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If you love antiquing or if you’re just searching for a Mexico City souvenir with a bit of history behind it, it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning in the capital than visiting Plaza del Angel, a giant antique market with dozens of galleries, located in the Zona Rosa. You can visit during the week, too, but on Saturdays, temporary vendors join those who have permanent spaces here to sell all sorts of wares, from postcards and pictures to religious relics, furniture, books, magazines, and handcrafts.

The story behind the founding of the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (Museum of the Antique Mexican Toy) is almost as charming and intriguing as the collection of toys itself. Roberto Shimizu, Sr., who founded the museum with his son, Roberto Shimizu, Jr., began collecting toys when he was a child and in the decades since, has amassed a collection of literally millions of toys. He decided it was important for the collection to be accessible and visible to the public, partly to document the history of toy-making in Mexico and the world. The space occupied by the museum covers several floors, but it’s barely large enough to showcase all of Shimizu’s treasures, which he has catalogued carefully in numerous notebooks and binders. That may be hard to believe, given the fact that the museum is crammed wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with toys of every type: from plastic soldiers to board games and Barbies to model trains. The museum is a cabinet of curiosities for the kid in all of us.

Shanga, a nonprofit, employs more than 70 people with disabilities to fabricate beautiful handmade products from recycled materials. The range of skilled artistry here is truly impressive: The team creates paintings, woven rugs, handblown glasses, and intricately beaded jewelry. Visitors can join a tour of the workshop to see all this activity in person before stopping in at the store to pick up some special souvenirs. It’s an uplifting place and provides much-needed employment and care for these individuals. Since the idyllic location is at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, sticking around for lunch at the on-site café is a must.

The Morris family’s roots are among the deepest in colonial Pennsylvania. Anthony Morris settled here in 1685 and would become one of the city’s first mayors. A century later, his grandson Samuel served as a captain of the Continental Army’s Philadelphia City Calvary. Though the Morris family’s red-brick mansion on 8^th street was built in 1787, it upholds a pre-Revolutionary colonial style epitomized in the stately Independence Hall, and members of the family would live in this large corner property for the next 120 years. A painstaking restoration in the mid-1960s earned it a spot as a National Historic Landmark, and the current owners renovated the property in 2000, transforming the distinguished address into a 17-room boutique hotel without compromising original architectural details. With a leafy courtyard garden, gourmet farm-to-table restaurant, and a focus on personalized service, the latest incarnation of this home lives up to its storied past.

Each room is tastefully decorated in Colonial-era decor and reproductions. Despite the history and limitations inherent in any historic structure, guestrooms are large and uncluttered with all the modern conveniences, splashes of natural light, and sparkling bathrooms, some with Jacuzzi tubs. Adding to the allure are a complimentary continental breakfast and a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine on the house.

With no sign above its unassuming storefront, Tartine is most easily recognized by the line that snakes out its door and down Guerrero Street. People patiently wait for flaky pains au chocolat (the best outside Paris, in my opinion), decadent banana cream tarts, and hot-pressed sandwiches stuffed with fillings like smoked sheep cheese and quince jam. The bakery’s James Beard Award–winning pastry chefs also turn out loaves of stone hearth–baked bread, available every day after 4:30 p.m. Nurse a coffee and nibble on a croissant at the communal table, or take picnic provisions to nearby Dolores Park.

The torrent of Anglo eateries that have popped up across Paris in recent years can largely be attributed to the searing success of Rose Bakery. I had my doubts years ago when I first heard about the internationally-staffed organic canteen - how good could English food be, really? Expensive though it may be, it’s one of my favorite places to go for warm cheese scones, fresh vegetable and a variety of cakes suitable for breakfast or afternoon tea. Rose began in London, hopped over to Paris on rue des Martyrs, expanded to the Marais, settled into a 3rd location within La Maison Rouge foundation in the 12th and most recently took over a 2nd floor corner of the chic department store Le Bon Marché. And that’s saying nothing of their international locations. Its appeal was virtually immediate and RB quickly established itself as the spot among hipsters, artists, celebrities (the likes of Natalie Portman and Julie Delpy, who I spotted last year) and tourists for organic, English fare. They open early, excel at pancakes and healthy veggie options and sell a number of British products to-go. Other establishments may have come onto the scene but Rose is a breakfast mainstay.

One-hundred-fifty-year-old walls and tropical foliage frame the courtyard dining area at La Panga Antigua, an enchanting restaurant in downtown San José del Cabo. Walking through the unassuming front door is like taking a step back in time; there’s an old-world charm that envelops La Panga Antigua (and the whole arts district, for that matter). The menu, however, demonstrates a distinctly contemporary sensibility, blending ancient Mexican recipes with a 21st-century commitment to locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Seafood comes from regional fishermen, vegetables from an organic farm in nearby Pescadero. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect items like scallop carpaccio, grilled rib eye, or the catch of the day, grilled with a pumpkin seed crust.

If you love ‘experiential learning’, the Galata museum is a great winter option for exploring the maritime history of the port of Genoa. With great ‘hands-on’ exhibits, and a beautiful roof top observation deck, this museum is one of the best in Genoa. And at only 11 euro, it is priced quite effectively. Make sure you don’t miss the “Tempest” exhibit -- a 4D experience of surviving a massive storm in a tiny life boat off Cape Horn. You can also pay a supplemental fee to explore the submarine parked in the harbor in front of the museum - but if you suffer from claustrophobia at all, I’d steer clear, as the space inside is incredibly small.

This all-inclusive, adult only resort offers a truly exceptional experience. The staff is friendly, the service is excellent and the location is ideal for exploring Cancun. Honeymooners, couples and any vacationer in search of a chic, trendy getaway will enjoy staying here. Straddling one of the area’s best beaches, this newer hotel offers three infinity pools along with modern accommodations peppered with a luxurious South Beach vibe. When you’re ready to take a break from the beach, check into Secrets Spa by Pevonia to detox your body as well as your mind. Steam, sauna, plunge pools and a soothing array of body and facial treatments are sure to cure whatever ails you. Chocolate wraps for exfoliation, green coffee wraps for cellulite, seaweed wraps for detoxification, black mud treatments for aches and pains.....the list is endless. For a romantic touch, moonlight couples massages on beach beckon. In addition to spa services, a beauty salon and fitness center provide more “wellness” escapes. For a unique experience. you can even have a garra rufa fish pedicure.

Located on the island of Djurgården, this purpose-built maritime museum is an extraordinary sight: It houses the massive warship Vasa, which sank just minutes after launching on its maiden voyage in 1628. Raised from the harbor in 1961, it was painstakingly reassembled to its original glory. Head straight to the auditorium to watch a documentary about the salvage, and then slowly meander through the rest of the fascinating exhibits.

Cuevas del Indios (Indian Caves) of Arecibo offers a tidbit of ancient history of a lost people. An easy-to-find natural wonder, with a simple $2 fee for parking, this you won’t want to miss. Bring some sunscreen and your camera. Begin your hike up sharp and spiky cliff sides (no worries, I was able to do it all in sandals). Work your way up to the top of the cliff and enjoy the fantastic view below. Ocean spray from the massive waves breaking against the side of the rocks will cool you off with a little salty mist. Dare to look over the edge to see a landscape of arches and tunnels, burrowed below your feet. Climb down into the rocks to find a wonderful—and surprisingly well-preserved—variety of Taino Indian petroglyphs. A small climb down a somewhat sturdy, handmade ladder lands you at the base of the cave with stone carved images surrounding you. Now is your chance to experience some history. Wander through the smaller tunnels, and listen to the ocean making its way inside the cave with every massive wave crashing outside.

Hidden down the Vico Superiore del Ferro, this tiny shop is a secret gem. While most gelaterias keep their colorful products out in plain view, luring children in from the street with their mounds of chocolate and mango and black cherry, Gelateria Profumo prefers to hide theirs in shiny frozen silver canisters. And yet tucked inside those containers are some of the most delicious, interesting flavors in town - and hands down, the creamiest.

by Fabrizia Lanza Within the Palace of the Normans, there’s a chapel of the kings. “It’s sumptuous,” Fabrizia says, “all covered with mosaics. It’s like getting inside a golden box of jewelry.” Piazza del Parlamento 1 This story appeared in the January/February 2011 issue.

With two shops very well located in two of the most visited neighborhoods, one at Chiado and the other at Bairro Alto, Bairro Arte sells crafts and design pieces created by young artists. Many of the pieces are connected to Lisbon in some way, for example a painting of Tram 28. But Bairro Arte is also a gallery, presenting contemporary art exhibitions, with paintings, photography, and sculptures that are sold at reasonable prices.

One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.