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Mission San Diego is the very first Mission built in what is now the state of California and was built in 1769. Many people come to California for what is known as the “Mission Trail”, a tour of all the Missions built in the state by the Spaniards. You can take a tour for $2 and it is still a working Mission, so if you’re Catholic (or not) you can attend Mass.

The Portland Art Museum has been a fixture of the Rose City for longer than you’d expect—it’s the oldest art museum on the West Coast, opened in 1892. The current location, on the South Park Blocks, debuted in 1932 with a design by Pietro Belluschi. Today, the permanent collection includes 42,000 works along with a rotating selection of exhibits. Among the highlights in past years: pieces by Rodin and Andy Warhol, and what is thought to be the largest cat painting in the world. The 2.5-block campus also includes the Northwest Film Center.

Small enough to get around without being overwhelmed, the Musée d’Orsay is a favorite stop in Paris not just for its size but for its collection of Impressionist, Postimpressionist, and art nouveau art. Perfectly set in the center of the city, on the banks of the Seine, and opposite the Tuileries Gardens, the museum is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a railway station that was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900—so the building itself could be seen as a work of art. The extraordinary collection spans art created in the period between 1848 and 1914.

This museum was once the home and studio of famed Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, who happened to be a supporter of the Cuban Revolution and painted Fidel Castro on several occasions. Exhibitions in the patio-like first floor feature international artists of diverse backgrounds, while the permanent exhibitions upstairs give you a view of the artist’s work and living quarters.

While the Shops Around Lenox are full of boutiques, Fab’rik is an Atlanta success story, currently with 20 locations and counting. They take current trends in fashion and make them affordable, even selling Fab’rik White Collection, their own line, in addition to clothing and accessories. The store also does work in the community giving away shopping sprees to those in need.

Bauman Rare Books is well known among antiquarian booksellers, and marks a striking contrast to most of the shops and boutiques you’ll find in Las Vegas. Having worked in the rare book business in the past, I can’t resist a beautifully tooled leather binding and the crinkle of pages brought to life by engravings.

This hotel is on our list of The Best Hotels in Canada.

Over the past seven years, 1 Hotels has proven that eco-conscious luxury can be successful in North American cities ranging from New York to West Hollywood. The 1 Hotel Toronto, in the center of town, is no exception. Architecture and design firm Rockwell Group partnered with the developer Athens Group for 1 Hotel’s first Canadian property, bringing in Toronto-based craftspeople to build custom dining and side tables out of local wood in the 112 biophilic guest rooms and public spaces, where native plants fill shelves. The hotel works with recycling partner Green Planet to convert leftover kitchen oil and grease into biofuel.

You don’t know you need a paperweight shaped like a dumpling until you see it. Hidden behind sliding doors on an unassuming street corner in Shanghai‘s Jing’an District, Spin is the best place in the city to buy modern Chinese ceramics. The shop works with artists in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, to make original, limited-edition works of art at competitive prices, from a small porcelain and wood display table to delicate celadon-green teacups and dainty chopstick rests shaped like chili peppers. Spin ships worldwide at a reasonable cost, so you don’t have to worry about lugging a vase the size of a small child through Asia.

With its fourth U.S. location, the Hoxton brings its signature coolness to the old Los Angeles Railway Building in the center of downtown. The 1922 structure is now home to 174 hotel rooms, three bars and restaurants, and The Apartment—the Hoxton’s signature meeting and event space, complete with stylish conference rooms and a communal kitchen filled with tasty snacks. The F&B outlets come courtesy of the team behind New York’s popular Sunday in Brooklyn, and range from Sibling Rivalry (an all-day lobby spot with seasonal comfort food and its own soft-serve bar) and Pilot (a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop bar and restaurant by the pool) to an as-yet-unnamed bar set to open in early 2020.

How often does a king’s car pick you up at the airport? Arrival at Heritage Suites begins with a vintage 1962 or 1968 Mercedes—one of which used to belong to the late King Norodom Sihanouk—before you’re promptly whisked off to a historic cream-colored building of soaring arches, mahogany columns, and wrought-iron balconies. With just 26 rooms (most of which are suites), the boutique hideaway is often so serene as to feel more like a royal’s private compound than a hotel—if a royal’s compound had its own high-end tour agency and one of the trendiest jazz bars in town. Rooms are spacious and surprisingly modern in style—all suites have a lush private garden, and top-tier rooms also have a private hot tub—and welcome drinks and canapés help guests immediately acclimate to the villa’s languid and decadent atmosphere. The sprawling saltwater pool and its umbrella-shaded sunbeds beckon at all hours (including for romantic candlelit dining), while the intimate spa offers yet another way to unwind in between temple excursions.

Best of all, the hotel gives back: It works closely with the Sala Baï Hotel and Restaurant School, training and hiring students from this school that works with underprivileged Cambodians, especially women, and offers guests opportunities to participate in activities with the school.

Sometimes called “Milan‘s Sistine Chapel” because of its profusely--and beautifully-- decorated walls and ceilings, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore is well worth a visit. The Renaissance paintings commissioned by the Sforza family (the primary sponsors of Leonardo da Vinci), adorn the walls of a cloistered convent founded for noble ladies in the early 16th century. Built on an ancient Roman site, the church was built and decorated in stages over several centuries, every interior wall covered in luminous colors befitting the pomp of Lombard aristocratic taste. In particular, frescoes by Bernardino Luini, student of da Vinci, blend the sacred and the profane, using members of the court as models for portraits of saints. Most of the numerous religious and secular works of the Milanese painter have been lost, so San Maurizio is the best place to see his works. To get the most out of a visit to this little gem of art history, go with a knowledgeable guide. My husband and I toured historical Milan with Ludovic Goudin of Walks of Italy, who offer a variety of tours in Milan. San Maurizio was just one of the fascinating places we visited!.

Among the increasingly trendy streets of the Upper Marais, this intimate hotel offers a refreshingly low-key place to unpack. Named for the classic Francois Truffaut film, and set in a former precious metal factory, Jules & Jim has a low-fi artistic bent. The ground-floor lobby and bar—both set off a central, glass-roofed courtyard and garden—feature a rotating collection of works by local painters, photographers, and graphic artists, as well as residential-style seating and bookshelves lined with bric-a-brac. Spread over three structures, the 23 rooms range in size; the “Jules” options in the main building are the smallest and best for solo travelers, while the “Hi-Macs,” “Sous Les Toits,” and “Duplex” accommodations work better for two guests or longer stays. Some categories include perks like terraces, sofa-beds, Nespresso machines, and views of Montmarte, but all come with Bluetooth sound systems, free Wi-Fi, rainfall showers, and access to 24-hour room service (note that there are no mini-bars or fridges).

Schwa is kind of a difficult place to describe; it’s such an eclectic bundle of everything, you just have to experience it for yourself. The exterior of the building makes it look like it should be condemned, but it’s actually structurally sound. Upon entering you’ll be greeted by the always hustling, yet always friendly staff, who will get you to one of the only 26 seats in the small but comfortable dining room. Music—usually heavy metal or rap—is played at a pretty high decibel level, and actually gets inside your brain at times, but for some odd reason it totally works in this place. Overhead the light fixtures are mini works of art that seem literally cobbled together, and to get to the bathroom you actually walk through the kitchen. But once you indulge in all that is unique and wonderful about the place, then you can settle in and indulge in the Michelin-starred food. Anything is fair game here, from Fruit Loop–inspired courses to a curried paste that came in a real-deal petri dish, to the crab that was perched on top of a glass of smoke (you removed the top to inhale the flavored scents—and then ate the crab). And we were told not to play with our food as children! Schwa’s chef Michael Carlson surely did not heed that advice growing up, and as a result we get to reap the benefit of his creative food fantasies coming to life.

Occupying most of a 38-floor Times Square building, the Reverie Saigon initially made waves for its over-the-top flourishes: the house cars are a limited-edition Rolls-Royce Phantom Dragon and a Maybach, both parked out front; the lobby features a $500,000 jade-and-gold Baldi clock; and the property feels like it used all the marble and Murano glass in Italy. What’s surprising, then, is how well it all works—and how quickly you might feel at ease. A large part of that is thanks to the warm, attentive service (sniffle once, for example, and ginger tea will appear at your doorstep) and the 286 airy guest rooms themselves, which—though full of whimsical touches by international design houses like Visionnaire and Provasi—manage to call to mind serene sanctuaries floating high above the city bustle. The on-site dining options (including places for traditional Cantonese, fine-dining French, and modern Italian) draw local crowds, and the two-story spa features an ozone-infused outdoor pool equipped with underwater speakers—plus some of the best therapists in town.

Opened in 2011, this luxury hotel from the Malta-based Corinthia brand occupies a Victorian building (once home to the Ministry of Defense) in the heart of the city, not far from Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, the London Eye, and the theater district. The overall vibe is one of a 21st-century grand hotel, with a series of elegant public spaces—some vast and high-ceilinged, others warm and cozy—unfolding along the ground floor. Find modern, British-accented fare and a decadent breakfast spread at The Northall restaurant; all-day dining and a recently reimagined afternoon tea service (complete with Champagne trolley) at The Crystal Moon Lounge; and, in good weather, al fresco drinks, bites, and cigars at the leafy Garden Lounge. In summer 2018, the Bassoon Bar re-launched as a 1920s-era, New Orleans-inspired hangout, complete with a creative cocktail and bubbly menu developed by award-winning bartender Marcis Dzelzainis and wine expert Michael Sager. Shortly after, the hotel also opened Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, the first London restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge.

Beyond its common spaces, the Corinthia is home to 283 residential-style rooms and suites, which include chic London and Garden suites (launched in 2018) and seven themed presidential suites, all crafted by David Collins Studio. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, Nespresso machines, high-tech media hubs, and marble bathrooms with rain showers, bathtubs with built-in TVs, heated floors, and ESPA products. Some of the higher-level suites even come with private outdoor spaces, butler service, and expansive views. Further relaxation can be found at the flagship ESPA Life by Corinthia Spa, one of the largest in the city with 17 treatment “pods,” a 24/7 gym, a nail studio, and a vast thermal floor with multiple pools, sauna and stream rooms, ice fountains, and sleep pods for extra serenity. To engage both visitors and locals, the hotel regularly offers unique programming and partnerships, including hosting in-residence experts—from neuroscientists to “futurist” trend forecasters—who lead talks and events throughout their stays.