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With more than 250 acres of grounds, the New York Botanical Garden manages to fit a number of different landscapes and experiences into its garden walls. The garden was established in 1891, the inspiration of Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, who returned from a trip to England determined that New York should have its own equivalent to London‘s Kew Gardens. They found backing among New York society and created one of the country’s leading research institutions that also happens to be an ideal place to commune with nature right in the city. The rose garden designed by Beatrix Farrand is a highlight, while an abundance of azaleas reaches their peak in May. In all there are some 20 different gardens, including one dedicated to native plants, a rock garden, and a wetlands trail. The conservatory, constructed in 1902, is the largest in the country and includes 11 different climatic zones. When the last of the fall foliage has fallen from the trees, the conservatory hosts the popular annual Holiday Train Show (from the end of November to mid-January).

Columbus Landfall National Park encompasses both the land and water on the entire west side of Grand Turk, a total of 1,280 acres of protected areas, including around 25 excellent scuba diving sites. Most of these dive sites sit along a submarine wall that drops more than 7,000 feet deep. Places such as Coral Canyon and Black Forest have stunning gardens of hard and soft corals clinging to the edge of the wall, and divers can spot everything from colorful angelfish to sleek reef sharks there. (As you may have guessed by its name, this is also believed by some to be where Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World.)

Around 11,000 humpbacks—a quarter to a third of the global population, by some estimates—visit Hawaii from November until early May. They migrate here to mate and give birth. Intensely focused on procreation, these marine mammals don’t eat and can lose up to a third of their body weight while frisking in warmer waters. Nonetheless, the gray giants remain impressive, reaching 52 feet long and weighing up to 40 tons. That bulk doesn’t deter them from spectacular aerial displays of breaching and slapping the surface with their heads, fins, or tails, though! Boat tours like Captain Dan McSweeney’s Whale Watch Learning Adventures remain popular, but you can also spot these amazing creatures off the western Kohala Coast or Holoholokai Beach Park, and from campgrounds in Waipiʻo or Pololū valleys.

Located 3,200 feet above Half Dome Village, Glacier Point offers some of the best views in the park to the high country beyond. The View Terrace looks out to Half Dome, Vernal Fall, and Nevada Fall as well as Liberty Cap to the east, while the Upper Terrace features views to the west, including Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Village. Glacier Point is only open to vehicles from late May to October or November and parking is very limited, so the best way to get there is either via park shuttle bus from Badger Pass or the private guided bus tour that departs from Yosemite Valley. For some of the best, relatively uncrowded hikes in the park, consider taking the bus one way to Glacier Point and then hiking nearly straight down to the valley floor via the Four Mile Trail or 8.5-mile Panorama Trail, both of which offer stunning views.

Every once in a while, the sun shines bright in San Francisco and every city residents flocks to the nearest park or beach to soak up the sun and day drink. Baker Beach, in the confines of SF, seems worlds away from city life. The view of the Golden Gate Bridge is spectacular, and the diverse group of Baker Beach visitors is a testament to what a hodge podge San Francisco truly is. Parking can be a pain in the butt; take the 29 bus and save yourself the hassle.

The dyeing vats at Chouara—as well as at the city’s other tanneries—are among the Fes medina’s most iconic sights. The ancient craft of tanning and dyeing, in all its visceral authenticity (cow urine and pigeon poop are still key components in the process), plays out much as it always has. Chouara has been around since the 11th century. The dyes used in the tannery pits are natural: Blue comes from indigo; red, from poppy or paprika; yellow, from saffron, pomegranate, or even a mix of turmeric and mimosa flowers. The best vantage point for observation is from one of the roof terraces. Leather shops hawking everything from butter-soft leather babouches (iconic Moroccan backless slippers) and poufs, to copies of designer jackets and handbags. (That Hermès Birkin bag, or a facsimile of it, could finally be yours at a fraction of the price.) Although the guides around here are a tenacious lot, don your best smile, carry a posy of mint to hold beneath your nostrils, and settle in for a long chat with the shopkeepers to learn about fascinating process. Expect prices in the shops to vary wildly—much depends on your haggling prowess. A favorite store is the aptly named La Belle Vue de la Tannerie, off the main drag. The shop has sought out skilled tailors with European know-how to create items of better quality using all Moroccan hides, which results in better leather goods. The tailors can copy a motorcycle jacket for you in three or four hours from goat or lambskin, the softest of the hides.

Mambo Beach Boulevard has more of the ambiance of a beach party than that of a conventional shopping mall. It features some 50 restaurants, bars and stores, including souvenir retailers and boutiques selling swimwear (as well as everything else you might need for a day in the sun). There are also water-sports operators, and your time browsing can be broken up by some time on the beach. There’s even a nightclub with a schedule of live performances that keeps the energy going into the afternoon and evening.

Wide, sandy Cane Bay Beach, on St. Croix, has a lot going in its favor: The medium-size surf, full-service dive shop, barbecue grills, and fun sites to snorkel make the beach popular with families, kids, and even dogs. Choose simply to rent some beach chairs and bask in the warm Caribbean sun, or opt for a game of beach volleyball or a swim in the clear waters.

Bermuda’s most famous beach sits on the island’s south coast, in the parish of Southampton. In the summer, Horseshoe Bay is the number one destination for many visitors to Bermuda, drawn by the crescent of pink sand and clear blue water. In the winter, however, visiting the bay has a different appeal. Mike heads there most mornings to start his day with a walk along the sea accompanied by his dog, Harley. “While in the summer this is one of the island’s most popular beaches,” Mike says. “In winter, it’s all mine. There are a few joggers and maybe some paddle boarders but it’s a very quiet place. It’s like having your own private beach though one that’s massive and gorgeous.” Photo by Robyn Fleming, https://flic.kr/p/5WqJXz

Do you like discovering new spa treatments? I do too. Here is one I discovered at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico, called Flotation Therapy; and as far as I know their Remède Spa is the only place in Mexico that you can try it. For those who have not visited Riviera Nayarit, it is a stunningly beautiful beachfront enclave of upscale villas and hotels overlooking the Pacific Ocean.


The Flotation Therapy spa treatment utilizes a state-of-the-art float pod which creates a relaxing, zero-gravity feeling, giving you a completely neutral environment without distraction. Executive spa director at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort Remède Spa, Alejandro Ortiz says of this treatment, “We consistently offer our guests the most exclusive and unique spa treatments and we’re proud to offer a new level of relaxation to our guests.” Flotation therapy or “floating” is the newest addition to the Spa’s abundant list of wellness offerings.


And just what does it do for you? Apparently the flotation pod is a powerful wellness tool providing a wide range of benefits, including supporting creativity, muscle recovery, and joint pain relief, among many others. Here’s what “floating” is. Ten feet of water is infused with 1,000 pounds of Epson salt-so now you are buoyant and floating. The water is heated to match the surface temperature of your skin to create an environment where the senses gently float away.

Right now is the perfect time to go to Mexico because the temperatures are mild yet the days are sunny, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived. And don’t forget the St. Regis brand is noted for their stellar St. Regis Butler Service so you can live it up like a queen (or king). And this St. Regis, the Punta Mita is also a culinary star with “Carolina“ the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant of Mexican cuisine when you want to wear your hi-heeled sandals, and the beach-y casual Mary Mita Boat Bar & Bistro right on the sand Riviera Nayarit where flip-flops will be just right.

Just a 10-minute walk to the village from the Samedan train station will bring you to one of the best soaks in Switzerland: the Mineralbad & Spa Samedan, a day spa designed in 2010 by husband-and-wife architects Miller & Maranta, who built this compact yet incredibly spacious spa into the village’s tiny 12th-century plaza. Inside, a maze of watery caverns and tiled tunnels flicker with light while two relaxation rooms paneled with a fragrant, endemic pine tree prized for its calming properties, allow guests to take a snooze between soaks. The open-air rooftop bath is discreetly nestled under the 400-year-old Reformed Church clock tower—so close that the glockenspiel bells cause ripples in the water when they chime. The steamy 100-degree pool is an ideal place from which to watch glints of gold flash on the spines of the Rhaetian Alps when the sun sets.

Chef Laurent Tourondel’s LT Steak & Seafood, located inside the historic Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive, is popular not just with hotel guests but locals as well, who stop in for an afterwork cocktail or a nice night out. The restaurant does what its name indicates, and the menu is evenly divided between prime cuts of porterhouse and rib eye and fresh seafood from local waters and elsewhere, as well as sushi, sashimi, and ceviche. At dinner, there is often live entertainment such as jazz in the conservatory or a performance by an opera singer.

The Riviera Maya’s most beautifully styled adventure park begins with a reception area inside a natural cave. Tours here include Latin America’s highest zip lines over the tropical forest, amphibious vehicles you drive through caves and jungles, and swimming and rafting through underground rivers. Though Xplor is a family-friendly attraction, it may be better suited to teens and adults because of the physical activity required. If you don’t have all day, book Xplor Fuego, the nighttime admission: Temperatures are cooler, torchlight adds an exotic touch, and you soar over the trees by moonlight.

The most stylish spot in Fort Myers’ River District, Firestone occupies a historic, four-story building right on the water. In the restaurant, guests enjoy steak and seafood specialties paired with fresh, local produce. Also onsite is the rooftop Skybar, open daily from 4 p.m. for sweeping views of the Caloosahatchee River and Downtown River Basin, as well as a special martini bar, which welcomes patrons on Friday and Saturday nights.

Petra flourished more than 2,000 years ago, trading with Rome as an equal before being abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries C.E. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when European explorers “rediscovered” it, that the ancient city returned to the public consciousness. Now, visitors can walk down the narrow canyon of the siq to the city entrance—as dramatic an approach as any to a tourist attraction on the planet. The canyon opens up onto the carved facade of the Treasury, Petra’s most iconic site. From there, you can explore the cliffside tombs with their colorful bands of sandstone, the Street of Facades, and the amphitheater hewn from living rock. The ancient center lies some distance off, along with the splendid old Monastery, which sits at the top of a steep but rewarding climb. Consider buying a three-day ticket and visiting at different times of day to enjoy the changing light—early in the morning is best for the Treasury, while late afternoon is better for the Royal Tombs.