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Didn’t make the guest list? (We didn’t either.) You can still get in on the fun with these royal wedding weekend hotel packages in the U.S. and the U.K.

Mechanical timepieces, transistor radios, and paper guidebooks: Digital detox requires getting back to basics.

To really understand how this city comes together, don’t travel underground. Head to the top deck.

From home items to little-known European designers, these are goods that fashion editors seek out on their trips to London.

Maximilian Büsser, founder of the avant-garde Swiss watch brand MB&F, reveals the true Dubai—much more than just shopping malls.

These well-curated hotel shops will give you a sense of place and a lasting memory.

Q&A with Ace Hotel’s Alex Calderwood: A Sneak Peek of Ace Hotel London

Beyond the Olympics in London’s East End

The founder and director of the School of Life shares her favorite spots in East London.

With a lot of family and friends in the southwest part of the city, London is in some ways my second home. But in visits over the last few years, it was rare that I would stumble upon the sort of casual cool you find so easily in Brooklyn. This was before I spent a Friday night in Shoreditch, and mingled at the Box Park pop-up mall before grabbing a table at Yalla Yalla. The second of three locations, this pop-up food court on Shoreditch High Street slings Beirut street food at prices that beat the great expense of eating and drinking in London. More importantly, it’s a cool scene, with indoor and outdoor communal picnic tables.This was London’s answer to Smorgasbug in Brooklyn and the food truck enclaves in Portland, and I loved it.

Montreal’s coolest neighborhood is also it’s most sought-after; as a kind of love child of Brooklyn, Shoreditch, and Sodermälm, Plateau Mont-Royal is inherently hip and has been setting trends for well over two decades now. Quirky shops, colorful buildings with twirling iron staircases, and third-wave coffee shops are among Plateau Mont-Royal’s most popular things to do, as are having picnics in Parc Laurier and designer shopping on Montreal’s iconic Boulevard Saint-Laurent.

Why we love it: An ultra-stylish stay that brings U.K. hospitality to Brooklyn’s most bustling neighborhood

The Highlights:
- Smartly designed rooms that come with neighborhood guides and daily breakfast bags
- An on-trend aesthetic from two U.K. design icons
- Two alfresco dining options

The Review:
The Hoxton has a knack for opening in only the coolest neighborhoods—first in London’s Shoreditch, then in Paris’s 2nd Arrondissement, and now in the hipster haven of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. At the company’s first stateside property, housed in the former Rosenwach Water Tank Company factory, the surrounding area informs much of the aesthetic. The 175 rooms are outfitted with locally made ceramics, bespoke bedding by Dusen Dusen, and books curated by neighbors.

Beyond the Brooklyn details, mid-century-meets-urban vibes prevail, from brass accents and mohair headboards to raw concrete ceilings and subway-tiled showers. It’s a stylish approach from design team Ennismore and Soho House that carries through to the public spaces like Klein’s, the lobby-level restaurant situated in the building’s original brick carriage house that serves American-inspired fare around the clock. When the warmer weather hits, guests can pay a visit to either of the hotel’s two outdoor options. Backyard offers canned beer, classic cocktails, and finger food like Meat Hook sausages, while the rooftop Summerly features lobster rolls, clam chowder, and other East Coast seafood favorites.

Shoreditch is no slouch when it comes to being a headquarters of hip in London. However, it really set itself apart when ‘Boxpark’ opened along Bethnal Green Road. It’s purported to be the “World’s First Pop-Up Mall”. As the name suggests, it was created from old boxcars and houses trendy brands like Nike and Marimekko, with an obvious focus on menswear and gifts. Street level storefronts are all for shopping, the second level storefronts are focused on permanent cafes and pop-up food sellers. On a nice London day, the second level is a grand place to sit and stay for a while as you enjoy sampling Vietnamese food, burgers, traditional English pies, burritos, French desserts and even a refreshing Pimm’s. ‘Boxpark’ isn’t far from several tube and overland stations such as Liverpool but plan to walk the neighborhood, enjoying the plentiful graffiti that marks the Shoreditch and Brick Lane areas of London either before or after your experience at the mall.

There’s a feeling of calmness when you walk into the stripped-back dining room at Lyle’s. Located at the industrial Tea Building in Shoreditch (the site of the old Lipton warehouse) the space is furnished almost entirely in white. The effect is a blank canvas for elaborate, beautifully presented food that revolves around seasonal ingredients: asparagus with walnut mayonnaise in summer; chicory, blood orange, and walnuts for winter (and that’s just the vegetables). In the evenings, proceedings revolve around a four-course tasting menu—the only option, which you can argue is part of the charm.

The Mile End is Montreal‘s version of Brooklyn, Sodermälm, Shoreditch, and Kreuzberg put together. Hipsters, exotic eateries, and vintage shops abound. Mile End is also the cradle of Montreal’s music scene, cultural diversity and all things trendy and fashionable (but not too mainstream, of course). But more than just a hotbed for tuque-wearers and vintage shops, Mile End is a place where many different cultures coexist and enjoy the best of one another, in a post-industrial meets residential tree-lined avenues type of backdrop. Greek eateries meet Hasidic Jews-owned bagel shops, and artsy coffee shops meet up-and-coming, edgy designers. A dynamic area that should be explored by the senses first and foremost, and where most visitors could easily picture themselves settling down, and never leave. With icons like Wilensky’s, Boris’ doughnuts, and Arts Café, there really is no such thing as being bored in the Mile End—even for Montrealers!