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Chances are you’ve seen Maria Pinto’s works at some point in recent years—she’s known for dressing the likes of First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Brooke Shields. That fan base is only growing with the opening of her West Loop Style Studio, where women can shop M2057 by Maria Pinto, a ready-to-wear collection inspired by urban architecture and design. Created for the time-pressed but fashion-forward woman, Pinto’s pieces marry runway ideas with a low-maintenance aesthetic (the upscale fabrics might be imported from Italy, but they’re also machine-washable and wrinkle-resistant—perfect for travel). In addition to plenty of day-to-night options like dresses, skirts, tops, and pants, the boutique also carries belts and jewelry by outside artists, curated by Pinto.

A good used bookstore is a glorious thing and Myopic is one of the great ones. They have a giant selection of new, used, rare and out of print books on 3 floors, they’re well organized, they’re open until 11pm and there’s a store cat! There’s also a small reading room on the top floor with a big wooden table and chairs and they host poetry readings and live music. They’re open until 11pm all week long but there’s no public bathroom so factor that in to your afternoon of browsing.

Suburban Chicago isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of major religious centers. But Wilmette, a small town located less than 10 miles north of the Windy City, is home to the only Bahá’í House of Worship in North America. Dedicated in 1953, the temple—one of seven in the world—took more than three decades to build and features symbols from different world religions in its intricate design, signifying that everyone is welcome. An ornate dome crowns the nine-sided structure and symbolizes the unity of all people and religions under God. Visitors are welcome to explore the temple and surrounding geometric gardens. You can also call ahead to arrange a group tour.

The Hall family’s restaurant empire includes SNOB, High Cotton, and steakhouses in three cities, but this Upper King headquarters is where their pride in hospitality is most prominently on display. Diners are greeted upon arrival and bade farewell upon departure, often by one of owner Bill Hall, Sr.’s sons. The bartenders are equal parts warm and professional, but the real star is the meat. Halls’ menu includes dry-aged cuts and a massive wet-aged porterhouse, all sourced from Chicago’s acclaimed purveyor, Allen Brothers. The Chophouse is not haughty, however—there’s a kids’ menu, and most diners aren’t dressed for white tablecloth environs. Sunday’s popular gospel brunch features live singing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On weekdays, it’s worth a happy-hour swing-through for a glass of whisky or wine among the city’s top businessmen and power brokers, who mingle in this stately wood-and-leather classic Charleston spot.

Stephanie Izard puts together a great restaurant. The Girl and the Goat has been hard to get into since it opened and Little Goat had a 90 minute wait when we went last month. 90 minutes for diner food! That’s impressive. Other things that were impressive? The Fat Elvis Waffles with crunchy bacon bits, sliced bananas and peanut butter sauce. Big enough for 2 people, but who wants to give up any of that deliciousness?? Little Goat is worth a visit but let the newness wear off a bit before you go.

Up in the Andersonville neighborhood, home of many an antique store, Brownstone Antiques holds a primo spot on Clark Street just down the street from the Swedish diner, Svea. It’s more of a junk store than an antique store with a crowded jumble of antique furniture, piles of vintage jewelry, stacks of paintings and odds and ends on every surface. It’s a little dusty and a lot interesting.

There are consignment shops where everyone knows the value of a gently used designer garment, and then there are thrift stores where you can uncover a Coach bag hanging next to Walmart’s finest. Unique is that kind of thrift store. The good news is that Unique is reasonably priced—not as inexpensive as the Salvation Army, but much more affordable than most consignment shops. It’s clean and organized, and you can find name-brand clothing at great prices. Everyone needs a good thrift shop in their shopping rotation, and Unique is an excellent option.

Wanna be a redhead today? Maybe green is more your color… or something in a sensible silver? Long hair, short hair, punk rock styling, Farrah Fawcett flips, a cute bouffant or perhaps a conservative bob, Heads and Threads has got it and you know you want it. Buy a 50 cent wig cap and try on three wigs just for fun. Buy something or don’t, but I think those false eyelashes just caught your eye and maybe you need a glittery tiara to go with it? I’m just saying… Start here for your Halloween shopping and base the whole costume around your wig. Why not, right?

Voted “Best Waterpark in the Area for the Entire Family” by Chicago Parent in 2011, this water wonderland is fun for all ages. Parents can lounge around the pool, catching some rays in the sun, and the kids can romp around the Caribbean-themed park as they wish. The waterpark also offers swim lessons, birthday party packages, or the ability to rent the entire place for your own private event. And lest you or the little ones need a snack, the onsite concession stand will be more then happy to get you a little something to nibble on as you while away the hours of a summer afternoon.

Schwa is kind of a difficult place to describe; it’s such an eclectic bundle of everything, you just have to experience it for yourself. The exterior of the building makes it look like it should be condemned, but it’s actually structurally sound. Upon entering you’ll be greeted by the always hustling, yet always friendly staff, who will get you to one of the only 26 seats in the small but comfortable dining room. Music—usually heavy metal or rap—is played at a pretty high decibel level, and actually gets inside your brain at times, but for some odd reason it totally works in this place. Overhead the light fixtures are mini works of art that seem literally cobbled together, and to get to the bathroom you actually walk through the kitchen. But once you indulge in all that is unique and wonderful about the place, then you can settle in and indulge in the Michelin-starred food. Anything is fair game here, from Fruit Loop–inspired courses to a curried paste that came in a real-deal petri dish, to the crab that was perched on top of a glass of smoke (you removed the top to inhale the flavored scents—and then ate the crab). And we were told not to play with our food as children! Schwa’s chef Michael Carlson surely did not heed that advice growing up, and as a result we get to reap the benefit of his creative food fantasies coming to life.

New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago get a lot of the good press when it comes to the arts and art museums, but the Detroit Institute of Arts helps Detroit give these cities a run for their money. The diverse collection is spread out over 100 galleries and includes African, Asian, Islamic, and modern and contemporary art (and the list goes on). But don’t ignore the local contributions to the art world. Make sure you take proper time to stand before Diego Rivera’s enormous Detroit Industry fresco to give you some historical context before exploring the rest of the city.

Opulent is the word that may occur to you as you stroll into this split-level steakhouse. The art deco-inspired main dining room features oak pillars, camel-colored banquettes, and a jaw-dropping six-tiered brass and crystal chandelier. Upstairs, diners sit on a teak terrace with views of the San Diego skyline. A meal here often includes a show: Many dishes from caesar salad to Tournedos Rossini are prepared and served tableside from custom-made carts. The star of the menu is the Creekstone Farms Beef which has been dry-aged in a glass-enclosed meat locker for more than 25 days. Dry-aged duck and lamb, vegan tartares, and vegetable side dishes like leeks roasted over coals, or broccoli with salty bagna cauda round out the menu. Executive Chef Jason McCleod earned two Michelin stars working at Ria at the Elysian in Chicago. While Born & Raised is a high-end venue, the service is friendly and laid back with suit-clad servers sporting sneakers.

This small little wonder of a shop is located at 87 Rua do Carmo, the most fashionable street in Lisbon after the superseding Rua Garret. It is the last shop in the whole of Portugal, which is exclusively dedicated to the bespoke hand manufacture of leather gloves. The cream of the Lisbon society has been its avid clientele since 1925, procuring high quality leather tailor made gloves for those days when the sunshine is not enough to warm the hands. At about 50€ per pair, depending on the model and leather, you do not have to go to Italy to get a product of this tremendous quality. A woman from Chicago once told me that she had visited Lisbon ten years ago, where she had the opportunity to purchase a single pair. She was so impressed and the gloves had left such a good memory that she was here to get three or four more pairs in case she did not have the opportunity to come back to Lisbon for another ten years.

It’s one of the hardest reservations to score in the country, but not just because of its diminutive size (22 seats in all) or limited days of operation (Wednesday to Saturday; dinner only). For one, the Catbird Seat feels both intimate and exclusive: Guests are seated at a U-shaped counter that surrounds a central open kitchen. Then, there’s the thrill of the unknown.

Strategic Hospitality, the Nashville-based restaurant group started by homegrown entrepreneurs Ben and Max Goldberg, has hired a roster of notable chefs for extended stints, giving them carte blanche to create whatever inspires them during their tenure. Among them: Trevor Moran, an alumnus of Noma in Copenhagen. Since January 2016, Chicago-born chef Ryan Poli (another Noma vet, who also trained at the French Laundry) has held the reins, calling upon influences from his two-year stint working in kitchens around the world. A couple of recent hits: an umami-rich black truffle risotto made with sunflower seeds instead of rice, and noodles made with nori and spiked with zesty yuzu.

Austin’s very own grand dame, this landmark hotel opened in 1886 as the city’s first iconic hotel, both a testament to and display of the success of cattle baron Jesse Driskill, who wanted to build his beloved frontier town a palace to rival those in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The city fared better than Mr. Driskill did; financial troubles forced him to sell the hotel just two years after opening, and he died of a stroke just another two years later. After some initial ups and downs, his hotel ultimately flourished, housing a rotating cast of Texas elite and hosting important political events in Austin—in particular, gubernatorial inaugural balls—in the 20th century. President Lyndon Johnson had an especially close relationship with the hotel, from his first date with his wife to awaiting presidential re-election results in one of the suites.

Multimillion-dollar renovations in 2008 restored the hotel to its original grandeur, maintaining its historic charm alongside all the amenities of a modern luxury hotel. Brave guests might request a room on the reportedly haunted fifth floor. And, no stay at the Driskill is complete without a cocktail in the elegant Driskill Bar, where cattle, oil, or railroad barons would still fit in.