The Texan state capital is actually a bit of a surprise. It’s not big and brash like Dallas. It’s not the big-business hub of Houston. Instead, it’s a city with a hearty Lone Star vibe and a good connection to its humble beginnings. The metro population might be topping two million, but Austin feels a … Read more
Welcoming yet wondrous, Philadelphia is the bright light of the inland Mid-Atlantic. Like the layers of a juicy Philly cheese steak, it manages to stack rich colonial history atop priceless art and vibrant, lived-in neighborhoods. Its people are at once down-to-earth working folk and dreamers who aren’t afraid to innovate. Its gastronomy is both edgy … Read more
Gleaming like a desert oasis in the dusty reaches of the Coachella Valley, Palm Springs is one of the last pitstops for that West Coast R&R as you head into the Wild West from LA. It never disappoints. The onetime stomping ground of Elvis and Sinatra, this star-studded retreat of swaying palm trees and rolling … Read more
Clutching the wide Rio de la Plata midway down the side of South America is a city of Tango-twirling bars and sizzling steakhouses manned by real gauchos. Welcome to Buenos Aires, the sprawling, enthralling capital of Argentina. From the chic shopping areas of Palermo Soho to the colorful cobble lanes of San Telmo, this city … Read more
Hong Kong is part futuristic megacity, part immersive East Asian metropolis. You can spend your days glowering up at the mighty skyscrapers of Central or gazing at the shimmering high-rise blocks from Victoria Peak. Then come evenings of trawling bazaars in Kowloon and eating steamy dim sum in ramshackle wet markets. But Hong Kong is … Read more
Rio de Janeiro is one full-on fiesta of a city. Spilling down from the Atlantic forests of Brazil’s tropical south, it has one foot in the jungle and another in the ocean. Glittering beaches packed with tanned bodies string their way along the bairros, from the bumping beachfront of Copacabana to the jazzy quarters of … Read more
Straddling its namesake river on the cusp of the US border in the east of Ontario, Ottawa is often overlooked by travelers making their way through Canada. But those who do decide to linger a couple of days often stay for many more. They’re beguiled by a surprisingly laid-back global capital that sports a majestic … Read more
The Shangri-La of the United States lies thousands of miles out in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. A paradise of daffodil-tinged beaches that roll beneath pockets of palm trees, it’s long been a place to come for no-holes-barred R&R. Golf resorts collide with deluxe honeymoon hotels, all before the vibrant resorts of Waikiki and … Read more
The Mile High City sits in the shade of the hulking Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. It’s long been a stopping point for those moving east-to-west in the United States, with one foot on the plains and another on the Continental Divide. These days, that translates into an uber-active town folk, who ski and … Read more
Draped over the hills around the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers, Lyon gazes east to the snow-capped French Alps with its proud historical monuments and edgy inner districts. Founded by the Romans and made rich by medieval bankers and traders, it’s one of the coolest spots in all of France. One moment you’ll … Read more
Huddled around bluffs of stone and fynbos shrub near the wave-splattered Cape of Good Hope, the legislative capital of South Africa is one seriously jaw-dropping metropolis. Pearly blue seas whipped up by surfers roll in below as the soaring lookouts of Table Mountain command the horizon. It’s as if the city has sprouted from the … Read more
Oh, Florida – a subtropical jewel at the very end of the US. Split between the gulf coast and the Atlantic Ocean, this appropriately named Sunshine State manages to pack in a whopping 1,350 miles of shoreline. That ranges from the endless golden strands of spring-breaker Daytona to the mangrove-fringed coral isles down south to … Read more
With medieval roots and a huge student population, Montpellier manages something pretty unique: An almost perfect balance between the past and the present. One moment you can be strolling the impressive center, past the mighty La Place Royale du Peyrou and the onetime mansions of rich Renaissance merchants. The next, you’ll be singing karaoke and … Read more
Houston is the energy capital of the United States. Built on oil and made famous as NASA’s mission command, this town is one high-octane experience. With a spin of the cowboy spurs and a waft of Southern BBQ, it enthralls with the cosmic Space Center Houston, the shark-snapping Downtown Aquarium, tiger-stalked Houston Zoo – the … Read more