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As of today, travelers can book flights from Boston, Chicago, and Anchorage to Dublin, Oslo, and Amsterdam at steep discounts.

For the fourth annual AFAR Travelers’ Awards, readers cast more than 200,000 votes for their favorite hotels, cruise lines, and—for the first time—airlines. Here we present the winners of the Hospitality Group.

From Texas to Taiwan, these cities are hosting Nuit Blanche events and pulling art all-nighters.

Traveling over Labor Day? Fun new amenities at major hubs make it easier to kill time before, or between, your flights this busy holiday weekend.

If you live in California, Washington, Oregon, or other Western states, you’ll want to know about these new flights.

With pet-friendly hotels and restaurants and plenty of outdoor adventure, these cities will make you and your pup feel at home.

It may even have you praying for a delay.

Airport food so good that you’ll hope for a layover

Overview

Because you won’t regret it. Whatever Amtrak’s reputation, this has to be one of the best train rides - and the best train services - in the USA. We actually started our rail journey in Vancouver and made our way, haltingly, down the West coast line, but it was the 19-hour stretch after leaving Portland that really astonished us. From the moment you leave the city and head out through the farmlands and small towns of Oregon, the surprises never stop. A spacious and restful observation car gave us the chance to watch the ever-changing scenery go by - hills, woods, even volcanoes, before heading up into the mountains for the spectacular lakes and forests of the Cascades. Once the sun had gone down, and we’d enjoyed a sociable dinner in the dining car, we got a really decent night’s sleep in our two-person roomette (bunk beds). But it was breakfast the next morning that proved the greatest thrill - the landscape suddenly turning to camel-coloured hills, then marshland, then, finally, the sweeping San Francisco bay. Could not recommend this journey more - it’s decent value, too.

The tram gives Portland visitors stunning views of the city, river, and mountains beyond. Grab the streetcar from downtown out to the waterfront. You’re delivered to the lower terminal for the three-minute ride carrying you 3,300 feet at 20 MPH to the upper terminal at OHSU. Linger for photo ops then head back down to explore. If it’s nice, skip the streetcar and walk back along the river. Daily workout, check. Roundtrip cost: $4. At the lower terminal, the Daily Cafe is an easy find in the atrium of the OHSU Clinical building as you disembark the pill-shaped car, built with precision by the Swiss. Head for the river and stroll along the shore in any weather. Double back along SW Bond Ave and consider lunch at Bambuza Vietnamese Bistro. Check out the pricey high-rise condos on the market in the real estate office windows, then relax in one of the pocket parks to people watch. It snows in Portland. A couple of times a winter, even downtown gets dusted and it’s a huge mess. I’ve dreamed about getting my ski gear on, grabbing my boards and heading for the PDX Tram at the South Waterfront. I’d casually climb aboard with the patients and medical folks heading up to “Pill Hill” and blow their minds.

Actually, the lobby of the Sapphire Hotel is as far as you’ll get when you visit these days. And for all intents and purposes, it’s far enough. The Sapphire maintains the edge its enjoyed since its inception in the early 1900s. Then a gathering place for the quirky and lightly mannered; cool before cool was cool, it now is the great-grandparent of PDX hip. The candlelit scene keeps the conversation low and the alcohol levels, therapeutic. With cocktails like: You’re Not My Real Dad, Retrosex, Winter Isn’t Coming and Floozie, what could possibly go wrong. The hotel rooms are long gone, but the kitchen still hangs around. The menu maintains a simplicity and charm of another era. An order of the salmon corn cakes with a Sapphire salad will easily sustain, but why stop there. Go for the fully-loaded Sapphire burger, have another pop and regroup for the ginger-vanilla bean creme brûlée. The best thing about the Sapphire is the hang time. It’s out on the bleeding edge of Hawthorne, so once you get out there, you’ll tend to want to linger. The atmosphere encourages it with a sharp wait staff supported by bartenders that roll the dice to delver concoctions you can’t get just anywhere. Happy hour tends to evolve into happy evening, even happy night. I’d say it was a gem, but that would be stating the obvious.

Finding fine French bakery goods beyond the borders of France would seem unlikely in this NW corner of the United States. St. Honoré has transformed a little shop in NW Portland into a cultural escapade you’d normally have to get on a plane to experience. This bakery has been a mainstay for the French community in PDX for years and now has a fanatic following that has forged two other locations. The original is a cozy cafe with French influences that make it impossible to drive by when the fresh bread aromas drift out onto Thurman Street. The space is open and inviting with a staff that loves to share their expertise about the whole St Honoré process. This was one of the only places open early for live Tour de France coverage accompanied with fine coffee and pastries. Rolling up in the dark on my bike back in the days of Lance (c’est dommage) to find the place already packed was Franco-fantastic. The restaurant is designed to get patrons to be part of the scene. With the baking close and the big banquet vibe, you instantly feel part of the Honoré table. The menu goes beyond pastries and desserts. Lunch or dinner at Honoré is a trip to Paris or Provence for under $20. Try the panini or manager’s special to light things up. Hang around for sweets with a tart or gateau, and wash it down with a cafe au lait. Don’t forget something for the home front—a baguette at the very least. C’est somptueux!

The Tin Shed is probably nowhere near wherever you might be in Portland but that matters not. Get a cab and go over there because the biscuits are so good they’ll make you wanna slap yo mama! You serve yourself coffee while you wait under the covered patio seating, they welcome dogs and their bloody mary is spectacular. This place rocks. Go check it out.

Like Groucho Marx, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” Fortunately for me, the White Owl Social Club is mostly a great bar and restaurant. Joining the club at the White Owl is a matter of showing up, which is when the fun begins. This former dive bar in southeast has been transformed into a legitimate destination. Thanks to a reworking of the space and menu, the scene is now a great mix of neighbors, hipsters, young and old. The happy hour is a huge draw but folks stay well into the night. The WOSC also has a great lineup of events like movie night and beer-release parties to entice. The crown jewel is the all-weather patio. With its fire pit and the fact it goes on forever, it’s one of the more crowd-loving outdoor spots in town. Perfect for ordering the tabletop s’mores. The rest of the menu is a mix of traditional bar food with a vegan-friendly twist. The Owl is a place where a heavy metal band competition and a vegan mac and cheese can coexist. Where you can find a vegan BBQ pulled jackfruit topped with a kale slaw, next to a classic all-beef burger. The cocktails, wines, and beers all lean toward the local variety and are destined to “embolden the drinker to seek new heights of mental and spiritual acuity.” A visit to the WOSC will not break the bank while providing a great evening of entertainment. Hanging out watching the PDX scene ravel and unravel over good food and drinks can become habit forming. Membership is free.