Nightlife Unless otherwise specified, an admission fee is charged for all concerts, clubs, and discos. A huge nightlife complex – Kunstpark Nord in Fröttmaning –is due to be completed near Allianz Arena in 2009. The Atomic Café With its bright orange 1960s decor, the Atomic has been a popular club for years. You’ll find a … Read more
Young foxes Playful, inquisitive and a joy to watch, fox cubs take their first steps into the wider world this month. May is the month when fox cubs can be seen taking their first steps into the outside world. Gingerly at first, and when with more confidence and brashness as the month progresses, the youngsters … 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
With the launch of the Vivanta by Taj, Bekal, the state’s unexplored north coast is thankfully opening up to visitors. “Holidays can either be active or lazy; a vacation here invariably falls into the latter category,” says Samir Khanna, general manager of Vivanta by Taj, Baklal, as we drive around the resort in a golf … 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
Although nobody at GoldenEye really pushes the James Bond thing, Ian Fleming wrote the Bond books here. His house, from which the resort takes its name, overlooks the sea, and there are cottages with names such as Vesper and Solitaire. GoldenEye recreates the ambience created by Ian Fleming in the 1940s. Hidden away from 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
The hotel industry is rapidly expanding its spa menus to include child0frinedly treatments and parent-and-child packages. The Conrad Maldives (www.hilton.com), for instance, offers an Ice Cream Spa for kids aged four to 12, with treatments in 11 flavors – from apple pie to lavender lullaby. Conrad Maldives The Mandarin Oriental Miami (www.madarinoriental.com) has a teen … 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
From ice-cream-flavored spa treatments to Barbie-themed rooms, Priyanka Shewakramani reports on hotels and resorts going the extra mile to keep families entertained. After all, if you spend your vacation worrying the kids will smash the crystal vase in your suite, you probably shouldn’t be there. When it comes to family holidays, choosing the right hotel … 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
Mention Skye to ramblers worth their saltand the word Cuillins with swiftly appear in the conversation. In terms of grandiose and brutal terrain, few mountain ranges in Britain can compare. The violence of their volcanic birth was tempered by the ice age that followed, with basalt and gabbro rock splitting and corroding at different rates … 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
Built on wool Lavenham, Suffolk Lavenham is six miles north-east of Sudbury. Wool was also the reason for the wonderfully rich and colorful medieval half-timbered villages of East Anglia, and Lavenham is probably the best-known and most complete. Medieval houses such as the Guildhall and Wool Hall sag and creak crazily with age around the … 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
The Lamb and Flag This old-world establishment tucked up an alley looks much as it did in Charles Dickens’ day. In the heart of Covent Garden, it can get crowded – during the summer drinkers spill outside into the quiet alley. The 17th-century poet John Dryden was severely beaten up outside the pub which was … Read more
Bed Tapas & Bar The perfect Beijing bar – an old courtyard house kitted out with antique furniture, including kang-style beds. Excellent food, plus weekend DJs . Bed Tapas & Bar Centro Beijing’s classiest bar is off the lobby of one of the city’s swankiest hotels. Louche and loungey, it boasts live jazz, sexy waitresses, … Read more
Cyclist, Passeig Marítim Barcelona Bici Mirador de Colom 93 285 38 32 La Rambla & The Port From Plaça de Catalunya, stroll the length of Barcelona’s most famous street, La Rambla, stopping en route to enjoy the street performances. Turn left at the port and admire the luxury yachts as you follow the water round … Read more
Les Misérables Victor Hugo’s 1862 French classic novel was adapted for the stage by Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985. With music by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, “Les Mis” tells the tale of downtrodden poor and the social and political struggles in revolutionary France. It is now at the Queens Theatre … Read more
Alameda The look is LA or Sydney, the food is Brazilian. The well balanced menu includes good- value set lunches and dinners that change with the availability of fresh ingredients but great steaks are standard. Alameda Cafe Sambal Sambal, a sauce made with chillies, features on the menu at this stylish Malay restaurant, along with … Read more