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The Washington National Cathedral stands high over D.C. as a beacon of faith for the nation. The impressive Gothic architecture evokes comparisons to Notre-Dame (despite being built more than half a millennium later). Flying buttresses, spires, and stained glass windows inspire heavenly awe, while statues of modern missionary and civil rights figures such as Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, and Martin Luther King, Jr., ground us in earthly good works. The stained glass Space Window includes a lunar rock donated by the crew of Apollo 11, reminding us of our small place in the universe. Bring binoculars to scan the gargoyles for a Star Wars surprise, and climb the steps to the towers for panoramic city views. While overseen by the Episcopalian church, the cathedral welcomes all people.

The Casa Estudio Luis Barragán is a must for visitors to Mexico City interested in the works of Mexico’s most famous contemporary architect, Luis Barragán, famous for his colorful approach to modernism and his buildings that are as known for their garden settings as for their interiors. While that museum, located in his former house, is the most obvious introduction to his life and works, those who want to dive deeper will want to arrange visits to some of his other buildings.

The Casa Cuadra San Cristóbal dates from 1968 and was designed for the Egerstrom family. The centrality of gardens, plazas, and fountains to Barragán’s work is driven home here by the fact that the house itself is closed to the public. It’s still worth the effort to make the journey (of about 35 minutes to an hour by Uber, depending on traffic) to see the stables and gardens, and the exterior of the house. The walls in pink, mauve, and white, and the large pool at the center of the property create a space that is at once both restrained and exuberantly colorful. Reservations ([email protected]) are required and there is a charge of 300 pesos per person, with a minimum of five people. (You can visit with fewer than five people, but you’ll still need to pay 1500 pesos total, cash only.)

Miami comes to Los Angeles at this Sydell Group hotel that took over the historic Commercial Exchange building in the center of downtown. Although it has deluxe amenities like a doorman and room service, the Freehand L.A. has a range of room types, from 167 private accommodations to 59 shared rooms with four, six, or eight bunk beds. The hotel deftly manages to combine the social culture of a hostel with innovative design by Roman + Williams, exceptional food and drinks, and stellar communal spaces where locals and travelers mingle naturally. Places to hang out include the lobby area outfitted with handcrafted furnishings, vibrant tapestries, earthy decorative elements, and murals by local artists; the lobby bar, serving tea-infused cocktails and light bites; the grab-and-go Café Integral; the plant-filled restaurant; and the rooftop pool, which is home to the award-winning Broken Shaker lounge. Providing more greenery off the lobby is a floral-filled concept store by Venice’s Flowerboy Project.

Opened in September 2017, Hotel Californian breathes new life into the Santa Barbara waterfront. Where once was a parking lot now stand two Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, done up in Moorish-inspired décor by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The 121-room hotel also comprises the 1925 Hotel Californian across State Street (it retains its original façade but has otherwise been gutted) as well as another building across East Mason (which houses a ballroom and the two-bedroom presidential suite). In other words, the hotel is the new center of the neighborhood, partly because of its size but also due its many offerings, which range from a stylish boutique and Turkish-inspired spa to gourmet café Goat Tree and fine-dining restaurant Blackbird.

Spacious rooms mix Spanish colonial architecture, Moroccan influences, and custom furnishings for a modern take on Santa Barbara chic. All feature plush beds, marble bathrooms, and premium cocktail carts, while some have Juliet balconies or oversized verandas with views of the hotel courtyards, city, ocean, or Santa Ynez Mountains. Larger rooms even have seating areas and fireplaces for extra comfort. Should guests ever wish to venture outside, there’s a rooftop pool and event deck with sweeping views of the coastline, as well as a large lawn space for lounging. Also, the Funk Zone with its popular restaurants and Urban Wine Trail is right down the street, making the Hotel Californian one of Santa Barbara’s trendiest spots to stay.

When it opened in 1996, the Belmond Miraflores Park was the first hotel in Lima to take advantage of the city’s Pacific Ocean views. Set along the Miraflores malecón, the 82-room property offers some of the most privileged panoramas in the city, particularly from the heated rooftop pool. Several levels down, the ground floor was completely redesigned in 2010 by renowned Peruvian architect Jordi Puig, who added an open-air lounge and avant-garde restaurant space that now houses international eatery Traguluz. Also on-site is The Observatory, a breakfast buffet spot on the 11th floor, and Belo Bar, a park-side lounge offering pisco cocktails infused with Amazonian fruits.

My daughter came up with the idea for Yotel. " Mom, lets try this cool place in NYC for our trip” she says. We were doing one of our once-every-few- years mom and daughter trips and this time it was NYC. As you are aware a trip to NYC must be planned carefully and if you are on a budget the ticket item is the lodging. Yotel is a concept hotel that started in London‘s Heathrow Airport. In NYC slender bunk beds and fold out motorized queen bed/ futons in tiny cabins much like some Tokyo hotel rooms are offered. In London this proved a way more popular space to sleep for weary travelers than the dirty airport floor. But here in NYC it is much more than the airport floor alternative; the building in NYC is in midtown a couple avenues over from the cacophony of Broadway and Time’s Square, it has it’s own restaurant and a great seasonal roof deck. Our room was a queen with a bunk bed overhead and private bath with view to the river. We found it fun, if tiny (you have to plan how much luggage you are bringing very carefully- no closet). But younger travelers will love it here ( check out the robot that stores your luggage) and the rates and friendly staff are very cool for NYC.

The story behind the founding of the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México (Museum of the Antique Mexican Toy) is almost as charming and intriguing as the collection of toys itself. Roberto Shimizu, Sr., who founded the museum with his son, Roberto Shimizu, Jr., began collecting toys when he was a child and in the decades since, has amassed a collection of literally millions of toys. He decided it was important for the collection to be accessible and visible to the public, partly to document the history of toy-making in Mexico and the world. The space occupied by the museum covers several floors, but it’s barely large enough to showcase all of Shimizu’s treasures, which he has catalogued carefully in numerous notebooks and binders. That may be hard to believe, given the fact that the museum is crammed wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with toys of every type: from plastic soldiers to board games and Barbies to model trains. The museum is a cabinet of curiosities for the kid in all of us.

You don’t have to be a guest at El Fenn’s hotel to relish the eclectic surroundings of its gallery and boutique—all ruby red tadelakt around a gleaming silver bar, with a chest-high fireplace and a trompe l’oeil of strutting pink flamingos. As spaces go, it’s a work of art in and of itself. Put it on your list for lunch, dinner, or drinks so that you can also delight in the frequently changing exhibits of contemporary Moroccan and international artworks. Recent highlights featured a showcase of the best of Essaouira art naïf painters and the late, great photographer Leila Alaoui’s moving portraits entitled simply The Moroccans. Peruse the boutique for a carefully curated selection of made-in-Morocco housewares, fashion, and gift items by local designers and artisans before heading upstairs for a long, lazy lunch of market-fresh salads and grilled meat and fish served family style on the rooftop. If it’s too cold for dining alfresco, grab a perfectly crafted negroni from the bar and snag a spot by the fire for an intimate tête-à-tête.

New Orleans’ green spaces run the gamut from City Park, which spans 1,300 acres and is the 6th largest urban park in the United States, to the city block-sized Jackson Square, a French Quarter gathering point for artists, musicians, and street performers. The former has walking trails, botanical gardens, and an open-air sculpture garden, plus tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, and a mini-golf course, but most come to see the world’s oldest grove of mature live oaks. Uptown’s Audubon Park is frequented by walkers, joggers, and cyclists who make their way around the park’s 1.8 mile loop—and it’s also home to the Audubon Zoo.

Located along the historic Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O Canal), this laid-back neighborhood bakery and coffeehouse is one of my favorite hangouts in D.C. Baked and Wired serves delicious food and drinks in a cozy atmosphere. The space is adorned with works done by local artists and photographers—as well as napkins scribbled with slogans, poetry, and pictures by visitors who wish to leave their mark. Owned by a husband and wife team, Tony and Teresa Velasquez, the shop has been whipping up handcrafted baked goods since 2001. To the delight of the young, the old, the college kids, hipsters, and the “power suit” crowd, the shop churns out a plethora of treats. You’ll find cupcakes (“cakecups”), brownies, cookies, pies, bars, muffins, cakes, quiches, breads, biscotti, and even “zilla bonez” (dog biscuits). They also serve the best coffees including Stumptown, Intelligentsia, Madcap, Barismo, and Ceremony. For tea, try the “Chaider"—a seasonal combo of chai and apple cider. Dine here like a local; upon entering, head to the left side for the baked goods (the “Baked” side) and then to the right for coffee (the “Wired” side). Signature baked goods include: — The Strawberry Cupcake: made from fresh strawberries mixed with vanilla cake batter topped with a swirl of pink buttercream (the local favorite). — Bee Stings: shortbread cookie topped with sliced almonds and honey. — OMG’s caramel s’mores: a layer of graham cracker crust followed by caramel, marshmallow, and chocolate.

It appears small from the outside, but Gale South Beach manages to pack a lot into a modest space, including Italian restaurant Dolce, a cocktail lounge, and a nightclub. These attractions, and its prime location on Collins Avenue, just a block from the beach, make the Gale a social hot spot. The landmarked art deco building is, like many of its neighbors, protected from structural changes; as such, the hotel harks back to the golden age of American architecture. Inside, the decor evokes 1940s–1960s style, with throwback typography, black-and-white family photos, newspaper clippings, and mid-20^th-century memorabilia providing atmospheric design touches. The rooms are on the smaller side but tend to let in lots of natural light. The color scheme is nautical, with blue carpeting and white walls, and crisp, bright white linens embroidered with the hotel name in blue. Guests can take advantage of an outdoor bar on the fourth floor, and a rooftop pool. An annex of the hotel is set to open just a few feet away in December 2014. The Gale Suites at Kaskades is a 25-suite complex with a focus on luxury and privacy. It features rooms with Jacuzzi tubs and rain showers and has its own rooftop deck with cabanas.

Hillside Farmacy is a farm-to-table restaurant in Austin built around a pharmacy theme. While it may sound odd, the execution is brilliant, with incredible food and wonderfully eclectic design. The restaurant space was formerly the home of a 1920s pharmacy owned by Austin‘s first African-American pharmacist. The decor features authentic apothecary items (from a different 1920s drugstore)—a vintage collection of medicine bottles, antique cash registers, tin ceilings, and wooden cabinets. But it’s the “F” in the deliberately misspelled Farmacy that nods to the emphasis on simple, fresh food. The restaurant works with local food purveyors and regularly changes the menus around the highest-quality seasonal ingredients. Local cheese, homemade pate, artisinal breads and pastries, raw bar, charcuterie are all available here. Dishes include bangers and eggs, buttermilk bisquits and gravy, and bison tartare. Other perks include an old fashioned soda counter and a shaded outdoor patio. If I were a local here, this would definitely be one of my favorite go-to places.

Tucson is predictably well-endowed with Mexican restaurants...But it’s still worth driving about an hour south to the little town of Tubac for a meal at Elvira’s. Upon entering the cool space, you won’t be surprised to learn that the chef/owner got degrees in design and graphic arts before going to cooking school. The restaurant, family-owned since 1927, is named after Ruben Monroy’s grandmother. Originally located in Nogales, Mexico, Elvira’s moved up to Tubac a few years ago... Have a welcoming “Hola-tequila-shot” (just fifty cents!) while perusing the menu...I had the pipián rojo mole—perfectly tender chicken under a vibrant sauce made with ground pumpkin seeds; my wife tried the day’s light lunch special of mushroom enchiladas with tomatillo salsa, and for out-of-town family, the squash-blossom-stuffed poblano chile relleno “Frida Kahlo.” Beef tongue with salsa verde and the other moles will have to wait for a return visit. Suspended from the ceiling are constellations of lanterns, blown-glass teardrops, flying cherubs—Mexican folk-art with a surreal twist. Your eyes will not be bored. More importantly, neither will your taste buds... (Tubac, incidentally, was the starting point of the 18th-c. expedition that led to the founding of San Francisco, Santa Clara, & San José, CA. Not much of the original Spanish presidio remains, but for the past few decades, “where art and history meets” has become the slogan of this ‘artists’ colony’ in the high desert.)

This colorful, photography-friendly collection of the one-eyed glass artist’s work is more than just another tourist attractions. The Northwest room, with its ceramics, textile art, Pendleton blankets, and photography of Native Americans, is a nod to the traditional arts that inspired Chihuly’s work. Playful, brightly colored glass is everywhere: oversized spheres piled into a rowboat, sea creatures and undulating glass ribbons that evoke the movement of the ocean, and fanciful “flowers” in the outdoor garden. The gift shop is large, with a nice selection of gifts, novelties, and Pendleton blankets. King County residents get a $4 discount off admission. Great for visitors, residents, and anyone who has a nice digital camera they’re itching to try out.

There are many places to view Flamenco in Granada. There are large shows in Sacramonte that cost 25-35 Euros and have a flare for showing the dramatics and storytelling of the dance, and there are shows that have no dance and play in dark underground pubs. There is every range of Flamenco played and performed. Le Chien Andalou is easy to find, unlike some places father into the Albycin, it is cheap at 7 euros, and the food and drinks are neither life changing nor horrible. The music changes every night, I have been a few handfuls of times and have witnessed a sampling from slightly better than mediocre to quite incredible performances. It is often wise to stop by and make a reservation as the space is limited in this little wine cellar room full of short stools and low tables. I recommend this place for those wanting to experience Flamenco to either be intrigued by it, to fall in love with its depth and soul, or to walk away at least saving 20 euros while discovering it was not to your taste. For those with a bit more adventure to explore the streets of the upper Albaycin, and a with a bit more of a budget for delicious food (or if Le Chien Andalou has left you wanting to experience more flamenco) then I recommended: Restaurante, Flamenco Jardines de Zoraya(from a past highlight, and one of my favorite spots for Flamenco, Food, and the best Sangria!)