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In a world where coffee is ubiquitous, it’s refreshing to find an establishment that cares equally about tea. Behind the bar at the Rose Estb is a shelf of jars hosting three varieties of each kind of tea: black, green, white, herbal, rooibos, oolong, and a category for an assortment of others, maté among them. This does not, however, compromise an attention to good coffee (the Rose sources it from San Francisco’s Four Barrel Coffee), which is still what most people come for. Open for brunch and lunch, the simple café menu includes frittatas, soups, salads, and sandwiches. The Rose is located on the southwest edge of downtown in a brick building that was remodeled by the owner, Erica O’Brien, and her father, and is deliberately Wi-Fi free.

Hotel Zelos brims with understated luxury. Rooms are kitted out with on-demand movies and music, in-room spa services upon request, and a complimentary honor bar stocked with organic treats. The hotel’s 4th and Market Street location puts it within walking distance of Union Square, AT&T Park and the Moscone Center. For further distances, guests can borrow free bikes. The hotel’s crowning jewel, though, is Dirty Habit, it’s rooftop restaurant and bar. A favorite among locals as well as tourists, Dirty Habit’s film-noir-inspired dining room offers guests a chance to play the part of old Hollywood glamour while nibbling on seasonally inspired dishes like seared king salmon and sipping inventive craft cocktails (try the Bonzai, a mix of whiskey, orgeat, grapefruit, lemon, and matcha green tea).

I just love the huge space and the glass ceiling of Galleria Umberto. It is located across from Teatro di San Carlo and despite its modern look, I was surprised to find out that it was built between 1887–1891. The Galleria was named for Umberto I, King of Italy at the time of construction. It was meant to combine businesses, shops, cafes and social life — public space, with private space in the apartments on the third floor. Don’t miss it! The architecture is breath taking all year long.

Just off the main Riviera Maya highway, this cenote is easy to reach by car or colectivo vans that serve as small public buses up and down the route. The cenote is completely open and has no caves, but it’s a stunning spot for snorkeling in crystal-clear water, with jungle scenery all around. There are shallow areas for snorkelers plus a deeper side with a twelve-foot cliff, perfect for jumping. Snorkel gear is available for rental.

Located on the north side of Playa del Carmen, the family-friendly Plaza Las Americas houses 12 movie theaters and well known Mexican department stores such as Liverpool and Sanborns. There are also clothing shops and boutiques, as well as a supermarket and large food court.

Overshadowed by its larger and more well-known cousins, Palenque and Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal (“Oosh-mahl”) is the ruins of an ancient Maya city located near present-day Campeche. In its heyday, Uxmal was one of the largest cities of the Yucatan peninsula with a population of about 25,000 Maya. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ancient Maya architecture in this part of Mexico is referred to as Puuc architecture, and Uxmal is a prime example of this style. Though there are some Puuc structures in Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal is unique in all of Mexico. Puuc design is most notable for buildings with a plain lower façade and a richly decorated upper façade. Carvings most commonly found include serpents and latticework. Uxmal is dedicated to the Maya rain god, Chaac, and you can see his image everywhere. On the day we were here, it was blisteringly hot and humid; I could’ve used some rain! When I first laid eyes on the four buildings that make up the complex known as the Nunnery Quadrangle, I thought they were the most elegant Maya ruins I had ever seen. The clean lines of the buildings give them a modernity that is surprising considering Uxmal was built more than 1,000 years ago! The carvings on the upper facades are just spectacular and give the entire structure a very delicate feel. Uxmal is located close to Chichén-Itzá, so if you go to Chichén, consider going a bit further to visit Uxmal. You won’t regret it!

Summer afternoons in New Mexico come with thunderstorms--curtains of rain across the vast semi-arid landscape, bringing out the wildflowers ... About an hour west of Albuquerque, (take State Route 23 south from I-40), you’ll see “Enchanted Mesa,” presiding 430ft/130m over the surrounding valley. According to Acoma legend, this was the site of their original pueblo, which had to be abandoned when a thunderstorm washed away the only way up-and-down the cliffs...The ‘new’ pueblo is a few miles to the south, on a slightly lower sandstone mesa; it’s been continuously inhabited since the 1100’s...

If you’re looking for a quiet place to have a drink, don’t go to Zeitgeist. If you’re looking to have an early night, don’t go to Zeitgeist. If you’re looking for an incredibly wide selection of beers on tap, gruff but knowledgeable bartenders, good bar food, and an outdoor biergarten filled with picnic tables and young locals—then you should definitely go to Zeitgeist. The place can get pretty crowded, so be sure to follow proper protocol at the bar if you want to get served: order your beer by its corresponding number (it’s all clear on the menu) and remember that this place is cash only. Feeling hungry? Get the cheeseburger and home fries. Zeitgeist is open daily from 9 am to 2 am. .

Pokhara, located in the center of the city, has one of the best ambiences around. The quintessential European café, with a touch of Paris and a touch of Spain, it attracts a younger, hip crowd. Don’t expect food beyond the obligatory croissants and tortilla española, but do try their carajillo. They put special care into this boozy alchoholic drink. First vodka or whisky (your choice—but choose whisky) is set aflame. Then a shot of espresso is pulled while the bartender whips body into cool, fresh cream. All of this goes into a glass to form the carajillo, one of the most delicious drinks known to man.

This bar in Gros is one, as the locals say, ‘de toda la vida’. A lifelong place to stop and enjoy one of their spectacular anchovy and tuna pintxos (I recommend the one that looks like a mountain of mayonnaise) or a pintxo moruno, a hanging kebab that is a house specialty. The pintxos are classic and delicious. Always a great ambience.

Simple, skilled treatment of raw product is the hallmark of the cuisine at Narru. With a chef once named in the Wall Street Journal as a top young chef to watch in Europe, the food here is quite simply delicious. Stars are the tomato salad, the seafood rice dish of the day, the crema de queso for dessert, and the secreto ibérico, an incredibly juicy cut of pork.

Bar Hidalgo 56 is probably one of my top three pintxo bars in the entire city. With a bar stacked full of equally delicious pintxos, a menu of hot pintxos that is incredibly varied and delicious, and an attention to product that you simply don’t find in other bars, Hidalgo 56 is worth a visit. Try the volcano of morcilla.

The churros here supposedly get their crispy exterior from being cooked over an ax-cut beech-wood fire. You can sample the results when the 140-year-old shop is open: only two Saturdays in June, every day during the San Fermín festival in July, and Sundays in October. 34/948-227-627. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue.

A who-knows-how-happily-married Diego Rivera commissioned this three-residence compound from Mexican artist and architect Juan O’Gorman in 1931. Jarringly Bauhausian for its time (especially in comparison to the surrounding San Ángel neighborhood’s mission revival gentility), it included separate buildings for Diego and his wife, Frida Kahlo, connected by a slender bridge (as well as a third dwelling for O’Gorman). Visits lead to interiors, showcasing Rivera’s studio and its fascinating collection of artworks, creative infrastructure, and amazing windows. Take time to wander the garden and pause to appreciate the property’s tableaux; then re-tox from all the aesthetic purity across the road at the San Ángel Inn, a gloriously indulgent hacienda bar and restaurant that takes you straight back to the country club—flawless margaritas and all.

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.