Search results for

Dilli Haat is an open-air market with 62 stalls that features both permanent and transitional vendors, allowing original items to be introduced regularly. The space, designed to resemble a traditional village market, was created to showcase products from across India. There is an application process to determine the temporary vendors who generally stay for 15 days. Items include textiles, crafts, clothing, shoes, beads, gems, and art, as well as a food court with specialty items from across the country. The small entrance fee and gated exterior keep unwanted panhandlers at bay, allowing for a leisurely shopping experience. Though prices are reasonable, bargaining is still encouraged. Dilli Haat is a favorite jaunt for locals and tourists, adding to the diversity of the experience.

Sure, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market make up the most touristy part of Boston, complete with street performers, a light show, and the obligatory Yankee Candle store and Cheers restaurant; we nonetheless defy you to stay away. This part of the Boston waterfront has thrived on commerce since colonial times: Faneuil Hall was crowded with merchant’s shops as early as 1743, and the larger Quincy Market was added in 1824 to provide more space (it also was the site of speeches by Samuel Adams and other early patriot leaders). If you’re looking for a Red Sox hat or a “Boston Strong” T-shirt, you’ll find it here.

Once upon a time, Europe (mostly Switzerland, France, Belgium, and the UK) dominated the chocolate market and through aggressive marketing and downright colonialist extraction methods, became erroneously known for being the world’s experts on cacao, yet cacao came from South and Central America and didn’t grow anywhere near Europe. Recent years have seen the best chocolate rightfully return to the source where it originated—Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, where a boom of quality chocolate has replaced reimported European milk chocolate sold to those cacao producing countries for generations. But Switzerland is back in the game with this excellent new chocolate shop by local food expert Dieter Meier and his patented cold pressed extraction method that brings out the botanicals and nuances of these sourced cacaos in ways other chocolate manufactures cannot. The results are Cuban, Bolivian, and Guatemalan single bean bars ranging from white to 80% dark that are unlike anything else on the market. The tiny shop overlooking the Limmat River opened in December 2017 and is not cheap, but worth every rappen for its exquisite expression of flavors.

For adventures in Old Strathcona, at the heart of Edmonton’s cultural, culinary, and nightlife scenes, book a night or three at the Euro-style Varscona Hotel on Whyte. Historic Old Strathcona is home to the iconic Stracona Railway Station (built in 1908), the Princess Theatre (the city’s oldest, built in 1915), and the Strathcona Hotel (built in 1891). The hotel has wonderfully appointed rooms, an excellent breakfast nook, a 24-hour business center, a fitness center, an “oak and leather” lobby with a chill vibe, and an attentive staff always at the ready with a recommendation for a cafe, coffee shop, or curio store. The hotel is within walking distance of Old Strathcona’s 100+ restaurants, cafes, bookshops, and music shops, and makes for a brilliant base for exploring Alberta‘s capital, especially when Edmonton is hosting one of its many festivals — one for nearly every day of the year, in fact, from the Edmonton International Fringe Festival (August 14-24) to Western Canada Fashion Week (September 18-25). [Flash traveled to Alberta courtesy of Travel Alberta.]

Just a few blocks from the hotel, the Surquillo Market bustles with daily life, as locals shop the stands for their fresh groceries. You’ll find stalls selling a bounty of seafood, vegetables, fruits, meat, herbs, and many surprising and unfamiliar indigenous items. For an insider’s look at the market, book the Belmond Miraflores Park’s private Gastronomic Discovery experience, which includes a guided market tour—during which you’ll shop for ingredients—followed by a cooking class back at the hotel and then lunch at Tragaluz. Photo by Carolina Murga Portella/Flickr.

A one-man operation, this place is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a quality burger at a more than reasonable price. The shop itself is small and can easily be mistaken for your usual takeaway or kebab shop, but it isn’t. The owner, who regulars call “Joe” is welcoming, friendly, and truly cares about his food and your visit. The food is good across the board, but he specializes in burgers. They’re all good - beef, chicken, and even salmon - but his special “Banana Joe Burger” with an egg on top is the icing on the cake. Don’t be afraid to try the salmon burger. While Copenhagen is fairly bad about over-cooking their salmon in general, Joe always hits it just right and uses real slices of fresh salmon for the burger. It is delicious...and I say that as someone who doesn’t normally like salmon. Stay in, or take away, but be forewarned there are only 4 seats inside, and a handful of tables outside during summer months.

Kona coffee is famous around the world as one of Hawaii’s best known products. The relatively small coffee growing area on the Big Island of Hawaii produces only a small fraction of the world’s coffee beans. The limited production makes Hawaii Island’s caffeinated product like liquid gold for Kona coffee lovers. Among the hundreds of coffee farms on the Big Island, Country Samurai Coffee Company operates a lush and green outfit on the Kona slopes and still grows their coffee trees in a natural and traditional method that enables them to grow tall—up to 18 feet. Harvesting requires ladders and can be time-consuming, but the trees are able to develop a larger root system, pull in more nutrients from the volcanic soil, and produce more coffee berries. To try these distinctly grown beans, visit the family owned Country Samurai Coffee shop in Kailua-Kona. The shop sells several other items including chocolate covered coffee beans and macadamia nuts and Hawaiian teas.

This is the closest you’ll get to France without actually going. The shop of famed pâtissier Christian Faure recently opened in the heart of Old Montreal, on the site of the first public market, and it’s already become a must-do. A look at the picture above might explain the instant popularity. The title of this highlight is a quote from Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry—and a longtime motto of the talented pâtissier. It represents his brand quite perfectly. Biting into one of his creations is indeed nothing short of a dreamy experience. The shop also offers pastry courses so you can learn to replicate the dream creations yourself.

Want to stay conveniently close to downtown Seattle‘s attractions without paying downtown-Seattle hotel prices? Or would you rather be a short walk away from Capitol Hill’s vibrant shopping, eating, and bar scene? Either way, the Gaslight Inn B&B is an affordable option. Located in Capitol Hill (it’s right on the #10 bus line that goes through the Hill and downtown in about 10 min.), the Gaslight has eight rooms, including two that are for single guests. Amenities include a heated pool, free wifi, the owners’ art collection, a library, and free continental breakfast. From the Gaslight, you’re just a block away from French patisserie Bakery Nouveau and the dining and shopping options on 15th Street, and it’s a short walk to the Pike/Pine area that’s the heart of Capitol Hill. Also walkable are Cal Anderson Park and Volunteer Park, where the Seattle Asian Art Museum is located. You can’t beat the Gaslight’s central location as a home base for your Seattle exploration.

The moment the snow melts, young Torontonians begin their annual spring migration to Trinity Bellwoods Park. The hippest park in town, Bellwoods stretches from the shopper’s paradise of Queen West up to central Dundas Street. On a summer’s day, sun-and-fun seekers spread out on beach blankets to watch the action: at the dog run, on the tennis courts, in the kiddie pool, and even closer, on the adjacent blankets. After dark, head to nearby Bellwoods Brewery for a pint.

After glowing stints at Fauchon and Le Bon Marché, pastry chef and author Sébastien Gaudard opened his own pâtisserie on rue des Martyrs, just south of Pigalle, 9 months ago; the speed of his ascent into the annals of traditional pastry-making left him and his team of 14 stunned. But it’s no surprise he achieved such wild success so quickly - he doesn’t just revisit pastry classics, he brings them back to life giving new vigor to everything from the Paris-Brest and Mont Blanc to Tarte au Citron, macarons and divine chocolates. His shop feels like an old school candy store with jars full of French bonbons and cases full of indulgent desserts. It’s a stunning pastry shop with stellar sweets well worth the detour for those staying (or living, like myself) on the other side of the city. In the summer, try a carton of their homemade ice cream. click on the link below for more photos!

Oriol, the chef and owner, will welcome you with a beaming smile. Your wallet will thank you because an afternoon of wine and cheese tasting will not break the bank. Close to the border of France, in the small town of Puigcerdà, Tap de Suro is a wine bar that offers more food than is normal. It’s a shop that sells wine by the bottle, by the glass, by perhaps any quantity you need to enjoy the bounty of Spain‘s grapes. But cheeses from all over the country and a variety of marmalades as well as cured meats and pan con tomate can all accompany wine tasting until it becomes hard to choose what is the best part of a visit to this small shop on a small side street. Cork walls and deep wood benches are warm and inviting, the patrons even more so -- don’t plan to be in and out quickly! After all, that would not be the Spanish or French way!

Built into rocky cliffs that tumble down to the sea, Hotel Santa Caterina is the embodiment of Amalfi Coast dreams. Bougainvillea blooms adorn corners of the 19th-century mansion, while lush terraced gardens teem with citrus trees and vine-covered pergolas. Public spaces are decorated in an elegant Mediterranean style, peppered with antique pieces and sweet details such as hand-painted majolica tiles, while light-filled guest rooms and suites feature Bulgari toiletries and balconies with sea views. Elevators are on hand to whisk guests down to the beach and a saltwater pool, where chic loungers and parasols line a stone sundeck and uninterrupted vistas lurk around every corner. You’ll find classic Italian fare and fresh seafood on the menu at the beachside bar as well as two restaurants, both of which spill out onto terraces. Even the spa offers a dose of local flavor with a signature Amalfi gold lemon massage. The Gambardella family has owned the property for generations, which may account for the consistently charming service and the loyalty of guests, who return year after year.

Nearly hidden behind a tall row of hedges is Delano South Beach, a landmarked hotel built in 1947 and renovated by Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck in 1995. Schrager and Starck wanted Delano to feel like a home; to that end, Starck created a series of discrete “living spaces,” with mismatched furniture, in the hotel’s common areas. Each of the spaces is intended to evoke specific images and experiences from his childhood, such as a wall of nightlights. The Delano’s backyard and pool area are an extension of the lobby’s “living room,” and that’s why a table and two chairs sit in a shallow section of the pool, and why the hotel’s veranda features the kind of comfortable furniture usually found inside a building, rather than outside it. In rooms, guests will find oversized marble bathtubs, said to be a favorite among NBA players because of their seven-foot length, along with Malin + Goetz toiletries.

In 2011, one of Chicago’s most popular restaurants, Longman & Eagle, expanded into an inn with the creation of six rooms. The owners, two of whom run the music venue Empty Bottle, built and outfitted the whole place. Each of the rooms is different, but all are stylishly simple and feature details such as wood floors, exposed brick, original art work and site-specific installations by local artists, cassette players with mix tapes, well-curated minibars, and Aesop toiletries. For the noise averse, the hotel reminds potential guests that the rooms are located above “an occasionally raucous, whisky-fueled tavern.”