Having surpassed its sibling Mumbai in the number of
millionaire residents who call it home, New Delhi is celebrating its
economic rise with gusto. It’s even added speed to its notoriously
creaky infrastructure. Delhi’s new metro system,
currently in its latest stage of expansion to the Outer Ring Road,
provides a smooth yet surreal ride from the dense cacophony of the
ancient Mughal bazaars to the hypermodern mega-malls of the grassy
suburbs. Immaculate, cheap and air-conditioned, the metro might be the
most ambitious construction since India won its independence. And there
are lots of new places to visit: cutting-edge galleries like Latitude 28 and Gallery Threshold in the emerging Lado Sarai arts district, and new restaurants like Varq and Indian Accent, which are expanding the horizons of nouvelle Indian cuisine.
NEW DELHI Come for the new metro, stay for where it takes you.
Having surpassed its sibling Mumbai in the number of
millionaire residents who call it home, New Delhi is celebrating its
economic rise with gusto. It’s even added speed to its notoriously
creaky infrastructure. Delhi’s new metro system,
currently in its latest stage of expansion to the Outer Ring Road,
provides a smooth yet surreal ride from the dense cacophony of the
ancient Mughal bazaars to the hypermodern mega-malls of the grassy
suburbs. Immaculate, cheap and air-conditioned, the metro might be the
most ambitious construction since India won its independence. And there
are lots of new places to visit: cutting-edge galleries like Latitude 28 and Gallery Threshold in the emerging Lado Sarai arts district, and new restaurants like Varq and Indian Accent, which are expanding the horizons of nouvelle Indian cuisine.
Having surpassed its sibling Mumbai in the number of
millionaire residents who call it home, New Delhi is celebrating its
economic rise with gusto. It’s even added speed to its notoriously
creaky infrastructure. Delhi’s new metro system,
currently in its latest stage of expansion to the Outer Ring Road,
provides a smooth yet surreal ride from the dense cacophony of the
ancient Mughal bazaars to the hypermodern mega-malls of the grassy
suburbs. Immaculate, cheap and air-conditioned, the metro might be the
most ambitious construction since India won its independence. And there
are lots of new places to visit: cutting-edge galleries like Latitude 28 and Gallery Threshold in the emerging Lado Sarai arts district, and new restaurants like Varq and Indian Accent, which are expanding the horizons of nouvelle Indian cuisine.
Category:
Asia
IRELAND The emerald isle reaches out with an ancestral celebration
The former Celtic Tiger, pulling out all the stops this year to
attract much-needed tourism dollars, is holding a family reunion on the
grandest scale. A yearlong program called The Gathering
hopes to draw many of the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish
ancestry. The program, which kicked off with a three-day New Year’s
party in Dublin replete with a procession, fireworks and a concert
featuring the native headliners Imelda May and Bell X1, will go on to
include clan gatherings, cultural festivals, sporting events and
performances throughout the year and across the country. Meanwhile, Aer
Lingus, United and American are all ramping up service between Ireland
and the United States, home to over half of those global Irish
descendants.
The former Celtic Tiger, pulling out all the stops this year to
attract much-needed tourism dollars, is holding a family reunion on the
grandest scale. A yearlong program called The Gathering
hopes to draw many of the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish
ancestry. The program, which kicked off with a three-day New Year’s
party in Dublin replete with a procession, fireworks and a concert
featuring the native headliners Imelda May and Bell X1, will go on to
include clan gatherings, cultural festivals, sporting events and
performances throughout the year and across the country. Meanwhile, Aer
Lingus, United and American are all ramping up service between Ireland
and the United States, home to over half of those global Irish
descendants.
Category:
Europe
RIO DE JANEIRO Because the whole world will be there in 2014
Fifty-three years after Brazil’s federal government decamped to
Brasília, and decades after São Paulo took over as the country’s
business capital, Rio is staging a comeback. With the 2014 World Cup and
2016 Summer Olympics (plus an oil boom) providing the impetus, the
tropical city perhaps most famous for its Carnival hedonism is on its
way to becoming a more sophisticated cultural hub. In January, the
Cidade das Artes, or City of the Arts, was inaugurated as the new home
of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. On March 23, Casa Daros — an
outpost of the Zurich-based Daros Latinamerica Collection
— will open in a renovated 19th-century building with an exhibition of
Colombian artists. March will also mark the opening of the Rio Museum of
Category:
America
ROSSLAND, BRITISH COLOMBIA fasten your skis, A quiet peak joins the big leagues.
The largest terrain expansion in North American skiing is under way just north of the border at Red Mountain Resort
in Rossland, British Columbia. Long known for its steeps, tree-skiing
and out-of-the-way location (it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive from
Spokane) that leaves its lift mazes empty and led Skiing magazine last
year to call it the “most underrated” resort, Red has embarked on a
two-year project that will add nearly 1,000 acres on neighboring Grey
Mountain. This winter a 10-dollar ride in a snowcat will haul skiers
from Red to Grey to enjoy a few runs that have been cut as well as glade
skiing.
The largest terrain expansion in North American skiing is under way just north of the border at Red Mountain Resort
in Rossland, British Columbia. Long known for its steeps, tree-skiing
and out-of-the-way location (it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive from
Spokane) that leaves its lift mazes empty and led Skiing magazine last
year to call it the “most underrated” resort, Red has embarked on a
two-year project that will add nearly 1,000 acres on neighboring Grey
Mountain. This winter a 10-dollar ride in a snowcat will haul skiers
from Red to Grey to enjoy a few runs that have been cut as well as glade
skiing.
Category:
America
HOUSTON what's big in Texas? culture and food.
Houston is probably best known as the Texan center for energy
and industry, but it’s making a bid to be the state’s cultural and
culinary capital as well. The Houston Museum District is a formidable coterie of institutions that includes the Rothko Chapel, the Museum of African American Culture, which made its debut last February; and the Asia Society Texas Center, which opened in a stunning Yoshio Taniguchi-designed building in April. And last summer, the Houston Museum of Natural Science
opened a 30,000-square-foot hall of paleontology in a new $85 million
wing. Meanwhile, the city’s dining scene is also heating up, with three
of the city’s newest restaurants — Oxheart, Underbelly and Uchi — placing on national best-new-restaurant lists.
Houston is probably best known as the Texan center for energy
and industry, but it’s making a bid to be the state’s cultural and
culinary capital as well. The Houston Museum District is a formidable coterie of institutions that includes the Rothko Chapel, the Museum of African American Culture, which made its debut last February; and the Asia Society Texas Center, which opened in a stunning Yoshio Taniguchi-designed building in April. And last summer, the Houston Museum of Natural Science
opened a 30,000-square-foot hall of paleontology in a new $85 million
wing. Meanwhile, the city’s dining scene is also heating up, with three
of the city’s newest restaurants — Oxheart, Underbelly and Uchi — placing on national best-new-restaurant lists.
Category:
America
NICARAGUA it's eco! And the food is good! Enough said
If the name Oliver North means anything to you, there’s a good
chance that Nicaragua doesn’t jump to your mind when you think of a
relaxing, high-end, spa-filled vacation. For the past 30 years, the
country has been fighting its image as a land of guerrilla warfare and
covert arms deals. At first, only travel writers took note; over the
past several years, various publications have declared the country the
next great destination. However, if the booming eco-lodge business is
any indication, Nicaragua’s moment might finally have arrived.
Category:
America
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS a decade later, museums reopen, fancier than ever
Imagine that the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan
Museum in New York were partly closed for renovations for almost a
decade — at the same time. That’s basically what happened in Amsterdam,
with the closings of the Stedelijk, the city’s design and contemporary art museum, in 2004 and the Rijksmuseum
in 2003. The Stedelijk finally reopened at the end of September with a
new, sleek bathtub-like extension, and the Rijksmuseum will reopen in
April with much fanfare after a complete redo by the Spanish architects
Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz. The Van Gogh Museum too, will reopen in
May, after a much shorter renovation.
Imagine that the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan
Museum in New York were partly closed for renovations for almost a
decade — at the same time. That’s basically what happened in Amsterdam,
with the closings of the Stedelijk, the city’s design and contemporary art museum, in 2004 and the Rijksmuseum
in 2003. The Stedelijk finally reopened at the end of September with a
new, sleek bathtub-like extension, and the Rijksmuseum will reopen in
April with much fanfare after a complete redo by the Spanish architects
Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz. The Van Gogh Museum too, will reopen in
May, after a much shorter renovation.
Category:
Europe
MERGUI ISLANDS, MYANMAR live-aboard diving in a remote archipelago
With white sands, coconut trees and 800 mostly uninhabited
islands, the Mergui Archipelago on the southern coast of Myanmar has
been tantalizing travelers for decades — sitting right there on the map
but seemingly just out of reach. That’s changing as the country takes
baby steps toward democracy and the region becomes more accessible to
tourists with a budget for live-aboard boat trips. Only a handful of
companies are running trips to the Mergui islands right now, so expect
all the clichés: lazing on deserted islands
inhabited by a seminomadic population.
inhabited by a seminomadic population.
Category:
Asia
PUERTO RICO a spate of new hotels and restaurants animates the island
The ease of traveling to Puerto Rico from the mainland United
States (no passport or foreign currency) has made the island more a
mainstream getaway than an exclusive haven. But a string of new resorts,
some with a nod to the island’s storied past in tourism, have opened in
and around San Juan. The Condado Vanderbilt,
a stately 1919-vintage hotel on the oceanfront in San Juan that had
been closed since 1993, opened an upscale restaurant called 1919 in
October. Its 323 rooms, spread between the historic building and two new
towers, are expected to open by this summer. About 20 miles west of
town, the Ritz-Carlton’s new Dorado Beach
opened last month with 115 rooms all facing the ocean, 11 miles of
walking and biking trails,
a spa with treehouse massage pavilions and a restaurant from the chef José Andrés.
The ease of traveling to Puerto Rico from the mainland United
States (no passport or foreign currency) has made the island more a
mainstream getaway than an exclusive haven. But a string of new resorts,
some with a nod to the island’s storied past in tourism, have opened in
and around San Juan. The Condado Vanderbilt,
a stately 1919-vintage hotel on the oceanfront in San Juan that had
been closed since 1993, opened an upscale restaurant called 1919 in
October. Its 323 rooms, spread between the historic building and two new
towers, are expected to open by this summer. About 20 miles west of
town, the Ritz-Carlton’s new Dorado Beach
opened last month with 115 rooms all facing the ocean, 11 miles of
walking and biking trails,a spa with treehouse massage pavilions and a restaurant from the chef José Andrés.
Category:
America
PORTO, PORTUGAL finally, places worthy of Porto's vintages - at table wine prices
Portugal’s economic pain is your gain in Porto, one of Western
Europe’s great bargains. New boutique hotels and restaurants, like the Yeatman,
dramatically perched above the Douro River featuring Porto’s first
Michelin-starred restaurant,
have brought a fresh burnish to
this Unesco-protected city where labyrinthine narrow streets, ancient buildings
and black-cloaked students inspired a young English tutor who
lived here in the early 1990s named J. K. Rowling.
have brought a fresh burnish to
this Unesco-protected city where labyrinthine narrow streets, ancient buildings
Category:
Europe
LENS, FRANCE is the next bilbao in nothern France?
Lens, an industrial town in the Pas-de-Calais region of
northern France, is aiming to become the next Bilbao. The first step in
such a transformation happened last month, when a branch of the Louvre
opened on what had been a former hilltop mine yard.
Lens, an industrial town in the Pas-de-Calais region of
northern France, is aiming to become the next Bilbao. The first step in
such a transformation happened last month, when a branch of the Louvre
opened on what had been a former hilltop mine yard.
Category:
Europe
BURGOS, SPAIN an ancient city with a fresh face and culinary buzz
Burgos, in Castile-León, is home to a spired Gothic cathedral
that is a Unesco World Heritage site. That striking building used to be
the town’s only compelling attraction, but in recent years Burgos has
become a well-rounded destination with contemporary cultural centers
(the Museum of Human Evolution) and boutique hotels (Via Gótica). At the
same time a new group of talented chefs has given it a dynamic dining
scene that is finally allowing the city, recently
Burgos, in Castile-León, is home to a spired Gothic cathedral
that is a Unesco World Heritage site. That striking building used to be
the town’s only compelling attraction, but in recent years Burgos has
become a well-rounded destination with contemporary cultural centers
(the Museum of Human Evolution) and boutique hotels (Via Gótica). At the
same time a new group of talented chefs has given it a dynamic dining
scene that is finally allowing the city, recently
Category:
Europe
CONSTANTIA, SOUTH AFRICA A vineyard-heavy suburb gets a makeover
Some 20 minutes from the heart of Cape Town and set against the
slopes of Table Mountain, Constantia’s 10 winemaking farms dating back
to 1685 lure visitors for tastings, dining, vineyard tours and spa
treatments. Constantia’s crown jewel — the Steenberg Luxury Hotel, with
the region’s only
golf course, oldest farm and buildings that are national
golf course, oldest farm and buildings that are national
Category:
Africa
THE BIG ISLAND, HAWAII festing on hawaii's less-visited isle
Oahu has its North Shore. Kauai has its waterfalls. But until
recently, the Big Island’s biggest claim was its land mass. This is the
year that’s changing. A slew of high-end golf courses and new beach
clubs, like the Lava Lava Beach Club,
are drawing tourists to this corner of the archipelago
like never before. And now that
the farm-to-table movement has made its way to Hawaii, the Big Island is finally living up to its name. The grandfather of farm-to-table fare is Merriman’s, which has been at it for
like never before. And now that
the farm-to-table movement has made its way to Hawaii, the Big Island is finally living up to its name. The grandfather of farm-to-table fare is Merriman’s, which has been at it for
Category:
America
THE KIMBERLEY, AUSTRALIA Soft adventure in the outer reaches of the outback
Even by Australian standards, the Kimberley region is remote,
with roughly 50,000 people living in an area larger than Germany. The
area has long been largely off-limits to anyone without a yacht or the
nerve to pilot a four-wheel drive through rocky riverbeds. Now luxury
lodges have opened up the region to travelers willing to trade big bucks
for land-based access to some spectacular spots. The Berkeley River
Lodge, a 20-villa, fly-in complex, opened last spring on a sprawling Timor Sea beach.
Lodge, a 20-villa, fly-in complex, opened last spring on a sprawling Timor Sea beach.
Category:
Ocenia
MONTENEGRO A balkan gem that's small, spectacular and cheap
It’s been almost seven years since Montenegro peacefully parted
ways with Serbia, long enough that Russian oligarchs and former
Yugoslavs aren’t the only ones in on this booming Balkan jewel. For
better or worse, an iconic Communist-era hotel with bold red carpets is
becoming a contemporary Hilton in Podgorica, the country’s pint-size
capital. On the Adriatic near Budva, a six-year renovation of Sveti Stefan resort,
which includes a three-acre island with rooms set in repurposed
15th-century cottages, draws to a close in May with Aman Resorts opening
10 suites, a spa and restaurant on the island. About 16 miles and
countless twinkling coves north in Tivat, the blingy Porto Montenegro
will
Category:
Europe
SINGAPORE spot green shoots in a financial capital
As one of the world’s richest nations and a capital of global
finance, Singapore has been awash in green for decades. But lately the
densely populated city-state is burnishing its credentials as another
type of green center — the ecological kind. A study released in 2011 by
The Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit and Siemens ranked Singapore
as the greenest city in Asia, and this year the metropolis of glass and
steel inaugurates two vast nature projects guaranteed to boost the green
quotient further and to enhance the city’s image as a destination for
environmental tourism. Gardens by the Bay,
an ambitious 250-acre nature reserve, won the building-of-the-year
prize at the World Architecture Festival for its glassy, hill-like main
building, which houses attractions like the Flower Dome and Cloud
Forest. Not to be outdone, the new Marine Life Park
is already touting itself as “the world’s largest oceanarium.” It
features a huge water park
Category:
Asia