Search results for

Fes is well-known for producing the best pottery in Morocco. The local gray clay is much more hard-wearing than many clays used further south; items made from this material are often fired at volcanic temperatures, and usually capable of withstanding a microwave or dishwasher. The pots are still painted by hand here. If you’re keen to stock up on treasures for your kitchen or dining room table, you have several options. Several stores along Talaa Kbira stock good-quality tableware, including our favorite, the Fondouk Tazi, which also offers some lovely modern designs. Continue into the bowl of the medina to the Henna Souk to find traditional patterns such as the tomato flower, various Berber motifs, and embroidery-inspired designs. Serious buyers hop in a taxi up to Ain Nokbi, the industrial quarter, to see the potters at work. The shops can also organize big shipments for you, but oversee the packaging yourself if you want it to arrive intact.

Founded in 1979, the mission of this institution is clear—it’s committed to preserving, presenting, and interpreting art created after 1940. Its methods, however, are ever changing. Three distinct venues in the city shine a spotlight on forward-thinking artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Start at the Grand Avenue location, arriving right at the 11 a.m. opening for a chance to contemplate Mark Rothko’s emotional color studies in peace. After exploring work by such artists as Robert Rauschenberg, Joan Miró, and Nijideka Akunyili Crosby (who created the mural that wraps around the building), grab lunch from Lemonade café to enjoy in the Sculpture Plaza. One mile away, the same general admission ticket gets you entry to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, which opened in Little Tokyo in 1983 after a renovation of a former police car warehouse by Frank Gehry; today, it hosts the museum’s more experimental exhibits. Architecture aficionados should also visit the third location, the MOCA Pacific Design Center, about 10 miles away in West Hollywood. (A fourth MOCA location, called Double Negative, requires much more of a detour—it’s a work of land art by Michael Heizer in the middle of the Nevada desert.) Art talks, screenings, and live music alongside food trucks make MOCA Grand and Geffen as much social venues as they are cultural ones. Pro tip: For an in-depth look at the collections, book the completely customizable educator-led tour (request a couple weeks ahead). For a livelier experience, visit on a Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission is free.

Barnone, a bustling collective of makers, is housed in a Quonset hut built with steel reclaimed from WWII planes. The skills of the artists and craftspeople who live here run the gamut of creativity—a woodworker and a florist and a hairstylist; a machinist who designs and fabricates kitchen tools; and a printmaker who runs a shop with cute and quirky letterpress goods and signage. Phoenicians love Barnone’s pair of local-focused restaurants: Fire & Brimstone for hearth-cooked pizza and the Uprooted Kitchen for vegan dishes made from produce grown just outside. You can also enjoy a pint of small-batch beer at 12 West Brewing and buy from an experimental winemaker at Garage-East.

Island chic meets urban cool at the Caribbean’s first Park Hyatt, a welcome addition to Banana Bay’s powdery shores. With floor-to-ceiling windows, Scandi-mod furnishings, and freestanding tubs (that come with trendy Le Labo toiletries), the 126 luxe rooms and suites are hard to leave. However, you won’t want to miss the adults-only infinity pool or the on-site Miraval spa, which incorporates local flora into treatments like the soothing aloe-and-lavender body wrap. Also on offer are kid-friendly activities like rock climbing and storytelling with a local historian, making the Park Hyatt perfect for couples and families alike.

Owners Bryan Lewis and Eric Gaspard recently opened the Twisted Cork Café, a wine-focused restaurant located in the historic Frenchtown district of Charlotte Amalie. The neighborhood, which is busy with cruise passengers during the day, slows down to a more mellow island speed in the evenings. Daily specials, which often feature just-caught fish and produce from an on-site garden, are recommended.

A journey to Son Tra Peninsula is a must for many reasons, not least the opportunity to visit Linh Ung Pagoda. The temple is the largest in Danang and is spectacularly located on a knoll with fantastic views back towards China Beach and the Marble Mountains. It is impossible to miss the pagoda as it is located right next door to the giant white Goddess of Mercy statue.

For decades, the Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium operated quietly, visitors referred by word of mouth for strolls through the family-owned one-acre grounds. Then Instagram happened. Thanks to social media, this collection of exotic desert plants, succulents, and crystals dating to the 1930s now sees hundreds of people per day. The second-generation members of the Moorten family, who still manage the garden, make sure the grounds are impeccable. There’s plenty to see year-round—the garden is open daily, except Wednesdays—but the best time to visit is in April to late August, when you’ll find it abloom. Tours led by master gardeners several times daily reveal the fascinating stories behind the plants; desert shrubs, succulents, and garden supplies are also for sale. Whether you believe it’s from the crystals or not, the place is charged with positivity and peace. Pro tips: Arrive early to nab a shaded table for a bring-your-own picnic. And if you run into proprietor Clark Moorten, ask him about his childhood trips through Central and South America in search of specimens for the collection.

Constructed in 1910 as the head temple of Korean Buddhism, Jogyesa is a spiritual sanctuary that’s free to the public. Visitors can wander around two 500-year-old trees in the courtyard, then head to the main hall, known as Daeoongjeong, to see three giant golden Buddhas. For a deeper look at monastic life, arrange an overnight temple stay online. Jogyesa is at its most vibrant in May, when it transforms from an oasis to a hub of festivities. The monks hang thousands of colorful lanterns to celebrate Buddha’s birthday, and the temple hosts the Lotus Lantern Festival, which kicks off the famous parade.

Believe it or not, Orlando has an impressive—and ever-growing—arts and culture community. To get a feel for the scene, visit CityArts Factory, a collective of contemporary art galleries in the heart of downtown Orlando. Admission is free and exhibits by both local and international artists rotate monthly, meaning there’s always something new to see.

To satisfy your conch craving, stop at Bugaloo’s Conch Crawl on the south side of Providenciales, just a few minutes from Chalk Sound. The beachfront restaurant in Five Cays has indoor and outdoor seating, with some of the tables set right along the waterline, lapped by the rising tide. You’ll find a great selection of seafood, including plenty of conch dishes, along with fried chicken and burgers. In the evenings, Bugaloo’s hosts local bands, fire dancers, and other entertainment.

For a true Korean drinking experience, look no further than the corner convenience store. From 7-11 and Family Mart, to GS 25 and Buy the Way, the stores have wooden picnic tables or plastic chairs set up outside so patrons can enjoy a frosty Cass or Hite (Korean beer), or a swig of soju (Korean distilled alcohol) while watching the traffic lights of Seoul flash by. It may seem strange, but Korean convenience stores are a prolific part of Seoul’s landscape and the perfect, low-key way to while away a weekend afternoon.

The speakeasy trend is alive and hopping in Seoul, and you never know behind which nondescript doors on the city’s streets people are stylishly sipping rare single malts or G&Ts. Speakeasy Mortar is one of those mysterious doors, where in-the-know patrons are only allowed to enter after the staff approves them through a peephole. Although the price of drinks is steep (nearly $20 a piece), the whiskey selection, atmosphere, and ambient music are meant for those who truly want to have a classic speakeasy experience. 73-4, Dokseodang-ro,Yongsan-gu

No trip to Kenya is complete without picking up some of the beautiful handicrafts available here. Once of the best places to find these is at Langata Link – a house in the leafy suburb of Karen where every room has been turned into a different shop. They have everything here from bags made out of colourful Kenyan kanga material to delicate jewellery, rustic khaki luggage and pretty pottery. In the centre of the shop there’s also a lovely café, great for a pit stop after all that tiring spending you’ll be doing.

One of the most popular beaches on Guadeloupe is Sainte-Anne, a family-friendly, mile-long stretch of white sand on the south coast of Grand-Terre. A coral reef protects the beach and the resulting calm water offers shallow swimming for the little ones. The beach has everything you need, including a fruit and spice market, casual beachfront restaurants, and a nearby arts and crafts shopping mall. After sunset, it is illuminated until midnight and active families come for a cool night swim, beach volleyball, and street snacks. Food trucks come out for the night, serving up bokits (a kind of fried sandwich) and conch kebabs.

When a restaurant has only four items on the menu, chances are good it will be an expert at preparing them. Myeongdong Kyoja is one such establishment. The restaurant’s signature dish is kalguksu, a hearty soup with chicken broth, hand-cut noodles, minced meat, dumplings, and vegetables. Also on offer is kongguksu, a cooling soup of soymilk broth and nutrient-rich chlorella noodles that’s perfect for summer. On the other end of the spectrum is guksu, a wheat-noodle dish coated with spicy red-pepper paste. Lastly, there are mandu—baskets of steamed dumplings stuffed with fresh pork and vegetables. As servings here tend to be large and optimal for sharing, it’s best to come with a friend or two.