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Cafe Sevilla is located in the downtown Gaslamp district in San Diego. It’s a great place to hear live music while sharing tapas and drinks with friends. The interior is huge with flags hanging from a 20ft ceiling, a bull on the wall behind the bar, and other Spanish-inspired decor. The owners are from Spain, and this restaurant has been here in San Diego for over 20 years. On weekends, it’s a good idea to make reservations for dinner since it does fill up quickly. There’s a little stage that is always occupied by flamenco, rumba and/or Spanish guitarists. If you want a little more quiet, ask for a table on the second floor—you can still hear the live flamenco, but it feels a little more private. Or, you can sit outside on the patio for people watching. 5th Ave in San Diego is a hopping little place, and Cafe Sevilla is a great start to your evening.

Cal Anderson Park (named after Washington’s first openly gay legislator) is located at the Pike/Pine nexus of gay-friendly, hipster-filled Capitol Hill. With plenty of grassy lawns for picnics, reading, or playing bocce ball, it’s no surprise that crowds flock here whenever there’s a sunny day anytime of year. It’s also conveniently located near some great shops and restaurants: Molly Moon Ice Cream, Rock Box karaoke, Cure, Cupcake Royale, Unicorn, Elliott Bay Book Company, Everyday Music, and all the cheap eats on Broadway. Grab some takeout or a coffee to go and head to the park to admire the fountain or enjoy some people-watching. On Sundays, the Broadway Farmers Market is just a block away on Broadway.

Architecture and physics nerds must stop by the Bella Sky Comwell Hotel in Copenhagen‘s Ørestad neighborhood. The largest hotel in Scandinavia, its dizzying towers lean at a dramatic 15 degrees in each direction (11 degrees more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa). The triangular blue and white patterned exterior, was designed to minimize solar heat gain and maximize energy efficiency. Even if you don’t book a room here, visit the Sky Bar on the 23rd floor for piano music, cocktails, and great views or walk across the bridge that connects the two towers (it feels like the bridge sways in the wind).

Reykjavík’s Dill restaurant, run by chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason and sommelier Ólafur Örn Ólafsson, is the first venue in Iceland to win a coveted Michelin star. It specializes in New Nordic Cuisine, which means that the kitchen updates traditional dishes such as arctic char, pork belly, and lamb shanks in highly creative and ultradelicious ways—often pairing them with healthy ingredients like barley, berries, and kale. The restaurant is open four evenings a week, and the seven-course menu changes regularly based on availability of local ingredients. Food can be paired with a fabulous selection of champagnes and wines. It’s not the cheapest choice in town, but it is one of the best.

Lanikai Beach is no secret to the locals, or to tourists, as it is consistently ranked among the best beaches in the world, and it’s arguably the best beach on the island of Oahu. Chances are that if you’re visiting Hawaii then you’re probably on vacation which should make it easier to visit Lanikai during the week. This will increase your chances of finding a secluded spot to lounge in privacy. In fact this amazing beach is usually empty during the week (I would recommend avoiding this beach during peak tourist season or on the weekends). There is no parking, no public bathrooms, and no vendors of any kind within proximity to the beach so come prepared. Pack your sunblock, snacks, and drinks and lounge on this secluded, white-sand beach for the day. Enjoy doing nothing at all or read a book. Or you can fall in love like we did!

If you only have time to shop one place while in Cape Town, make it the Watershed market on the V&A Waterfront. A magnet for, well, virtually everything, the stalls and shops feature all the classic South African goods, from gorgeous green malachite bowls and bracelets to souvenirs made of springbok hide, recycled bottle caps, and even pressed protea flowers. There are also outposts of beloved local brands like Skoon (for sustainable beauty products), plus art (both affordable and aspirational), East African kitenge fabrics fashioned into simple Western styles, adorable baby clothes, and hand-painted leather clutches that are guaranteed to get compliments no matter where in the world you take them.

It’s hard not to feel hip upon entering this Williamsburg hotel. Credit those Insta-cool vibes to the always abuzz rooftop lounge Westlight, or to Leuca, where food-loving socialites flock for a taste of the Italian plates that chef Andrew Carmellini does best. Thanks to the hotel’s partnership with Brooklyn Arts Council, locally designed artworks greet guests in each of the 183 rooms, as do luxe Frette linens, floor-to-ceiling windows, and wraparound balconies with stellar views of the Manhattan skyline. Once settled in, it’s straightaway to the pool, a 60-foot stretch of water surrounded by daybeds and cabanas. If you’d prefer a private hot tub, book the Vale Garden Residence, a two-story suite complete with an open-air Jacuzzi, a fully furnished patio, and its own covetable city vistas.

For those looking for a unique sound or story from their guitar, Old Style Guitar shop on the outskirts of Silverlake has one of the best selections. Owner Rueben Cox skillfully refurbishes guitars by hand stocks vintage, rare and specialty guitars and the occasional ukelele and banjo.

The urban beaches of San Sebastián necessitate a chic swimsuit. If you forgot yours, or simply want a swimwear souvenir, Goiuri is the hands-down best swimsuit shop in town. They offer flattering suits of all types, with a mix-and-match ideology that makes finding a fab fit super easy.

In spite of being utterly delicious and in a popular destination for dining, La Torricella manages to fly under the radar. A long-established fixture in Testaccio, this pizzeria-ristorante serves delectable, consistently delicious food in a bustling, familial environment. The seafood is a particular draw and is best when deep fried or served in pasta.

Psycho Sisters specializes in the weird with vintage men’s and women’s clothing and the best and most original Halloween costumes around. You can find all sorts of dresses, shoes and accessories from every century as well as technicolor wigs. Bring in your old clothes on consignment for extra travel cash.

The fresh and local food movement has hit Vegas in recent years, and the fresh52 farmers and artisan market is a great way to discover the best that Vegas has to offer. Also, the Sunday markets often feature live entertainment, chef’s demonstrations, and activities for the kiddos as well.

We had the most amazing breakfast in their beautiful and quaint back garden. I’m voting this the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had. The cinnamon coffee was smooth and easy, and everyone’s breakfast hit the spot. Spend a breakfast here and even a couple of room nights.

Commissioned as a public artwork for the Memorial Park Cemetery, Crystal Shine Grotto is the largest—and perhaps only—man-made quartz cavern in the country. In 1938, Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez had a 60-foot-deep cave dug into the hillside in the middle of the cemetery, then set to work creating a magical attraction out of sculpted cement and almost five tons of colorful quartz crystals. He even carved niches in the walls, which were later filled with biblical statues to complete an unusual but heartfelt religious shrine that now draws thousands of visitors each year. Accompanied by a loop of harp music, the Grotto can be a peaceful place to pray, though it’s also eminently Instagrammable and has become a favorite posing spot for special-occasion photos.

“Mixed-use space” doesn’t come close to describing this hip destination on the banks of the Garonne River. Covering nearly five acres, the Darwin Ecosystème is first and foremost an incubator for sustainable development. Here, in renovated warehouses on the former Niel military barracks, several businesses have set up shop to help propel the green economy. Also on-site is everything from a bike-polo field, skate park, music venue, and free-expression space for graffiti artists to an urban farm, gourmet grocer, and Bordeaux’s largest organic restaurant. When you visit, be sure to stop by Les Chantiers de la Garonne, a “beach bar” on the riverbank where you can relax on a lounge chair with some oysters and Darwin beer (brewed on the premises), then dance the night away to electro beats.