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The stretch of Boulevard Saint-Laurent between Rue Marianne and Avenue Mont-Royal is known as furniture alley, for all the furniture and home appointment stores that exist there. Latitude Nord was among the first to move to the area and remains the best spot to spy cutting-edge contemporary design items like lamps, chairs, rugs and couches. The focus is on European imports, particularly Italian brands like Cassina, Bisazza and Cappellini, but there’s also minimalist American ware from the likes of Emeco (makers of the ubiquitous Navy Chair) and cushy rugs made in Spain by Alpujarreña. The slick showroom is worth visiting even if you don’t intend to buy.

Your nose will alert you to the exotic possibilities at hand in this place before you even walk all the way in. This spice emporium has passed through three generations of the Hatzidakis family already, and continues to provide the city’s chefs as well as avid cooks from all walks of life. From cumin to saffron to sumac to oregano, it’s all here among the 600-some spices on hand, along with a knowledgeable staff ready to help with all your questions. They also have bulk goods (including candy) and an impressive array of homemade natural essences, of everything from coconut to orange.

This enclave on upper Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Little Italy emanates style from the front window on, with a quirky and impeccable approach to layout. Its rich wooden tables and modernist shelves are rife with unique, collectible objects and everyday useful things. Some are wearable, like silk scarves, merino wool sweaters and designer galoshes, while others exist to embellish living spaces, like beautiful metal bowls and hand-painted birch branches that serve as sculptures. There are even edible things, like artisanal lemonade syrup and fancy teas. The focus is on locally made goods with a smattering of international purveyors too, who fit within the store’s general earthy-chic aesthetic.

You know that person who’s so nonchalantly well-dressed she makes everyone in the room look like they’re either dressed on potato sacks or tarted up, Vegas-style? She shops at Les Étoffes. “Measured” is the name of the game in this unisex clothes shop, with carefully selected pieces from all over the world and brands like Samuji, Apiece-Apart, Christophe Lemaire and Dieppa Restrepo. No matter the brand, the palette is understated and neutral, featuring grays, navies, browns and blacks, and the detailing is subtle; think texture contrasts, geometric cuts and tone-on-tone superposition. The store itself is a design beacon decorated with warm amber wood and tile.

Praised by everyone from the James Beard Foundation to Anthony Bourdain to Esquire to RateBeer.com for its massive selection and delicious eats, the Porter Beer Bar is one place well worth a stop. The Porter opened in 2008 in a narrow space in Little Five Points. It boasts 44 beers on draft and over 700 bottled. The food is made by an award-winning chef, serving up upscale bar food. The portions are massive, particularly buffalo shrimp po boy with herb fries. It can rarely be said that everything on a menu is good, but the Porter may just be an exception.

Tucked away on the second floor of a courtyard building in the residential Recoleta neighborhood, the shoe store Comme Il Faut is a magnet for tango dancers. Customers provide their shoe sizes to cheerful saleswomen, and stacks of shoeboxes—in every color and heel height—emerge from the back.

Up in the Andersonville neighborhood, home of many an antique store, Brownstone Antiques holds a primo spot on Clark Street just down the street from the Swedish diner, Svea. It’s more of a junk store than an antique store with a crowded jumble of antique furniture, piles of vintage jewelry, stacks of paintings and odds and ends on every surface. It’s a little dusty and a lot interesting.

The Museum aan de Stroom showcases the art and history of the city. The ultramodern exterior features glass and red sandstone bricks stacked like Tetris tiles near the Scheldt River. The exhibit “Happy Birthday Dear Academie” honors the 350-year legacy of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts with works by alumni artists, including Peter Paul Rubens. Hanzestedenplaats 1, 32/(0) 3-338-4434. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.

In a haven for healthy eating like Laguna, The Stand stands out for its vegan menu full of plant-based, cruelty-free dishes. Established in 1975, the Thalia Street mainstay has switched hands from one local to another over the years, but has always maintained its focus on good-for-you fare. Come here for everything from freshly squeezed juices and nut-milk shakes to sandwiches, salads, and burritos made with steamed whole-wheat tortillas. If you’re feeling adventurous, opt for the special tamale and guacamole plate, which features a homemade vegetable tamale with organic pinto beans, guacamole, salsa, cabbage salad, and The Stand’s original sweet-and-sour dressing. Just be sure to save room for the fresh fruit soft serve, which you can top with vegan chocolate chips, raw almonds, big flakes of coconut, and more.

L’Express, on rue St-Denis in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, opened in 1980 and has about it the air of a beloved institution. Indeed, with its timeless style, it feels even older than it is. This popular spot serves classic renditions of bistro fare—steak tartare, bone marrow, onion soup—into the early morning hours (2 a.m. except for Sundays, when it closes at 1 a.m.). When the kitchen ventures into new territory, the results are impressive. The spaghetti with mushrooms is unconventional in its presentation (topped with a healthy serving of arugula)—one of those dishes you try on the road and then want to re-create at home. Reservations recommended.

Halifax’s identity is tied to the sea, and its rich maritime history is the central theme of this eclectic museum. Popular exhibits include one dedicated to the role of Halifax after the sinking of the Titanic (the city’s ships helped with the recovery) and the devastating Halifax Explosion, a 1917 ship collision that killed 2,000. Don’t miss touring the CSS Acadia, a naval vessel once used for hydrographic missions.

Minsk, the austere capital of Belarus and a former Soviet satellite, harbors Beatles cover bands, bookish bohemians feasting on salo and vodka, and the curious legacy of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park is what remains of the first settlement in Sacramento. John Sutter was given a land grant from the Mexican government in 1839 (when California was still part of Mexico). He used this land to develop agriculture and set up the first non-Native American settlement in the Central Valley of California. Now Sutter’s Fort sits right in the center of Sacramento, surrounded by Midtown apartment buildings and restaurants, but offers a place to see a bit of California history. The large white fort has been restored to look as it did in the 1840s. Original rooms include a kitchen, stables, store, carpenter’s shop, mill, doctor’s office, and other places that served the small local community at that time. A free audio tour is available. The grounds of the park include the California State Indian Museum and a small but nice area to walk with ponds, fountains, and heritage trees. Sutter’s Fort is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Entrance fees are $5 for adults and $3 for kids over five. Street parking is available, and free street parking can be found one to two blocks south on 27th Street.

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.

Like a nautical version of the yellow brick road, illuminated anchors embedded in the floors of Ironside Fish & Oyster lead you to the Emerald City of raw bars, where the bounteous platters come in Big, Bigger, Biggest, and Holy Sh*t. This last assortment might include, say, 24 oysters, 14 shrimp, 14 mussels, two pounds of lobster, two ounces of sustainable royal white sturgeon caviar, a portion of rockfish ceviche, and some kanpachi crudo for good measure (the mix changes daily according to what’s fresh). Not that lovers of cooked seafood will go hungry at chef Jason McLeod’s Little Italy hot spot, where the catch of the day is a perennial favorite. There’s even a small yet mighty vegetarian lineup (think charred broccolini with dried chilis, garlic, and parmesan; and Japanese sweet potato with scallion chimichurri and puffed quinoa). It’s all rounded out by an impressive bar, where 11 categories of whiskey are represented. While the menu occasionally diverges from the strictly seafaring, the decor never does. The interior design features prow figureheads turned lighting fixtures and artful stacks of steamer trunks.