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Much more than just a restaurant or smoothie stop, Choice Health Bar is a culinary fusion of food, lifestyle, and positivity. This small restaurant in the Lahaina industrial park serves fresh kale salads and heaping acai bowls. The place is a favorite hangout for island locals from surfers and paddlers to vegans. Just because it’s healthy, don’t think the food will taste like cardboard. Creative concoctions pepper a menu that is constantly being reinvented, and you’d never expect that a quinoa quiche could possibly taste so good. Locals also love Choice for the laid-back atmosphere and powerful, positive vibes. A sign on the door informs all patrons that this is officially a “bummer free zone,” and instead of simply “super-sizing” your meal, you can “make it epic” with ‘superfoods’ like kale and cacao. Consistently voted as the island’s top pick for healthy, vegan cuisine, Choice is the absolute best spot on the West Side for infusing your body with nutrients.

The Frank A. Wacha Bridge is also called the Jensen Beach Causeway. This bridge connects the town of Jensen Beach on the mainland with Jensen Beach on Hutchinson Island. The bridge is named after Frank A. Wacha, Sr. who was a Martin County Commissioner. In 1965 the first Frank A. Wacha,Sr. Bridge was built. It was a modern drawbridge. In 2003 -2004 a new structure was built to replace the old drawbridge ( which I, for one, miss). The new bridge is especially beautiful to see at night as the structure is highlighted over the Indian River. The surrounding area is a breeding ground for many forms of marine life in the river and it’s mangroves. There are recreational islands under the bridge. There are picnic pavilions, a fishing pier, a park, boat ramps, and four docks. Every day, you can see fishermen fish right off the bridge. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the bridge and the walk is invigorating. I enjoy this walk into town from the island. The view from the top of the bridge is of the river and the ocean beyond. Quite a view!

One of the more relaxing evenings away from home was spent at the Outrigger Hotel in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. I checked in with no problems and was even upgraded to a partial ocean view room! I had enough time to mosey on through town to grab some dinner and watch the sun sink to the ocean (complete with a green flash). The hotel was comfortable and situated next to a beach filled with a all sorts of fish and sea turtles. Snorkeling at Kahaluu Bay Beach Park, right next door to the hotel in the morning was one of the best snorkeling experiences I have had in Hawaii. The water was clear and the marine life was over-abundant! Sitting at the beach bar in the evening with live music and the sound of the surf was enough to relax the body and soothe the soul for a great night of sleep! If you are local, make sure to book their Kamaaina rate. **Unfortunately, the Keauhou property has closed. However, the Outrigger has several other properties on the Big Island.

The Elliott Bay Book Company is the Seattle bookstore and, thankfully, survived its move from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill with soul and towering cedar bookcases intact. Elliott Bay lost a significant chunk of square footage during the move but gained a home right in the heart of Capitol Hill. Which makes it even easier to execute the ideal lazy Sunday afternoon combo: new novel + Fonte latte and one of the book-size housemade muffins from the on-site café (if it’s sunny, make a beeline for the grassy Cal Anderson park, just across the street). The food is northwest downhome—unpretentious salads with local greens, wholesome soups—but the abundant outlets and cozy café vibe make up for any food misses.

Try it there: The lemon crepe

Bring it home: Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice and tickets to a Neptune Theater reading

Get ready for crowds in October in western North Carolina; leaf-peepers from all over the Southeast converge in these mountains, when the Blue Ridge erupts into red and gold...Come during the week, though, and you won’t have to fight for a parking space near the waterfalls. The stretch of U.S. highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands is known as the “Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.” Be content to drive slowly on its winding path, and just a few miles north of Highlands (one of the highest towns east of the Mississippi), you’ll see a sign for “Dry Falls.” Don’t worry--it’s not a dry ditch that you’re pulling off for. Look down into the gorge formed by the Cullasaja River and you’ll see the six-story-tall cascade. It owes its name to the fact that the river shoots off an overhang, leaving just enough space behind the waterfall for a trail--you can stay relatively dry as you walk behind Dry Falls. During periods of high flow, though, you WILL get wet; cover your camera as you walk behind the roaring water.

For panoramic views of the entire city—for the price of a subway ride—take the Roosevelt Island Tram. As the suspended car runs parallel to the bridge, spanning the gap between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island, you’ll have unparalleled vistas of the New York syline and the East River below. There are few experiences as memorable or accessible, so be sure to ride the tram there and back—it’s particularly dramatic in the morning and evening.

One of Budapest‘s most history-laden spots, the enormous Heroes’ Square is framed by art museums near the City Park. But the main focal point here is Millennium Memorial, a tall column and colonnade structure completed in 1905 that commemorates the Hungarian conquering of the area a thousand years before (hence the name) and the founding of Hungary in 1896. The statues decorating the memorial depict the seven chieftains of the Magyars, and the figure atop the column is the archangel Gabriel. Fun fact: The first underground subway in continental Europe, built in 1896, terminated here. Be sure to visit at night because the square is even more majestic when lit up.

I forgave the service (slow as molasses) at Donald Link’s newest seafood spot, Peche, where highlights included crab-and-chilies capellini, fried bread, and fish sticks. Go with a crowd and order everything.

Why we love it: A bit of serenity in Sin City

The Highlights:
- Signature Jacques Garcia design
- Standout eats and drinks from chef Daniel Humm
- A pool deck right out of Morocco

The Review:
The award-winning team behind the NoMad hotels in New York and L.A. landed on the Las Vegas Strip in 2018, opening an outpost of the boutique brand at the larger Park MGM complex. With the NoMad Las Vegas’ arrival, guests have the option of staying somewhere with a warm, residential spirit and intimate spaces, while also enjoying easy access to all the facilities and attractions of the greater resort—think a hotel-within-a-hotel for those that might want a respite from the action. Jacques Garcia’s signature design translates here into sophisticated, muted rooms that range from classic kings and queens to four types of suites. Each is outfitted with custom furnishings and artwork, walk-in Carrara marble–tiled showers, free WiFi, Bellino linens, Argan bath products, and mahogany writing desks; as with other NoMad locations, some rooms have freestanding tubs in the main bedroom, so be prepared if you’re sharing the space.

While the majority of the dining, drinking, spa, and pool scene options are part of the Park MGM at large, the NoMad has its own key standouts. Chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara’s NoMad restaurant and NoMad Bar continue to showcase the much-lauded team’s dedication to comfort-gourmet fare and exceptional drinks, while the Moroccan garden–inspired NoMad Pool serves as a lush oasis during the day, then transforms into the JEMAA pool party—complete with DJs and table service—on the weekends. Also of note: the very first NoMad Casino, with intimate, Old World-inspired spaces for roulette, blackjack and Baccarat, set under a Tiffany glass ceiling and around the cocktail-centric Casino Bar.

I remember when they started construction on this $175,000,000 cathedral on Lake Merritt by the also new Whole Foods. It looked like someone had taken their life size Erector Set and started flinging about Tinker Toys. There was no way to tell what designing architect Craig W. Hartman was creating. As it slowly came together and the massive concrete structure below it had dried you could finally read the plaque stating it was to be The Cathedral of Christ the Light. I believe the most popular word I heard in reference to it was gaudy. Fitting but not entirely accurate that word got the point across. Once they laid the glass on the exterior it earned itself a nickname on the breaths of those whom spoke of it. It became the Vulva Church. Particularly due to the shape the glass formed. Google it it you must. I may post a photo later. Complete with everything from mausoleum to cafe to health center to rectory (yes I said it). The grounds also interestingly enough host a healing garden that operates as a space for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Most do not know that the Diocese of Oakland due to its reduced finances was required to take out a loan to cover half its $56.4 million settlement with 56 sex abuse victims.This is what inspired the garden complete with a plaque inscribed “This healing garden, planned by survivors, is dedicated to those innocents sexually abused by members of the clergy. We remember, and we affirm: never again.”

Nestled in the rain forest leading up to the famous Boiling Lake, Titou Gorge features cool, deep waters and smooth cliff walls formed by molten lava. If you’re wearing water shoes and a flotation device, you can actually get down in the canyon and make your way upstream through a series of pools that ends at a waterfall. If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, then you’ve seen Titou Gorge before—portions of the movie with Orlando Bloom were filmed in this very spot.

The newly reopened and family-run Irie River Park is a stunning 103 acres of rainforest, flowers, and gardens with pimento and ackee trees, through which a jade river and small waterfall flow. It’s a dreamy spot for a daytime swim and picnic (US$10 entry), away from the tourist crowds yet a five-minute drive uphill from the main road in downtown Ocho Rios.

The weekly RAW Flohmarkt (flea market) occurs every Sunday in between the abandoned warehouses and parking lots along Revaler Strasse. The area is also home to several of Berlin‘s best nightclubs, but Sunday mornings and afternoons see a different sort of visitor: an influx of bargain-hunters and antique-dealers. Look for knickknacks, clothing, and other used goods. There are some stalls selling coffee and warm snacks & crepes during the colder months.

A beautiful 15,000-acre park in Israel’s Negev Desert, north of Eilat, Timna Park offers visitors spectacular views of the arid desert landscape and ancient geological formations. One highlight is the copper mine at Mount Timna, which scientists and historians consider to be the world’s very first. At least 6,000 years ago, the area was mined by ancient Egyptians by order of their pharaoh, as well as by Israelites under the rule of King Solomon. Tours of the park, including highly recommended bike tours, are available daily, as is zip-lining, pedal-boating on the artifical lake, and the Timna Safari Shuttle, which leaves from Eilat.

The Dassenech are a nomadic tribe that live in the region where Ethiopia borders Kenya and Sudan. We visited one village situated along one of the banks of the Omo River. Getting there was not easy though. We started with a long, bumpy ride over dusty, unpaved road. At the riverbank, we crossed to the other side in very simple, hand hewn dugout canoes. We then trudged across a treeless sandy plain where the wind was blowing so hard I could barely see. I think I still have dust and sand in trapped crevices I never knew my body has. The village itself was not attractive at all – clusters of small flimsy domed huts fashioned from tree limbs and lined with corrugated tin dotted the desert floor. To compound the ugliness of it all, trash was flying about everywhere. The one bright spot in the harsh Dassanech world are the women who are known for wearing head pieces fashioned from bottle caps and any other small metal items that can be strung up. I saw zipper pulls, padlocks and even ball chains adorning many a woman’s head. Considering what little they have, I admire the Dassanech women for being so creative in coming up with ways to beautify themselves. Just as we were about to leave, I caught sight of this young girl whose face captivated me. It took me doing some silly antics to get her to warm up to me but in the end, her smiling eyes and toothy grin melted my heart. Surrounded by rubble, I found a small ray of loveliness.