Search results for

Need some boba for bubble tea? Done. Seafood that’s alive and kicking? No problem. Fancy Russian chocolate? Easy. Dragon fruit? Cactus (edible cactus, of course)? Seven different kinds of eggplants? Frying cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano (not the parmesan that comes from anywhere buy Parma), brie, feta? Wine, beer, sake, lychee juice? Japanese curry, Thai curry, Jamaican curry? Wasabi mayonnaise? Lard, blood sausages, chicharrones? Eclairs, honey cake, baklava? You get the point, right? You even get your number one priority when looking for a farmers’ market: laundry detergent. This market has aisles for tons of cuisines, and free samples to boot! Try tacos, rice with furikake, you name it. And that doesn’t tie you over, buy some empanadas or korean sweets to eat on the spot.

This stone building, called the Mother-of-Water Fountain, is an old cistern where Lisbon locals used to fetch the water that flowed to the city along the monumental Águas Livres Aqueduct. Now, inside the cool walls, a wine bar has been constructed. Journalist and wine critic João Paulo Martins has selected the 300 labels stocked in the wine cellar (some stored in bottles along the stone chutes that used to rush with water). Small plate selections like carpaccio, seafood, cheeses, and different kinds of cold cuts can be ordered to accompany your wine. During happy hour, between 6 and 8:30 p.m., several wines are available by the glass or in curated flights.

Throughout Luzern, so many of the buildings have crazy, wild paintings all over them. Loving it! Wish more buildings in Brisbane were like this!

Despite being northern Colorado, Steamboat Springs offers belly-filling home-style southern cooking at the Low Country Kitchen right on Lincoln Avenue. Dig into the classics (without the greasy coating), like fried okra and buttermilk fried chicken, or go for the jambalaya or hush puppies. For south of the border–style grub, pop into Salt & Lime and head for the rooftop seating. Start with some loaded nachos then choose from a range of classic tacos and burritos; finish off with fresh churros. The menu changes frequently, with new and exciting dishes becoming available.

Kolmanskop is a ghost town that was abandoned by German miners after the 1920’s. In the 1980’s, diamond giant De Beers refurbished some of the structures and established an on-site museum. After you check in and get your permit, you’re allowed to wander freely through the small village. Piles of sand have accumulated in and taken over some of these colonial-era homes, a good indication of how hard it must have have been for the inhabitants. It’s an excursion that involves some planning beforehand, but it’s so worth the effort. Photographers love getting creative here. Kolmanskop is about 3 hours from Keetmanshoop and 5 hours from the Fish River Canyon, down the dead-end road to Luderitz on Namibia’s coastline, so you’ll want to time your excursion down this way bearing that in mind.

John Gaw Meem is considered one of New Mexico’s most influential architects—and that fact alone makes this ranch, designed in 1932 by the so-called Father of Santa Fe style, worth a visit. But Meem isn’t the only big name associated with the property: Landscape architect Rose Greeley designed the gardens and artist Peter Hurd painted a mural on the property. The hotel is set on 25 acres of lavender fields, first planted in 1999 and now used for a line of in-house spa products. There are organic gardens, too, which provide the kitchen with Chimayo chilies, casaba melons, big cheese squash, and other seasonal produce. The look here tends toward clean lines, neutral hues, and quiet elegance over fussiness, though the historic rooms tend to have a bit more New Mexico flair—kiva fireplaces, exposed ceiling beams, local art—than the newer farm rooms. The latter are located in 1930s-style dairy buildings, carefully constructed to feel both of the era and of the place.

I’ve been all over the California coast and Point Lobos is my favorite place to hike. We have hiked every trail in this reserve and never tire of this magical place. You can see many animals, such as sea otters, seals, elephant seals,sea lions, squirrels and deer that are often in little pockets near the trails. Most of the hikes are easy to moderate, you can make them longer by combining them or just hike smaller parts. There is a whalers cabin that has been transformed into a little museum at one end of the reserve.

Yep, you read that right: There is a Pirate Supply Store in the heart of the Mission! In their words: “We are a ragtag group of miscreants who sell pirate supplies in order to benefit the free programming that happens at our writing-tutoring center at 826 Valencia, and in classrooms all over San Francisco.” Cofounded by author David Eggers, the non-profit organization 826 Valencia (which is their address, not coincidentally) teaches writing to teachers and students all over the Bay Area. Chapters of 826 have also been founded in seven other cities around the country. The Pirate Supply Store—if you’re still baffled by this, they do indeed sell pirate supplies like hooks and eyepatches—is just one part of the 826 network, with other chapters having similarly quirky stores, such as Brooklyn’s Superhero Supply Co., Los Angeles’ Time Travel Mart, or Washington, D.C.’s Museum of Unnatural History. The Pirate Supply Store is open every day from noon to 6 p.m.

This former industrial site is a one-stop shopping spot for last-minute souvenirs. Weave in and out of the countless alleys and stalls; among the art galleries, toy shops, crafts stores, farmers market and waterfront restaurants, you’re likely to find something tasty to sample or so unique that you have to bring it home.

Located in the charming harbor town of Portpatrick, Campbell’s is the perfect combination of welcoming informality and smart professionalism—with views of pleasure crafts and fishing boats, to boot. The best dishes highlight the fruits of the sea, whether it’s grilled langoustines or poached halibut, but also worth trying are the Thai green curry, the surf-and-turf with Galloway beef, and desserts like chocolate marquise and crème brûlée. Most ingredients come from the nearby coastline and surrounding farms, and bread is made daily on the premises. There’s also a decent wine list for pairing with your meal. Designed to mimic the seaside, the dining room is done up in shades of green, blue, and gold, with fresh flowers, candles, elegant glassware, and rustic cutlery lending the restaurant a homey yet elegant feel.

Even in a city with picturesque scenes around every corner, the Petit Champlain area, located along the waterfront in the Lower Town, stands out as an especially charming corner of Old Québec. The heart of the neighborhood is the Place Royale while its spine is Rue du Petit-Champlain. While the area claims the distinction of being North America’s oldest commercial district, for most of its history its buildings housed the offices of fur traders and stevedores lodged in the tenement apartments. Today, while it’s still a bustling neighborhood, the boutiques and bistros are what draw visitors to the cobblestoned lanes. In the summer, café tables spill out into the streets; in the winter, the neighborhood exudes a Québecois sense of coziness, especially at night after a snowfall, when every restaurant offers a tempting shelter from the cold.

Linked to the historic Canal du Rhône à Sète, Aigues-Mortes in the Petite Camargue wetlands is a finely preserved medieval town. The outstanding crenellated 13th-century Constance Tower replaced an earlier one built by none other than Charlemagne. Visitors walking its ramparts are treated to views over the purple-blue lagoon waters where fishing and saltworks once dominated. The area is still known for its uniquely small Camargue bulls and horses.

First opened as a public park in 1913, Bern’s Rose Garden now features 223 varieties of roses, 200 varieties of irises, and 28 varieties of rhododendrons. The park, perched at the top of a hill overlooking the Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety), also has a lovely casual restaurant and a fabulous European playground for children, complete with wooden play structures right out of a design museum. Given that one-third of the city is comprised of public parks and woods, it’s no surprise how wonderful this spot is for wiling away a few hours.

Full disclosure: It’s authentically tourist-tacky in Plaza Garibaldi, the traditional Mexico City center for mariachi music and culture. But when you’re ready for a serenade, you’re ready. The plaza fills up late at night, every night, with a motley crew of local revelers from all walks of life, plus visitors, vendors, and dozens of extravagantly attired orchestras. Taking a table at Salón El Tenampa, right on the plaza, may afford a modicum of order. A Garibaldi institution beneath its fabulous neon sign, this music hall pulls in a fascinating, Felliniesque crew of misbehaving pencil pushers, shady ladies, brokenhearted tequila swillers, wide-eyed travelers, and slumming hipsters. Strolling bands—usually pretty good—are available for hire, but bring them in close to your table to avoid sonic interference from every other trumpet in the joint.

If you think a store that revolves around lovely wall hooks is made for a larger city, you’d be wrong. Hook is full of precisely the sweet, homey ephemera that gives Telluride its small-town charm. Much of the merchandise here will fit in your carry-on, from a bottle opener shaped like a growling bear, to sea-salt-and-sage candles and, of course, hooks in every shape and size—the ones decorated with vintage-looking ski signs make for particularly great souvenirs.