Search results for

Down a side street not far from MoTown Museum and the Wayne State University’s main campus is one of the city’s hidden art gems. Lincoln Street Art Park is an evolving community collaboration between local artists, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Detroit Recreation department, and the adjacent recycling center. Visiting the outdoor site, particularly on a sunny day, is akin to walking into the rugged studio of an artist, complete with seating area, mini library, and house pet. In this case, a giant dinosaur twice the size of an average loft’s ceiling, but reminiscent of a pet nonetheless. I explored the park alone, but I think it would be a wonderful place to visit for a couple on a date and a really good option for kids to roam and explore at leisure. The outdoor exhibit is open rain or shine, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and is free to the general public. The park is located at 5926 Lincoln Street, Detroit, Michigan 48208.

Visiting a country’s Supreme Court may not rank high on your list of things to do, particularly when the building in question has been covered in scaffolding for almost 10 years. Brussels’ Palace of Justice (Palais du Justice) has been mired in controversy from day one. It was the largest building constructed in the 19th century and, at 160 by 150 meters, is even larger than St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Constructing this monster of a building required leveling an entire section of Brussels. It just happened to be a working-class area. The wealthy landlords received pockets full of cash, while the residents ended up out in the cold. These days the Palace of Justice is controversial because of the on-going battle to remove the scaffolding, left behind by the now bankrupt renovation company. Peek behind the scaffolding however and you may be surprised to find sweeping staircases, marble statues and a grand reading-room. It is free and open to the public year-round, unless a sensitive trail is taking place.

The Maremma region of southern Tuscany, about an hour south of Siena, is an area of olive groves, wooded valleys, and ancient legends. One such tale, dating from the days of the Etruscans and Romans, chronicles an epic battle in which Jupiter threw lightning bolts at Saturn—and missed. As the story goes, when the bolts landed on the ground, they formed the bubbling hot springs now known as the Terme di Saturnia. Full of therapeutic minerals, the hot springs feed a variety of pools throughout the valley that have warmed and healed centuries of bathers. Today, you can soak up the goodness at the luxury Terme di Saturnia Hotel & Spa, which offers therapies performed with the waters, or at a free public bathing spot. To find the main one, head down a dirt path just outside of town, past a parking lot and changing area, until you spy a waterfall feeding a series of natural pools, each turned white by the mineral-rich water.

In the middle of Montréal, walking up Avenue McGill College toward the Mountain, you can’t help but run into the 65-person polyurethane sculpture “La Foule Illuminée” (“The Illuminated Crowd”). Sculpted by Franco-British artist Raymond Mason, this public art has stood in front of the BNP/Laurentian Bank Tower since the mid-1980s. In the words of the artist: “A crowd has gathered, facing a light, an illumination brought about by a fire, an event, an ideology—or an ideal. The strong light casts shadows, and as the light moves toward the back and diminishes, the mood degenerates; rowdiness, disorder and violence occur, showing the fragile nature of man. Illumination, hope, involvement, hilarity, irritation, fear, illness, violence, murder and death—the flow of man’s emotion through space.” Get up close, eye-to-eye with some of the details, and you’ll see why this sculpture still generates both controversy and bemusement in the middle of this vibrant city.

Gas Works Park should be one of the places to stop and explore if you go to Seattle. It offers an amazing view of the city, which looks just as good at night as it does during the day so whenever you choose to go will be perfect. Gasworks Park was the site for the manufacturing of gas from coal back in the early to mid 1900s. But later in 1975, the city opened the park to the public. Check out the graffiti on the machinery, visit the sundial on the top of the hill, or sit down and look out across the Lake Union. It’s also a great spot for photography so bring your camera as well! *the picture shows the view from Gas Works Park.

What we love: A true five-star stay in the heart of a booming city

The Highlights:
- Diverse on-site dining options
- Spacious rooms with thoughtful details like sink-side ring holders
- The best hotel spa in town

The Review:
Thank Tilman Fertitta—the billionaire visionary behind the Landry’s Inc. restaurant group, the Houston Rockets, and numerous entertainment and hospitality ventures—for Houston’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel. Determined to give his booming hometown the luxury hotel “it deserves,” Fertitta oversaw every detail of The Post Oak’s creation, from choosing the art (you’ll find pieces by Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Donald Sultan and others, many from Fertitta’s own collection) to working with the designers and adding useful touches to the rooms (like sink-side ring holders and shaving mirrors in the showers). The 250 rooms and 20 residences are spacious and sophisticated, crafted with top-quality materials and furnishings (Fertitta estimates that about $1.5 million was spent per room, and it shows). All have showers and tubs, tablet control systems, and original photography on the walls; residences have full kitchens and dining rooms. For added perks, book a room on the Concierge Level and gain access to a food-and-drink-stocked lounge that overlooks the surrounding Uptown neighborhood.

As befits a restaurateur of Fertitta’s level, there are several drinking and dining options on site, including the locally inspired Bloom & Bee, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Willie G’s Seafood, H-Bar, Craft F&B for wood-fired pizza and pub grub, and Bouchee Patisserie for homemade sweets. When you’ve inevitably indulged in a meal or two, work it off on the hotel’s 20,000-square-foot wellness level, which includes a state-of-the-art gym and a spa with treatments both decadent (like pampering two-hour rituals) and high-tech (facials performed using the latest machines). If you really want to visit like a VIP, know that the hotel also features a helipad on top of the building, a pet salon, a 30,000-bottle-strong wine cellar that hosts private dinners, and a two-story auto showroom lined with Roll-Royces.

I’d like to believe that had my public library been as stunning as the Black Diamond in Copenhagen, I would have spent more time studying at the library and less time doing whatever one does when one is supposed to be doing their reading. But the reality is that I probably would have spent most of the time staring out at the water and at the handsome people who wander through its naturally lit halls. The Black Diamond is the newer annex to The Danish Royal Library. It gets its name from the black granite, tinted windows and trapezoidal design (isosceles I think; perhaps I would be more sure had I worked harder on that geometry homework). When you turn the corner, it peers out like a large warship: dark, massive, and slightly foreboding. But the people and bicycles scattered about near the library’s entrance bely the need for concern. At the library’s entrance there is a cafe perfect for you to steady yourself with coffee, pastries, and more people watching. The library holds an art exhibit, concerts, The National Museum of Photography, The Museum of Danish Cartoon Art, as well as its own collection. But the pièce de résistance is the atrium that overlooks the harbor. Take the escalator up a few floors and turn and seize the view. But don’t gasp too loudly: there are people probably trying to do their geometry homework.

Amanzoe was one of the first ultra-luxury resorts by a global brand in Greece when it opened back in 2012 in pretty Porto Heli, on the east coast of the Peloponnese. Since then, it has become a much-loved retreat with monumental architecture, all soaring columns and vast expanses of marble that call to mind Greece’s ancient heritage sites.


The resort’s beach club has four pools, cabanas, a Japanese restaurant, and a seaside spa, and it’s from here that water sports and island-hopping cruises set sail. Lavish guest rooms are divided into either pavilion accommodations or larger villas, all with private pools. The most lavish of all is the Ed Tuttle- and Marios Angelopoulos-designed Villa 20, which doubled as Miles Bron’s island home in British murder mystery Glass Onion; it includes 9 bedrooms, 11 pools, a private spa, 2 barbecue areas, and its own Greek taverna.

Surrounded by bold artwork inside and magnificent ocean views outside, guests are never quite sure where to direct their gaze when they arrive at Ellerman House. A stay here is a bit like visiting an elegant and attentive friend, starting with the complimentary airport pickup straight through all the thoughtful, personalized touches (guests might find a bottle of their favorite vodka already stocked in their room). The hotel owner is a well-known aficionado of South African art, and his private collection graces the walls of the guestrooms and public spaces. True art fans should be sure to visit the on-site gallery to view masterpieces by Louis Maqhubela, Wayne Barker, and Angus Taylor. If it’s not occupied, also sneak a peek at the breathtaking wine gallery, which features a wall made of soil from the Cape Winelands and a spiral-shaped wine rack modeled after a corkscrew.

Sitting on the edge of a cliff, this luxuriously appointed hotel makes for one of the best spots in Cape Town for a sundowner. Have a cocktail on the terrace while watching the fiery African sun meet the tumultuous Atlantic waves.

It’s hard to believe that this iconic property once consisted of just two 17th-century “caves” that had been used to store wine when it launched in 1985. Today, the family-owned hotel has 17 rooms spread out over five floors, all of them with terraces or balconies and jaw-dropping views of the caldera and brilliant blue Aegean. The rooms were completely refurbished in 2015—followed by the public areas and infinity pool in 2017—favoring clean, contemporary lines, white-washed walls, and luxury that envelops you without distracting from the stunning scenery; several rooms feature heated plunge pools, while one has a free-form “river pool” that runs through it. A poolside bar serves lunch and snacks, but you shouldn’t miss dinner at sister property Canavas Oia Suites, just a short walk away. For a truly unforgettable experience, you can even charter the hotel’s yacht for a sunset tour.

Nothing says Santorini like an aqua-blue infinity pool, and Katikies has three of them—all the better to take in westward-facing sunset views. Carved out of the cliff side 300 feet above the Aegean, the hotel’s public spaces are connected by a series of bridges and Escher-esque stairways as they descend from the town of Oia above it. Cube-shaped rooms and suites are minimalist but inviting, nearly every surface painted or clothed in calming white; all have verandas, while a few large suites have outdoor plunge pools or Jacuzzi tubs and alfresco seating areas. Upon check-in, guests are given cell phones to summon 24/7 service from anywhere on the property. They use them to order light snacks at the poolside bar and restaurant or make reservations for some of the best sushi on the island at the champagne bar, but the candlelit rooftop restaurant—serving Greek and Anatolian cuisine—is about as romantic as it gets.

Right in the center of town, Capri Tiberio Palace mixes la dolce vita glamour with a globe-trotting sensibility that’s equal parts quirky and elegant. Wanderlust-inducing knickknacks such as globes, vintage trunks, and an eclectic collection of art stud the public spaces, and bookshelves are stocked with coffee-table tomes from the publisher Taschen. A white baby grand provides the soundtrack for aperitivo hour at the Jacky Bar, where wicker poufs, striped blue-and-white banquettes, and Panama hats repurposed as wall decor signal vacation vibes; things are slightly more reserved at the terrace restaurant, a formal space whose brightly colored dishes (think seared scallops with almond sauce and beef tartare with chestnut cream as well as kosher fare) are rivaled only by the panoramic views of the island’s craggy peaks coast and azure sea. And the indoor-outdoor swimming pool, though small, is a savior in the summer heat.

No photograph can capture this extraordinary art space created by mural artist Isaiah Zagar down at the quiet end of South Street in Philadelphia’s Center City—you have to see it to believe it. It’s also not easy to describe: an alternate universe? A magical mosaic environment? A creative outsider’s brilliant vision? A terrarium of otherworldly folk-art delights? Decide for yourself when you take a self-guided tour of this one-of-a-kind, ever-expanding project. The site includes an immersive outdoor-art installation crafted from found objects and handpainted tiles, as well as indoor galleries. The opening hours vary due to occasional public and private events; make sure to check the online calendar.

Named for the Japanese word for enlightenment, this boutique property marries classic Cycladic architecture (cube-shaped structures, whitewashed stone walls, arched entryways) with the clean lines of locally made furnishings in naked wood. None of the 25 rooms and 10 suites are the same, but most have private outdoor whirlpools or plunge pools, plus plush beds that make it impossible to leave. Nearly all of the public spaces, however, offer stunning views over Mykonos (about 1.5 miles away) and the bay, and make striking use of night-lighting, especially at the pool, which is built into the natural rock face. A grottolike spa features two treatment rooms, a futuristic-looking whirlpool area, and a hammam for stylish pampering sessions. The hotel offers complimentary transportation to Mykonos, but with its inviting Bar & Sunset Lounge and a restaurant that is garnering awards and accolades, you may decide to stay put for the duration of your vacation.

Once Amsterdam’s main public library, the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht looks like a 1970s block on the outside. But inside, renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has transformed the space into a whimsical and grown-up homage to Alice in Wonderland. Decorated with oversized furnishings (including Wanders’ signature Tulip chairs and modern twists on chandeliers), Delft blue tilework and brocade upholstery (references to historic Dutch style), and avant-garde artwork, the design hotel hardly feels like part of a chain, even one as hip as the Andaz. Instead, with its serene herb garden full of quirky topiaries, a checkerboard mural, and chess-piece statues, the canalside hotel channels a fresh take on Amsterdam. But don’t worry, authentic Amsterdam is still out there—take the free bicycles for a spin along the waterways, and know that free snacks await you back in your room.