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San Diego foodies all swear by this Central Texas-style barbecue joint. If you’re dying to try it, get there close to when it opens (11:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday), as lines can be long and the restaurant shuts when the meat runs out. Order pulled pork or Texas turkey either in a sandwich or by the pound, then pair it with sides like Peruvian white beans, coleslaw (traditional or spicy), and potato salad. On Sundays, the restaurant also does an Argentinean-style asado, complete with chorizo, skirt steak, blood sausage, and house-made chimichurri. The original North Park location is currently closed for renovations, but the larger El Cajon location, which also hosts live music, is open.

The story of the Emperor Qin reads something like Game of Thrones, with hostages, feuding brothers, wars, and the ultimate unification and creation of what we know as China today. Wanting to protect himself in the afterlife, Emperor Qin created an army of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses made of terra-cotta. The first lineup of soldiers were said to be the “Dare to Die” soldiers as they were quick and sharp like a knife. They wore less armor than the rest of the warriors. This is one of the most massive archaeological finds on the planet and is found an hour outside of Xi’an China. Restoring the warriors was like putting together a complex puzzle— it’s really amazing to see how meticulously everything was recreated.

This unique concept store is crammed with distinctively Cambodian objects, from vintage shop signs typically found in rural Cambodia to hand-crafted wooden ox and buffalo carved by a farmer discovered by the owners of trunkh, art director and designer Douglas Gordon and Marianne Waller. Expect kitschy tea-towels featuring iconic symbols and sights, such as Angkor Wat, to quirky fish-printed travel pillows and Christmas stockings in the shape of elephant trunks. All the Cambodian made products are either found or designed by the owners or sourced locally. The shop is located on gritty albeit increasingly hip Hap Guan Street in an emerging shopping, drinking and eating area the local business owners have branded Kandal Village. It’s one of my favorite Siem Reap spots and despite its compact size you can while away hours here.

Regulars at this Little Italy joint (and there are lots of regulars) flock here more for the friendly atmosphere and the cheap drinks than for the two bowling lanes that gave it its name (“quilles” is “bowling” in French). Games do happen though, usually more as the night goes on, unless it’s one of the nights when a band uses the lanes as a stage. The drinks are nothing special except that most moments in this down-home haven end up being special, and they go wonderfully with the vegetarian burritos made on the spot. Take a spot at the bar to keep the pints coming, or find a nook in the back or in the turquoise-painted side room to wile away the hours.

This place is an interesting blend. In the recent Danish tradition, it is a partnership between a number of different creative types. This time, those personalities happen to be design-oriented people from the food, interior design, and dinnerware design communities. This restaurant has focused completely on providing a rich, intensely rustic experience that embodies modern trends in both the New Nordic cuisine movement and Danish design. Recent offerings include flounder with fried chicken skin and sauce made from fermented asparagus and grilled lobster with juniper pancake and pointed cabbage. Photo: Höst.

One of the traditions associated with Day of the Dead in Oaxaca is the creation of colorful sand tapestries. You’ll find them all over the city throughout the week of the holiday, but in the plaza adjacent to La Soledad church, they set up some large ones that are truly monumental, It’s interesting to see when they’re being made, they bring in truckloads of sand and then the young artists painstakingly fill in their design to bring their vision to life. The theme of the tapestries is invariably death, but often there is a playful aspect to these creations. The ephemeral nature of this art form reminds us of the fleeting nature of life. After the holiday has passed, they scoop up the sand and return the plaza to its unadorned condition.

Susana Balbo, Argentina’s first female winemaker, owns the Agrelo winery Dominio del Plata. The restaurant, Osadia de Crear, which translates to “dare to create,” offers a fusion of Argentinian and Mediterranean seasonal cuisine using local ingredients like Mendocenean tomatoes, domestic goat meat, and herbs from the garden. The caprese salad, the roll of suckling goat, and the cheese and sweets dessert are highlights on the menu. The restaurant also has a deli, offering meat and cheese platters, fresh salads, and gourmet sandwiches made with homemade bread. Picnic baskets are available for guests who want to dine alfresco among the vines. Don’t leave without trying the Susana Balbo Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the winemaker’s personal favorite. Cochabamba 7801, Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza; [email protected]; +54 261 498 9200

The sprawling contemporary museum, MASS MoCA, is responsible for bringing North Adams to life, and offers some of the most cutting edge art around. Xu Bing’s Tobacco Project {above} is made from over half a million cigarettes arranged to mimic a tiger skin rug. It makes a thought provoking statement on the global tobacco trade, luxury and colonialism, and is typical of the installations you will see there. The complex also hosts a variety of musical events including dance and films. Luckily Split, the in house restaurant has coffee, treats and tasty lunches.

Before you hit the counter at Café Brasil, let us introduce you to some of Houston‘s cleanest ingredients. Local cheese artisans the Houston Dairymaids provide the cheese. Pizza dough, pastries, and breads are made in-house. And the eggs are laid by nearby, free-range hens. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve arrived for breakfast (try the daily quiche), lunch (sample from cheese and charcuterie plates), or dinner (there’s a multitude of pizzas)—it’s a safe bet that whatever you order didn’t have to travel far to make it to your plate.

From the outside, San Giorgio looks like one of Greece’s ubiquitous whitewashed homes. Inside, traditional Greek textiles and locally made furniture adorn the 33 unfussy rooms. Most feature rough-hewn wooden dressers, large circular jute rugs, and beds canopied with mosquito netting. Some have terraces with views of the Aegean Sea. Guests can relax during the day in cocoonlike hanging swings near the pool or take a 10-minute walk to the popular beaches Paradise and Paranga. In the evenings, it’s not uncommon for DJs such as Bob Sinclar or David Guetta to make guest appearances in the hotel’s open-air lounge.

There’s a reason chef Tony Maws has developed a cult following at Craigie on Main. For years, the cozy restaurant has been turning out beautiful food in a space that feels like it might be your friend’s dining room. Its commitment to regional, organic sourcing has been called a tad obsessive, but once you’ve eaten there, you’ll appreciate the attention to detail. The menu is created only after the best of the day’s ingredients have arrived; the wine, beer, and cocktail list also features the same local flavor. If you want the full experience, the chef’s seasonal tasting menu is a must. The corned-beef hash on the brunch menu is one of the reasons the restaurant regularly ends up on “Best of Boston” lists. (House-made doughnuts in a pool of golden caramel sauce don’t hurt either!)

For the past 10 years, Mario, the owner of VEBorange, has been selling DDR (East Germany) collectables and other German antiques. Most items in the shop on Oderberger Strasse are objects made and sold between 1950 and 1980, making this a great place to find kitschy and totally unique goods. When I visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Mario was tinkering with a Sputnik relic from the CCCP. Not everything that he collects or receives ends up on the shelves. Behind the counter are the things deemed interesting or noteworthy—things that might fit in a museum. If the nearby Mauer Park turns out to be too disappointing for you, head over to VEBorange (a short three-minute walk away) to find truly unique and special items. You can find everything from old Soviet war medals to clothes and furniture.

Since opening as a preserves shop in 2011 (and adding breakfast and lunch service in 2012), Sqirl has become an East Hollywood staple. The tiny space—only 800 square feet—invites crowds of hip Angelenos looking for a bright space for all-day breakfast and brunch that’s carnivore-, vegetarian-, and vegan-friendly. There’s an airy outdoor patio where diners can take in the L.A. sun and sip on the fresh-squeezed juice of the day while ruminating over the eclectic menu. The buckwheat pancakes make for a great healthy unhealthy breakfast: They’re made with buckwheat and cactus flour, cocoa nibs, and toasted coconut, making them vegan, gluten-free, and not-so-sinfully delicious.

Westminster has a surprising number of lakes and ponds, all of which are man-made. The city says there are more than 40 that are at least an acre in size and together they account for seven percent of Westminster’s land area. City Park Lake and Standley Lake are two of the more popular ones. You’ll find interesting birds and other wildlife there.

Even in a city like Prague is filled with unusual and world-class art, The Memorial to the Victims of Communism at Petrin hill in Mala Strana will command your total attention. Dedicated to those who were arrested, shot, exiled, and otherwise brutalized during the Communist era of 1948 to 1989, this masterpiece made by sculptor Olbram Zoubek and architects Jan Kerel and Zdenek Holzel is especially disturbing at dawn and twilight. Seven bronze men are stood on a set of concrete stairs, and only the first figure is intact, the statues decaying with each step up, symbolizing the effects of communism on the Czech people.