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Yes, Mag is a great place for a morning, Saturday brunch, and light lunch, but it is also an excellent spot for those who love a great cocktail. Head to Navigli in the late afternoon to watch Flavio, Marco, and Francesco mix creative concoctions based on old-school recipes and lots of innovation. Drinks to try: the Aviation (gin, lemon juice, maraschino liqueur, crème di violette), One Piece (a modified Old Fashioned), and really, anything they offer.

December in Stockholm is a great time to explore various Christmas markets (Julmarknader) around town. At Stortorget in Gamla stan (Old town), you’ll find the city’s most popular Christmas market where you can pick up a variety of porcelain ornaments, festive decorations, and wooden gnomes as well as dig into gingerbread cookies (pepparkakor), mulled wine (glögg), candied almonds, jams, and deli meats.

Shop for an authentic souvenir in Everything but Match, a store inspired by a T-shirt line designed by the owners’ 6-year-old daughter. In this shop in Old San Juan, you’ll find original art, accessories, and children’s clothing made by local artists and artisans. From unique jewelry to brightly colored throw pillows, you’re sure to fall in love with something unique to bring home in your suitcase.

For a huge selection of fruits and vegetables, artwork and handmade clothes and accessories, visit Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town Farmers Market and Tianguis Cultural. Participating vendors must live or work within 50 kilometers of the markets, so all goods are local. If you’re traveling with kids, be sure to visit the market’s “Children’s Arts and Crafts Area,” where your kids can have their faces painted or participate in an art project. The market is held every Saturday from 9:30am-2:00pm.

Nina Compton, a native of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, came to New Orleans a few years ago to compete in the Top Chef television series. She didn’t win the culinary slugfest, but New Orleans came out ahead—a short time later she returned to set down roots by opening Compère Lapin, a charming, brick-accented restaurant in a hotel that’s a reasonable stroll from the French Quarter. It’s good to get there early to grab a drink at the bar, which treats its libations with the same seriousness as the kitchen does its food. (A frozen drink… with chartreuse.) The dishes are alive with creative Caribbean flavors—among the more memorable plates are the seafood pepper pot, black drum, and curried goat.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Red Fort, located in New Delhi, is a treasure trove of cultural history. You can spend hours wandering among the various buildings, learning much about the history of India. Tucked away within the walls of the Red Fort is the Hall of Public Audience. Don’t be fooled by the modest red exterior, for once you cross the threshold you are greeted by intricately detailed inlaid-paneled walls that run from the floor to the canopy-ceiling. It is within this chamber that the emperor would receive people from the community and hear their complaints. (I entered this building to whine about the 104-degree heat, but alas, there was no emperor available, as it was far too hot.)

When a place has not only the longest wooden bar in Texas (100+ feet) and is the oldest watering hole on the Riverwalk, you just know it’s worth a visit. But rather than rest on the above laurels, Esquire Tavern churns out some terrific and thoughtful scratch-made eats and drinks. From starters like pink peppercorn-flecked deviled eggs and mashed potato-filled tacos con papas to heartier fare like burgers, chicken mole and shepherd’s pie, the food takes comfort foods to the next level with fresh, well-sourced ingredients and modern executions. And as the icing on the culinary cake, the craft cocktail program here is award-winning and endlessly interesting. Plan for some enjoyable late nights at the Esquire on your next stop in SA.

Nestled in Maryland’s beautiful Catoctin Mountains and within miles of Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat, is the oldest family-owned restaurant in the state of Maryland. Since 1929, Wilbur and Mary Freeze with son Jerry at the helm today has hosted Presidents (from Hoover to George W. Bush), cabinet members, world leaders, secret service, media, and press corps. Within the Cozy, the Camp David Museum showcases the history of Camp David through pictures, memorabilia, and gifts. Its neighboring country inn, the original housing of the secret service who protected FDR while in Thurmont, contain charming suites (each with a jacuzzi and gas fireplace), rooms and cottages named after the presidents, dignitaries, and news media agencies who have lodged and dined at the cozy

Three blocks inland from the waterfront, on Frenches St., the Craftmen’s Centre sells locally made, reasonably priced crafts: intricate grass mats in sizes ranging from place mats to full floor mats, colorful batik cloth, handmade West Indian dolls, hand-painted calabashes, and more. Cash only! (P.S. The grass mats roll or fold into a neat bundle to carry home.)

This west-facing beach may appear to be white sand at a glance, but your bare feet will quickly discover that it’s made of corse shards of coral, so watch your step. Rough edges aside, this beach is seldom visited (some people may have been known to camp on it) and is an excellent place to enjoy the sunset with a few Taiwan Beer and good company.

When “Bahama John” Monroe opened this laid-back spot on Pelican Point beach, his tamarind-sauce barbecue ribs earned instant acclaim. The fried lobster bites are equally delicious. John’s signature Shaky Leg rum cocktail is guaranteed to get people dancing to the restaurant’s funky rake-’n’-scrape sound track.

One of the newest - and most popular - attractions to hit these shores, “Xoximilco Cancun,” is a floating fiesta, offering entertainment, colorful anecdotes, history, good food and drink - and three hours of sheer delight. Thanks to the entrepreneurial genius of the Xperiencias Xcaret visitors can experience an improved recreation of Mexico City‘s renowned Xochimilco. Both are replicas of the canals in the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán and the lake it was founded on. A series of floating gardens (chinampas) separated by canals became the marketplace for flowers and agriculture, which were transported in flat boats known as trajineras. The party in Cancun begins at 7: 30 p.m., when you’ll be given the name of the boat you need to board. When the marine bell rings, you head off on your dinner “cruise,” featuring delectable Mexican cuisine and local refreshments, including Tequila. As you glide along the canals, an assortment of musical ensembles glide by, treating you to traditional live music, including: mariachi, bolero trio, jarocho quartet and marimba medleys. A small gift shop offers plenty of souvenir options Recommended for children 10 and older.

Older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt, the monument at Newgrange was built around 3,200 B.C.E. Its use is a mystery, although it was most likely a place of worship, and there are legends that it was used as a burial chamber. The main circular mound has a passage with small chambers off it, and each year on the winter solstice, the sun travels along the passage and lights up the main chamber. Many of the curbstones at the front and stone slabs lining the passage have decorative examples of megalithic art, with zigzags, spirals, and other geometric designs. Access to Newgrange is by guided tour, and it’s part of the Brú na Bóinne complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which also has the passage graves at Knowth (on view by guided tour) and Dowth (not open to visitors).

Known locally as Ho Tay and situated just northwest of the Old Quarter, the city’s largest lake is the backdrop to this whitewashed hotel, whose layout fittingly mimics the shape of the open lotus flowers that line its shores. The main building houses about half the rooms, most of the lounges and restaurants, and a bright atrium lobby with an elegant 23-foot crystal chandelier for a focal point. Lit at night by torches, a hedge-trimmed walkway leads to a small island where you’ll find the Sunset Bar (no surprises on the name), as well as three pavilions with additional rooms built on the lake. Accommodations start at a generous 460 square feet and feature contemporary furnishings, marble and wood floors, stone wall accents, and Vietnamese timber shutters, as well as roomy soaking tubs, padded leather headboards, and private balconies with views of the lake or Hanoi’s skyline.

Some visitors to Santa Fe are surprised to find this Gothic revival structure in the middle of all of the adobe buildings in the historic district, like a piece of medieval Paris transplanted to the Wild West. The French connection is real—the 19th-century Loretto Chapel was designed by a French architect who modeled it after La Sainte Chapelle in Paris. According to legend, though, the plans failed to include access from the chapel floor to the choir loft. So, the nuns who ran the girls’ school for which this stone structure was built began praying, and after nine days, a mysterious carpenter arrived. Neither nails nor glue nor any visible external support were used in this doubly-twisting staircase, and no one ever found out the name of the carpenter, who left without seeking payment. It must’ve been St. Joseph himself...so goes the legend of “the miraculous staircase.” The physics of the structure can be explained by architects today, but that doesn’t stop about a quarter-million visitors every year from marveling at the elegant spruce spiral. Open to the public as a privately run museum, the Loretto Chapel hasn’t been a church for decades. It can, however, be rented: a spectacular setting for a private wedding.