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According to legend, Nashville-style hot chicken began in the 1930s when Thornton Prince’s girlfriend dumped cayenne on his fried chicken to get revenge for his cheating ways. But he loved it instead, and eventually opened up a hot chicken shop of his own. The Prince family carries on the tradition today at their simple strip-mall space. Customers place their orders at a kitchen window for varying levels of heat, from mild to extra hot. The spicy paste is applied after the fried chicken comes out of cast-iron skillets, and then the bird is placed on white bread and served with pickles. The addictive combo of tastes has since spawned hot chicken joints and special menu items across Music City and beyond.

Ah, Warmoesstraat, Amsterdam‘s heart of darkness, the street that never sleeps. Well, maybe...between 5:00–8:00am, after the junkies leave and before tourists arrive. Set adjacent to de Wallen, the city’s most famous Red Light District, this lively straat is home to the gay leather/fetish scene at shops like Warehouse, The Eagle, Argos, Dirty Dicks, RoB and MrB. Have dinner at Getto, an informal bistro with a less in-your-face gay vibe than other establishments on the street, offering drag queen-inspired burgers and international specialties at reasonable prices. Other dining options include Meatballs, Paella, Wok to Wok, Burger Bar and numerous holes-in-the-wall for pizza, shoarma or frites. For a nightcap hit Stone’s, a dive bar with attitude where the time is always 9:25.

L’Archiduc is Brussels best loved venue for live jazz. This Art Deco cocktail bar is a favourite for Saturday night’s “After Shopping Jazz” and Sunday’s “Round About 5” live music. The club has been in existence since 1937 and under its current ownership since 1985. With its classic atmosphere, it’s like stepping back in time as you sink into one of the cozy benches. The well-stocked bar carries everything from whiskeys to champagnes but is best known for its cocktails. L’Archiduc is open from 5pm ‘til late’ (generally 5am), every night except Christmas Eve. Press the buzzer by the door to be admitted, order a champagne cocktail, pull up a chair by the grand piano, sit back and enjoy the music.

Jo and Chris Beaumont are expats from London who moved to Belize, to open a windsurfing and adventure sports business. They now own the Belize Chocolate Company, which produces the luxury chocolate line, Kakaw and numerous other cacao-based skincare, healthcare and cooking products. Their small shop on Barrier Reef Drive just steps from the beach in San Pedro seems like an expat’s dream. They certainly exhibit the kind of easy happiness that comes from providing a product everyone wants. The Belize Chocolate Company is a café and a store, so visitors can stop in and stay a while. When you do, make sure you seek out Jo or Chris. They are wonderful people, and their chocolate isn’t half bad either!

Take advantage of southwest Florida’s beautiful weather and landscape by playing a round of golf at Coral Oakes Golf course. This 18-hole, Arthur Hills–designed, championship course includes large TifEagle greens, contoured fairways, eight lakes, and 37 bunkers. The course includes one of the largest practice facilities in the area, featuring a driving range with both grass and artificial turf, a chipping area and putting green. After the game, head to Knickers Pub for sandwiches, snacks, entrees and beer. Be sure to stop into the retail store and pro shop onsite with all the latest golf gear. For beginners, Coral Oaks has PGA professionals on staff to teach golf schools, clinics, and private lessons.

On a street that looks a lot like one in the French Quarter of New Orleans sits one of the best markets on the planet. The Pan African Market is three stories of small shops filled with collectibles from all over Africa. My favorite section was on the second floor, full of masks and unique items I hadn’t seen anywhere else. I walked off with a weathered pink leather jewelry box from Nigeria. And while you decide if you really should buy the gigantic ceremonial headpiece made of purple feathers, take a rest at the cozy cafe on the second floor, decorated with African statues and random American paperbacks. Plop down on a comfy couch, order a tea, and watch the world walk by below.

This historic market has been in operation since 1892, and is beloved by locals as a destination for lunch, grocery shopping, or buying regional gifts at the Pennsylvania General Store. More than 70 businesses sell fresh wares here, including ice cream, cookies, meat, seafood, produce, Mexican cuisine, and artisanal grilled-cheese sandwiches—just to name a few. Philadelphians line up daily for just-baked goods from the Amish-owned Beiler’s Bakery, which also runs a separate doughnut stand in the Pennsylvania Dutch section of the market. The market’s location, across the street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, can mean throngs of visitors on convention days; try to get to the market as early as possible to avoid the crowds.

I love cheese. I also love goats. So when I learned of a dairy goat farm just outside of Durbuy, Belgium, open to the public, I had to visit. The Ozo Goat Farm consists of around 200 happy Alpine goats. They produce delicious cheeses available to purchase in the on-site cheese shop. The farm produces about 20 types of cheeses, both fresh and aged. The varieties of the soft cheeses include: cracked peppercorn, rose, chives, nuts and dried fruit. Seeing these goats relaxed and happy, not to mention friendly and eager for head scratches, was the icing on the cake. This is Belgian local produce at its best! More information at: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/07/chvrerie-dozo-goat-farm-durbuy-belgium/

It isn’t wine or cocktails that mark happy hour for locals in Marseille but Pastis, the anise-flavored drink of choice first commercialized by Paul Ricard during the prohibition of absinthe. Ricard’s recipe and formula– star anise, licorice root; five volumes of water for one volume of Pastis - proved an instant hit back in the early 1930’s and is largely responsible for popularizing the aperitif-hour tradition in the south. Today’s experts can be found at La Maison du Pastis, a shop tucked deep in the colonnades of the Vieux Port specialized in 75 different varieties of Pastis and Absinthe. Be sure to ask for a taste before you pick up a bottle, the staff is more than happy to oblige.

There’s more to Dutch cheese than edam and gouda. Besides endless variations on these two, including raw milk versions, there are also lesser known Dutch cheeses to try, as well as imports from all over Europe. You can also buy tools for cooking with cheese (graters, slicers, etc), wine, and foods that pair well with cheeses. One of my personal favorites were raisins on the grape vine --so cool looking! Staff generally have good English and even if you get an employee that doesn’t, you can always use the mime and point method to get a nice chunk of cheese cut off one of the massive rounds in the shop.

Avenida Central was the city’s great commercial core in the first half of the 20th century; though its heyday has ended, the swarm of humanity packing into its various shops, bars, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses attest to ongoing vibrancy. The classic stretch extends from Plaza Santa Ana to Plaza 5 de Mayo, where art deco and streamlined moderne landmarks are still on view. El Banco Nacional, the former Kodak building, and “La Pollera”—thus nicknamed for the resemblance its balconies bear to the traditional full skirts of the Los Santos region—figure among them. These avenue blocks are pedestrian-only; peddlers and street vendors selling every imaginable snack and trinket abound.

It didn’t seem to bode well that nearly a dozen buses were idling in the huge parking lot outside the giant modern building that overlooks Tokyo Bay from Kanaya Harbor. But the “tourists” that piled out of the buses were all Japanese, most from Tokyo, we were told, coming to shop in the market complex and dine in what, in San Francisco, would resemble a Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. Ah, but the food was remarkable, and my lunch--above--was one of my favorite meals on the trip through the prefectures surrounding Tokyo on the Kanto plain. The name of restaurant? The Fish, of course. (If you get there, be sure to arrange a visit to the remarkable private Kanaya Museum across the street.)

A Sunset Strip retreat that blends high design with sustainable practices

• A sustainable design that employs reclaimed timber, recycled carpeting, and lush native greenery
• Healthy extras like yoga mats, kombucha, and local snacks in every room
• Four separate dining options serving California cuisine and craft cocktails, plus a lobby farm stand with fresh fruits

After a brief stint as The Jeremy, this Sunset Strip property opened as L.A.’s first 1 Hotel in May 2019 with a strong focus on sustainability. As soon as you drive up to the valet (which offers electric charging stations), you’ll be enveloped by a biophilic world of plants, reclaimed wood, and rough-hewn granite. The reception desk is made from a massive tree that fell in Mendocino, while the cozy lobby is filled with wood and linen-covered furniture made locally by J. Alexander. Also on the ground floor is a farm stand with fresh produce for the taking; 1 Kitchen, which serves sustainably sourced California cuisine among tables that resemble sliced trees; and Goodthings, a retail shop selling Earth + Element pottery, organic cotton clothing, and a selection of all-natural face serums and tonics.

The 285 rooms feature earth tones, floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple plants in volcanic rock planters, and unfinished wooden wardrobes filled with hangers made from recycled paper. Guests can also look forward to extras like yoga mats, comfy cotton robes, and minibars stocked with kombucha and local snacks like Fat Uncle Farms Cajun-Flavored California Almonds, plus all-natural dog bones and candles with the hotel’s signature scent. Bathrooms have deep marble tubs and full-size bath products—no single-use plastics here. Elsewhere in the hotel, the heated pool features a plant-filled deck with plenty of loungers and views of downtown, while a fitness center by Performix, a rooftop bar, and an organic garden with a beehive offer more places for guests to gather. From $518

In 1950, two halwais—or confectioners—from the Rajasthani city of Bikaner ventured to big city of Delhi to ply their traditional snacks together. Setting up a stall in the Old Delhi Chadni Chowk market, they crafted sweet and savory treats like rasgollas (cheese dumplings in a sugary syrup) and Bikaner bhujuia (fried flour and lentil crisps), based on family recipes—and soon became so well-known that the people of Delhi bestowed them with the nickname of “Bikanervalas,” in honor of their hometown. Today, the brand has over 50 outposts across India, from the Himalayan foot hills of Dehradun and the Mumbai airport to the upscale Hyderabad neighborhood of Banjara Hills, but that Old Delhi original remains. Come for classics like till chikki (nut brittle squares with sesame seed and brown sugar), rich halwas and milk cakes, fruit-and-nut chocolates, and more, as well as seasonal choices. All of the locations are casual, but some are take-out shops only, while other serve a fast-food menu of chaat, Indian and Continental main dishes (including parathas, veggie burgers, and pizzas), desserts, and shakes.

The boardwalk and bike path from Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades to Torrance County Beach in Torrance is a stretch of activity some 20 miles long. Rent a bike, roller or in-line skates, or a Segway and cruise as much of the coastline as you please. The Venice Beach Boardwalk portion is packed with characters, shops, and vendors, and is perfect for picking up a souvenir. Marvel at the strip of contemporary beach houses, including the one designed by Frank Gehry, just north of the Venice Pier, and then stroll down the pier to watch surfers and enjoy the panoramic views.