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Panama’s extensive, sinuous coastline provides some of the world’s most delicious seafood. Options are infinite, especially at the capital city’s Mercado de Mariscos. The offering is downhome, traditional and absolutely scrumptious. Pick up something to cook later or just plop down at one of several in-market restaurants for instant gratification. Savoring your ceviche and an ice-cold brew as the market roils around you is pure Panama.

A bright space in Darwin’s Parap neighborhood, Nomad Art Gallery emphasizes limited-edition prints and collections produced by contemporary Australian Artists as well as Aboriginal art centers around Northern Australia. The focal point is cross-cultural collaborations between artists and master painters and etchers. In addition to the prints shown in exhibitions and sold online and through the shop, visitors can purchase textiles, books, and small sculptures.

North Adams has many galleries, shops selling vintage items and plenty of restaurants. The street art popping up around every corner reminds you that many artists are at work in the warehouses that make up much of the city. The efforts to preserve this former mill town are evident on the brick walls of buildings where an international collection of artists have taken their brushes to the streets.

A 25-minute ferry ride from Slussen takes you to Fjäderholmarna (the Feather Islands) where you can sample slowed-down archipelago living. Once on the island, there are several artisan shops like Krukmakeri, which makes pottery, and Åtta Glas, where you can blow your own glass. You can also grab a seafood lunch at Fjäderholmarnas Krog & Magasin and then explore hiking trails and beaches all around the compact island.

In the warm months, the Rosemont Park District’s Barry Recreational Center offers a fun, inexpensive way to keep kids cool—by splashing around in a safe play area with lots of fountains. At $5 a head for non-residents, it’s as cheap and easy a thrill as you can imagine (especially if you’re five years old).

The Henderson Patty’s Closet, a franchise of the popular Vegas-born boutique, is filled with colorful dresses, tops, shoes, pants, and purses. Founder Patty Barba is a local celebrity around town, known for her fun style and loyal relationships. Her motto: six of every style, and once it’s gone, it’s gone! The result? Affordable fashion you won’t see on everyone else.

I dare you to visit Planet Modular and not leave with a stack of new notebooks, Japanese masking tape, or sparkly envelopes. It’s unequivocally a supplies haven for artists and crafty DIYers, and while I don’t fall into either of those categories, I’m a sucker for colored gel pens and stationery. One loop around this shop, and you’ll understand why Berlin ranks high in creative design.

The Archive in Safa Park is probably the coolest place around to sip at a coffee and brush up on your North African and Middle Eastern literature. Not only does it boast a full-service cafe, The Archive also hosts musical concerts, art & pottery classes, outdoor film screenings, and even a children’s book club. Well worth a look, and bring the family!

Stockholm’s NK department store is worth visiting just to wander around its great, imposing atrium. In the middle of the city, it boasts over a hundred separate departments, with everything from restaurants, bars, and cafes to florists, sports goods, and top luxury brands. You can shop tax-free here—they even have personal shoppers—as well as exchange currencies, and everyone speaks English (of course!).

San Antonio’s Rivercenter Mall has all the hallmarks of a normal American shopping mall: a food court, a Victoria’s Secret, a Gap, a movie theater and a collection of department stores. It also happens to be built around a century old church and along the city’s famous River Walk, making it a convenient and unique place to pick up souvenirs.

Portobello Road is a colorful stretch of shops and stalls selling bric-a-brac and antiques. Part trendy neighborhood, part flea market. On Saturdays, thousands of people flock there for bargains. I recommend going on a weekday. You can have the place practically to yourself to mill around. Grab fish-n-chips to go and find an authentic souvenir.

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

Chicago invented the skyscraper, and some of the world’s most elegant examples define the city’s skyline. You can stay in the coolest one of them all, designed by German American architect Mies van der Rohe and run by Langham Hotels. To access the Langham Chicago’s minimalist-yet-opulent 268 guest rooms (including 48 suites), you must first check in at the second-floor lobby; its ceiling is hung with silver pebbles, its sofas populated by stylish guests, and its David Rockwell–designed Travelle restaurant alive with music and bites by executive chef Damion Henry during coveted afternoon teas.

The former IBM building with a black exoskeleton also houses a Chuan Spa, which specializes in such Eastern therapies as acupuncture, cupping, and gua sha. A 67-foot-long indoor pool and full-service fitness center are available to all guests.

Anyone spending the night in the rooms, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows framing Chicago views, has access to one of the city’s best concierges, who can organize a River North food tour, a Frank Lloyd Wright walking excursion, or a mixology class at Travelle. Don’t leave without taking a photo beside Jaume Plensa’s “Anna” sculpture in the Wacker Street lobby—then walk over to Millennium Park to see his larger works on display.

Blueberry Boy Bait may sound like a B-side song from an alternative band, but it’s actually just an ice cream flavor offered by Humphry Slocombe, a small shop in the Mission District. Owner and former pastry chef Jake Godby has made the name Humphry Slocombe synonymous with flavors and ingredients not often found in ice cream or sorbet. Case in point: best-seller Secret Breakfast, the flavor that launched a thousand Humphry Slocombe fans, a combo of homemade cornflakes and bourbon. Traditionalists will be happy to find “normal” flavors, too, but it’s Godby’s “march to your own drum” ethos that brings out his best work and keeps people lining up for creative scoops. Pick up a copy of The Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, with 40 recipes you can re-create at home.

Sure, the menu comes in a dozen languages, but Zeughauskeller is no mere tourist trap. Occupying a 15th century building on Paradeplatz, the setting—arched windows, wooden ceiling beams and stone columns—is transportive, while traditional dishes include the Bürgermeister Schwert (veal steaks pounded thin and wrapped around a long sword blade and grilled). The house beer is an exclusive from the local TurbinenBräu brewery.

There are a few trendy Western shops that have cropped up in recent years but if you want the real deal, there’s no better place than Saba’s Western Wear. The family-owned store has been around for more than 85 years and still has the best selection of cowboy boots, jeans, jewelry and other duds.