Tainan
Taiwan’s oldest city accumulated temples, fortifications, and a culinary tradition over four centuries that Taipei, for all its scale and energy, cannot match. It is best understood slowly, on foot, with no fixed itinerary.
Topic
Food
Kanazawa
On the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa escaped the bombing raids of the Second World War and came through with its castle town intact — samurai districts, a geisha quarter, and one of Japan’s three great gardens, all within walking distance of each other.
Upstate NY
North of the city, the Hudson Valley has been drawing artists and weekenders for two centuries — river towns with outsized art scenes, Catskill trails above the old resort plateau, farm stands running into October, and foliage that peaks somewhere between mid-September and late October depending on the year.
East End, Portland
Portland’s East End waterfront trades in Maine’s best strengths: lobster rolls kept simple, fried clams, and a food truck lineup that shifts with the seasons. The Eastern Promenade beyond is the reward — wide water views and a quiet end to a busy city day.
NYC
New York rewards slow exploration just as much as landmark-checking. Every neighborhood runs on its own rhythm — Central Park giving way to hand-pulled noodles in Flushing, a subway ride across boroughs, a rooftop at dusk. No two visits feel quite the same.
Portland
Maine’s largest city packs an outsized food and arts scene into its compact peninsula neighborhoods. The Old Port’s cobblestone streets lead to some of the best seafood in the country, and the surrounding coastline — lighthouses, islands, tidal coves — stretches in both directions.
Reykjavík
Iceland’s compact and colorful capital punches well above its size. Wander the rainbow-painted streets of the old town, climb to the top of Hallgrímskirkja church for sweeping views over the rooftops and sea, and warm up in one of the city’s legendary geothermal pools.