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The limited-edition Nikes and kiosk of independent magazines (Corpus, Out of Order, System) at this brilliantly edited multibrand boutique in the upper Marais recall the city’s renowned concept shop Colette. But its abundant natural light, and market-fresh, Scandinavian-influenced café make it a place of its own. Minimalist, rustic decor and sparsely furnished racks reinforce a feeling of calm. An in-house florist is in the works. 12 Rue Perrée, 33/(0) 1-44-61- 53-60. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.

Despite a name change from Mia’s Yunnan Kitchen to Julie’s, this inexpensive, cheerful restaurant in the French Concession continues to serve delicious cuisine from southern Yunnan province. Kunming, Yunnan’s capital, is 1,900 miles from Beijing, and the province’s cuisine has more in common with neighboring Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam than it does with other regional Chinese cuisines. The most unique dish on the menu is rubing—pan-fried goat’s-milk farmer cheese, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s very simple but unusual: When have you seen dairy in Chinese cooking? Eat it with pickled mashed potatoes, spicy mint salad, and plenty of mushrooms—they’re native to Yunnan.

In Oaxaca, religious celebrations leading up to Easter tend to be quite somber, which is appropriate considering what the days commemorate. Although a lot of people take advantage of the two-week school break to go to the beach, those who stay in town partake of these somewhat mournful observances. Silent religious processions and passion plays are commonly held on Good Friday. Easter Sunday is generally a quiet day, but there are some festive celebrations that take place. In front of the church in Etla people carry religious images draped with flowers. Bands play music, and the people carrying the images dance around as they balance the weight on their shoulders.

Run by the talented Chef Pilar Cabrera, who also offers cooking classes through Casa de los Sabores, La Olla is an unpretentious restaurant offering Oaxacan specialties. Head to the upper-level dining room, which is more spacious than the ground floor, with artwork by local artists. The moles are delicious, but to start, order the squash blossom soup. A beautifully arranged bowl with squash blossoms and seeds with some queso fresco and cream is placed in front of you, then the waiter pours the soup over it. It tastes as good as it looks. Open 8 am to 10 pm Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays. La Olla offers a set meal between 1:30 and 4 pm - check the website for the daily menu.

Tucked in between Boathouse Row and the Fairmount Water Works, and just a short walk from the Art Museum, the Cosmic Cafe at Lloyd Hall is a great place to enjoy breakfast, which is served all day. The cafe also serves excellent coffee and baked goods, creative sandwiches and wraps, yogurt, smoothies, ice cream, and more. This is a wonderful spot to get an inexpensive meal and the cafe offers many options for vegetarians. The idyllic location on the river at Kelly Drive attracts bicyclists, joggers, rowers, and dog walkers. It’s open year-round, but the best time to visit is spring through fall, when the weather permits outdoor dining. This is one of my favorite spots for people watching. (Muscled men in spandex, oh my!)

This unassuming adobe house in Santa Fe is home to one of the world’s ‘top ten places’ to drink chocolate. (Seriously. It ranks up there with anything in Europe or South America.) Walk the few blocks from the city’s central Plaza, open the door and inhale the pre-columbian fragrance of the eight or nine ‘drinking elixirs’ that will be swirling and ready to serve. Free samples will tempt and educate you... My wife lingered over the “Spanish” blend, sipping on a blend of chocolate, floral essence, coconut sugar and spices, while I had their version of “atole,” a traditional hearty breakfast drink made with blue corn masa, chocolate, honey, Mexican vanilla, and local chimayó chile pepper. But there’s more to cacao here than just drinking; the handmade truffles, caramels and mendiants are arrestingly good! The house-made agave caramels dusted with chile powder (again, from the beloved chimayó peppers from their namesake valley just north of the city) or topped with nuts from the pinyon pines so common in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains--these are treats with a definite taste-of-place. Sip. Savor. Linger. Marvel.

Let’s face it, Stockholm is three things for travelers: It’s cold. It’s expensive. And it’s home to some of the most gorgeous human specimens on this dear planet of ours. I may have found the perfect place to remedy these issues, should they be considered as such—Gilda’s Café. Set in the heart of the boho district of Södermalm in south Stockholm, Gilda’s is the perfect place to shelter from the cold with a warm cup of coffee in hand, inexpensive pastries (fika, anyone?), and some good old people watching. Trust me when I say that people watching does not get any better than in Stockholm. Locals are very fond of hipster ways. They are relaxed, friendly, and could all be on the front cover of a fashion magazine. Beautiful people aside, Gilda’s is a little slice of heaven on its own. Think unmatched tableware, indie music, eclectic furniture, and delicious homemade dishes. Worlds away from the compartmentalism and practicality of Ikea. The change of scenery is most welcome and enjoyable. Save your precious kronors, daydream about a handsome Swedish Viking while sipping a comforting latte, and go to Gilda’s. It’s the ultimate south Stockholm thing to do, and you won’t regret it.

We finally found it! Officine Del Gelato Milano; a modern, absolutely delicious gelato parlor. They had us coming back (three times in one day) until we had tried every flavor—including every kind of gelato popsicle. It was a guilt-free treat and every flavor was uniquely refreshing. We discovered this place, not from a guidebook but from the back of a streetcar. One evening we decided to let serendipity lead us, so we hopped on the first streetcar we saw. As we skidded past a gelato shop, we snapped a photo of a long and disorderly line of chatty Italians. The next morning, our last day in Italy, we made it our mission to find this place. Without knowing the tram line we had taken, we used our photos and collective memories to retrace our steps. While traveling, look for lines of locals because if they’re willing to wait, it’s bound to be good. I also learned that you can never have too much gelato. In the years since I’ve been back a few times and they’ve lived up to the memory—they even have new flavors. Mmm.

Surprisingly enough, you can round the point at Point Dume and discover your own hidden nooks to spend the day. With cliffs at your back and a private beach with decent size waves in front of you, it’s not a bad place for a picnic.

As proof that Dallasites aren’t all about the carnivore life, this downtown market has been peddling farm-fresh veggies, dairy, and more since 1941. What started as a small horse-and-wagon wholesale market is now a 26,000-square-foot hall lined with farm stands, artisan food vendors, and specialty purveyors, plus food hall–style stalls and four permanent restaurants. From fresh baked goods to gourmet cheeses, globally sourced spices to locally grown produce, and seafood to spirits, you’ll find everything you need to stock your pantry or picnic basket. After shopping, grab some coffee or lunch to enjoy at the indoor or outdoor seating areas—the latter facing views of the downtown skyline.

This historic market has been in operation since 1892, and is beloved by locals as a destination for lunch, grocery shopping, or buying regional gifts at the Pennsylvania General Store. More than 70 businesses sell fresh wares here, including ice cream, cookies, meat, seafood, produce, Mexican cuisine, and artisanal grilled-cheese sandwiches—just to name a few. Philadelphians line up daily for just-baked goods from the Amish-owned Beiler’s Bakery, which also runs a separate doughnut stand in the Pennsylvania Dutch section of the market. The market’s location, across the street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, can mean throngs of visitors on convention days; try to get to the market as early as possible to avoid the crowds.

They had me at the yellow building. I love wandering the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco and both Piccino restaurant and separate coffee bar, are lovely places to gather. The coffee bar on 22nd Street serves carefully crafted Sightglass organic coffee drinks. Their baking team aims to impress and I can’t get enough of the mushroom turnovers. Bonus: If you’re looking to make a to-go order from the Piccino restaurant around the corner, the coffee bar is where you’d place and pick up that order (hours have recently been extended until 10pm).

The newest Yountville venture by Chef Thomas Keller and his restaurant group opened in January 2019. The casual Mexican eatery welcomes diners with bright, festive decor and crockery sourced from artisans in Mexico. Though Keller’s name earned the spot a ton of buzz long before its opening, Chef de Cuisine Kaelin Ulrich Trilling is the real culinary captain of the place. In addition to highlighting dishes from his native Oaxaca, Chef Kaelin honors flavors from across Mexico in a menu which features dishes like tostada de nopales (grilled cactus), pollo en mole negro (chicken in mole), tacos al pastor (pork with pineapple) and a tres leches cake that’s worth the trip alone. But above all, Trilling and his team are committed to embodying the restaurant’s name. “A calenda is a celebration,” says Trilling, “and the name is to bring to Napa Valley a sense of fun and Mexican culture. You come in, have a great meal, but we want you to feel like you’re relaxed and hving a good time, maybe sipping a good mescal.” So far, they’re hitting the mark.

College-town hiking aficionados usually know where to eat, so when the guys up the street at Babbitts Backcountry Outfitters told me this was one of the best places in town for weekend brunch, I went. A lunch-and-dinner place during the week, Criollo Latin Kitchen opens up on weekend mornings with offerings from blue corn pancakes to pork belly tacos, with poblano cheddar grits, sweet ancho chili sausage gravy, and Haitian ‘ti-malice'-inspired relish to go with eggs over easy. And along with the artists’ paintings that change monthly, the food is “local” as well—the menu and the chalkboard on the wall will let you know the ranches and farms in Arizona and Colorado that are the sources for Criollo’s organic ingredients. On this particular morning, I had the “huevos motuleños,” the Yucatán’s version of “huevos rancheros.” And get some bacon—it’s hearty, comes from Black Mesa Ranch in the White Mountains, and will make you want to bring the word “toothsome” back into popular usage. Even if you’re just passing through Flagstaff on your way to the Grand Canyon, or driving from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, Criollo is worth a stop. It’s just a block north of historic old Route 66 downtown. (Criollo is owned by the same folks who opened the nationally-renown “Brix” just up the street—Flagstaff is becoming a restaurant mecca—and its newest sister restaurant is “Proper,” way down the road in Tucson. “Taco Tuesday” evenings with inexpensive margaritas can be crowded.)

Anyone who has been to Brazil knows that the country has fantastic open-air markets, known as feiras in Portuguese. They often feature a combination of handicrafts, antiques, live music, dancing, and street food. The market on Saturdays at Praça Benedito Calixto in São Paulo is no exception, but this one is almost unknown to tourists. Older Paulistanos (as Sao Paulo residents are called) sell beautiful antiques that reflect the city’s cultural ties to Europe. Artisans sell colorful woven clothing, handmade leather shoes, jewelry made from açaí seeds, baskets and mobiles made from recycled magazines, and much more. In the center of the market is a square of food and drink vendors, selling food from Northeastern Brazil, dried fruits, coconut water, and other typical Brazilian street food. In the early afternoon, live chorinho music begins and the square soon fills with people dancing. This outdoor market is much more than a place for people to shop—it’s a place for people to relax and have fun. The market runs every Saturday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. The streets surrounding the market have many good restaurants, and the neighboring street of Teodoro Sampaio is known for its shops selling traditional Brazilian musical instruments. There are parking garages nearby; the market can also be reached by bus or by subway (Clinicas station).