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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.

One of Dallas’s earliest neighborhoods, this formerly industrial area just east of downtown has a long history as an entertainment hub, from its days as a hotbed of blues and jazz clubs in the 1920s, to the 1980s, when local bands like the New Bohemians, Butthole Surfers, and Old 97’s were launched from its clubs. Today, the area is not quite as counterculture as in the past, but it’s still got an indie steak, with vibrant street murals and public art providing the backdrop for a host of independent galleries, shops, bars, breweries, cafés, tattoo studios, and over 60 restaurants and 30 live music venues. Among the most iconic music spots are Club Dada and Trees, both of which have been revamped in recent years, as well as The Door, the Prophet Bar, jazz/blues favorite the Free Man, and the century-old Sons of Hermann Hall. As it has grown, the area has also become more family friendly, particularly during events like the annual Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which features stalls from around 200 juried visual artists, and five stages hosting 100 musical acts.

In a tucked away corner of Lisboa, in the no-man’s land between the core of Lisboa and Belem, is the bustling new design and arts district, the cornerstone of which is the LX Factory. Set on movie-set looking ground of an old manufacturing district, the LX Factory is a great place to get away from the more tourist parts and hang out amid the design firms, production studios, restaurants and shops — all having a design-centered focus. Very cool retail and restaurants, even a hotel, all tucked under the constant roar of the off/on ramps to the Big Bridge. It’s a destination place, so don’t do what I did and try to walk there from Barrio Alto on a 98 degree day! The cool thing is they didn’t gloss it up, but kept the place to its core history, with wonderful decay and industrial bones still in place. Two great places to be sure to check out: the 1300 Taberna restaurant, set in beautiful space with factory skylights and extremely nice people and, the Ler Devagar bookstore — which is the store that attracted me to this special place and often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It is set amidst an old printing plant, which like the rest of the area, they left all the old parts in place, so the whole bookstore is built around the old two story printing press, with seats, racks and even a cafe nestled amidst the old printing units, catwalks and folders. So cool. Worth the trip. A lot happenin’ here.

When I go to Stuart for the day with my husband or my sister, I enjoy shopping, lunch, and then a walk along the river walk. The river walk runs along the edge of town that lies on the banks of the St. Lucie River. The views are beautiful. I see boats, fish, birds, the river, and the amazing structure of the new Roosevelt Bridge. If you are in Stuart for dinner or a show at the Lyric Theater, don’t miss the chance to see the Roosevelt Bridge at night. It is lit up and if you walk the river walk you can walk right up to this structure and view the underside that just glows in the dark. It is quite a beautiful sight. If you enjoy taking pictures while traveling, don’t forget the camera.