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The California Academy of Sciences is an unfortunately stuffy name for an institution that is anything but staid. The country’s largest natural-history museum includes an aquarium, a planetarium, an enormous rain-forest exhibit under a 27-meter-tall (90-foot-tall) dome, and a living roof that looks like a science-fiction fantasy. A visit here can feel like a trip to an amusement park, with a series of attractions to check out, but all of them are educational. The building itself is part of the appeal of the Academy. (Like the nearby de Young, the old home of the California Academy of Sciences was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and starchitect Renzo Piano designed its very environmentally friendly replacement.) It would be easy to spend an entire day or more seeing all of the Academy’s exhibits, so be prepared to pick and choose among them.

Featured in the 1997 Jodie Foster film, Contact (based on the Carl Sagan book), the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is an impressive, stunning radio astronomy observatory located on the Plains of San Agustin. The massive dishes are arranged in rotating patterns and form the largest radio telescope in the world looking for complex solar system life. Visitors are allowed to walk among the array on a self-guided tour.

Make the trek out to Shanghai Film Studio for two reasons: 1) to wander Shanghai’s Hollywood equivalent and stroll through the sets of some of China’s most famous films (such as “Lust, Caution”), and 2) to experience an older, preserved version of Shanghai, sans traffic and millions of pedestrians. Tip: Stop in for lunch at Talking Land Cafe for a chance at bumping into a famous film star. Ooh la la.

Bar Diz is nothing more and nothing less than a great neighborhood pintxo bar. Open at just the right times, with friendly service and a range of hot pintxos as well as larger portions and sandwiches, it hits the spot. They also have one of Gros’s best pintxo potes, which take place on Thursday nights from 7-10. A drink and a pintxo is two euros. It’s a madhouse.

Montes + Mugica is a furniture studio and clothing store that devotes itself to good, clean taste. It’s been in the family for generations, but each generation has brought a new style to the shop. The young brothers José and Javier bring a distinct affinity for all things Nordic, resulting in a gorgeous, hip aesthetic and real treasures for sale. Don’t miss their monthly pop up market in their other building, Espacio La Central.

Loreak Mendian is the epitome of youthful Basque couture for the people. Carefully designed, shying away from trends and focusing on classic cuts and prints with a bit of ‘edge’, their clothing walks a lovely line between wearable art and utilitarian. The boutique also has a winsome collection of carefully curated shoes and accessories. Worth a visit to pick up a catalog and check out the shop window display alone.

The de Young Museum, with its perforated copper facade and spiraling tower in the center of Golden Gate Park, is as dramatic outside as it is inside. Follow the widening crack in the sidewalk into the atrium. It’s an Andy Goldsworthy–created nod to the tectonic plates that carved out California, and emblematic of the museum, too: The previous building was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and rebuilt by Herzog & de Meuron, opening in 2005. Inside, Gerhard Richter’s wall-size mural, made from digitally manipulated photographs, greets visitors. The museum specializes in American art, international textile arts and costumes, and art of the ancient Americas, Oceania, and Africa. Visiting exhibitions often focus on modern works and draw massive crowds. Recent blockbusters include Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Hockney. Make sure to visit the observation deck at the top of the tower. (It closes one hour before the museum.) It’s a unique view over the low-lying western end of the city.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is revered as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The temple is located on the grounds of the Grand Palace at the historic center of Bangkok, and it is a highly important site to the Thai national identity. The Emerald Buddha itself is a 26-inch-high statue hewn from a single piece of deep-green jade stone, and no one but the Thai King is allowed to touch it. Visit the shrine to understand an intimate piece of Thai culture, but be sure to exercise the utmost respect!

Stop by Loló’s new and improved location on Valencia street for a colorful atmosphere, delicious mezcal cocktails, and a creative Jaliscan-Californian cuisine. Owned by a husband and wife restaurateur duo from Jalisco, the western Pacific district of Mexico, Loló is open for dinner and brunch, highlighting traditional Mexican flavors with fresh Californian ingredients. Order several of the smaller plates—try the panko avocado tacos or the huitlacoche and requeson, stuffed wonton ravioli—and share. Reservations available. Loló is open Mondays through Thursdays from 6 pm to midnight and Fridays through Sundays from 11:30 am to 5 pm and 6 pm to 1 am. Sunday brunch is available from 11 am to 4 pm.

Tucked in a condo complex just north of the bridge, Coco Loco’s is a cozy little pool and beach bar. On hot days, take advantage of the swim-up bar stools or hang out on the picnic tables closer to the beach. What Coco Loco’s lacks in size, it definitely makes up for in personality. Owners Sue and Steve have done a wonderful job with fostering a community spirit, especially with many of the expats on the island. Look for a number of weekly activities like trivia and cribbage that keep the bar hoppin’ pretty much every day. Open daily noon to 10 p.m.

Voted one of the top restaurants in Lima, chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino’s modern Amazonian restaurant, Malabar, is worthy of the praise. From the à la carte menu, order the river snails with chorizo sausage and exotic, sweet-and-sour aguaje fruit, followed by the smoked duck with cacao sauce, avocado, and blue cheese. Or opt for the seasonal tasting menu featuring organic heart of palm salad with chestnut flour and paiche jungle fish with black hot peppers and nutty dale dale. In a city addicted to meat, Schiaffino’s vegetarian tasting menu is a delight. It includes black quinoa, Amazonian honey, and a starchy-sweet tuber dish translated as “seven textures of yucca.”

The absolute best way to explore the rolling hills and secluded beaches of southern Guam is on two wheels. Start in Tamuning, where you’ll find affordable scooter rentals at Scooter World on Pale San Vitores Road. Take Marine Drive to the capital city of Hagatna, then turn on Highway 4 through the villages of Sinajana, Chalan Pago, Yona, Talofofo, Inarajan, and Merizo, finishing up at the southern tip of the island. Along the way, you’ll encounter verdant mountains, dramatic cliffs, and sparkling black sand beaches. If you get hungry, fill up on burgers at Jeff’s Pirates Cove and soft-serve ice cream at the Mobil gas station in Talofofo; both are local favorites.

There are many excellent restaurants in Florence, but this one was recommended to me by a local, and I’m so glad it was. Alessandro, the chef, recently returned after working in New York City for eight years. Located on a small street near the Duomo, La Cucina del Garga offers so much for a small restaurant: recipes inspired by the chef’s father (Garga), art covering the walls, friendly staff, great Tuscan wines, funky menu designs, and reasonable prices. A seemingly simple salad of greens, tomatoes, pine nuts and cheese was the best salad I’ve ever had. Other great dishes were the fresh twisted penne with pistachios and cherry tomatoes, and creamy pasta with scallops. If possible, make a reservation and ask for the “painted room.”

First opened in 1893 as Grunewald Hotel, this historic building stretches an entire city block and has a storied past that’s equally expansive. The Roosevelt has played host to presidents and senators, duchesses and dignitaries, actors and actresses. Huey Long kept a suite here in the 1930s and could often be found propped up at the Sazerac Bar (where his go-to cocktail was the Ramos Gin Fizz). Entertainers from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to Tina Turner and Ray Charles have performed in the Blue Room.

A $145 million rehab, completed in 2009, restored the hotel to its former glory. Now part of the Waldorf Astoria Collection, the property combines the grandeur of yesteryear with all the trappings of a modern luxury hotel—including a lavish Waldorf Astoria Spa and a hip Italian eatery.

Owned by two long-term Italian expat Siem Reap residents who started Smateria in their home with just three tailors, the brand has become one of the most respected in Cambodia. Smateria practices fair trade principles, including good wages and leave for employees, pays for childcare, lends funds to employees to buy sewing machines, and allows staff to out-source tasks to their families so they can work at home -- things that don’t always happen in Cambodia. The beautiful products themselves are eco-friendly. Made from recycled materials, such as disused fishing nets and factory remnants, they include tote bags, handbags, clutch purses, wallets, toiletries and cosmetic cases, and laptop bags. They’re not only stylish-looking, they’re also strong and durable, so once again, you’re not only buying a souvenir that gives back, you’re buying something that’s long-lasting.