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How do you make sense of diverse, dizzying São Paolo? Talk to the people who make the sushi, spray the graffiti, and build the giant watermelons.

If you’re short on time in Atlanta, now there’s a way for you to see most of the sights in a matter of minutes. SkyView, the city’s newest attraction, is a Ferris wheel that soars 20 stories above the ground. You can park at any of the lots surrounding Centennial Olympic Park before boarding a gondola. From above, you’ll be able to see the buildings of downtown, the CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola. SkyView is open every day until 11 p.m. and beyond. The 15-minute ride is $13.50 for adults, $12.15 for seniors and military, $8.50 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for kids under 2. If you’re feeling like a big shot, go for the VIP flight, which allows you to skip the line to board a plush gondola, complete with leather seats and a glass floor. It will set you back $50 per person, but each capsule can hold five people, making this the ideal place for a special occasion.

Inspired by the famous Fox Theatre—the Moorish-style movie palace turned performance venue is just across the street—Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown strikes a musical note at every turn. The experience begins at reception, where the desk resembles a drum set and a collage of show tickets from the past 30 years decorates the wall behind it. Guest rooms riff on the theme with accent wall murals that make it look like you’re either attending a concert or starring on stage, but the overall vibe is playful comfort, with pops of green on the quilts, spa-like baths with Aveda products, flat-screen TVs, and free WiFi. If you find yourself hankering for soul food, the chicken and waffles at the on-site restaurant should do the trick, but don’t pass up a drink at the black-and-white bar counter, which looks like the keys of a piano and is backed by a wine display that evokes the inner workings of a jukebox.

The Artmore is one of the few independent boutique hotels in Atlanta. The 1924 Spanish Mediterranean style hotel has been renovated and is strategically located to public transportation. The modern décor is present in guest rooms as well as the Studio Bar and Lounge. The plush outdoor lounge would look at home in Miami. In addition to standard one and two bed guestrooms, the Artmore has loft suites for guests staying for extended periods of time.

Founder’s Note: Uncommon Travels

From the dusty street, the Hotel El Convento in León, Nicaragua, beckons with its stately façade and red Spanish-tiled roof. Step inside and you instantly feel at home amidst ornate period furnishings that are surely a far cry from the building’s humble beginnings as the 1639 San Francisco Convent. The elegant Restaurante El Victoriano offers an indoor-outdoor retreat centered on the hotel’s manicured, tropical courtyard—an example of the colonial hacienda style found throughout León. The restaurant is a meeting place for people from all walks of life—aged former Sandinistas who now hold positions of leadership, locals splurging on a fine meal, or foreign students from one of the city’s many Spanish language schools seeking tranquility and an excellent cup of coffee.

Want to impress your travel friends and show off your passport prowess? Then don’t miss getting a passport stamp from the southern most city in the world - Ushuaia Argentina. Once you make it all the way down there to the tip of Argentina - but sure to stop in at the tourist office near the port and get your passport stamp that will say Fin del Mundo - End of the world. They have different sized and stamps to choose from - a fun way to remember this unique location.

Opened in 1962, Curtain Bluff is Antigua’s oldest luxury resort, and one of the island’s finest. It is the kind of place guests return to through the generations, with the same expectation of timelessness they’ve experienced for as long as they can remember. Located at the southern end of the island on a promontory that divides an often roiling Atlantic from a much calmer bay, the resort offers sea views from every room, two beaches, a top-notch tennis center, a pair of restaurants that can boast one of the Caribbean’s most outstanding wine cellars, and a staff whose commitment has often been passed from parent to child. And except for spa treatments, a premium bottle of wine, and the occasional Cuban cigar, there is little that’s not included in the rate, making a stay a better value than the price might at first indicate.

For the bohemian population of Atlanta‘s Little FIve Points neighborhood, Junkman’s Daughter is the place to buy clothing, gifts and accessories for the home. In 1982, before the neighborhood looks like it does today, local Pam Majors, the daughter of a junkman, opened a store full of her favorite bizarre tchotchkes. It soon became a favorite for visiting and local celebrities and musicians.

If you want to get in touch with nature, spend an afternoon in Piedmont Park, Atlanta’s answer to New York’s Central Park. Spread over 189 acres, the sprawling park boasts a running track, bocce and tennis courts, a swimming pool, a lake, and a dog park. It’s also the site of countless concerts, local events like the Dogwood Festival, and the finish line for the annual Peachtree Road Race. It’s not uncommon to see a movie or television show being filmed here, so grab a picnic from a nearby restaurant and plan to spend a few hours lounging in the shade.

Why we love it: Local history and culture abound at this Atlanta newcomer

The Highlights:
-15 bunk rooms for fun and practical lodging
-Proximity to Atlanta’s vibrant Poncey-Highland neighborhood
-Welcome beers upon arrival

The Review:
Originally operating as a motor hotel in the 1920s, this Poncey-Highland property reopened in 2018 under the ownership of Oliver Hospitality, the same team behind hip locales like The Fairlane (Nashville) and Station House Inn (Lake Tahoe). New York-based studio Reunion Goods & Services spearheaded the design, imbuing the space with modern-day details while reviving its retro vibes with bespoke murals, custom wallpaper, and vintage-inspired artwork. Walls get a particularly feminine makeover within each of the 95 guest rooms, thanks to Atlanta artist Sharon Shapiro’s colorful depictions of women in everyday life. While the hotel caters to solo travelers and couples aplenty, it’s fun to bring a group: 15 bunk rooms welcome the cool kids here, and each of them sleeps up to four. Bring that crew downstairs for dinner at Tiny Lou’s, where executive chef Jeb Aldrich puts forth French-American fare like Tennessee rabbit cassoulet and black cocoa foie gras.

When U.S. school buses are decommissioned, they are reincarnated in Central America and given new life. Repainted and rechristened, they become tropical intercity transport worth taking. For travelers, a journey on one of these is an immersive Guatemalan experience as well as a nostalgic ride. For crossing international borders on land, many Centroamericanos ride on double-decker buses, from which you can look down on all the Panamerican Highway action; traveling from Guatemala through El Salvador and Honduras to Nicaragua, this was a typical scene, as we wondered, “are we there yet?”

The young and broke seek out Buffalo Exchange to sell their gently used clothing and to add to their wardrobes. The store sells men’s and women’s clothing and accessories and tends to have more unique styles than you might find at other consignment stores. Most items are under $30, even if they’re nearly new.

Monday Night Brewing Company is the newest kid on the Atlanta craft beer scene, but it already had a strong following before moving into its Trabert Avenue space. The brewery started out as a Monday night men’s Bible study, which is how they developed their motto that “weekends are overrated.” They make three signature brews available on draft or in bottles throughout the state. The Fu Manbrew is a Belgian-style Wit ideal for a hot Atlanta afternoon. The Eye Patch IPA has the hoppiness you want from the style, but without being overwhelming. And the Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale is for dark beer lovers at 7.2% alcohol by volume. Visiting the brewery only costs you $10 for a pint glass with 4 samples, poured by bartenders in neckties. Bring your own necktie to add to the neon “Tie One On” wall for $1 off entry. Monday Night has everything to keep your entertained, from movies played on the wall, an outdoor patio, foosball, shuffleboard and of course, the brewery tours. They’re open on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 pm and on Saturdays from 2-4 pm.

The gorgeous 1900 columned building on Moreland Avenue was a Victorian home, a Methodist church and a dance school before being renovated and becoming Wrecking Bar Brewpub. Today the upstairs is an event facility while the basement and patio are part of the bar and restaurant. It has been voted the top brewpub in Atlanta for the last two years. Wrecking Bar brews their own award-winning beers, including the “Jemmy Dean” Breakfast Stout, Baby Got Blackberry Wheat and Breaking Bob Kolsch. The menu is full of upscale bar food like sandwiches, cheese plates and entrees.