Don’t let the profusion of Prada-clad shoppers fool you: there’s more to Newbury Street than world-class retail, people watching, and al fresco dining. One of the first streets created on the marshland known as Back Bay, Newbury has seen a myriad of tenants and uses over the past 150 years. Look closely and you’ll glimpse … Read more
One of the most important art collections in the world, the Thyssen Bornemisza focuses on European painting from the 13th to the 20th centuries and is the perfect complement to the Prado and Reina Sofía. Wealthy industrialist Baron Heinrich Thyssen Bornemisza began acquiring Old Masters in the 1920s for his villa in Switzerland. After the … Read more
Theaters Lyceum The oldest playhouse boasts a vaulted ceiling, murals, and elaborate plasterwork. Often used as an auxiliary for Lincoln Center. 149–157 West 45th St Lyceum New Victory Theater Built for Oscar Hammerstein in 1900, this had resorted to X-rated films until restored in 1995 to present family entertainment. 209 West 42nd St New Victory … Read more
This colourful street market in one of the city’s oldest working class neighbourhoods has been going for well over 100 years. The word rastro means “trail” and refers to the animal innards that were dragged through the streets in the days when this was the site of the main abattoir. The artist Francisco de Goya … Read more
Known as the “Crossroads of the World,” Times Square is New York’s most famous intersection and the symbol of the lively surrounding theater district that includes Broadway. It was called Longacre Square until 1904, when the New York Times built a 25-story tower on the site. Its occupancy on New Year’s Eve was marked with … Read more
London’s most famous residence, and one of its best recognized landmarks, Buckingham Palace was built as a town house for the first Duke of Buckingham in 1705. Between 1824 and 1831, George IV commissioned John Nash to extend the house into a substantial palace, which was first occupied by Queen Victoria in 1837. The extensive … Read more
A sprawling landscaped park on the edge of the city, this seasonal imperial retreat from the stifling confines of the Forbidden City was the favored haunt of Empress Cixi. She had it rebuilt twice: once after its destruction by French and English troops in 1860, and again in 1902, after it was plundered during the … Read more
The best day to visit the world’s most familiar triumphal arch is 2 December, the date that marks Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, when the sun sets in line with the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe, creating a spectacular halo around the building. Work began on the 50-m (164-ft) arch … Read more
Packed with exciting hands-on exhibits, this huge museum explores the fascinating world of science through centuries of scientific and technological development. It shows British inventiveness leading the world in the Industrial Revolution, with spinning looms and steam engines, navigation and early flight. It also has displays on contemporary science and cutting-edge technologies, with numerous interactive … Read more
The area around the joined lakes of Qian Hai and Hou Hai has traditionally been home to nobles and wealthy merchants. Several grand homes survive, hidden in the labyrinthine old lanes known as hutongs. This is a rare quarter of Beijing where the 21st century is kept at bay, and these back alleys represent one … Read more
One of the most photographed images of the city, the spectacular white outline of Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) watches over Paris from its highest point. The basilica was built as a memorial to the 58,000 French soldiers killed during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) and took 46 years to build, finally completed in 1923 at a cost … Read more
Berlin’s Zoological Garden is Germany’s oldest zoo and, with near 1,500 different species, it is one of the best-stocked in the world. Animals have been kept and bred here, in the northwest of the Tiergarten district, since 1844. A total of about 15,000 animals live in the zoo, ranging from saucer jellyfish to the Indian … Read more
This glitzy strip of stores and striking buildings runs for, you guessed it, about a mile (1.6 km), along North Michigan Avenue. A sharp developer came up with the “magnificent” moniker in 1947, and it has stuck ever since. Often known as the Mag Mile, it is home to big-guns department stores like Neiman Marcus, … Read more
There are some 70 million specimens in the Natural History Museum’s fascinating collections. Originally the repository for items brought home by Charles Darwin and Captain Cook’s botanist, Joseph Banks, among others, the museum combines traditional displays with innovative, hands-on exhibits. With kid-pleasers such as the impressive dinosaur collection, it remains one of London’s most popular … Read more
Gemäldegalerie Portrait of Hieronymus Holzschuher Albrecht Dürer painted this portrait of the mayor of Nuremburg in 1529. Portrait of the Merchant Georg Gisze This painting by Hans Holbein (1532), showing the merchant counting his money, reflects the rise of the wealthy citizen during the Renaissance. Madonna with Child and Singing Angels A 1477 painting by … Read more
Chicago’s second most popular attraction after Navy Pier, this menagerie is not only one of the oldest zoos in the country but also one of the last not to charge admission. Established in 1868 with just a pair of swans, its age helps to account for how well integrated it is with the surrounding North … Read more
Opened in 1897 as the national gallery of British art, the magnificent collection at London’s first Tate gallery ranges from 1500 to the present day. Its founder was Henry Tate (1819–99) who made his fortune from sugar. The collection contains works by all Britain’s major painters, and was greatly added to by J M W … Read more
The Kulturforum is a unique complex of museums, concert halls and libraries, based at the south-eastern end of the Tiergarten. Every year, some of the most outstanding European art museums, as well as the famous concert hall of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, attract millions of visitors who are interested in culture and music. The Kulturforum, … Read more
Henry the Lion transformed Marienplatz into the centre of Munich – and it remains the heart of the city today. This is where the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) stands, major public transit lines meet, and locals and visitors alike stroll past street entertainers, or sit at the restaurant and café patios lining the square. … Read more
Palace Rooms The new wing Neuer Pavillon Goldene Galerie The festival salon in the Neuer Flügel, 42 m (138 ft) long, was designed, in the Rococo style, by G W von Knobelsdorff for Frederick the Great. The richly ornamented room has a cheerful appearance. Eichengalerie The wooden panelling of the so-called oak gallery is carved … Read more