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At the neighborhood’s eastern extreme, on Rue Dante, this traditional Italian bakery is renowned as the purveyor of the city’s best cannoli, though it’s a hotly debated issue. They are blindingly scrumptious, that’s for sure, and they come in chocolate, vanilla ricotta, vanilla ricotta with tiny chocolate chips, vanilla custard or mocha. They’re just one of the many sweet treats on offer though, so wander over after a day at the market and let yourself be tempted by the cornetti, the million-layered sfogliatelle, the flaky, cream-filled lobster tails or the dozens of varieties of cookie.

Like most good thrift stores, the Brown Elephant is hit or miss. Sometimes you can find great books, T-shirts, and super-cheap vinyl—other times, nothing appeals, and you just wander around until your feet hurt. This shop is well organized, and most of the home goods are reasonably priced. All of the proceeds go to benefit the Howard Brown Health Center, a great LGBT charity; if you’re waffling on spending a couple extra bucks, just go for it and know that your money is going to help someone who needs it. (The Brown Elephant has three outlets: this one in Lakeview, one in Andersonville, and one in Oak Park.)

Shoppers, restaurant connoisseurs, travelers, and cultural enthusiasts will find the impressively designed Madinat Jumeirah a treat for all their passions. This area, once the residence of pearl divers, fishermen, and traders, is now home to many expats and a place for tourists to wander, shop, eat, and find a coffee. This neighborhood embraces the historical architectural styles of the region with wind towers that capture breezes and reroute them down to ground level to cool the pedestrian paths. The resort’s shopping mall is fashioned after a traditional souk, with archways and lanterns and live music. You will also find impressive views and photo ops of the iconic Burj al Arab hotel from this spot.

The French chef Daniel Boulud made his name in New York, where he oversees seven restaurants and has since expanded his culinary empire to six other outposts around the globe. His venture in Montréal makes perfect sense, with Québecois cuisine combining French traditions and techniques with New World ingredients—not unlike Boulud himself. The space—by Super Potato, one of the hottest design firms today—is elegantly restrained, with smoked glass details, wooden floors, and a contemporary enclosed fireplace warming and lighting the room. Boulud uses the best of Québec’s produce in dishes centered on local foie gras, duck, and salmon. The result is refined yet soulful contemporary French dishes, prepared by Maison Boulud executive chef Riccardo Bertolino. In warmer months, guests can dine alfresco, while in the winter you can take in the snowy scene from the restaurant’s enclosed greenhouse. Image courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Montreal.

A kitchen dynamo whose energy belies her age of 77, Supinya Junsuta, aka Jay Fai, is chef-owner of one of the Thai capital’s most renowned shophouse restaurants—the eponymous Jay Fai—and one of the city’s most recognizable foodie personalities. In her trademark heat-resistant goggles, essential protection from a searing inferno of hot oil, she cuts a distinctive figure. And her fame and the crowds have only grown since the Michelin Guide judges gave her eatery Thailand’s first and only Michelin star for street food in 2017 (so much so that she has expressed a wish to give the star back). Her lofty reputation is founded on the alchemy she produces from her scalding wok, with stir-fries such as pad kee mao talay (drunken noodles with seafood) and other dishes like fluffy khai jeaw poo (crab omelet) and a complex tom yum goong (hot and sour shrimp soup) more than justifying the (relatively) steep prices.

In true Berlin fashion, flea markets are not hard to find. One of the newer fleas takes place every Sunday at Mauerpark. I arrived on the early side, around 10am, and the space was already buzzing with locals on the hunt for vintage items, second-hand bikes, and inexpensive clothes. I wandered aimlessly through the park for about an hour, just taking in the sights and sounds of the city. At 3 p.m., a live karaoke party breaks out. It’s the perfect place to release your inner diva. Both the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn stop at Schönhauser Allee, as does the M1 tram.

The #1 thing recommended to me to see in Portland was the Saturday Market. It lived up to its hype! I spent a few hours Saturday morning wandering around the market and was floored at the talent of the vendors. I was also shocked at how reasonably priced everything was. I purchased a catnip-filled body pillow to bring home for my cat and two hand-painted, extra-large ceramic mugs ($20 each). My only regret was that I didn’t have enough room in my suitcase to bring more stuff home!

Most people have heard of the Kuekenhof tulip gardens of the Netherlands, but few know about the even larger Arcen Gardens in the south of the country, near Venlo. This massive, 42 hectare, garden complex is on the grounds of the 17th century Arcen Castle. The gardens begin in a traditional formal style, with roses, hedges and statuary. But it doesn’t end there. As you wander through, you encounter gardens designed to resemble Japan, Italy, Thailand and more. There are woodland gardens and tropical gardens (inside an enormous greenhouse). There is a small on-site zoo featuring ring-tailed lemurs, plenty of children’s activities, mini-golf and a large cafeteria. In fact, you could easily spend an entire day and still not see everything. Arcen opens for the 2013 season on April 26th.

At first glance, this cookware emporium feels like a dusty relic. But dig a little deeper, especially in the basement, and you’ll find just about anything you could need for the kitchen, along with plenty of treasures you don’t—duck press, anyone?—but would love all the same. Knives, copper cookware, and ceramics are the selection’s biggest strengths.

To many gastronomes, the subtle flavors and spicing of Khmer cuisine makes it one of Southeast Asia’s great food secrets. That’s certainly the view of French chef Joannes Riviera, who has taken inspiration from Cambodia’s unsung culinary traditions to create one of the region’s biggest restaurant success stories. Cuisine Wat Damnak has received numerous accolades since opening for business in 2011. Using only the freshest local produce (think juicy tropical fruit, bamboo shoots, and fish from nearby Tonle Sap), Riviera devises regularly changing tasting menus that burst with creativity. Recent hits include a fish sour soup with green banana and rice paddy herb, and a duck confit curry with fresh rice noodles. Dinner is a steal at just $27 for five courses or $31 for six.

In 2008, chef Olivier Roellinger stunned the culinary world by shuttering his famous three-Michelin-starred restaurant to focus on more relaxing endeavors. This was good news, however, for guests of Château Richeux, his picturesque hotel in St-Méloir-des-Ondes. Set on a cliff overlooking the sea, the 1920s villa offers views of Mont St-Michel across the bay, and a serene space where guests can completely unplug.

Without TV or Wi-Fi, you must find entertainment in Château Richeux’s elegant, antique-strewn interiors and beautiful grounds, complete with terraced gardens and a blind for birders. Relax in one of 11 sophisticated rooms with ocean vistas, cozy up in an armchair with a hot toddy, or linger in the living room over a book about the region. Come dinnertime, book a table at the hotel’s singular Restaurant La Coquillage, where Chef Roellinger’s mastery is on full display in dishes of local seafood, produce, and spices. A breakfast of homemade pastries on the ocean terrace is another rare treat.

Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, a Seven Mile Beach favorite on Grand Cayman, combines luxury with sustainability. Here, a 143,000-watt solar array (among the largest in the Cayman Islands) generates electricity. The hotel also harvests rainwater for landscaping and uses aluminum water bottles instead of plastic.

In addition to being family friendly—it has a great kids camp—Seafire is animal friendly. For example, it has special outdoor lighting to prevent distractions for the local turtle population, who use moonlight to guide them to the sea. The property also has trained a group of local divers, deemed “Seafire Guardians,” to help with local coral reef regeneration. The resort’s commitment to the area’s wildlife makes it ideal for travelers looking to support the island in a responsible way.

Stepping into the enormous main concourse of this landmarked architectural jewel—with its sweeping granite staircases, hulking columns and 38-meter (125-foot) ceilings painted with night-sky constellations—can be a jaw-dropping experience. What’s even more incredible, though, is the sheer number of people who use it as a commuter hub day in and day out (more than 750,000 train and subway passengers every weekday). Wander around the shops, head down to the basement food court for a bite and to marvel at the crowds hurrying by—and if you get jostled, don’t take it personally.

In October 2014, Chef Enrique Olvera opened his much-anticipated New York restaurant Cosme, which offers an inventive dining experience in the Flatiron District. The spacious restaurant is a short walk from Langham Place, Fifth Avenue, and features modern Mexican dishes with locally sourced ingredients and housemade tortillas. But guests should not come expecting standard chips and guacamole, Chef Olvera is known for utilizing creative and sometimes surprising ingredients in his dishes. Menu items include burrata, salsa verde and weeds, and occidental purple corn pozole, pork jowl, lettuce, radish, Mexican oregano. The eclectic menu items are meant to be shared, and certain Mexican specialties, like dried chiles, beans and heirloom corn are imported from Mexico. Chef Olvera’s Mexico City restaurant Pujol has gained world fame for his fresh take Mexican food, and Cosme offers more stellar options. The bar also pours a wide variety of mezcals and tequilas. Photo by T.Tseng/Flickr.

Toro Toro by Chef Richard Sandoval is a new 300-seat restaurant and bar that combines culinary flavors of Asia and Latin America. During a recent trip, we sat down in the main dining room to sample the award winning arepas corn cakes, small plates and handcarved steak entrees. The Toro Toro brand originated in Dubai where Sandoval has showcased his homemade empanadas to tens of thousands of diners. The bar is lined with toffee-colored banquettes and stone bull statues. Be sure to try the “Machu Picchu” cocktail consisting of pisco, St-Germain and fresh jalapenos. For groups, create a multi-venue event for 300 pax with the Olay breakfast restaurant next door. Table 40 is the private dining room located inside InterContinental Miami’s contemporary kitchen. Available for group events and intimate dinner parties, Table 40 seats 14 for a luxurious dining experience featuring cuisine by InterContinental Miami’s corporate chef, Alex Feher. “We try to enrich one’s experience at the InterContinental,” says Kovensky. “Whether it’s the level of service, the artistic presentations or the F&B.”