evening. During the day, the plaza is full of music and children playing, and the surrounding streets are full of restaurants, shops, and art galleries. As the sun sets, the plaza gets quieter; the town’s lights turn on, and the children leave, one-by-one, to go home for the night. Stay late and enjoy the peace and quiet of the sleepy plaza, or head down one of the side streets and partake of the local nightlife!

March 5th, 2008 If you want steeps you go to Jackson Hole, right on the other side of the mountains. But routinely, as the storms moved toward the east, they dump even more on this side of the range. There isn’t a whole lot of difficult terrain, but as you can see here, its around if you look for it. I look for it... to avoid it. haha. As a solid Blue Square, sometimes Black Diamond skier, Grand Targhee offers a good amount of terrain and probably a chance to ski in the knee-deep.