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The New Mexico Capitol Art Collection is a surprising find: an extensive art collection focusing on nearly 600 New Mexican and Southwestern artists, housed in the State Capitol Complex. This awesome assemblage incorporates paintings, photography, mixed media, textiles and handcrafted furniture. And, it’s free to the public.

The museum’s collection and calendar of exhibits is a little more daring than you might imagine, but the permanent installation of James Turrell’s Knight Rise presents visitors with the biggest art jolt of all. The work, open to the public for free, consists of a circular bench beneath a luminous domed ceiling. An elliptical hole cut into the top of the dome contains a glimpse of sky. When observed in this manner, even the clearest desert sky seems to shift and pulse and fill the window with pure exuberant color. Come at dawn or sunset for the best (and often most solitary) viewing.

At Park Hyatt London River Thames, creativity and discovery unfold around you as soon as you enter the lobby. A Charlie Whinney commission inspired by the iconic waterway outside the hotel, Ebb and Flow, welcomes guests. From there, explore a “park by water” art gallery, admiring pieces by more than 20 world-renowned artists throughout the property for a distinctive cultural experience that reflects London’s international appeal. It’s a significantly quieter, more personal journey than you might find at the nearby Tate Modern or other major institutions here, but no less impactful.

Often called one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Trunk Bay is a crescent of snow-white sand with a small green islet on the north side of the aquamarine lagoon. Part of the Virgin Islands National Park, Trunk Bay is known for its underwater snorkeling trail. Submerged signs along the trail describe the corals, tropical fish and other marine life found within the bay. Visitors can rent snorkeling gear on the beach, and lifeguards are in attendance.

One of the island’s best lookouts, Drake’s Seat offers a panoramic view of Magens Bay and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands to the east. The site is named for Sir Francis Drake, who is said to have kept watch over the harbor from this vantage point. (Was Drake benevolently watching over his own fleet or looking for ships to plunder? The answer will depend on whether you subscribe to the British’s regard of him as a celebrated explorer or to others’ belief that he was a brutal privateer.)

Federal Donuts, which sells wacky-flavored handmade doughnuts, coffee, and Korean-style twice-fried chicken, is just one example of how chefs in the City of Brotherly Love are pursuing their culinary obsessions. The original Center City shop has been joined by branches around town (including one at the baseball stadium) as well as a satellite shop in Miami: The owners’ whimsical impulse to pick up a doughnut machine on Craigslist in 2011 now seems less crazy and more like the first steps of delicious empire-building.

Verde is actually two stores in one. It carries one-of-a-kind accessories, jewelry, and gifts, which makes it stand out as one of several unique shops in the Midtown Village district of Center City. Serendipitously, the boutique shares space with Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates. In fact, you can watch the chocolate confections being made in the back room by peeking through the large window. A shopa-choco-holic’s dream! While in Midtown Village, venture across the street to another notable shopping stop, Open House, which sells Philly-themed items as well as a curated selection of housewares and accessories.

The largest luxury hotel in the city, the Charleston Place takes up a full city block with entrances on King and Meeting streets; the latter leads to the grand lobby, with its imperial open-arm staircase, 12-foot crystal chandelier, and Italian marble floors. Its 433 large guest rooms have old-fashioned Southern details like mahogany and damask furnishings. The hotel’s lower level houses fine-dining restaurant Charleston Grill, an attractive hotel bar, a large indoor saltwater pool with a retractable glass roof, and a shopping arcade with designer stores. The hotel recently began a $150 million renovation but will remain open as the property is upgraded from stem to stern.

I don’t use the word “best” lightly, but Salvaggio’s deserves it. For decades, they’ve been serving up the best classic sandwiches in Boulder at their three locations—a kiosk on Pearl St. in front of the courthouse, a shop at 26th and Pearl St. and one up on University Hill. They use all Boar’s Head meat, fresh baked bread, and wonderfully spicy chilis. In the morning, they do big sloppy egg sandwiches.

Doha is a paradise for architects and designers. In a place where money is not an issue, the sky is the only limit to their imagination. If someone imagines a building, Qatar is the place to crystallize it. Qatar will host the 2022 soccer world cup in the best state-of-the-art stadiums modern technology can build, and will house athletes and visitors in sophisticated hotels, villas and resorts. Which means, there will be buildings looking like desert roses, tress, flames and even like paradise.

Multnomah Falls is a gorgeous sight located about 45 minutes by car outside of Portland, Oregon, on the Columbia River Gorge. Several hikes of differing degrees of difficulty offer vantage points to view the falls. The sound of the rushing water is a soothing composition from Mother Nature.

A trip up to the Dee Wright is a required trek for all my guests who visit Oregon. If you want to experience the power and beauty of the planet, the Old McKenzie Highway delivers an eyeful. Starting in Ponderosa Pine forests and climbing to 5,300 feet above sea level, the road wages a mighty battle to deliver travelers to the top. The structure at the pass is built out of lava from the surrounding flow and towers above the old wagon road that is now Route 242. The road is closed in winter, but it’s a busy corridor during the summer tourist season. The observatory has windows which become frames for the famous peaks easily seen across the barren landscape. On the top deck you can easily see Mt. Hood to the north on a clear day. An interpretive trail gives visitors a great geology lesson on Cascade volcanology. It is a very harsh environment with the blistering heat of summer and the raging snow storms of winter. One can hardly imagine moving though this moonscape in a covered, ox-drawn wagon back when Oregon was just a territory. Nothing like it.

Nick’s is a Southern California institution, with coastal locations in Long Beach, San Clemente, Manhattan Beach, and Pasadena. The Laguna outpost has the others beat, however, thanks to its perch just across the street from Main Beach. Diners can head here after a long day in the sun for delicious takes on classic American dishes, from buttermilk fried chicken and San Francisco cioppino to rib eye melts and cheeseburgers with Thousand Island dressing. Whatever you choose, pair it with a house cocktail (you can’t go wrong with the jalapeño-watermelon margarita) as you watch the sun set over the Pacific.

Captain Dave’s ocean safaris offer visitors a different way to see Laguna. Departing from Dana Point, the cruises take place on a high-tech, high-speed catamaran equipped with underwater viewing pods so guests can see marine life up close. The boat also features three tram nets on the bow, offering prime views of everything from blue, humpback, and fin whales to orcas, dolphins, and even great white sharks. Cruises are limited to 49 people so everyone gets a front-row seat—plus Mrs. Captain Dave’s legendary triple fudge brownies that she bakes fresh for every trip.