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Time off makes a difference to mood and productivity. It is time that employers enforce a policy that refreshes and renews the workforce.

Wandering Chef: Jose Garces’s Buenos Aires

First opened in 2004 in a former office building in the Central Business District, the Loews New Orleans Hotel completed a $4 million renovation in November 2014. The new look is modern, but with a nod to the Big Easy: rooms and suites (which, by the way, are among the most spacious in town) are done up in soothing blues and grays, and feature local photography on the walls, and the carpets have a wrought-iron fence motif. Large picture windows afford vistas of the city or the Mississippi River.

Run by the legendary Brennan family and named after the vivacious Adelaide Brennan, the hotel restaurant also got a makeover—think canary-yellow seats, teal tufted banquettes, and Andy Warhol–esque pop art of its namesake.

This purpose-built luxury high-rise hotel has 400 rooms in all, with natural light spilling through floor-to-ceiling windows onto modern, clean-lined furnishings done in ivory and gray tones. Higher floors offer spectacular views of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier. Service here gets high marks for the nothing-is-impossible attitude of the staff, and from early summer to late fall the Streeterville Social, the third-floor roof top outdoor terrace, offers craft cocktails and relaxed dining… and views of the city skyline.

Service is a signature here, where gorgeous rooms styled with a simple elegance and a natural palette offer a respite from the Financial District’s hustle and bustle. It’s all about the details. Upon arrival, guests are offered a complimentary prosecco or non-alcoholic cider. The beds, layered with down comforters and pillows, are the perfect locations to relax and enjoy the city or bay views. Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries are available to mark romantic occasions, while cake and cable cars filled with cookies make birthdays fun for kids. A complimentary car is on hand for guests traveling within a one-mile radius of the hotel.

A staple among Upper East Side hotels since it opened in 1963, the sophisticated Loews Regency boasts a Park Avenue address and location convenient to Central Park and Manhattan’s best museums. Following an extensive renovation, it reopened as a fresh and chic retreat in early 2014. The bones of the hotel remain classic, but the approach is modern, with touches that today’s traveler will appreciate, such as free Wi-Fi. Its elegant lobby—with a striking art installation from Brooklyn artist Nina Helm—impresses with its 24-foot ceilings and the on-site salon and spa, from acclaimed hair stylist Julien Farel, is a neighborhood destination for visitors and locals alike. No classic New York hotel would be complete without a standout watering hole; you’ll want to order a cocktail at the low-lit Regency Bar.

Located across from Vanderbilt University on West End Avenue, this hotel has been a mainstay in the area for decades. But after a recent renovation, it’s back with some swagger, especially at the new Mason’s restaurant and bar, a Southern-style brasserie decorated tastefully with accents of Mason jars.

Immediately adjacent to Loews Regency, the Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar is one of the latest outposts of this popular group of New York, by way of Milan, restaurants. The original Milan restaurant opened in 1936, and there are now three others in Manhattan, as well as one in Southampton. The Park Avenue coffee bar has an Italian art deco decor, bringing a little bit of Milan’s style to the neighborhood, and several outdoor tables. Choose from a panini or one of Sant Ambroeus’s famous pastries.

Modern, elegant, and focused on service, the Hotel 1000 is an excellent choice for travelers wanting luxury amenities in a smaller downtown property. Opened in 2006 two blocks from the Seattle Art Museum and the pier, this hotel puts an emphasis on technology—its rooms are equipped with individual Wi-Fi networks for guests’ Internet needs and heat sensors so the staff knows when not to interrupt. Some of the rooms are configured with open baths (with optional privacy screen) to allow for a view of the bay while soaking in the deep bathtub that fills up from a spout in the ceiling—a feature in even the standard rooms. The entire hotel underwent a major renovation in May 2017 after it became a part of the Loews Hotels family.

The foothills around Tucson are home to some of the best spa-golf-resorts in the U.S. and you don’t have to go far for a taste of the wilderness before you turn in. Just behind the Loews Ventana Canyon resort on the edge of the city, an unspoiled trail awaits. This lush riparian canyon takes you into the heart of the Santa Catalina Mountains, studded with saguaros. Deer, bobcats, javelinas, and the occasional mountain lion might cross your path. About 2 1/2 miles in, you’ll come across seasonal water; The Maiden Pools. If you’re an experienced hiker seeking a challenge, keep on going and you’ll reach The Window, a natural rock arch about 7000 ft high.

Jonesboro, Georgia, located 15 miles south of Atlanta, is the town that inspired Margaret Mitchell’s timeless classic Gone with the Wind. The Road to Tara Museum, located in an 1867 train depot, starts with the history of the region as a forerunner to the book. The Battle of Jonesboro was the last battle before Sherman captured Atlanta. The costumes and artifacts from the film come mostly from the private collection of Herb Bridges, the largest collector of GWTW memorabilia. Highlights of the collection include a signed first edition of Mitchell’s book, Scarlett O’Hara’s pantalettes worn in the movie and items taken from the Loew’s Theater where the film premiered.

Eight blocks south of Loews Regency on Park Avenue, you’ll find two works of modernist architecture that shaped the landscapes of cities around the world. The Seagram Building, seen here, was completed in 1958 and is master architect Mies van der Rohe’s only building in New York. (Philip Johnson was responsible for the lobby and the building’s famous Four Seasons restaurant.) A triumph of the International Style, the building is a model of restraint while its open plaza became a commonplace feature of many skyscrapers that followed. Critic Herbert Muschamp once described it as, “the millennium’s most important building.” Across the street, the Lever House is slightly older than the Seagram Building, having been completed in 1952. Also in the International Style, this curtain-wall skyscraper by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill launched the transformation of Park Avenue from masonry apartment buildings to gleaming corporate headquarters.

The restaurant at Loews Regency was long famous as the scene of New York power breakfasts. Political and business leaders would regularly be seen here, shaking hands and making deals. Since the restaurant reopened, it has reassumed its familiar role. It was hard not to eavesdrop on the table next to mine when I had dinner there, as several Hollywood executives who had apparently been in the business for decades talked about the back stories of some of their projects. Fortunately even if you don’t go to the Regency Bar & Grill in the hope of spotting the famous and powerful, the food justifies a visit. Chef Dan Silverman, formerly of the Standard Grill, presents a menu of roasted fish and meats, served so that the ingredients shine—on a bed of quinoa or fresh vegetables. At lunch you may want to opt for the signature Regency Salad, a generous serving of grilled chicken, romaine, watercress, avocado, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, and bacon.

Barista Parlor introduced artisanal coffee to Nashville when it opened its lofty, art-filled space in a former auto repair garage in 2012, serving top-notch small-batch roasters from around the country such as Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, and Stumptown. Two local outposts later, the company has evolved into a roaster-retailer, importing and roasting its own coffee beans for the first time. Try the zesty, fruity Daredevil or the cocoa-inflected Golden Sound while you take in the interiors, which pay homage to Tennessean talent: Doughnuts come from nearby bakers including Five Daughters Bakery in Franklin, and an enormous pixelated mural of a ship by Nashville artist Bryce McCloud covers the back wall.

The phrase “jewel box” may be overused when referring to exquisite galleries and museums, but there’s no better way to describe the Frick Collection, at 70th Street and Fifth Avenue. The early-20th-century neoclassical mansion facing Central Park, designed by Carrère and Hastings (who were also responsible for the main branch of the New York Public Library), was the residence of industrialist Henry Clay Frick before being converted to a museum after his death. Most of the works on display were acquired by Frick and his wife during their lifetimes, and are predominantly paintings by European old masters—Boucher, Holbein, Fragonard, Reynolds, Van Dyck, and others. The museum is arranged, however, much as it would have been during the Fricks’ day, with antique furniture sitting in the rooms where the paintings are hung.