For frequent visitors, first-time explorers, or locals, the Windy City always has something fresh to see at classic sights and new favorites.CHICAGO – Constantly reinventing itself, the city along Lake Michigan has everything: cultural treasures, dazzling architecture, and a sizzling food scene. While the Chicago icons are musts, going beyond the well-trod Magnificent Mile to neighborhoods — there are 77 — and places that f

Special Covid-19 Notes: New York City hotels are slowing reopening after a pandemic lockdown. Baccarat Hotel has hired a Director of Environmental Health and Safety and is implementing safety protocols like contactless room service, daily cleanings, elevator courtesies, and in-room dining. Happy to report the spa and pool are operational. Stay up to date on hotel protocols as the city reopens.Baccarat Hotel New YorkNew York CityOpulent

Heres a meetup we applaud: Our contributing editor in Rome, Erica Firpo, interviewed Paris-based Lindsey Tramuta, about her terrific new book The New Parisienne: The Women and Ideas Shaping Paris.There was a time in my life when I struggled to understand why my wet hair didn’t dry in the perfect je ne sais quoi, just-got-out-of-bed look, and why I couldnt casually throw a silk scarf over my shoulders and redefine casual chic like a Par

The ChediLuštica Bay, MontenegroModern, $$If Montenegro were a rom-com, the sparks would fly when land meets the sea. A few years back, on a Balkan road trip, I remember nearly smashing my face against the car window, mouth agape as I rounded into Montenegros Bay of Kotor, an insane fjord-like geographical marvel where a semi-circle of rocky mountains encroach on a pristine turquoise body of water. Little crooked stone villages from medieva

21C Museum HotelLouisville, KentuckyModern, $$ (From $199)Towering over Louisvilles Museum Row on 7th and Main Street, a double-sized replica of Michelangelos David sculpture welcomes you to 21C Museum Hotel. The pioneering hotel was among the first contemporary initiatives designed to to be a fluid property: equal parts contemporary art museum, boutique hotel, and acclaimed restaurant. The project was conceived in 2006 by philanthropists a

Fathom contributor and slalom ski bunny Paul Jebara compares peaks and pistes in St. Moritz, Switzerland.ST. MORITZ— When I had any questions about St. Moritz’s stature as Switzerland’s (Europe’s? The world’s?) most glamorous ski playground prior to my trip, I only had to remind myself that “ritz” was in the name. Could it really one-up Aspen’s ultra-luxe shopping? Out-raucous the après scene of Megève? Exceed the refinement of C

Thompson Washington D.C.Washington, D.C.Nautical Ease, $Washington, D.C., reinvents itself every few years, most often through politics, as one party gives way to the other, but sometimes through geography, as one neighborhood overtakes another in popularity and appeal. Lately, all eyes have been on the Navy Yard, as the spotlight — along with new residential developments, restaurants, and hotels — shifts from the Potomac River

Riggs Washington D.C.Washington, D.C.Stately style, $$Money and politics: strange bedfellows or co-dependent besties? Both, of course. Which could also sum up the relationship between New York City and Washington, D.C. Although New York may hog the spotlight as the financial center of the United States, the capital city has its own claim to a hometown bank: Riggs National. Riggs, as it came to be known, began its life as a brokerage house i

Hotel ZenaWashington D.C. Equal Pay, $$ (From $195)Its been a good time for women making history. Lets start with the election of the first female Vice President of the United States. And as Madame VP Kamala Harris so beautifully stated at her inauguration, I will not be the last. Wearing a bright purple suit, Harris honored Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress and a courageous pioneer for women in American

Hacienda Xcanatun by AngsanaMérida, MexicoTimeless, $$Travelers well aware of the Yucatán Peninsulas coastal allure (see: Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen) dont necessarily take the time to explore inland. But the Mexican city of Mérida — with its colorful buildings and overgrown courtyard gardens — is charmingly low-key, historic, and bohemian. The atmosphere is one of faded opulence, not unlike Havana, where neglected cobblesto

San Miguel de Allende may be the destination-wedding capital of North America, but this colonial town gives women plenty of reasons to visit besides getting hitched. In fact, countless creative entrepreneurs have taken to these cobblestone streets to chase their dreams (not the least of whom was Frida Kahlo, who hosted intellectual salons here). For a woman traveling solo, San Miguel is not only a safe and exhilarating spot to explore, but

When it comes to Oaxaca, one of the creative capitals of Mexico, our go-to guide is always Jacqueline Lopez, the designer behind the Jaline womens fashion collection. She produces much of her work in collaboration with local artisans, and finds so much inspiration in the city that its little wonder she keeps returning. She showed us around town before, and heres her update on whats new — and always great — to see, do, eat, and d

Andaz San DiegoSan Diego, CAApproachably Stylish, $$, (From $165)Southern California may be all about beach living, but the rooftop is clearly the main attraction at Andaz San Diego. The largest rooftop in town is home to the pool, the gym, and a very lively lounge. And those views — of the sunset and the city below. Since youre probably in town for more than the hotel, youll be glad you booked a stay in the Gaslamp Quarter, the very

Of all the Zoom activities youve done to alleviate pandemic boredom, its a safe bet that attending a global concert of music played on instruments built before the Spanish Flu of 1918 isnt on the list. Time to change that. This Friday at 7 pm EST (February 5, 2021), you can travel through time and hear the world premiere of a piece composed in the 21st century played by musicians born in the 20th century on instruments from the 19th ce

In Arisa Whites new memoir, Whos Your Daddy, the poet travels to Guyana to repair her relationship with her estranged father. She tells us about the dense forests, waterfalls, and landmarks she encountered along the way.What brought you to Guyana?With a grant I received from the Center for Cultural Innovation in Los Angeles, I went to visit my father, who I haven’t seen in over 30 years. The reconnection wasn’t only with my father but to&nb

Some people travel on the sidelines. Others roll up their sleeves and dig in. London-based photographer Michael Charles Sheridan captures the many moods of people and culture as he travels as far and wide as Nepal and Sierra Leone on behalf of non-profit organizations and local charities. You can also find his photographs in Lonely Planet, National Geographic, and Lodestar Anthology, among other places. We asked him to share his shooting pr

TURKS & CAICOS – The indigenous people of Hawai’i are called kanaka. In the state of Indiana, they improbably go by “hoosiers.” And across the azure archipelago of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), the locals are “Belongers,” an epithet that needs no explanation.These days, it’s never been clearer who belongs somewhere and who doesn’t. Basically, we all belong at home, because, Covid. But like non-Belongers throughout history, humans are

NEW YORK CITY — I confess: I wondered how the monumental pumpkins and polka dots of beloved Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama would transfer to the serene, 250-acre New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in the Bronx. But the garden’s KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature exhibition, running from April 10 through October 31 in 2021, is the perfect antidote to the pandemic, an expression of hope and joy set in the natural world that has inspired the artist from

International HouseNew Orleans, LouisianaUrban Eclectic, $ ($119)Go big or go home is the kind of philosophy visitors live by when theyre in New Orleans for the weekend. Its also an apt exhortation for the International House, a 117-room hotel a few blocks from the French Quarter in a Beaux Arts building that was once the first world trade center in existence (1906) and then the first boutique hotel in NOLA (1998). The hotels design is a wi

Le Parc Suite HotelWest Hollywood, CAContemporary Chic, $$ (From $219)Some occasions in Los Angeles call for a flashy Sunset Strip hotel that rolls out the red carpet and cues the flashing lights when mystery black cars approach. But most of the time, we prefer a discrete, stylish hotel where service and flexibility play a starring role. Located on a quiet, tree-lined street in West Hollywoods Design District, Le Parc Suite Hotel has a soph