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Some find this narrow, neon-lit French Quarter street appealing, others appalling. But it’s worth a stroll either way. It’s as if all the sins of mankind and then some were rounded up and corralled here—tawdry strip shows, cheap and potent drinks, the coveting of neighbors’ wives, petty larceny, big-ass beers, bad cover bands, and so on. (Bad cover bands were not technically mentioned in the Old Testament, but to many they’re the street’s most shameful sin.) The heart of the party zone stretches eight blocks from Iberville Street to St. Philip Street, with the thickest concentration of bars on the Iberville end. New Orleans allows alcoholic drinks outside, as long as they’re in plastic cups, or “go-cups"—meaning you can roam the length of Bourbon Street with your beer or hurricane in hand.

Dresden’s architectural and cultural highlight, the Zwinger was commissioned by Augustus the Strong and built between 1710 and 1728 by architect Matthäus Pöppelmann in cooperation with the sculptor Balthasar Permoser. Originally designed as an orangery and setting for court festivities, it’s one of the best examples of late Italian Baroque architecture in Germany. Today, its cultural treasures are immense, ranging from the two-floor Semper Gallery (full of Old Master paintings, including Raphael’s Sistine Madonna) to a royal porcelain collection with Chinese, Japanese, and Meissen examples. Visitors will also find a Museum of Mathematics and Physics (with antique sextants and globes), the Nymphs’ Bath (one of Europe’s most beautiful Baroque fountains), and a gilded gate flanked by long, arched galleries. The venue also hosts musical and theater performances, among other events.

The Museo del Novecento (Museum of the 20th century) is a visual lesson in one century of Italian art history. Housed is the 1930s Palazzo dell’Arengario by Rationalist architects Piero Portaluppi and Giovanni Muzio. The Novecento also houses an amazing collection, Who’s Who of the 1900s, including Italians Balla, Modigliani, Boccioni, Martini, Morandi, and De Chirico and international artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Klee. In fact, the museum is considered one of the world’s most important collections of Italian and international 20th-century art in Italy—Futurism, Spatialism, and Arte Povera. Keep your eye out for Piero Manzoni’s clever Arte Povera pieces, Arturo Marini’s large stone figures, and Pellizza Da Volpedo’s monumental painting Il Quarto Stato (The Fourth Estate). Martini also did the palazzo’s exterior bas relief. Bonus: The upper level bar/restaurant overlooks Piazza del Duomo.

Mendoza has suffered devastating earthquakes that have reduced the city to rubble. The earthquake of 1861 destroyed most of the city. Instead of repairing all the damage, the city decided to build a new city center southwest of the original location. They created a large principal plaza—Plaza Independencia—surrounded by four smaller plazas: Plaza San Martin; Plaza Chile; Plaza Italia; and the most picturesque, Plaza Espana. These open spaces created a safe retreat for residents to gather in the event of another destructive earthquake. On weekends the plazas come alive with artisan markets, food vendors, lip-locked lovers and families. Enjoy the people watching and be aware of your belongings.

This Romanesque Revival landmark has become Nashville’s crown jewel. The city’s main train station from 1900 until the 1970s, when railway service was discontinued, the building sat vacant for decades until it was restored to its former glory and reopened as a boutique hotel in 2016. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel retains pieces of the past—including its iconic clock tower, an original arrivals and departures board, and the solid wood staircases—while providing all the comforts of the present. The 125 guest rooms skew contemporary, with soothing tones of gray and neutral walnut, as well as cowhide headboards and custom ironwork lights. By contrast, public spaces veer on the nostalgic: The atrium lobby has painted barrel-vaulted ceilings, 100-year-old stained-glass skylights, bas-relief moldings, and ornate crystal chandeliers. It’s an atmospheric backdrop for the hotel’s “Riffs on the Rails,” a weekly series of live music performances.

New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago get a lot of the good press when it comes to the arts and art museums, but the Detroit Institute of Arts helps Detroit give these cities a run for their money. The diverse collection is spread out over 100 galleries and includes African, Asian, Islamic, and modern and contemporary art (and the list goes on). But don’t ignore the local contributions to the art world. Make sure you take proper time to stand before Diego Rivera’s enormous Detroit Industry fresco to give you some historical context before exploring the rest of the city.

South Bank has both the best river walk in London and the city’s liveliest cultural centers, so a walk along it is a must. The path takes you from the Globe and the Tate Modern along the Thames—passing Gabriel’s Wharf with its stellar restaurants and bars—to the National Theatre, the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, and the London Eye. A two-mile strip has never held so many different entertainment opportunities; you could spend weeks along it without getting bored. That’s not to mention the regular outdoor performances and the unparalleled views of the bridges over the river, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament.

Ultraviolet is the kind of travel experience you talk about 10 years later. French chef Paul Pairet first dreamed of a multisensory dining adventure in 1996, but it took until May 2012 to open this transcendent restaurant. There’s room for only 10 diners to experience the 20-course meal at one time, and the dining room is a theater with HD screens for walls. With every course, the sounds, sights, and even smells change to complement and amplify the menu. The sublime sea bass Monte Carlo—sea bass with fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes inside a baguette—is served to the sound of Debussy, and as you eat you’ll notice a vibrant aquarium has appeared right in front of you.

Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Degas, where art thou? That’s a question the staff has been asking at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum since 1990, when thieves made off with 13 of the museum’s most valuable pieces, worth an estimated half a billion dollars. Rather than sulk, however, museum officials left empty frames on display both to educate visitors and to serve as hopeful placeholders awaiting the artworks’ eventual return. Meanwhile, you can visit the museum’s lovely courtyard and vast collection of historic and contemporary art at Fenway Court, built to resemble a Venetian palazzo and packed with paintings, sculpture, furniture, and textiles gathered by Gardner, an avid art collector and philanthropist, during her lifetime. Pro tip: Wear a Red Sox hat or shirt to get a $2 discount on admission—as stipulated by Gardner after her beloved Sox won the 1912 World Series (also, you get in free if your name is Isabella).

Gas Works Park should be one of the places to stop and explore if you go to Seattle. It offers an amazing view of the city, which looks just as good at night as it does during the day so whenever you choose to go will be perfect. Gasworks Park was the site for the manufacturing of gas from coal back in the early to mid 1900s. But later in 1975, the city opened the park to the public. Check out the graffiti on the machinery, visit the sundial on the top of the hill, or sit down and look out across the Lake Union. It’s also a great spot for photography so bring your camera as well! *the picture shows the view from Gas Works Park.

In the whole of the German-speaking world, no theater outshines the Burgtheater, the Austrian National Theater. One of the Ringstrasse’s fabulous late-19th-century confections, the theater was built across from City Hall, principally by celebrated architect Gottfried Semper. The roots of the Burg go back to 1741 during Empress Maria Theresa’s reign. High society vied to be in the presence of royalty and Mozart premiered his works there. Busts on Semper’s Burg facade represent Goethe, Schiller, and Shakespeare, while magnificent Klimt frescoes adorn the staircases. These days the Burg is renowned for performances by international stars like Klaus Maria Brandauer, Bruno Ganz, and Christoph Waltz.

Today luxury hotels, high-end boutiques, and a fine-sand beach compete for visitors’ attention as they stroll the famous coastal walk in Cannes that follows the crescent-shaped border between water and town. Once this glamorous walkway was a marshy path called the Crouseto, traversed by pilgrims who came here to visit and pray at the Lérins Abbey out in the bay. Especially during the film festival, when celebrities arrive by yacht, limo, or helicopter and walk along the street, lounging at the café tables and shopping at the fancy stores, it is hard to picture the remote fishing village that was once here.

The Buccaneer has a long history. The colonial great house was built by Maltese knight Charles Martel in 1653. Located on a protected bluff, the house later became the home of Danish governor von Prock after Denmark’s 1733 purchase of the Virgin Islands. Fast-forward to 1947, when the Armstrong family transformed what was by then a cattle estate into the Buccaneer, St. Croix’s first family-run hotel. The resort, completely modern and still quite popular, operates the Buccaneer Golf Club, celebrated for its par 70 course that offers Caribbean views from 13 of its 18 holes.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung Palace is a prime example of pungsu, a style derived from the principles of Confucianism that harmoniously blends architecture with the surrounding landscape. Originally built in 1412 as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung eventually became the main seat of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea’s most celebrated empire. It was especially beloved for its huwon, a landscaped garden of pavilions, ponds, and pagodas. Today, the only way to see the huwon is to take the 90-minute Secret Garden Tour. Afterward, pay the extra fee to view the remaining 60 percent of the complex.

Thailand’s pioneering wellness retreat is known for its 3- to 14-day programs that address everything from burnout to sleep issues. The resort celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015 by adding a 25-meter lap pool, a state-of-the-art gym, and a new fitness regimen for guests who want something more strenuous than massage. Every visit starts with a consultation to help you develop a schedule of meals, therapies, and classes for your stay. If structure stresses you out, there’s also a “wellness à la carte” option that lets you mix and match from more than 70 treatments and adventures including visits to Wat Plai Laem temple. From $185 (three-night programs from $1,520). This appeared in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue.