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Manhattan can, famously, feel like endless rows of apartment blocks and office towers for most of its length. At least above 14th Street, a regular grid of streets and avenues, bisected only by Broadway, has transformed the city into a dream for real estate developers. The green spaces interrupting the pattern—Union Square, Gramercy Park, Madison Square Park—are few and far between, with one enormous exception: Central Park. Running from 59th Street to 110th Street, and between Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) and Fifth Avenue, it is one of the world’s largest urban parks, measuring some 843 acres. It is the masterpiece of the 19th-century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted working in collaboration with Calvert Vaux. Inside its borders are stately allées and naturalistic scenes, ice-skating rinks (in the winter), an enormous reservoir, and a faux castle. The park is hugely popular, and so to call it an escape from the bustle of the city is often not accurate, especially on mild summer days and the first warm ones in the spring when thousands of residents head to its playing fields, bike and run along the road that loops the park, and enjoy picnics on the Sheep Meadow or one of its other lawns.

Huset defines its food as cocina del campo, or “country cooking.” The humble description does nothing to deter the throngs of locals and travelers who show up to indulge in Chef Maycoll Calderón’s wood-fired oven-prepared plates. One reviewer described the effect as that of an “elegant picnic” with “rustic” dishes like clay pot-baked focaccia and smoked tomatoes in olive oil.

The all-suite historic Carillon Miami Beach sits along private white sands forming its own luxury haven. An anchor for the North Beach neighborhood, the hotel is the perfect base for exploring the endless attractions and events that surround it. Boasting South Florida’s largest spa combined with one of the most comprehensive wellness programs on the East Coast of the U.S, the resort also offers an extensive array of recreational activities allowing you to create the ideal vacation stay.

Personal Concierges can arrange it all for you, whether it’s a night out on the town, a spa treatment, or dinner in the hotel’s new THYME restaurant. You don’t have to be a VIP, as every guest is given the same superior service from the moment you check into one of the 150 one- or two-bedroom suites. On-site active offerings include more than 40 complimentary indoor and outdoor fitness and movement classes each day, a two-story indoor rock wall, and four swimming pools—including an adults-only rooftop pool.

Health and wellness options feature nutritional counseling, acupuncture, diagnostic testing, and functional medicine. Pampering time in the magnificent 70,000-square-foot integrated spa and wellness space can get you indulging in European-inspired Thermal experiences, as well as such treatments as massages, facials, sound therapy, and even the chance to enjoy your therapies side-by-side with your traveling companion.

Executive Chef Fritz Zwahlen delights with four dining venues featuring fresh, local produce. The latest restaurant, THYME, pairs American fare with views of the water. Carillon Bar & Lounge, The Cabana, and the Juice Bar are more choices for meals and drinks.

Rockefeller Center was one of the great construction projects of the Great Depression, a complex of 14 buildings between Fifth and Sixth avenues and 48th and 51st streets built over the 1930s. It’s also one of America’s grandest examples of Art Deco design, from the Indiana-limestone-clad buildings themselves to its interior murals and allegorical figures in panels above the entries to the various buildings. (Daniel Okrent recounts the fascinating history of the complex in detail in his acclaimed Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center.) For many travelers to New York, the center is a favorite destination even if they aren’t students of architecture or urban planning. It’s the home of Radio City Music Hall, where the Rockettes perform; its 70th-floor observation deck offers sweeping views of the city; and every morning tourists gather outside the windows of the NBC studios during the broadcast of The Today Show.

The center also hosts temporary large-scale art installations, like Jeff Koons’s enormous dancer and flower puppy in recent years, and the lighting of its Christmas tree marks the unofficial start of the holiday season. Another bucket-list experience here is taking a turn on the small sunken ice rink under the golden statue of Prometheus. Just across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center is another New York landmark, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, looking better than ever after a multiyear renovation that included a thorough cleaning of the Gothic building’s facade.

Witness the destruction wrought by Mt. Vesuvius nearly 2,000 year ago at the archaeological site of Pompeii. The ancient village was frozen in time beneath a blanket of hot ash during an eruption in 79 C.E. Among the ruins that have been uncovered are buildings that shed light on aspects of ancient life both grand and mundane, from the temples, the coliseum and homes with fine frescoes, to public baths, chariot-rutted streets and grain stores which now hold plaster casts of the people who perished that fateful day.

With more than 250 acres of grounds, the New York Botanical Garden manages to fit a number of different landscapes and experiences into its garden walls. The garden was established in 1891, the inspiration of Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, who returned from a trip to England determined that New York should have its own equivalent to London‘s Kew Gardens. They found backing among New York society and created one of the country’s leading research institutions that also happens to be an ideal place to commune with nature right in the city. The rose garden designed by Beatrix Farrand is a highlight, while an abundance of azaleas reaches their peak in May. In all there are some 20 different gardens, including one dedicated to native plants, a rock garden, and a wetlands trail. The conservatory, constructed in 1902, is the largest in the country and includes 11 different climatic zones. When the last of the fall foliage has fallen from the trees, the conservatory hosts the popular annual Holiday Train Show (from the end of November to mid-January).

If visiting a miniature version of a country the size of a postage stamp makes no sense to you, stay away from Madurodam, a top tourist attraction in Den Haag featuring historic Dutch towns, ports, canals, roads and monuments re-created on a 1/25 scale. On the other hand, if you fancy learning about the history of a nation that would be underwater were it not for Dutch ingenuity, by all means visit this interactive park that tells the story behind the battle against water, as well as many historic venues that still exist in Holland today.

The cathedral, usually called the Duomo, is Florence’s most recognizable building. You are able to catch glimpses of its magnificent red-tiled cupola from just about anywhere in the city center. Construction on the church complex began in 1296 and the work—Brunelleschi’s dome and his Baptistery, and Giotto’s bell tower—was completed in 1426. The interior of this architectural is reserved in contrast with the exterior’s marble Gothic facade and its green, pink, and white stripes. Climb the 463 steps up into the dome for a close-up look at Giorgio Vasari’s fresco, The Last Judgment, and a bird’s-eye view of the city.

Haleakala, a huge and dormant shield volcano, forms more than 75 percent of Maui’s landmass. As such, it pretty much demands you ascend its slopes and peer into its crater—the island’s very soul. Legend claims the demigod Maui snared the sun here, freeing it only after it swore to inch more slowly across the sky.

The 38-mile, two-and-a-half-hour drive up Haleakala climbs from sea level to 10,023 feet through several different ecological zones. One of the most popular ways to experience the volcano remains cycling down from the summit at sunrise. Do it yourself if you’re confident, or join a guided tour (Skyline Eco-Adventures offers one that includes a zip-line ride). Once you’ve mastered the motion—and the 21 switchbacks along the road—effortless downhill freewheeling rewards you with unsurpassed views of the island. If you’d rather savor the vistas from a lofty perch, drive to the top for the sunset or book an overnight at one of the park’s wilderness cabins, accessible only by hiking trail.

Within the 18th arrondissement in Paris France, high atop the city, resides the wonderfully beautiful, hilly neighborhood of Montmartre. This diverse and eclectic section of the city can be a bit busy with tourists, but the views of Paris and the splendor of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur are certainly worth it. Riding the funicular is rather novel, but not necessary if you’re willing to climb the 300+ steps to the summit. This is an area to be explored on foot, as is nearly all of Paris. The shops, theaters, and forever famous Moulin Rouge should not be missed. The streets are intimate, the shops unique, and the overall feel of this place speaks of a youthful, colorful Paris.

Most travelers consider a visit to a Latin American country incomplete without a stop at a local market. It doesn’t necessarily have to be motivated by a target purchase; often, the joy of market-going is in observing area life and spotting unfamiliar items and ingredients. Check out León’s Mercado Central (Central Market) for all of the above, and sample specialties, including fresh cheese, at one of the food-vendor stalls.

It’s worth saying upfront: Tacón de Marlin isn’t the spiffiest-looking place in town, but you’ve probably never eaten better fast food in your life. Repeat travelers to PV make a beeline to Tacón de Marlin, where oversized burritos and tacos (hence the name “Tacón,” which means “Giant Taco”) are the house specialties. Shrimp, octopus and other toppings pulled fresh from the sea are the favorite fillings of locals.

Dating back to the 1780s and restored in the late 20th century at the behest of Prince Charles, the historical town of Al Bastakiya is a lovely historic exception to the modern glass and steel towers that dominate Dubai’s skyline. Originally named after Bastak, the Iranian city from which Persians migrated to Dubai, it has recently been renamed the Al Fahidi Cultural and Historical District. Clean, sandy beiges characterize the wind-tower architecture that houses several galleries, cafés, and museums. Tourists, locals, and many artists keep the old town hip and upbeat, while the wind towers mean the area is a couple of degrees cooler than the rest of the city. For history, architecture, and art lovers, a daytime visit to this district is a must.

Château de Montaigne is worth a detour, especially if you need a little break from the wine tastings, that Bordeaux is so known for. The 14th century castle is nestled deep in the countryside near Bergerac and Saint-Émilion and was once the residence of Michel de Montaigne, one of France’s most important, early philosophers. If you haven’t heard of him, he is the one you may (or may not) thank for making essays popular as a literary genre.

Situated roughly halfway between Da Nang and Nha Trang, Qui Nhon is a quiet coastal town with a curvy beach that is refreshingly low-key. It doesn’t get the hordes that visit Nha Trang to the south (the stretch of sand isn’t quite as alluring here), and certainly lacks the development that is a feature of Da Nang’s beaches, resulting in a city that is remarkably unaffected by the unstoppable reach of tourism—note the number of fishing boats that still dot the water here. There are some fine Cham ruins in the vicinity, including the Thap Doi (meaning Double Towers) and the Banh It Towers, as well as the Long Khanh Pagoda, constructed by a Chinese businessman in the 18th century.