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It’s easy to pass by Taylor’s Kitchen and not realize there is a fantastic restaurant inside...I had visited the neighboring shops without noticing the new restaurant, but I knew I had to visit once I heard people raving about the food. Taylor’s Kitchen uses ingredients from local farms and ranchers to create vibrant dishes that reflect the seasons of this agricultural region of California. This is not unlike many new restaurants in Sacramento, but what Taylor’s Kitchen does so well is create consistently good food. The restaurant is elegant yet cozy, suited to couples or small groups. The menu changes frequently based on what’s seasonally available and is a great reflection of Sacramento’s commitment to farm-to-fork dining.

Touring this one-of-a-kind urban villa and archaeological site allows a unique insight into the city’s history. The beautifully restored urban mansion was once the residence of a wealthy Spanish family; they fled for higher ground when yellow fever struck San Telmo, and the abandoned building later served as tenement housing for countless immigrant families. When a new buyer purchased the property in 1985, he discovered layers of historical objects in the subterranean tunnels. Today, knowledgeable local guides take small groups through the grand villa and its underground maze, pointing out the old water cistern and display cases filled with antique children’s toys, old hairbrushes and beautifully painted dishes, reminders of an era gone by.

This place may be small, but its food and drink selection is mighty. Family owned and operated, this cozy local spot is a true gem for authentic Colombian food and drinks in the suburbs of Illinois. The shop and owners are absolutely delightful, and they go out of their way to ensure a wonderful dining experience. You can have breakfast, lunch or dinner, but I’d recommend if you are short on time to at least stop in for a healthy drink. The folks at Colombian’s Taste make wonderful fruit drinks using guanabana, maracuya, lolu and mora. I tried the Colombian lemonade and now am hooked. This place is a true find!

Aunty Doris is always behind the small counter dressed neatly in her red-and-white palaka shirt, with her hair fixed just so. She knows everybody and your madahs and fadahs and all da keeds too around here. Stop in for a taste of her old-fashioned crack seeds all lined up neatly on the shelf. Carry the jar over to the counter and talk story with Aunty as she spoons out your selection of sour cherry, football, olive seed, pickled ginger, li-hing mui, prune mui, dried lemon or wet seed. Chances are while you wait you’ll experience a “taste” of local color too. Eh no eat all da sweet sour cherry. I gotta get my fix!

Although the Routeburn Track is a three-day trek, one can walk part of it as a 7-kilometer day hike. The Divide trailhead at one end of the track begins with a steady climb through a beech forest and sub-alpine shrubs and continues with a steep zigzag above treeline to Key Summit. A loop from the summit goes through a variety of environments, including small alpine ponds and bogs. Viewpoints from the summit and along the loop offer stunning vistas of the snow-capped Darran Mountains, Lake Marian, and the lengths of the Hollyford, Eglinton and Greenstone Valleys.

Playa del Carmen’s winning charm emerges all along this wide pedestrian avenue, which runs parallel to the beach. Eateries here include everything from cheap fast food like Pizza Renzo to upscale restaurants and cafes; the best people-watching is from outdoor seating at the sports bar Tequila Barrel or Chez Céline bakery. The shopping scene offers international luxury brands side by side souvenir shops, but the most interesting Mexican handicrafts await at boutiques like Sin Pecado and Sol Jaguar. Since this part of town has little shade, it’s best to avoid the midday sun; instead, try an early-morning visit with some streetside coffee in hand, then revisit at sunset to kick off an evening of dining, shopping, and bar-hopping.

In a swift four minutes, the Dubrovnik cable car will deliver you to the top of Mount Srdi for awe-inspiring views of the Old Town and Elaphite Islands. On clear days, you can even see Italy far out on the horizon. Next to the cable-car station is Napoleon’s Fort Royal, an immense stone fortress that played a strategic role in the 1992 Siege of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence. Today, the fort houses the Museum of Contemporary History, which showcases artifacts from the Dubrovnik battlefields as well as a BBC film that vividly illustrates the events of 1991 and 1992.

The Gant feels like your mountain home away from home. Tucked away on five acres at the base of Aspen Mountain, the Gant’s condos offer the comforts of staying in a home but with the service perks of a hotel. Guests can choose from one-, two-, three-, or four-bedroom condos, making this a great option for families and friends on ski getaways. Condos feature full kitchens so you don’t have to worry about booking reservations in town each night, and the staff can arrange for grocery and liquor delivery right to your door. Condos also have wood-burning fireplaces, large living rooms for lounging, and patios or balconies to soak in the fresh mountain air. A housekeeper comes to tidy up each day while you’re off hiking or skiing, and families have the option to book child care. The Gant is just steps from the Silver Queen Gondola and offers ski storage and overnight tuning. After a day outdoors, guests can relax weary muscles in one of the Gant’s three hot tubs.

The Maremma region of southern Tuscany, about an hour south of Siena, is an area of olive groves, wooded valleys, and ancient legends. One such tale, dating from the days of the Etruscans and Romans, chronicles an epic battle in which Jupiter threw lightning bolts at Saturn—and missed. As the story goes, when the bolts landed on the ground, they formed the bubbling hot springs now known as the Terme di Saturnia. Full of therapeutic minerals, the hot springs feed a variety of pools throughout the valley that have warmed and healed centuries of bathers. Today, you can soak up the goodness at the luxury Terme di Saturnia Hotel & Spa, which offers therapies performed with the waters, or at a free public bathing spot. To find the main one, head down a dirt path just outside of town, past a parking lot and changing area, until you spy a waterfall feeding a series of natural pools, each turned white by the mineral-rich water.

Opened in 2016, The Dapper Goose stands out in meat-loving Buffalo with a menu that highlights locally sourced produce. Divided into small and large plates, dishes range from beetroot tartine with horseradish cream cheese and crispy chickpeas, to fettuccine with mushroom Bolognese and bread crumbs. The menu isn’t entirely vegetarian, however, and options like the pork shoulder and confit duck are exceedingly popular. On Sundays, there’s a limited brunch menu with such creative fare as pork terrine, crab toast, and chicken wings with fish sauce caramel.

The jewel in Rouen’s crown, this impressive museum is home to France’s largest Impressionist collection outside of Paris. Here, you’ll find three stunning works from Monet’s famous Rouen Cathedral series, along with other highlights like a rare Caravaggio and paintings by everyone from Rubens, Vélazquez, and Fragonard to Delacroix, Modigliani, and Duchamp. After exploring the collection, stop into the small but pleasant bookstore for a souvenir, then take a stroll in the lovely park next door. Admission to the permanent collections here is free.

Whether you come for a drink, an appetizer, or a full meal at Flow Wine Bar and Kitchen in downtown Kingstown, you won’t be disappointed. The atmosphere is cool, with flickering candles and soft music, and the kitchen serves a wide range of small plates, entrees, flatbreads, sandwiches, and pastas, all perfect for pairing with the extensive wine selection. When you’re finished here, try sister spots Flowt Beach Bar at the Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina (for cocktails and grilled fare), or Bungalow on the Villa Beach boardwalk (for pizza).

After helming Woodfire Grill, starring on Top Chef, and writing his first cookbook (which was nominated for a James Beard Award), chef Kevin Gillespie opened Gunshow in 2013. He named the spot after a Sunday tradition with his father but created an entirely unique concept for the menu, combining elements of Chinese dim sum and Brazilian churrascaria. Here, diners pair small plates like Japanese bacon-and-shrimp pancakes, Caribbean red snapper crudo, and Southern-style banana pudding with quirky cocktails, made with ingredients like asparagus vodka and shishito syrup. Popular with locals, Gunshow is also a favorite of celebrities, so make a reservation to avoid waiting.

After long nights spent partying, studying, or working, a karak chai trip is a near-sacred tradition—cars packed with friends take a trip to a drive-through or a roadside stall to pick up sweet, hot chai. HumYum takes this longstanding and beloved ritual inside. The small café, decorated to evoke the bedouin and Emirati past, offers a wide variety of quick snacks and sweet drinks, perfect for a pick-me-up. Some of the city’s best people-watching takes place here, as you inhale the calming scents of cloves and cardamom and watch the late-night parade of tea-drinking regulars.

Grabbing a table at Huken can get competitive, but it’s worth it. This miniature Tromsø pub strikes the perfect balance between cluttered and cozy. Take in the eclectic furnishings and decor while you wait for your choice of hamburger or pancakes. Huken’s burgers are massive and served dripping with sauces, while the American-style pancakes with blueberries and bacon are a favorite with locals and tourists alike. The beer selection is solid for such a small place, and it draws a crowd of drinkers in the evening—so head here early if you want to savor a big meal.