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In April 2017, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List (produced by the British magazine Restaurant) bestowed the title of the greatest restaurant anywhere on Eleven Madison Park. It marked the first time in 13 years that an American establishment secured the top spot. (The previous U.S. winner was Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, in 2003 and 2004.) It’s not the restaurant’s only laurel: It has also received three stars from Michelin and four from the New York Times. If you want to judge for yourself, be prepared to spend $295 for an 8-to-10-course tasting menu (or $155 for the smaller five-course bar menu). Both prices include tips, but not beverages. Executive chef Daniel Humm’s menu could be called haute American—local ingredients are highlighted in dishes with preparations that border on, but don’t cross into, the fussy. The dining room itself complements the meal. Right after the restaurant was named the world’s best, it closed for a four-month renovation, and its new light- and art-filled interior pairs perfectly with Humm’s dishes.

Lincoln Center is an iconic landmark featured in TV shows, movies, and countless city tours. It is an artist’s mecca comprised of many buildings, including Avery Fisher Hall, the Julliard School, and The Metropolitan Opera. All of the buildings were designed by different architects. The focal point and largest building in the complex is The Metropolitan Opera which houses a pair of large paintings by Marc Chagall in its interior. While Lincoln Center is beautiful in day light, it’s true beauty is witnessed at night when the lights from inside the buildings highlight the columns and arches made of travertine.

Bufalina owner Steven Dilley once lived in New York City, where he taught himself how to cook pizza in his subsequently overheated apartment. He was a good teacher and a good student. The University of Texas alumnus became one of the early movers in the Neapolitan pizza game in Austin and now operates two Bufalina locations. The igloo-shaped stoves that turn out charred and supple pizzas never would have fit in that old apartment, but they have become the centerpieces of his Austin restaurants. The menus celebrate local bounty with a couple of fresh salad options, and the daily pasta is always a must. Dilley has also put together one of the city’s most intriguing wine lists, an unexpected page-turner for restaurants the size of Bufalina.

Opened in 2021, the first urban resort from LVMH—the arbiter and exporter of French luxury—feels sumptuous at every turn. A 100-foot pool, the largest of any French hotel, is covered in hand-laid mosaic tiles, while a series of virtual window panels display illustrated scenes of the Seine in perpetual motion as you swim laps. A penthouse apartment has its own 41-foot pool, projection space, and panoramic terrace. Plénitude, the fine-dining restaurant, earned three Michelin stars within months of opening. The hotel was designed by Peter Marino, an American known for his chromatic and sculptural retail spaces in the LVMH universe, including the recently renovated Tiffany’s flagship in New York.

The gorgeous Cour Vendôme Center is all the way upmarket, and a fantastic place to window shop, or spend a few buckets on a saucy new swimsuit—maybe one size larger than usual, considering how delicious the French fare on St Barths is.

Bicycle shop Rossignoli has been keeping Milan on two wheels for more than a century. Rossignoli is known for its fashionable cycles, which can be refurbished and reused. Likewise, they keep creativity in motion with new products and avant-garde installations during Salone del Mobile.

Inside the new Music City Center convention space, you can find the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery. The exhibit includes artifacts plus three touch screens for watching video, listening and learning about the history of songwriting in Nashville.

It seems criminal that what many consider the best barbecue in Charleston comes from a Texas pit-master, but such is the nature of a global food scene in a thriving culinary city. John Lewis arrived in town with focus and intention, constructing an array of smokers that slow-cook hundreds of pounds of brisket, pork, and “hot guts” (sausage) each day. His expansive, counter-serve joint accommodates grab-and-go meals as well as extended feasts, for at least as long as diners can fend off the meat sweats. If you’re indecisive—which is natural at Lewis Barbecue—opt for the Sancho Loco, a mountain of a sandwich that piles guts, pickled red onions, pulled pork, and chopped beef between two slices that do their best to accommodate the onslaught of sauce and smoky flavor. Regulars know not to miss the green chili corn pudding—it’s a taste of Texas that’s more than welcome in the Lowcountry.

Designed by Thai architect Khun Lek Bunnag—who has garnered a reputation for building luxury resorts that highlight the natural beauty of southeast Asia (Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai; Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve)—the centerpiece of this peaceful boutique property is a 330-foot swimming pool that’s anchored by four massive gold-leaf columns and meanders through a forest-backed eight-acre garden. Vast domed and wood-covered rooms are controlled with iPads and express a fusion of modern Thai and Indian aesthetics—think sleek marble surfaces, whimsical panelled walls, and silk throw pillows. Guests are mostly couples and child-free travelers unfazed by the freestanding bathtubs that sit next to king-size beds and showers separated from sleeping areas by glass sliding doors. The many unfenced walkways over the swimming pool and other water features make the hotel unsuitable for very young children, though older kids might appreciate outdoor movie screenings.

Spice Route is a heavenly experience where deep colors meet exotic spices. Located in the grand Imperial Hotel, I found the restaurant to be one of the most visually stunning places I’ve ever seen. Restaurants in 5-star hotels are generally known to display lavish and extravagant decor, but this restaurant is on a whole new level. It feels as if you have walked into a dark forest with rich gold branches and heavenly waterfalls, and a pervasive aroma of mysterious spices to match. It’s an escape into nature. And it’s not as if the stunning decor is trying to compensate for the poor quality of food. The food is absolutely scrumptious, offering food from all the places that fell under the ancient spice route, from the Malabar Coast of Kerala to the shores of Thailand. I think it’s one of the very few restaurants in Delhi that has amazing Keralan food. The restaurant is really romantic, making it a perfect place for a date. It is very upscale and they are quite serious about implementing a strict dress code. It’s even rated as one of the top restaurants by Condé Nast Traveler. It’s not just a restaurant, it’s an experience!

Formerly Meliá Hotel Doha,
The Meliá Hotel Doha is the first five-star Spanish hotel in the country. It is brand new and home to “Aceite,” a restaurant offering traditional Spanish tapas, and also to the award-winning restaurant “Signature” by Sanjeev Kapoor. It offers all the amenities a regular five-star hotel does with a posh twist called “The Level,” an exclusive floor reserved for guests looking for a new level of refinement. From personalized check-in and check-out in a private lounge, to a pillow menu, free ironing, limousine transport to and from Doha, and a menu of room aromas, The Level takes care of every detail. The best thing about all this pampering is the price. Rooms at The Level are less than $200/night under the Special Promotion Campaign.

Global celebrities like Bill and Hillary Clinton and Bruce Springsteen have all been spotted at Bukhara. Ranked as one of New Delhi’s top (and priciest) restaurants since 1977, the legendary spot—now located at the ITC Maurya hotel—celebrates India’s rugged North West Frontier region in both its décor and menu. Though the faux-rustic design seems a bit like that of a theme restaurant (think cracked stone walls, low seating, lots of wood beams and clay pots), the cuisine is legit. So legit, in fact, that there’s no cutlery, so guests eat with their hands. (You are issued an apron for protection.) The dishes of the Frontier region tend towards the warm, hearty, and comforting, crafted using tandoor clay ovens and wood fires, so expect staples like marinated kebabs, rich lentils, fluffy bread, and lots of meat; the signature Sikandri Raan mutton leg, burrah (lamb) kebabs, and off-the-menu Chicken Khurchan are particular favorites, along with overflowing shareable platters. Reservations are recommended as the place does gets packed.

I first acquired one of Mychal’s beautifully handcrafted leather journals in late 2006 as a gift prior to an extended trip to Brazil. It now sits in my bookshelf, filled with sketches, poems and souvenir Brazilian flyers, stickers, photos, etc, as a remembrance of a great adventure. These are journals you will want to keep forever; they will inspire you to fill their pages, carefully with the same attention to detail that there were created. Visit Mychal’s studio in East Austin and let the smell of leather lure you in; she may even share a glass of wine and engulf you in conversation about her next adventure, the latest leather shipment or the best place to Salsa dance in Austin. I now prepare for a new travel adventure, and have picked the new shade of turquoise to be the color for my next Iona journal!

Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand, so if you’re going to try it anywhere in the world, shouldn’t it be at the world’s first commercial bungee site? With a 140-foot drop from an old bridge straddling a beautiful turquoise river, the location outside of Queenstown couldn’t be more perfect. In fact, its beauty might even distract from what lies ahead. Choosing between jumping tandem or solo, bobbing above the water, touching it, or even getting dunked, the Kawarau Bridge has every option available—though maybe none for the faint of heart. In the few minutes I watched dozens of people fling themselves off the platform, from kids to parents, everyone had a big smile on their face when finished.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the nation’s first museum and school of fine arts, and home to an outstanding permanent collection of American art, including Thomas Eakins’ medical painting “Gross Clinic”. Throughout the year, PAFA presents special exhibitions and work by some of the region’s most talented contemporary artists. The galleries are contained in two separate buildings, the Historic Landmark Building (pictured), a spectacular architectural gem designed by Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt, and the new Samuel Hamilton Building at 128 North Broad Street. Be sure to visit Lenfest Plaza, a public space adjacent to the Academy to check out Philadelphia artist Jordan Griska’s fantastic sculpture made from a former US military plane. PAFA’s gift shop, housed in the new Hamilton Building, is a wonderful place to shop for unique accessories, arts, crafts and paper goods.