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With just over a year in business, Green Dot Stables is still new, but owner Jacques and his wife took over a building in Corktown that isn’t. Instead, they took it from abandoned and historical to historical but fresh. The interior still retains its ode to horse racing and is kitschy appeal without being cheesy. An innovative new menu presided over by Les Molnar features more than 20 unusual and classic sliders with a “mystery meat” option that changes often. On the day I visited, the special was Lamb Tongue with Dijon Brown Butter and Fennel Relish. My favorite was the Corned Beef Slider with Wigley’s-Brinery Kraut, Pickle and Mustard Aioli. Local and imported beers anchor the drink list and their soda (or pop as it is known in the Midwest) is mixed in-house with locally made syrup. Optional sides include truffle fries, poutine, chicken and orzo salad, kale & quinoa, or classic mac ‘n’ cheese. Menus items start at an affordable $2 and it is a packed house during the lunch rush so plan accordingly or visit at odd hours to ensure fast service.

It’s impossible to ignore the hulking 1950s architecture of the Tate Modern, slap-bang in the middle of the most-walked part of the South Bank. A visionary refurb of this former power station has resulted in an artistic behemoth with multiple gallery spaces (containing both free exhibitions and ticketed exhibitions), including the fantastic Turbine Hall for oversize installations. Outside, the Millennium Bridge leads over the Thames to the City and the great domed St. Paul’s Cathedral.

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.

I fell in love. I fell in love with the town of Marfa. Safari tents. Stand alone bathtubs. Vintage trailers. Twinkle lights. Hammocks. An off the beaten path campground takes you to another world. You can choose to stay in one of their hip vintage trailers, eco-friendly safari tents, or in one of two teepees. The place fills up so all that was left was the safari tent. I felt like I was in a part of Moonrise Kingdom. It takes up 18 acres in Marfa, Texas and it has a place where they host live music, a communal kitchen, a shaded nook full of swinging hammocks, a community lounge and a small little shop filled with unique finds. It’s a place that just steals your heart and makes you wonder when you can come back.

A three-day safari in Kruger National Park is a must for anyone visiting South Africa. Entering the gates is like Jurassic Park and you feel transported back in time to the creation of Earth where the wild animals, especially the elephants, are dinosaurs filled with ancient knowledge of the land’s beginning. Although you may not see anything like the infamous “Battle at Kruger” YouTube video, you will certainly witness some interesting animal behavior like hippos bathing, monkeys mating, giraffes snacking or even two elephants flirting in the brush.

Fusion, one of Playa del Carmen’s oldest and best-loved beach bars, has an indoor restaurant area, but it’s most famous for its outdoor lounge, right on the sand, under palm trees, and hard by the Caribbean. Fusion’s central location in the busiest part of the downtown area makes it ideal for enjoying a day under a palapa’s shade, or a night out on the town with live music and fire shows. The menu offers a variety of international cuisine, so you can find almost anything you’re craving, whether it’s tacos, Argentine empanadas, or classic pub grub à la burgers and wings.

Not only can you load up on produce, freshly ground Middle Eastern and Indian spices, natural honey, and every variety of date known to man at the refurbished Waterfront Market (known as Deira Fish Market when it opened in the 1950s), you can have a truly authentic Dubai experience. In spite of having been updated with modern conveniences and air-conditioned facilities, one satisfying ritual has been preserved from the old market: When you want to order grilled fish or shrimp from the restaurant, you can select your own from the display.

For bibliophiles, a beautiful bookstore is akin to a church. Voices hush, smiles abound, and books are handled gently, like precious relics. An old home packed with an extensive collection of used and new titles, Bart’s Books opened in 1964, when Richard Bartinsdale’s collection became so huge that he constructed bookcases outside, so passersby could peruse the titles. Instead of a cash register, he left coffee cans on the shelves so customers could leave payment. Today, Bart’s is the largest independently owned and operated outdoor bookstore in the country—and the books outside are still for sale via the honor system. But the offerings extend indoors too. If you’re looking for cookbooks and culinary lore, check in the building’s kitchen. The living room features poetry. Art books are in the gallery. The rest of the place is a maze of bookshelves with corrugated tin roofing and open-air seating areas for reading at your leisure. Don’t worry about rain: The books are fairly well protected, and while a few may be lost in the rare heavy storm, most make it through perfectly fine.

Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

The Heron’s Cove is a special little spot on a small inlet in Goleen on the coast in West Cork, with harbor views and an outdoor terrace for pre- or post-dinner drinks. The harborside location also gives it access to freshly caught seafood—though steaks, duck, and lamb also feature on the menu. The restaurant is open from May to August and by prebooking for April or September. The restaurant is also a B&B, making it the ideal peaceful base for exploring the area.

Tastee and Juicy may be the two most popular brands of Jamaican patties, but one definitely should not miss out on the super premium patties on offer at Devon House Bakery. Set on the grounds of the historic Kingston mansion, just a few minutes from such notable area hotels as the Courtleigh, Jamaica Pegasus, and the Knutsford Court, Devon House Bakery espouses some serious Old World cafe charm. A fine selection of sinful sweets – brownies, butter cookies, cakes, muffins – awaits inside. So too does one of the most amazing Jamaican patties I’ve ever tried. Options go well beyond the usual beef with fish, pork, shrimp, and lobster elevating the typical Jamaican patty to new heights. The best choice, though, is the curry goat. Spicy and succulent, the Devon House goat patty melts in your mouth while warming your soul. Pure, delicious niceness and most certainly the very best Jamaican patty I’ve ever had. Don’t miss it!

Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja, or Old Town, is located on a peninsula separating the Río de la Plata from the harbor. It has the orderly grid typical of many Spanish cities in the New World. Until 1829, the Ciudad Vieja was walled though today only one gate (the Puerta de la Ciudadela) remains of those defenses. This section of Montevideo is home to many of the city’s most famous historic buildings, including the cathedral and the Cabildo, which today houses the city’s archives.

Kourou, located on the mainland where the Kourou River flows into the Atlantic, was once the home of the “Kourou Prison,” part of the infamous Devil’s Island prison system. After the prison closed in the mid-1900s, most of the buildings were demolished to make room for the Hôtel des Roches. Among the remnants of the old facilities, the most noteworthy is the Dreyfus Tower, a small structure that resembles the leaning tower of Pisa, standing where the river meets the ocean. The original purpose of the tower was to communicate with the islands via the semaphore flag system in the days before radio. Remnants of the prison bakery also remain nearby.

As befits a town with 475 years of history, San Miguel supports a number of city tour guides. One of the most popular is the Patronato Pro Niños Historic Walking Tour—a fund-raiser for children’s health care—which leaves from the city center, the Jardín, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 a.m., for a two-hour stroll through history. You’ll surely stop at the Chorro (a public patio lined by old, open-air laundry sinks), a popular photo spot. And for real down-to-earth insight (plus a couple of laughs) about San Miguel people, culture, and rituals, book a tour with local storyteller Joseph Toone.

San Miguel is chock-full of unique shops offering everything including art, antiques, collectibles, and trinkets. There’s something for everyone, from furniture to jewelry, at Mixta, a shop housed in a beautiful 18th-century structure on Calle Pila Seca. The idea—as the name suggests—is to mix local design with international ideas. As you find yourself seduced by the shop’s mishmash of old photography, shawls woven by an indigenous women’s cooperative, designer dresses, reproduction Eames chairs, silkscreen-print handbags, and colorful Chiapaneco table linens, the common denominator shines through, bright and clear: a brilliant eye for beauty.