Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant Lots of restaurants specialize in Beijing’s most famous dish, and debate rages endlessly over who serves the best fowl. This place is less over-blown and over-priced than many of its rivals, and for that it gets our vote . Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant Preparing Beijing duck Guizhou Luo Luo … Read more
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu The venerated Real Madrid football club celebrated its centenary in 2002, although this 75,000 seater stadium was not completed until 1946. It is named after Santiago Bernabéu, the club president who brought the team five successive European championships in the 1950s. This success has continued – in 1998 FIFA, soccer’s world governing … Read more
Casa PATAS If you’re interested in Flamenco but don’t know your cantadores from your bailadores, this lively club is a good place to get acquainted with the scene. Rated by madrileños for its class acts, the show usually starts around 11pm or a little later and continues into the small hours. Beforehand you can have … Read more
Hong Kong Dishes Cha Siu This is virtually Hong Kong’s national dish. The name literally means “fork roast”. The tender fillets of pork are roasted and glazed in honey and spices, and hung in the windows of specialist roast meat shops. Cha siu is classically served thinly sliced, with steamed rice and strips of vegetables. … Read more
Felix The shining pinnacle of Hong Kong bars is set in Kowloon’s famous Peninsula Hotel. Philippe Starcke designed Felix, and the result is coolness incarnate. Let the experience envelope you, beginning with the dedicated elevators and their light effects, to the untrammelled delights of Felix’s restrooms. The harbour views are an added bonus. If you … Read more
San Clemente The many layers of this fascinating church reveal the changing ideals of Rome in various eras . Ceiling, San Clemente Underground font, San Clemente Catacombs The burial tunnels of Rome’s early Christians are like a honeycomb beneath the consular roads out of Rome, especially along Via Appia Antica. Grave niches stacked like shelving … Read more
Top 10 Vistas Roman Forum from Campidoglio Walk around the right side of Palazzo Senatorio for a postcard panorama – floodlit at night. Il Vittoriano Climb the “Wedding Cake” for vistas across the Imperial Fora . Gianicolo The Eternal City is laid out at your feet from a lover’s lane perch across the Tiber . … Read more
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City The local cliché is that this expansive mall has become the new downtown shopping area, even though it is not in the city center. But it is less than 10 minutes away by metro, and there is a train stop right in the mall. Nordstrom and Macy’s are the … Read more
Ford’s Theater The tragedy of Lincoln’s assassination here in 1865 kept this theater closed for over 100 years, but now it is the home of a vibrant theater company as well as being a museum and historic landmark. Top-notch performers and directors stage exciting plays here . Auditorium, Ford’s Theater Arena Stage Internationally renowned as … Read more
Cafés There are several cruises each weekend around the Bay, offering champagne brunches. Telephone 415 788 9100 for details. Café Claude The owner actually bought Le Barbizon Café in Paris and shipped it over piece by piece. That accounts for the authentic French feel of this back-alley bistro-like spot near Union Square, where francophiles rendezvous … Read more
Bars Bubble Lounge Right in historic Jackson Square, this very upscale, multi-roomed champagne bar features around 300 bubblies on its list. The main room is very beautiful, in a traditionally clubby sort of way . Bubble Lounge Nova Bar A hip little bar in the SOMA neighborhood with modern, trendy decor. The bartenders are friendly … Read more
Deutsches Technikmuseum The technology museum is a giant playground for children, excellent for learning through play. There are locomotives to clamber over, windmills to play with and the exhibition “Spektrum”, where older children can conduct their own physics and chemistry experiments . Deutsches Technikmuseum Labyrinth Kindermuseum Berlin’s Museum for Children is particularly suitable for children … Read more
Großer Wannsee Wannsee has long been a popular destination for Berliners, and it is well worth visiting Strandbad Wannsee. Europe’s largest inland beach, it attracts some 40,000 visitors a day who sunbathe on its beautifully white, artificial beach and swim in the lake. This is also a great place for people-watching, and in the summer … Read more
Royal Opera House One of the greatest opera houses in the world, this theatre is home to the Royal Ballet Company, and hosts international opera productions. Apart from the sumptuous main auditorium, there are the smaller Lindberg and Clore theatres which have music and dance. There are regular backstage tours and occasional big-screen live simulcasts … Read more
Ronnie Scott’s This legendary London jazz club was opened by saxophonist Ronnie Scott (1929–96) in 1959. Intimate lamplit tables surround a tiny stage that has hosted such stars as Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, and continues to attract top names . Ronnie Scott’s jazz club 100 Club Atmospheric jazz and blues dive that stays open … Read more
Top athletes feature in an Olympic countdown portrait tour Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II at National Portrait Gallery, London As part of the 2012 countdown to the London Olympics the National Portrait Gallery and BT will be showing over 30 stunning printed panels in major UK cities. The 30 panels will tour the country this … Read more
Take the Grandeur of Gandhi tour with Gujarat Tourism for a peek into the Mahatma’s lifestyle Take the Grandeur of Gandhi tour with Gujarat Tourism for a peek into the Mahatma’s lifestyle Gujarat is a land with vibrant scenery, rich culture and delicious food. From pristine beaches and breathtaking hill stations to heritage monuments and … Read more
The ITC Grand Chola sets a new benchmark in luxury. We got a first look. Don’t be confused: regular visitors to Chennai will know the name Chola from as far back as 35 years ago, but that hotel has since been rebranded (it’s now known as My Fortune, Chennai). Meanwhile the highly-awaited ITC Grand Chola … Read more
Behind their charming facades, Britain’s villages hide many mysteries. Rose-framed cottages and the ancient church tower cluster protectively around the oak-shaded green. Here, in summer, the crack of willow on leather indicates that cricketers are conducting their weekly ritual, to utter bemusement of foreign visitors. There’s nothing more English than the village. Behind their charming … Read more
A village within a henge Avebury, Wiltshire Standing stones of the henge at Avebury, Wiltshire, England The 17th-century antiquarian John Aubrey famously wrote about Avebury that it “did as much excel Stoneheng (sic) as a Cathedral does a Parish Church.” The magnificent Neolithic henge, which encompasses the medieval village, olus the double stone circles hat … Read more