Time Is On Your Side
Whether you have just three days or a luxurious three weeks, a getaway for every culture vulture, beachcomber, and wine snob.
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The Line Hotel.
(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor) |
You have a long weekend:
Downtown hotels and gallery crawls:
Los Angeles, California
Nowadays, with its bustling food and art scenes, eternal sunshine and star spotting are only part of L.A.’s draw. Explore the newly revitalized downtown starting at the Ace Hotel (from $199; acehotel.com/losangeles), which just opened its second California outpost. Alternatively, shack up at Koreatown’s Line Hotel (from $240; thelinehotel.com), a newly restored mid-century building with light-drenched, California-modern rooms. Allot plenty of time for art gawking. This year marks the completion of the new Broad museum, where nearly 2,000 works from the billionaire owner’s collection will hang; come 2015, Hauser, Wirth & Schimmel will open their first gallery in the city. Until then, pay a visit to LACMA (the first major retrospective of John Altoon opens there in June) and visit the Stahl House, a mid-century architectural wonder that opened to the public in 2010. If you prefer to eat your way across the city sprawl: Downtown, browse the food wares at Grand Central Market (don’t miss breakfast at Eggslut), and book a table at omakase-style Orsa & Winston or Bar Amá, chef Josef Centeno’s latest.
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Union Station Hotel.
(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor) |
Johnny Cash and haute southern fare:
Nashville, Tennessee
It may be just a two-hour flight from New York, but Nashville feels a world away. Its honky-tonk roots run deep—country and bluegrass joints abound, and a Johnny Cash museum opened in 2013. Check into a modern room at the luxurious Union Station Hotel (from $229; unionstationhotelnashville.com), housed in a former railroad station. Fuel up with biscuits and gravy at Loveless Cafe, before sniffing out vintage finds at Katy K’s Ranch Dressing or custom neckties at Otis James. For dinner, gorge yourself on the city’s signature meat-and-three at Arnold’s Country Kitchen. For a taste of its vibrant contemporary food scene, try the homemade pastas at City House or the newfangled takes on southern fare at Husk and the Catbird Seat. Sip fancy cocktails at Holland House Bar & Refuge, then head on to Tootsie’s World Famous Orchid Lounge for live music of the boot-stomping-country variety.
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Wauwinet.
(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor) |
Private beaches and Bloody Marys:
Nantucket, Massachusetts
The preppy stalwart isn’t just for the squash-playing set. For some New England elegance, stay at the Wauwinet (from $195; wauwinet.com) on the island’s northern coast. The classic hotel (think Cape grey with white shutters) features private beaches on the Atlantic and Nantucket Bay side, plus an on-site spa. The nearby Brant Point Grill restaurant is known for its standout Bloody Marys. Active types can dive with sharks (contact Nantucket Shark Divers), then hike or bike (rent wheels through Nantucket Bike Shop) through the Instagram-worthy trails of Sanford Farm. Hop the jitney into town to sample what’s on tap at local favorite Cisco Brewers; try the locavore fare at the Proprietor’s Bar and Table; and end the night with drinks and music at the lively Chicken Box. (Jimmy Buffett is, reportedly, a fan.)
You have one week:
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Fogo Island Inn.
(Photo: Alex Fradkin) |
Rooftop hot tubs and lobster picnics:
Newfoundland, Canada
Getting there is a little roundabout (a three-and-a-half-hour flight, followed by a six-hour drive and scenic 45-minute ferry ride), but you will be rewarded with utter remoteness. Fogo Island, the largest offshore island in the province, feels like it’s at the edge of the world. (In fact, it’s about halfway between the equator and the North Pole.) And the Fogo Island Inn (from $845; fogoislandinn.ca), a wonder of high design amidst the craggily natural landscape, is the jewel in its crown. The futuristic stilted property was designed by Canadian architect Todd Saunders, while the interiors were furnished by local craftspeople. Daily excursions are all guided by those who know it best: the island dwellers. Shadow lobster trappers (a lobster picnic is included, naturally), fish for the island’s renowned cod on an old wooden skiff among the surrounding Little Fogo Islands, or take an outdoor watercolor class. In the evening, feast on a menu inspired by the island’s so-called seven seasons, stargaze from a rooftop hot tub or Finnish sauna, then retire to one of the luxurious second-floor suites. Each has a wood-burning fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the Atlantic.
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Downtown Mexico.
(Photo: Undine Pröhl) |
Modern art and mezcal:
Mexico City, Mexico
Sensory overload is the name of the game in this massive capital city. Check into one of the seventeen lofty rooms at the new Downtown México (from $195; downtownmexico.com). The converted seventeenth-century Palacio de los Condes de Miravalle is, as the name implies, located in the centuries-old city center, a stone’s throw from the famous Zócalo, the main plaza. Be sure to visit the newly opened Museo Jumex, which houses the largest collection of contemporary artworks in Latin America. For lunch, try the Mexican cuisine dispensed by the celebrated new guard of chefs: Jair Tellez at seafood-centric Contramar, Jorge Vallejo at Quintonil (the signature dish is is the titular quintonil, or amaranth greens), and Daniel Ovadía at Morablanca, which gives French food a Lebanese-Mexican spin. Do dinner at one of the many local fondas and taquerias. With your belly full, head out for drinks at La Nacional, which features a far-reaching menu of mezcals (from regions beyond traditional Oaxaca) and Mexican-made brews, or try a glass of pulque (fermented agave sap) at Pulquería Insurgentes, where a rotating cast of local D.J.’s and live bands sets the mood.