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Brussels’ parks are all beautiful in the autumn (when it’s not raining, that is), but I have a particular affinity for Park Royale or Brussels Park (also called Parc de Bruxelles in French and Warandepark in Dutch). Nothing signals autumn in Brussels like crunching through the leaves and kicking fallen chestnuts in Brussels Park. This small park sits between the Royal Palace and the Belgian Parliament buildings and is a favourite of office workers at lunchtime. Joggers circle the park’s perimeter and dog-walkers stroll the shady pathways. The park was built in the late 1700s, where the gardens of the former Palace of Coudenberg once stood. Dotted around the park are various statues and fountains and a beautiful cast iron bandstand. Park Royale is also home to concerts and art installations throughout the year.

Starting from the historic Chautauqua Park Ranger Station located on the southwest side of Boulder, the most direct route to this popular overlook and geologic feature is 1.6 miles with a nearly 1,300-foot vertical gain. Out of the parking lot the route starts on a gentle climb on a well-maintained trail across the slopey grasslands and into the shaded ponderosa pine forest. Once above the lower loops, the trail narrows some but is clear and well-marked with signs. Then the true vertical gain begins, with a mix of switchbacks and stone steps. Don’t be fooled by the crest over the eastern ridge coming down from Green Mountain. The trail dips about 150 vertical feet before starting the final climb to the arch.

Sunday is the day to go when food vendors from nearby sell their eats in one place. Maboneng is the arts district of Joburg. Arts on Main hosts several galleries, shops and vendors to enjoy. Many of the galleries feature young and emerging artists of Joburg who are very talented. The picture shown features some of these artists’ works. Jozi’s art scene is rapidly growing and on the same level as New York and other big art cities in the world. We stayed at the 12 Decades Hotel for a few nights and explored Soweto (for history) and Parkhurst for drinks/eats. I also heard from a local that Rosebank has a great market for crafts.

A colorful working-class neighborhood near downtown that had fallen on hard times, Woodstock has been revitalized with a mix of galleries, artists’ studios, boutiques, and restaurants. Much of the area’s original vibe remains, however, thanks to the long rows of colonnaded shops that edge Albert and Victoria roads. Among the nearby storefronts that are open throughout the week are Espresso Lab Microroasters and Luke Dale-Roberts’s award-winning restaurant, the Test Kitchen. Continuing down Albert Road, you’ll find spots like the Woodstock Co-op and the very trendy Woodstock Exchange, with a great array of places to eat and stores selling local goods. At the end of Albert Road, there’s a concentration of galleries, including the Stevenson, Goodman, and SMAC. On Saturdays, Woodstock draws crowds to the Neighbourgoods Market, a prepared foods extravaganza in the Old Biscuit Mill.

Truxton Park is Annapolis’ main city park and it spans over 80 acres of green space with hiking trails, a skate park, sections for picnics, and two playgrounds for kids alongside 12 tennis courts, three baseball fields, five basketball courts, and a public boat ramp. Also located in the park is the Roger W. Pip Moyer Recreation Center with an array of recreational and family activities such as indoor rock climbing, indoor Ballocity™ playground for kids, three playing courts, and four lane walking/jogging track.

Cypress Point Park offers a relaxing nature escape in the city. Plentiful amenities include a children’s playground, a disc golf park, covered pavilions, and jogging trails.

When tragedy strikes—like the Paris terrorist attacks or the Parkland mass shooting—Nalu’s South Shore Grill creates mile-long leis from local ti leaves for those affected. Representatives then present the leis to the victims personally, while offering chants for healing. Oftentimes, the restaurant also creates the leis to celebrate accomplishments, like the return of the Hawaiian canoe Hōkūleʻa after its three-year, round-the-world voyage. Aside from being a beacon of humanitarian light, Nalu’s is a favorite for local dishes like poke bowls, island-style beef short ribs, and loco moco (a ground beef patty served over brown rice and topped with eggs, homemade gravy, and black lava salt). If you want to give back, order the roasted beet and goat cheese salad and 50 percent of the purchase price will go to charity.

The most luxurious way to experience Dubai’s desert may smash an entire holiday budget, but a stay in the Bedouin-inspired tented suites at Al Maha might well be worth it. It’s one of the best places to see desert conservation in action: Al Maha is in the heart of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, home to the UAE’s largest free-roaming herd of Arabian oryx, a species brought back from extinction in the wild through rehabilitation initiatives. Guests should keep their eyes peeled for gazelles, too—300 Arabian and 100 sand gazelles inhabit the dunes, and the more inquisitive ones often come right up to the 42 tented accommodations. Water recycling, biodiesel, and solar panels all contribute to Al Maha’s efforts to tread lightly on the fragile desert ecosystem.

This shaded park near the University of St. Thomas is right next to The Menil Collection. The park is very shaded and nestled between streets lined with classic 1920s bungalow houses. This place really captures Houston!

The Natural History Museum houses some 35 million specimens and artifacts spanning 4.5 billion years in history. But it isn’t just what’s inside this structure that’s historic: The main building itself dates all the way back to 1913, when a Sunday school teacher—upset by the seemingly unstoppable influx of saloons, gambling locales, and other centers of vice—convinced the city to develop what’s now called Exposition Park. Fast-forward to the present, and the Natural History Museum is more than just a place to see weird animal bones and models of long-extinct Homo sapiens. The museum hosts plenty of public events throughout the year, including mini nature festivals, evening cocktail parties, and opportunities for community science. The neighboring California Science Center is a draw for the kiddos, and Exposition Park as a whole is occasionally leased out for large-scale music fests.

Hailed as one of the country’s first true boutique hotels, Hotel San José started its life as a 1930s tourist court and became a 1950s roadside motel before falling into disrepair in a bad part of town. In the mid-1990s, Liz Lambert bought it and transformed it into a minimalist, mid-century–inspired hot spot, the first of her distinctive Bunkhouse hotels, and the South Congress neighborhood changed with it. Although it’s now a must-visit for out-of-town hipsters (and its bar a hangout for trendy locals), the hotel stays true to its roots; a majority of the furniture was made by local artisans from reclaimed wood and Texas leather, the three most affordable rooms have a shared bath, and Lambert’s experience renovating the hotel and contributing to the neighborhood’s gentrification prompted her to make the documentary The Last Days of the San Jose.

Nowadays, SoCo is Austin’s hottest neighborhood, and Hotel San José is in the heart of the action, hosting local and touring bands in its courtyard and parking lot, and offering some of the city’s best coffee at Jo’s, its affiliated café. Plan to spend at least one evening making new friends over Shiner Bocks at the long tables in the courtyard lounge.

The Wesley G. Usher Memorial Park is one of the many parks located in and around historic downtown Itasca. The adorable pavilion pictured above is a great place to take shelter from the sun, and it overlooks a nice reflecting pool situated on the edge of the property. Take a book, a picnic basket, or just some friends; Usher Memorial Park is great place to spend a relaxing afternoon in Itasca.

Friends International is a wonderful home-grown Cambodian NGO that has now expanded around the world. They’ve reached out to some 60,000+ at-risk kids, youths and their families and communities through social services, training and education programs. Their social enterprise restaurants are some of the best in Southeast Asia, but I also love Friends ‘N’ Stuff, which is their line of fun eco-friendly products made by disadvantaged families as an additional source of income. Made from recycled materials, their range includes everything from the pencil cases and wallets, above, to jewelry and kids toys. They’re sold at the Friends ‘N’ Stuff shop at their restaurant, Marum, in Siem Reap, as well as at the weekend Made in Cambodia market at Shinta Mani Resort and other boutiques around town. When you buy them, you know you’re not only buying something that is eco-friendly, you’re helping to pull a family out of poverty.

Heritage Park’s antique steam train thunders through the Living Historical Village, giving the park a sense of place in time that deepens the experience for visitors young and old. History comes alive on two wheels at Heritage Park, though numerous other attractions shed light on Canadian history from as far back as 1860. Many of the park’s exhibits are interactive, while the guides and costumed interpreters are knowledgeable and approachable. Still, it’s OK to admit that you came out West to put on your conductor’s hat.

Art lovers and garden enthusiasts visiting the Cape Winelands should set aside an hour or two to tour the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Stellenbosch. Here, more than 60 of Lewis’s renowned works—from his human forms and shamanic figures to his monumental abstracted fragments and iconic great cats—dot 2.5 miles of walking paths, blending seamlessly with the landscape. If you can, tour the gardens in July and August, when the fynbos trees are in full bloom. Then stop by Lewis’s old studio, which now functions as an art gallery, before having coffee or tea in the small café. Visits to the sculpture garden are by appointment only and can be arranged via email. Guided tours are also available.