time-3511 enjoy your time travel

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2009-07-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Beijing china

For centuries, the city's hulking official buildings served as reminders of the awesome power of the imperial state. That didn't change much when the Communist government took over in 1949. Then, with the reform and opening of China, which began some three decades ago, the new elite — corporate chieftains and their bureaucratic allies — began erecting capitalist monoliths to showcase their newfound wealth and influence.

Angelo Cavalli / Getty

Rome Italy

Your stay in Rome is all about your state of mind. Making every hour count means letting the timeless grandeur and beauty of the place seep into your blood. So, keep your eyes open for the little things that aren't on any list, the nooks and nuances of this ancient city, which remind me that after 10 years of living here my time in Rome has been but a blink in the city's eye.

Dubai

London

London's appeal doesn't lie only in its architectural and cultural treasures. This is also the best people-watching city in the world. Its 7.5 million residents — some born within its boundaries, others irresistibly drawn to it — are deliriously motley, speaking more than 300 languages among them. If you've got just 24 hours, here are 10 unmissable places to observe Londoners in their natural habitat.

Las Vegas

If you have to gamble, do it fast and do it social: craps, roulette, a sports bet, a 45-minute round of blackjack you set a timer to. I zen out at the poker tables for hours and miss out on too much.

New York

The must-see list for the one-day visitor to New York — especially the first-timer — is mind-boggling. Don't fret; you'll return. We're assuming you're well aware of the major attractions: Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (better known as MoMA). We're here to guide you to the top 10 places where tourists don't normally go

guest book

2009-04-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

guestbook,link,blogroll

2009-02-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

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Beijing china

2008-12-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

By Simon Elegant

Introduction

Angelo Cavalli / Getty

At the physical and metaphorical center of Beijing is the Forbidden City, the vast palace complex of former emperors that is now one of the greatest museums in the world. From here, most of the city's other major sites — except, of course, the Great Wall — are within a radius of a mile or two.

1. Forbidden City
Palace Museum, Beijing, China 39.917002116.391002 More Info
2. Great Wall of China
Beijing, China

1. Emperor Hotel Bar

Harald Sund / Getty

The boutique Emperor Hotel is perched just opposite the east gate of the massive Forbidden City palace complex. Trendy and airy, the 55-room hotel has many charms. But best of all for the weary traveler is its rooftop bar, Yin. Built on an ascending series of platforms, the bar has the best view in town hands-down. Having a drink here at dusk as you gaze over the swooping tiled roofs of the vast former residence of the Emperor is magical. A word of warning, though: Presumably in the spirit of adding Chinese authenticity, many of the house cocktails are made with the notoriously potent Chinese rice liquor baijiu. Avoid those.

1. Emperor Hotel
33 Qihelou Street, Beijing, China, 100006; 86-(0)10-6526-5566 designhotels.com
2. Yin, Emperor Hotel Rooftop
33 Qihelou Street, Dongcheng, Beijing, China, 100006; 86-(0)10-6526-5566 designhotels.com

2. Shichahai Lakes

Cancan Chu / Getty

Everybody visits the Forbidden City, of course, but a stroll around the adjoining lakes, which used to be part of the emperors' vast pleasure gardens is a wonderful complement. Don't pass up renting a rowboat and taking a float around Beihai (or North Lake) Park, while contemplating the huge white Buddhist stupa built in 1271 by Kublai Khan. The three lakes — Qianhai (Front Lake), Houhai (Rear Lake) and Xihai (West Lake) — north of Beihai and about a mile north of the Forbidden City are known collectively as Shichahai and are ringed by restaurants and bars. Try the wildly popular cuisine of the Hakka minority group at Han Cang on the Shichahai East Bank.

1. Forbidden City
Palace Museum, Beijing, China 39.917002116.391002 More Info
2. Beihai (North Lake) Park
Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-6407-1415 39.924444116.383056 More Info
3. Han Cang
Shichahai East Bank, Opposite north gate of Beihai Park, Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-6404-2259

3. Hutongs

Teh Eng Koon / AFP / Getty

After a stop for refreshment in Shichahai, head east on Guloudajie Road into one of Beijing's few remaining hutong neighborhoods, with narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses. Hutongs once dominated the city, but in recent years many have been leveled in the name of modernization. Trishaw drivers hang around offering tours, but a better and cheaper (not to mention healthier) bet is to rent your own bike and get pleasantly lost in the back lanes around the Drum and Bell towers. It's not hard to find one of numerous small bicycle shops nearby. Alternatively, look for one of 20 stands dotted around the city, run by the Beijing Bike Rental Company, which rents bikes by the hour, the day or longer.

1. Drum Tower and Bell Tower
Gulou Xidajie, Dongcheng, Beijing, China 39.940189116.389636 More Info

4. Nanluoguxiang

Joe McNally / Getty

If you're keen on retail therapy, one must-see hutong is Nanluoguxiang in the Gulou, or Drum and Bell Tower, district, which has several kilometers of shops, galleries and cafés that range from the chic to the kitschy. You'll find lots of cool T-shirts here (Plastered has a good line) featuring tricked-out images of everything from Mao Zedong to garden gnomes. Fun.

1. Plastered T-Shirts
61 Nanluoguxiang, Beijing, China, 100009; 86-(0)134-8884-8855 plasteredtshirts.com

5. Dali Courtyard Restaurant

Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty

Recharge from shopping in Nanluoguxiang at nearby Dali Courtyard Restaurant, a beautifully restored, laid-back place — it's not gussied up to a fake plastic sheen — that specializes in the food of the southern province of Yunnan. Influenced by the dishes of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Burma and Vietnam, Yunnan cuisine is light and sophisticated, and makes good use of the region's abundant mushrooms and unusual herbs. There is no menu at Dali. Diners pay a fixed price of around US $15 for a meal of whatever was freshest when the chef went to the market. The place is a little tricky to find. Your taxi will drop you at the mouth of the alley; walk straight down about 150 yards and look to your left for a red lantern down an even smaller alley.

1. Dali Courtyard Restaurant
67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-8404-2030 dalicourtyard.com

6. The Legation Quarter

Li Miyi / China Foto Press

For a nightcap, head to the Legation Quarter, just off the southeast corner of Tiananmen Square. This elegant quadrangle of two-story buildings served as the U.S. Embassy from 1903 when it was built, until 1949 when the Communists took over. It has now been lovingly restored and houses a range of restaurants and bars and an art gallery. Head straight to the main building, which houses Maison Boulud, the creation of Frenchman turned New Yorker Daniel Boulud. You can eat his wonderful food of course, but there is also a bar where they make the best lychee martini in town, or possibly anywhere.

1. Legation Quarter
23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Beijing, China, 100006; 86-(0)10-6522-4848 legationquarter.com
2. Tiananmen Square
Beijing, China 39.903333116.391667 More Info
3. Maison Boulud
Legation Quarter, Beijing, China, 100006; 86-(0)10-6556-9200 More Info

7. Panjiayuan Flea Market

China Photos / Getty

If you'll be in Beijing over the weekend, get up early and make a trip to Panjiayuan, a giant flea market where every imaginable curio, artifact and fake Tang dynasty knock-off is on sale. It used to be called the "dirt market" because peasants would cart in objects they supposedly unearthed themselves, squat in the market's open field and hawk their wares. There are no peasants now, and the market grounds are no longer just an open field, but there are still plenty of merchants selling everything from antiques to paintings. Many of the stalls are open through the week, but the flea market is best early on Saturday or Sunday. You'll find the market southwest of the Panjiayuan Bridge, on the southern part of Third East Ring Road. It's slightly off the beaten path — though only a 15-minute taxi ride from the middle of town — and well worth the trip.

1. Panjiayuan Flea Market
Third East Ring Road, Beijing, China

8. Coal Hill Park

China Photos / Getty

Another worthwhile morning destination is Jingshan (Coal Hill) Park, behind the Forbidden City. Not only is it an oasis of flowers and trees, it also boasts a breathtaking view of the Palace from the top of one of Beijing's very few hills, which was constructed from earth that was dug up to make the moat of the Forbidden City. Each morning the park fills with middle-aged and older Chinese who gather in groups to sing the revolutionary songs of their youth, play the traditional two-stringed erhu or practice the slow, graceful movements of tai chi. Everyone is friendly and will try and get you to join them in the tai chi. Do so.

1. Jingshan Park (Coal Hill)
Beijing, China 39.923611116.390556 More Info
2. Forbidden City
Palace Museum, Beijing, China 39.917002116.391002 More Info

9. Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty

What's a trip to Beijing without eating duck? Avoid the grease-splattered tourist trap at Li Qun and head instead to Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant (southwest of Dongsi Shitiao Bridge) at Nanxincang, the old imperial granary to the northeast of the Forbidden City. Crispier and less fatty than other birds, these are the best Peking ducks in town. Da Dong offers numerous other dishes, most of them very tasty. But don't get greedy. Wait and eat your duck first. Savor it.

1. Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant
1-2/F Nanxincang Intl. Bldg., Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-5169-0328

10. Reflexology

Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty

Your whirlwind tour is bound to leave you footsore so do like the Beijingers, who swear by reflexology (foot massage), which they believe not only relieves aching feet but also cures a whole range of other ills. I'm not sure about the cure part, but the experience is well worth having. There are salons all over town. The Liangzi Foot Body Massage Centres with 30 branches in Beijing are great.

1. Liangzi Foot Body Massage Centres
Beijing, China; 86-(0)10-6210-6669 More Info

Rome Italy

2008-11-29T17:51:00.001-08:00

Rome: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

By Jeff Israely

Introduction

Hiroyuki Matsumoto / Getty

The best way to see the city is to walk. The sights of London or Paris might be mapped out by a few select subway stops. But in Rome, where you can usually count on good weather and unreliable transportation, you're best off doing as much as possible by foot. On the street is also where you'll unearth those unexpected finds. The warm aroma of a bakery. The handmade leather of a local craftsman. The tucked-away piazza that seems stuck in the 16th century, with grandma hanging the clothes out the window and six-year-olds chasing each other across the cobblestones. Even if it doesn't ever really change, Rome always has the power to surprise.

Read on for 10 things worth (leisurely) cramming into a day.

1. Galleria Borghese

Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty
They say the best museum in Rome is the city itself. That may be so, but the Galleria Borghese is still a gem worth seeing. Its collections are housed in a magnificent 17th-century villa and offer a compact course in the Italian aesthetic. In just 20 rooms, you are exposed to antiquities, the Renaissance and the beginnings of baroque art. Visits to the Galleria in the northeast corner of the sprawling Villa Borghese park are by reservation, which allows you the pleasure of seeing the Bernini sculptures from every angle without being crowded out.

2. San Luigi dei Francesi

Vanni Archive / Corbis

Once you've gotten a taste of Caravaggio, a late Renaissance master whose work is featured at the Galleria Borghese, you can't leave Rome without seeing what many say is his most powerful work. You'll have to go to church to do it.

The Calling of Saint Matthew hangs in the Contarelli Chapel of the San Luigi dei Francesi church, a reminder that 400-year-old art was provocatively modern when it was first conceived. Two other Caravaggio works — St. Matthew and the Angel and the Martyrdom of St. Matthew — which round out the triptych, are also on permanent display here. Seeing such a renowned work in a church you might otherwise have easily overlooked is proof that Rome really is a living museum.

Like other basilicas, entry is free (come in the morning, since the church closes at lunchtime); you'll have to drop a few coins to light up the paintings in the darkened interior and see how Caravaggio infused his own light into the baroque melodrama.

3. Giorgio de Chirico House-Museum

It's hard to get away from art in Italy. Here's one last solely art-related suggestion, and one that quickly brings us up to the 20th century. The Giorgio de Chirico House-Museum is a chance to get a guided look at some of the signature works of the master of classically fueled surrealism and to get a peek into his sunny attic studio. The pristinely preserved two-level apartment, where De Chirico lived for more than 30 years until his death in 1978, also lets you glimpse how the city's upper crust have lived for centuries. In this case, it's accompanied by about the best view overlooking the splendid Piazza di Spagna. The living area has been left largely as it was during De Chirico's life and displays dozens of his works. Reservations must be made in advance.

4. Via del Governo Vecchio

Alamy

If you look out ol' Giorgio's living room window (from the Giorgio de Chirico House-Museum) across Piazza di Spagna, you will see the famous Via Condotti, which stacks most of the best-known Italian designers into a 100-m stretch of real estate. For my money, though, I'd go to the other side of downtown for a less well-known, but no less elegant shopping experience on Via del Governo Vecchio, where you can buy everything from fur to bathing suits. It may not exactly be a bargain for American shoppers, but you'll probably find items not yet available in the U.S.

5. Ponte Sisto Stroll

Michael McQueen / The Image Bank / Getty
The best way to soak up the city — and to find some of the quainter (and more affordable) shops — is to zig-zag from vicolo to vicolo (alley), piazza to piazza. For a good two-hour stroll, start at the bustling Piazza Navona, then head south through Campo dei Fiori, where you'll find cafés and daily food and flower markets, to the beguiling Piazza Farnese, with its pair of fountains and Renaissance palace. From there, continue toward Ponte Sisto. The ponte (bridge) offers a great perspective on the beauty of Rome, with the Gianicolo hill rising to the west and St. Peter's Basilica to the north. Cross the Tiber to arrive in the utterly charming Trastevere neighborhood, where laundry swings overhead and flowers burst from window boxes; your stroll can continue, and the enchantment (and shops) will keep coming.

6. Pizza al Taglio

Todd A. Gipstein / Getty

By now you're hungry. If you have a lot of ground to cover and don't have time for a sit-down lunch, try some of the best stand-up pizza of your life. Rome is filled with these pizzerie al taglio (sliced), where ordering what you want is as easy as pointing through the glass toward the variety you like, nodding your approval for the width of the serving, then digging in. Feel free to ask for smaller portions of two or three different types. Beside the standard margherita (tomato sauce and mozzarella), most pizzerie will make a mean potato or zucchini pizza, as well as fresh cherry tomatoes and mozzarella.

Two of my favorite places are near the Trevi Fountain. Da Michele serves kosher pizza (meat, but no cheese) cooked to crisp perfection with endless varieties. Try sausage and broccoli, or mushrooms and arugula. My other favorite pizzeria is so small it doesn't have a name. It is on Via del Piè di Marmo, near the corner of Via del Gesù. Try the eggplant. Buonissima!

7. Gianicolo

Franz-Marc Frei / Corbis

This is known as the city of seven hills, but actually Rome has more than that. Indeed, the Gianicolo (or Janiculum), the hill that affords the best view of Rome, is west of the Tiber and outside the ancient city, so it's not counted among the ancient seven. Still, it's close to the historic center, just above the Vatican and the Trastevere neighborhood — and the panorama (not to mention the silence) from the top takes your breath away. At noon, the quiet is momentarily broken by the single shot of a cannon, to mark the exact time, a tradition that dates back to the 19th century.

Besides a stunning view of Rome's ancient landmarks, the Gianicolo gives you a quick and slightly more modern history lesson on the Italian Risorgimento, the 19th-century movement (and wars) that unified modern Italy. Busts of the heroes are scattered along the pathways, and looming over everything is a gigantic statue of the great bearded hero Giuseppe Garibaldi on horseback. Viva Italia!

8. The Pope

Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty
As for checking out living VIPs, I have found there is almost no one — Catholic or otherwise — who doesn't get a thrill out of seeing the Pope in person. He isn't always in Rome (particularly in summer), but usually he's around, so check with your hotel! Sunday at noon is the Angelus prayer when the Pope speaks from his window overlooking St. Peter's Square. Wednesday morning is the weekly general audience, which is either in the Square or inside the Pope Paul VI auditorium. Tickets are required for the latter, but if you ask the Swiss Guard at the Vatican's Bronze Door entrance at around 9 a.m., he'll slide you the tickets. In any case, best to bring binoculars. (You can also hear the Pope's addresses online at RadioVaticana.org.)

9. Ristorante Al Presidente

You're hungry again? Because of Rome's agreeable climate, lunch and dinner all'aperto is doable up to eight months out of the year. One of the best restaurants with the nicest terraces is Ristorante Al Presidente, flat in the center of town, under the shadow of the Quirinale presidential palace. The indoor dining room is also lovely. I can't help but order the same thing every time: pasta with fresh sardines and pecorino cheese.

10. Gelato

Lars Halbauer / dpa / Corbis
Like pizza al taglio, gelato is not hard to find in central Rome. Most of the gelato around here is high quality, but arguably still the best in town is at the famous Giolitti, nestled between the Pantheon and the Italian Parliament. Ask for up to three flavors on a medium cone to go, or sit down at a streetside table and savor every moment. Try bacio, pistachio and nocciola for a creamy, nutty, chocolate-touched delight.

City Guide: London

2008-11-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

PictureNet / Corbis

City Guide:
London

10 Things to Do in 24 Hours5 Places to Stay Finding the Perfect Souvenir Shooting It Like a Pro Side Trips Need to Know

There is no shortage of tourist staples: Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch, Big Ben, the iconic red double-decker bus. (London Mayor Boris Johnson, a shambling, shock-haired media celebrity and tourist attraction in his own right, has pledged to get rid of the city's articulated single-decker buses, which he considers a menace to cyclists — Johnson is often seen weaving toward City Hall on his bicycle.) But London's appeal doesn't lie only in its architectural and cultural treasures. This is also the best people-watching city in the world. Its 7.5 million residents — some born within its boundaries, others irresistibly drawn to it — are deliriously motley, speaking more than 300 languages among them. If you've got just 24 hours, here are 10 unmissable places to observe Londoners in their natural habitat.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME

City Guide:
London

You have to get up early to witness this soft, backlit view of London's illustrious icon. Documentary photographer Richard Baker was on the South Bank of the Thames by 6 a.m., when streetlamps are still lit and locals are out jogging and cycling. This frame was made using a tripod and a shutter speed of 1/30 of a second to capture the blurred motion of the biker, and a small aperture (9.5) to allow both the sidewalk and the bridge to remain in focus.

Jim Dyson / Getty

City Guide:
London

Many Britons regard high culture with suspicion. Yet this gallery devoted to modern art effortlessly pulls in the punters and locals as well as the tourists, and ranks among London's most-visited attractions. Part of its appeal is the building itself, fashioned by architects Herzog and De Meuron from a vast disused power station on the Thames's south bank. In addition to blockbuster exhibits and live events, the gallery invites a prominent artist every year to transform its cavernous turbine hall: Olafur Eliasson turned the space into a misty, atmospheric sunset in 2003; Carsten Höller recast it into a modern playground in 2006, inviting visitors to lie back and scream their way down two interlocked towering, twisty steel slides.

It would be easy to spend the entire day in the gallery, but you might want to get out and walk around the neighborhood: Enter foodie heaven in nearby Borough Market, where the delis and restaurants are open all week and a farmer's market operates Friday and Saturday. Directly across the river from the Tate is St Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's most celebrated building. To get there you cross the £18.2 million Millennium Bridge, a suspension footbridge completed in 2000, which quickly gained the sobriquet the "Wobbly Bridge." (They've since fixed the wobble.)

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME

City Guide:
London

Normally seen "guarding" the Tower of London, the Yeoman Warders of her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London — better known as Beefeaters — have become an international symbol of Britishness. In this photo, Baker shoots a cardboard cutout Beefeater (and a sanitation worker on a break), which adorns the entrance to one of the service buildings that have been constructed around the perimeter of the Tower itself.

John Harper / Corbis

City Guide:
London

What's the nattiest neighborhood in London? Not leafy Notting Hill, which lost its claim to cool after Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts frolicked through it in the eponymous 1999 rom-com. And not fashionable Hoxton or Shoreditch, even with their spiky-haired, skinny-jeans-clad tribes of cool kids. They're all worth a look, but the real cool resides in Marylebone, an area so confident of its charms that it doesn't need to broadcast them.

Lying north of the glossy Selfridges department store and south of Regent's Park, Marylebone (pronounced mar-le-bone) is an affluent, strollable residential district of white terraced Georgian and Edwardian townhouses, the grandest of which are still single-family. It's also home to the Wallace Collection, where the girl with the billowing skirts in Jean-Honoré Fragonard's The Swing remains as seductive as when France's dirty old master painted her in 1767. The main shopping drag is Marylebone High Street, but the whole area is packed with fabulous shops and restaurants: Come here for everything from haute couture and baby clothes to organic butchery and extravagant cakes. There's also a specialist travel bookshop called Daunt Books that's worth a detour just for its Edwardian fixtures and fittings.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME

City Guide:
London

The gigantic Ferris wheel, which was built to mark the turn of the 21st century, is the most visited attraction in London. It's pricey (tickets cost over $27), but guests are treated to 30 minutes of spectacular views of the city. Be prepared to wait for the ride — on a summer weekday morning, Baker stood in line for half an hour before boarding.

Atlantide Phototravel / Corbis
Yes, it's a giant ferris wheel, and, yes, it's for tourists — but it's a worth a spin. Once you've boarded your glass-sided capsule — each capsule holds 25 people — it will be a half-hour before you get back down. Creeping along at 0.6 miles (0.9 km) per hour, it's an excruciatingly slow flight, as a trip on the London Eye is called, but from the top of the 443-foot (135-m) wheel you'll be rewarded with gloriously unimpeded views over London. At night, take one of the special "champagne flights," and you'll find yourself in one of the capital's best bars.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
At the height of your London Eye "flight," you'll be 443 feet off the ground, which gets you this unobstructed view of the Thames River, the Westminster Bridge and the seat of British government.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
To get this shot looking toward the Horse Guards Parade building, Baker used a 300 mm telephoto lens and positioned himself on a footpath in St. James's Park, with Buckingham Palace not far behind him. Each June, a regiment of the British Army parades before the Queen in full traditional dress on the Horse Guards Parade grounds, a ceremony known as "Trooping the Color." The spires in the background belong to government buildings, including Scotland Yard.

Rupert Horrox / Corbis
You might easily overlook the small arched entrance to Middle Temple, one of the four remaining Inns of Court, which are responsible for training all of Britain's barristers. The Inns were first established in the 14th century and housed in large, walled compounds; today, judges and barristers still work, study and sometimes live in these enchanted precincts. Beyond the gates of Middle Temple (locked overnight and on weekends), on the south side of the Strand where it morphs into Fleet Street, lies a time capsule. Step into the Elizabethan banqueting house, Middle Temple Hall. It's a real-life Hogwarts, but twice as magical.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
Used for ceremonial processions like royal weddings and funerals, this wide boulevard, a little over a half-mile long, stretches from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. Baker made this shot using a 300-millimeter telephoto lens, standing on the traffic island at Marlborough Road and looking southwest toward the Victoria Memorial and, behind it, Buckingham Palace.

Daniel Berehulak / Getty
If you like your dinner with a side order of celebrity, head to one of Caprice Holdings' restaurants: Le Caprice, a sleek art deco brasserie just behind the Ritz hotel, the Ivy or J. Sheekey; the latter two are in London's theaterland. Their clientele rosters read like the guest list for a charity gala thrown by Bono and Angelina Jolie. When famed London restaurateurs Jeremy King and Chris Corbin left Caprice Holdings in 2002, the celebritocracy had a minor heart attack — wherever would they get their Spotted Dick (a traditional steamed pudding with syrup) now? But to their great relief, this trio of eateries — along their new sibling, the refurbished Scott's restaurant in Mayfair — still have the edge over the competition, serving simple seafood and game dishes, perfectly executed and perfectly served. The most intimate of the bunch is J. Sheekey, a fish restaurant with leather banquettes, paneled walls and an impressive art collection. (King and Corbin went on to open two new hotspots, The Wolseley and St Alban.)

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
Built in 1911 by Sir Aston Webb to honor Queen Victoria, this edifice located in front of Buckingham Palace is sometimes called "The Wedding Cake" because of its tiered shape. The sculptures around the plinth showing Queen Victoria, Charity, the Angel of Justice and the Angel of Truth were created by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock. The monument is a popular resting spot for tourists touring the Mall and the Palace.

Cate Gillon / Getty
Londoners of a certain age will tell you that Germans shaped their city. They're right, but the Blitz wasn't the only thing that left its mark on London. In 1728, Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, the German-born wife of King George II, commissioned works to the southern swath of Hyde Park — later redesignated Kensington Gardens — creating the Serpentine, an artificial lake, and landscaping the surrounding lawns and walkways. (A stately circuit of these ornamental waters will take you 40 minutes, and you can swim at the Serpentine Lido from May to September.) Queen Caroline lived in Kensington Palace, on the western edge of the park, which has been home to assorted members of the extended royal family and household, but will, of course, forever be associated with its most iconic resident, Princess Diana. Kensington Gardens is studded with shrines to the late Princess, including a fountain dedicated to her memory by the Queen in 2004.

RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
In the heart of London's West End theater district, this turn-of-century alehouse is a pre-theater destination for tourists and a popular watering hole for locals. The Salisbury Pub prides itself on maintaining a traditional atmosphere, with no loud music, no sports TV and no games. Baker observed the professional courtesy of asking the owner's permission before he started shooting.

Eleanor Bentall / Corbis
The poet Lord Byron was just one of many patrons of Berry Bros. & Rudd who submitted to a public weighing on one of the shop's giant coffee scales. "Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter/Sermons and soda water the day after," wrote Byron. Britain's oldest wine merchant and sometime coffee seller set up shop here on St James's Street in 1698, and remains one of the world's leading purveyors of fine wine. Despite its pedigree, it's not snobbish. Staff happily expound on the virtues of the cheaper wines and spirits they sell, alongside the rarest vintages. If you can't get to the original shop, there are branches in Dublin, Hong Kong and Shanghai, as well as a factory outlet in Basingstoke, south of London.
RICHARD BAKER FOR TIME
This serene shot of Trafalgar Square was taken in the early evening. Baker mounted his camera on a pocket tripod and set it on the ground, looking up toward the monument to King Charles I and Nelson's Column behind it. The picture was made with a long two-second shutter speed.

Frank Pocklington / Picture Post / Getty
The roll call of playwrights championed by the Royal Court is long and distinguished — John Osborne, Edward Bond, Joe Orton, Caryl Churchill, David Hare, Sam Shepard — not least by their propensity for tackling controversial themes and subjects. Dedicated to new and innovative work, audiences at this two-theater venue in Sloane Square first saw transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter strut his stuff at the 1973 premier of The Rocky Horror Show, and winced in 1995 at the late playwright Sarah Kane's scandalous debut, Blasted, which was decried by critics for its graphic brutality — only to be hailed at its 2001 revival by some of those same critics as a profound and disturbing work. More recently, the theater has debuted Tom Stoppard's international hit, Rock 'n' Roll, and Christopher Shinn's Now or Later, set on the night of a U.S. presidential election as the family of the Democratic frontrunner awaits results.

Graeme Robertson / Getty

London is far from being a 24-hour city. Alcohol licensing laws were relaxed in 2003, but finding a late-night drink still requires ingenuity. There is one part of city, however, that doesn't sleep: Smithfield. The neighborhood is home to a historic meat market, which operates in ornate Victorian halls weekdays from 4 a.m. to noon — and many of the local pubs and cafes open early to serve pints and hefty fry-ups to the market workers.

Start your evening at Ye Olde Mitre, an 18th-century pub in the jewelry district adjacent to Smithfield; then, head east through Ely Place to the market, on the way passing St Etheldreda's the oldest Catholic church in England. Taste the wines of southwestern France at the Cellar Gascon bar and Comptoir Gascon restaurant; their posh sister, Club Gascon, has bagged a Michelin star for its exceptional cooking. The Fox and Anchor boasts the tastiest scotch eggs in the country — and keenly priced accommodations. Catch a nap in one of the designer rooms above the bar or go straight back out to dance off the calories at the so-hip-it-hurts nightclub Fabric. You may want to refuel at Kurz & Lang, a tiny joint selling German bratwurst and beers; it's open until 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and never closes on Friday and Saturday.

Before daybreak, try The Hope for your early morning pint, and Ferrari's Snack Bar for an artery-clogging full English breakfast. Just what the doctor didn't order.

JMJ Kim / Getty
If you get claustrophobic at the Hollywood Bowl or Madison Square Garden, then neither of the live music venues I'm about to recommend is for you. The Barfly, above a pub in Camden, is tiny, but that doesn't stop punters from piling through the doors and turning the whole room into a mosh pit. It's a regular staging post for new bands tipped for greatness: Oasis and Coldplay both performed here. But don't let that deter you; other alumni include Blur and the Young Knives. Across the road, the Roundhouse shows it knows the meaning of eclectic, with a program that includes big-name musicians, left-field comedians and even circus acts, in a converted 19th-century steam-engine repair shed.

If you have to gamble visit Las Vegas

2008-11-19T02:13:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Stuart Westmorland / Corbis

If you have to gamble, do it fast and do it social: craps, roulette, a sports bet, a 45-minute round of blackjack you set a timer to. I zen out at the poker tables for hours and miss out on too much.

If you have to power nap, do it right before dinner. Otherwise, you should be able — and this is medically proven — to stimulate yourself constantly so you don't need sleep. Keep moving. Don't do more than one thing in each hotel, so you can see them all and establish a pattern of constant movement. Think of yourself as on the run from the cops at all times.

1. Bellagio Fountains

Ethan Miller / Getty
People stare at lots of free shows outside the hotels, but there's only one worth going to: the Bellagio fountains. Every half-hour between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and every 15 minutes from then 'til midnight, an 8.5-acre lake in the middle of the desert explodes with 1,214 spritzers shooting water up to 460 feet in the air — the water rockets and dances, perfectly choreographed to Frank Sinatra or Gene Kelly or "One Singular Sensation" from A Chorus Line. And yet, for some reason, it doesn't feel all that gay, which is quite a feat.

2. Cirque du Soleil

Frederick M. Brown / Getty

Even though it's expensive, cuts three hours out of your evening and sounds really boring, it's actually really cool and totally Vegas, despite its French Canadian origins — you can see Elton John anywhere, after all. The Cirque hires former Olympic gymnasts to catapult themselves all over the stage, risking their lives in outlandish costumes just for your amusement. I was in the Cirque offices once, and saw several people enter on crutches or in casts to collect their checks. If Wayne Newton ever ends up on crutches, I'll go see him.

All the Cirque shows are similarly good — and pricey, at up to $165 a ticket — but Love at the Mirage is the best.

3. Designer Dinner

Jae C. Hong / AP

I hope you're in town on an expense account. And I hope your T&E department is pretty lax. Because you can spend some serious cash on designer food in Vegas. If money is no concern, go to Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars for the best, most inventive, full-on ridiculous Parisian meal in America. If you're alone, eat at the bar-only Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand, because if you show up unaccompanied to an expensive restaurant in Vegas, you'll definitely leave with new friends and a plan for the night. If you want steak and big red wine, there are lots of options: I like SW Steakhouse at the Wynn; get a table where you can see the weird, intermittent, performance-arty water show. If you're more interested in making hot friends, go to N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms, or for something more culinarily interesting, there's Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak at the MGM. If you're going out with a date, try San Francisco chef Michael Mina's Nobhill, also at the MGM, or Aureole at the Mandalay Bay (ask for a table in the back by the courtyard).

If you're nervous about running up the tab, hit Fiamma Trattoria & Bar at the MGM. It's one of the few Italian restaurants whose main courses are as good as the pastas, and one of the few restaurants in Vegas that isn't overpriced.

Before dinner, get a drink somewhere with a view: Try the Mix Lounge or the Foundation Room at the House of Blues, both in the Mandalay Bay; or in the Palms there's Moon and the Playboy Club. And when you fill out your expense report, add a few extra guests' names.

1. Restaurant Guy Savoy
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89109; 877-346-4642 36.115521-115.172919 More Info
2. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89109; 702-891-7358 36.101198-115.172424 More Info
3. SW Steakhouse
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89109; 888-352-3463 36.127485-115.167156 More Info
4. N9NE Steakhouse
4321 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV, 89103; 702-933-9900 36.115378-115.195341 n9negroup.com
5. Craftsteak
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89109; 702-891-7318 36.101198-115.172424 More Info
6. Nob Hill
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89109; 702-891-7337 36.101198-115.172424 More Info
7. Aureole
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89119; 702-632-7777 36.091854-115.173773 More Info
8. Mix Lounge
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89119; 702-632-9500 36.091854-115.173773 More Info
9. Foundation Room
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV, 89119; 877-632-7600 36.091854-115.173773 More Info

4. Breakfast Buffet at the Wynn

Barbara Kraft
John Cusack once told me, at a post-fight party at the House of Blues, that you never want to wake up in Vegas. Cusack has apparently never been to the right breakfast buffet. Sure, the intimate, beautiful Payard at Caesars serves one of the best French breakfasts outside of Paris (get a quiche and an almond croissant), but you can't do Vegas without doing a buffet, and the buffet at the Wynn is one of the few with really good food. The buffet at T.I., which changed its named from Treasure Island, KFC-style, is also pretty good and has a room designed by Adam Tihany. But the Wynn is a little better — plus, it's not at Treasure Island.

5. Shark Reef Aquarium

Joe Cavaretta / AP
I get dragged by my wife to a lot of aquariums, so I know that the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay is, even at $16, a good one: half-outdoors, half-indoors, with rays, sea turtles, crocodiles, lots of sharks and, as of recently, a komodo dragon. If you're staying at the Mandalay Bay, you can turn to the Shark Reef channel and watch sharks live 24 hours a day on TV, which is pretty awesome at 4 a.m. when you're totally wasted.

6. The Clubs

Jordan Strauss / Getty

I hate clubs. The painfully loud music, the too-sweet, overpriced drinks, the people who are so much better looking than I. But you don't skip the Uffizzi when you're in Florence just because you're not crazy about Italian art.

The hot club changes quickly, but right now LAX at the Luxor — yes, the Luxor (they're redoing it) — is the place to check out late at night. The Bank at the Bellagio and Tao at the Venetian, which is, by the way, the highest-grossing restaurant in the U.S., are solid. You can try an ultra-lounge — Tabu at the MGM, Pure at Caesars, Cathouse at the Luxor — which requires less dancing, but is going to be more Euro-trashy and bottle-service oriented. If you want to stare at young girls dancing on a table, go to a strip joint. Okay, fine: Spearmint Rhino or Crazy Horse Too. Happy? Now get out there and dance, no matter how drunk you have to be to do it.

7. New York-New York Roller Coaster

Robert Mora /Getty
It's not the wildest roller coaster in existence, but this one goes right through the New York-New York hotel and takes only a few minutes. The hotel is worth seeing for its brilliantly compressed version of Disneyfied Manhattan, and the roller coaster is a better way to tour it than walking through.

8. Party at the Pool

Isaac Brekken / AP

There's dirty Vegas — strip clubs, hookers, cocaine, hotel room swingers — and there's filthy Vegas: pool parties. Personally, if I'm by the pool, I just want to read and try to figure out if that woman in the thong is a trophy wife or a hooker. Or maybe I'll get on a raft and float with the kids around the Mandalay Bay river pool, or run into the fake waves at the fake Mandalay beach.

But the theory to pool partying is this: Why go to a strip club when you can let the strippers come to you? The Rio Hotel has a deal with the Sapphire Club, so that one of the hotel's pools is populated by off-duty dancers; but the scene doesn't seem to have gelled yet — it's just a bunch of dudes paying ($50 on weekends) to ogle strippers getting a tan. There's also Rehab, the party on Sunday at the Hard Rock, which has become a disgustingly overcrowded spring-break spectacle — a drunken, wet frat party — though there's something to be said for that.

Still, I'd stick with these just slightly more adult pool/club scenes (toplessness is strongly encouraged, so no kids): Bare at the Mirage; Venus at Caesars; Moorea Beach Club at the Mandalay Bay; and Tao Beach at the Venetian. You'll have to pay to get in (usually about $10–$20 for women, $30–$50 for men), which is kind of ridiculous. But once you get over that hurdle, you'll want to spend a whole lot more to get a cabana and feel really special. And you'll probably get bottle service to impress people. Also, you can play blackjack in the pool at most of these places — in Vegas that's called multitasking.

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10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

Las Vegas: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

By Joel Stein

9. The Spa

Why would you come to Vegas to be understimulated? That's like going to Mecca to eat pork. But apparently some people think of massage as decadence. It took this town a while to understand that women exist as something more than entertainment for men, but they've finally got it, and Vegas is now — as far as a plethora of high-end options goes — the best spa destination in the country. Canyon Ranch at the Venetian and the Spa at the Bellagio are the best, but you pretty much can't go wrong. I'm guessing that at most places the sauna smells sweetly of cedar, eucalyptus and alcohol from the fruity drinks at the bachelorette party the night before.

10. Downtown

Jon Arnold Images Ltd / Alamy
Maybe you're Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas and the happy-roller-coaster-fake-New-York-acrobat-show Vegas isn't quite right for your alcoholic suicidal mood. Or maybe you lack the depth, but want to write moody punk songs anyway. That's when you go downtown to the tiny, old part of Las Vegas that is technically the only part of the city where Mayor Oscar Goodman has jurisdiction. It's seedy and ugly and makes you feel like an outlaw. I've played poker at Binions — home of the World Series of Poker — at a table where everyone but me looked like one of those old men under the ghost masks on Scooby Doo. The city's first step in sprucing up downtown is the the sort-of-cool, sort-of-depressing Fremont Street Experience, where parents bring their kids to watch the outdoor mall's ceiling tell little vignettes in laser lights, like a Western Stone Mountain. Then they give blood for slot machine money.

Bonus: Liberace Museum, Gun Store and More!

Michael S. Yamashita / Corbis
If you've still got time to kill, there are lots of other things you can do in Vegas. You can hit the Liberace Museum; the small, overpriced, but legit Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio; and the weird zoo exhibits of tigers and dolphins at the Mirage. You can get Thai food at Lotus of Siam at the strip mall on East Sahara Avenue or, better, the Mexican restaurant in the same mall that serves one dish: a sublime goat taco. You can go to the Gun Store, just off the Strip on Tropicana Avenue, where you can — without anything more than a driver's license — spend the day shooting Tommy Guns, AK-47s, SAWs, Uzis, M-16s and MP-40s for less than $100. If that doesn't complete your fully American experience in the most American city in America, you can always go to a chapel to marry a stranger.

Dubai This is a city of the super rich and the super poor

2008-11-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Chris Jackson / Getty

Forget the seven-star property, the world's tallest tower, manmade islands, underwater hotels and buildings that spin like a Weeble with an inner-ear infection, what the city of Dubai really knows how to create is headlines. This little fishing-village-that-could has built an entire tourist industry out of piquing people's curiosity. Its unstoppable, finely tuned PR machine has managed to overcome every downside (how often do you hear that Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq are right next door?) to make the city a must-see location. And that's despite the fact that the region is full of sunny locales that have a lot more to offer — Jordan, with its millennia-old civilization, the Red and Dead seas, incredible desert landscapes and the glories of Petra — but generate a lot less interest.

That being said, Dubai has its virtues, so if you find yourself with 24 hours in the city, you'll have no shortage of things to do.

1. Cheap and Chic Eats

Philippe Renault / Hemis / Corbis

This is a city of the super rich and the super poor. You are unlikely to see a place where the divide between the "have nots" and the "have yachts" is so apparent. The local-born Emiratis, who make up about 12% of the population, are typically extremely wealthy, but the town was built on the backs of a huge working-class population predominantly from the Indian subcontinent and from less prosperous areas of the Gulf. Sitting between the two groups is a burgeoning band of expats, mostly from the West, who are profiting to varying degrees from the city's modern day Gold Rush.

The best way to experience these distinct social strata is through your stomach. At the top end is five-star cuisine of the highest order. British chefs Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay have culinary outposts in the Grosvenor House Hotel and the Hilton Dubai Creek, respectively, both offering Michelin star–courting cuisine. They are joined at the top of the tree by the excellent Chinese restaurant Noble House in the Raffles Hotel. In any one of these gilt-edged places you'll sample sensational fare in a high-end setting surrounded by Emiratis and those who have benefited most from Dubai's economic boom, all paying about AED 500 ($140) per person for the privilege.

On the other end of the social spectrum lies Al Dhiyafah Road, Dubai's cheap-eats street. Here restaurants catering to the city's less affluent residents spill out onto the sidewalk so you can people-watch while feasting on food from Lebanon, Iran and the Indian subcontinent. On the northern end of the street lies Sidra, with zesty salads and a gut-busting mixed grill that gives you a taste of the Levant. On the other end of Al Dhiyafah Road, Pars Iranian Kitchen dishes out succulent lamb and fresh seafood straight from its outdoor grill. Opposite Pars (although you'll have to navigate six lanes of highway traffic to get there) is Pakistani spice-peddler Ravi Restaurant, one of the city's best regarded, if least presentable, curry houses.

Due to licensing laws, restaurants outside hotels can't serve alcohol, but if you're paying less than $25 for a meal for two it's hard to quibble.

1. Grosvenor House Hotel
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-399-8888 More Info
2. Hilton Dubai Creek
Al Baniyas Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-227-1111 More Info
3. The Noble House, Raffles Dubai
Sheikh Rashid Road, Wafi, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-324-8888 More Info
4. Al Dhiyafah Road
Al Dhiyafah Road, Dubai, U.A.E. More Info
5. Sidra
Al Dhiyafah Road, Behind Jumeirah Rotana Hotel, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-345-3044
6. Pars Iranian Kitchen
Next to Rydges Plaza, Satwa, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-398-4000
7. Ravi Restaurant
Khamees Bldg., Al Satwa Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-331-5353

2. Shopping Malls

Chris Hondros / Getty

The thing about shopping in Dubai is that the actual shopping is average, but the experience is intriguing. If you've shopped in New York or Paris, Dubai's malls will be a disappointment. Most of the shops are familiar and no cheaper (though you may find the odd bargain on electronics) than in other places in the world. But store trawling is only the tip of the Dubai shopping experience. Malls in this city are realizations of unrestrained fantasy, offering surreal attractions to lure you (and your credit card) in.

The Souk Madinat inside the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, for example, boasts its own waterway to transfer people from its shops, bars and restaurants to the neighboring clutch of hotels. The gargantuan Mall of the Emirates has an indoor ski slope with real snow, should you fancy a quick slalom between shopping and hitting the beach. The recently opened Khan Murjan souk claims to be an example of "Islamic authenticity, unparalleled in the region"; it connects the Wafi Mall, home of Chanel, Marks & Spencer and Montblanc, with the brand new Raffles Hotel. All may be surpassed by the Mall of Arabia, slated to open in 2008 as the largest mall in the world at 10 million sq. ft., complete with a real-life Jurassic Park–like dinopark called Restless Planet (the beasts will be mechanical).

1. Souk Madinat Jumeirah
Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-366-8888 madinatjumeirah.com
2. Mall of the Emirates
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-409-9000 malloftheemirates.com
3. Wafi Mall
Sheikh Rashid Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-324-4555 wafi.com
4. Raffles Hotel
Sheikh Rashid Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-324-8888 raffles.com
5. Mall of Arabia
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-331-1022 More Info

3. The Gold Souk

Karim Sahib / AFP / Getty

Dubai is known for really cheap gold — but you'll have to haggle for it. Whether or not you're ready to buy, a stroll through the dazzling Gold Souk is a must. The stores also offer platinum, diamonds and occasionally silver, and the government keeps tight control over the quality of all the merchandise, so rest assured that your purchases will be genuine. (The same cannot be said, however, of the street vendors outside hawking "genuine fake" watches and "Guuci" handbags.) If something in the window catches your fancy, be sure to barter — persistent protest capped with a walkaway will get merchants to drop their asking price by as much as half.

Less atmospheric, but even cheaper, is the Gold & Diamond Park, where you can find unique designs or get jewelers to recreate pieces for you at a fraction of the cost of the original.

4. Champagne Brunch

Kamran Jebreili / AP

This is a Muslim state, but alcohol flows liberally. By law, it can be served only within the confines of a hotel, but with an estimated 450 hotels in the emirate, some with up to 26 bars, restaurants and clubs, you won't be left thirsty.

If your stay in Dubai takes in a Friday (the first day of the Arabic weekend) then you can experience first-hand the city's strange relationship with the bottle. While it is the holiest day of the week for Muslims, many of the city's restaurants throw their doors open for "champagne brunch." This brunch is not the sedate culinary experience it is elsewhere; in Dubai, it is an exercise in excess, with free-flowing booze and heaping buffets that would have even the most indulgent glutton begging for mercy.

Spectrum on One in the Fairmont and Le Meridien's Yalumba each offers unlimited champagne (Moët and Laurent Perrier, respectively) and tables straining under mountains of prime steak, oysters and prawns the size of Neptune's fist. Spectrum is the more civilized of the two, with Yalumba often degenerating into a dancing-on-the-tables affair with occasional bubble trouble as people overdo it. For those who fancy indulging alfresco, the excellent Mina A' Salam Brunch has outdoor seating, live cooking stations and a kids' club.

If you're just in the mood for an evening tipple, the places to head are the open-air 360 Degrees, an out-to-sea rooftop bar within spitting distance of the famed Burj Al Arab; Bar 44 in the Grosvenor House with its dizzying views of new Dubai or Le Meridien Mina Seyahi's Barasti, puzzlingly the shorelined city's only real beach bar.

1. Spectrum on One
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-332-5555 More Info
2. Yalumba
Le Méridien Dubai, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-217-0000 More Info
3. Mina A' Salam
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-366-8888 More Info
4. 360 Degrees
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-348-0000 More Info
5. Burj Al Arab
Jumeirah Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7777 burj-al-arab.com
6. Bar 44
Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, U.A.E., 118500; 4-399-8888 More Info
7. Barasti
Le Méridien Mina Seyahi, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-399-3333 More Info

5. Burj Al Arab

George Rose / Getty

Truth is, there's no such thing as a seven-star establishment; you can't officially go higher than five. The Burj Al Arab's seven-star rating may be an urban myth that got out of hand, but nothing dominates the Dubai skyline and tourists' imagination quite like it. It's the world's tallest hotel, and probably its least subtle — gold-leaf is applied as liberally as undercoat, there's a fleet of white Rolls Royces on the forecourt and dancing fountains in the foyer, and fireworks launch from the bridge to announce the arrival of VVIPs (very important doesn't cut it here) — but nobody ever came to Dubai in search of understatement. The only way to get inside without paying for a room is to book a table at one of the hotel's costly eateries. Al Muntaha is on the top floor but its bafflingly bright interior prevents you from seeing the views outside; Al Mahara is an expensive fish restaurant with an aquarium larger than most people's apartments; and Sahn Eddar serves afternoon tea. Best of the lot is the beach-based Majlis Al Bahar. From here you can admire the Burj's impressive exterior (the hotel's beauty is on the outside) before instructing the maître d' that you'll be taking your nightcap in the top-floor cocktail bar, where you can gaze at the city's garishness.

1. Burj Al Arab
Jumeirah Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7777 burj-al-arab.com
2. Al Muntaha
27th Floor, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7600 More Info
3. Al Mahara
Ground Floor, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7600 More Info
4. Sahn Eddar
Upper Lobby, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7600 More Info
5. Majlis Al Bahar
Beachside, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-301-7600 More Info

6. The Traditional Dubai

John Hicks / Corbis

While vast swaths of the city have been demolished in the relentless drive toward the future, one neighborhood harks back to the quiet fishing village that once was. The Bastakia Quarter, which squeezes itself between the Dubai Creek and the buzzing Bur Dubai district, is a mini maze of wind-towered buildings, a clutch of which have been transformed into art galleries and cafés. Start your tour at XVA Gallery, which specializes in contemporary art from across the Gulf region. Continue your appreciation of Middle Eastern art at the Majlis Gallery before lunching on hearty salads and a refreshing mint-and-lime juice in the neighboring Basta Art Cafe's sun-dappled courtyard.

Once refreshed, weave through the textile souk — where you'll find magnificent bolts of fabric, along with less inspiring tat — and on to the Creek where you can either join the commuters for a AED 1 ($.30) abra (water taxi) ride across the water or hire your own boat for a scenic tour of the waterway. Back in port, head to the small but interesting Dubai Museum to see how oil and ambition mixed to make this modern oasis. If you get hungry again, check out Bastakiah Nights, an atmospheric Lebanese restaurant with a great rooftop area.

7. Man-Made Islands

Jorge Ferrari / EPA / Corbis

The most audacious of all of Dubai's megaprojects is the collection of reclaimed islands just offshore. First came the palm-tree shaped Palm Jumeirah, which the city bills as the eighth wonder of the world. And there are two more islands, Jebel Ali and Deira, in varying stages of development. In an outlandish stroke, Jebel Ali will feature a breakwater that spells out a line of poetry by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ("It takes a man of vision to write on water"). Last, but certainly not least, is The World, an archipelago of islands that forms a world map in miniature; the islands are for sale, so if you can afford it, you can buy a "country" for yourself.

Unless you're one of the few who bought property on early on, you'll have to wait for hotels to open in 2009 to set foot on the reclaimed land. In the meantime your best views are by boat. A number of companies can get you out into the Gulf: Try Dusail, Bristol Marine or Art Marine, all of which offer stately yachts, motor boats and speed boats. It's not often that you can claim to have sailed around the entire World in an afternoon.

8. The Beach

Kaveh Kazemi / Getty
You'll definitely want to see the shore while you're in town. The posher beach hotels have partitioned off the majority of the sand, so if you're not staying on the Jumeirah beach strip, your best bet is Al Mamzar, a public beach near the neighboring emirate of Sharjah. The clogged artery of a road that connects the cities means it's frustratingly inaccessible during the work week. Other good alternatives are Jumeirah Beach Park with its small coffee shop and AED 5 ($1.30) entrance fee, or the free stretch of sand running the length of Umm Suqeim, known as Kite Beach due to its popularity with the city's kite-surfers. If you insist on a more luxurious beach experience, then a few hotels will allow you to sit on their sand for a fee: Try Le Meridien Mina Seyahi (AED 250, or $70).

9. The Desert

Frank Micelotta / Getty
A visit to the desert isn't as peaceful as you'd think. The desolate Sahara this is not. The easiest way to get at the dunes outside the city is on a four-wheel-drive safari. The tours are incredibly popular, but your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for a) being thrown around the sand in a Jeep, b) touristy BBQs in the desert replete with a belly dancer and henna painting services and c) lots of other tourists. If you can handle all three, then Blue Banana has a number of expeditions on offer. The same outfit also has hot-air balloon flights over the sand at sunrise — a statelier desert experience. If you just want to see some sand without vertigo or nausea, then head out to the plush desert escape Bab Al Shams. Here you can sit on the rooftop and enjoy a cocktail as the sun dips below the dunes.

10. Golf

David Cannon / Getty
Golf is an obsession in Dubai. If you want to rub elbows with celebrities on the green, try the courses designed by Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els. Better yet, head to the city's most famous course, the Emirates Golf Club, which hosts the annual Dubai Desert Classic (total prize money is a cool $2.5 million). It's a stunning course, whose 18th hole has one of the finest approaches in the world. Almost as impressive is the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, which boasts a challenging par-72 course along with a fun "pitch 'n' putt" course, plus an impressive clubhouse whose architecture echoes that of the Sydney Opera House. Tee times go quickly, so you'd be wise to book in advance, especially if you want to be among the first to take a swing at Tiger's tees: the first holes designed by Woods — the Tiger Woods Dubai, a private golf community and resort — are due to open in September 2009.

New York City: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

2008-11-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

New York City:

Introduction

The must-see list for the one-day visitor to New York — especially the first-timer — is mind-boggling. Don't fret; you'll return. We're assuming you're well aware of the major attractions: Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (better known as MoMA). We're here to guide you to the top 10 places where tourists don't normally go (though, let's be honest, they're everywhere), places where New Yorkers live and play.

Time Warner Center

Jaded New Yorkers like to dismiss this glitzy retail emporium as a mall. But what a mall! On the fourth floor alone are two of New York's best — and most expensive — dining rooms: chef Thomas Keller's Per Se and Masa Takayama's namesake sushi restaurant.

The complex is located on Columbus Circle at the southwest corner of Central Park — sip a cocktail while enjoying spectacular views of the park from the bustling Stone Rose Lounge or the more refined Mandarin Hotel bar. Multitaskers can get the view and the drink while listening to first-rate jazz at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, one of Jazz at Lincoln Center's trio of venues in the building.

At lunchtime, grab a basket from Dean & Deluca on the second floor or Whole Foods downstairs, and head into the park for an impromptu picnic. Or, if you just want to shop in a mall, you can do that too: There are some 50 high-end stores to choose from.

2. West Village Stroll

This neighborhood of quaint brownstones clustered along tree-lined cobblestone streets remains virtually unchanged since the 19th century. You'll need a map to navigate the puzzling geography — how does West 4th Street intersect with West 10th Street, exactly? — as it's one of the few areas in Manhattan that strays from the orderly street grid. Better, though, to just wander aimlessly. Highlights include the Jefferson Market Courthouse, a former women's detention center that once held Mae West, and the shops along Bleecker St. and Commerce St. — the most beautiful block-long side street in NYC. Ignore the temptation to join the curiously long line outside Magnolia Bakery (they're queuing for cupcakes — repeat, cupcakes). Head two blocks west instead to the Spotted Pig, a bustling gastropub where you can recharge your batteries with a cask-conditioned ale.

Film Forum

New York is a film-lover's town and Film Forum is Mecca for the city's cinephiles. See here the movies you may otherwise only read about in the New York Times. Smart programming ranges from provocative indie features and documentaries to the best foreign art cinema culled from the world's top film festivals. The always-entertaining repertory calendar is a mix of the de rigeuer (Woody Allen retrospectives), the artsy (Godard's '60s) and the audacious (Pam Grier blaxploitation festival). Try the concession stand's lemon-poppy sponge cake!

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

New Yorkers love to argue about the best pizza, with Totonno's, Di Fara's, John's and Lombardi's being among the primary contenders. We won't settle that score here, but if you have only 24 hours you can't go wrong with Grimaldi's, a coal-fired pizzeria under the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Not only will you get a memorable pie, you'll also get a memorable view of Manhattan from one of the oldest — and most picturesque — parts of Brooklyn. Not to mention a jukebox filled with classics by Frank Sinatra, who, legend has it, had Grimaldi's pies flown to him in Vegas.

Empire State Building

If you must visit an ultra-touristy site, the ESB is the one. The stately deco architecture rivals the nearby Chrysler Building for Best in Class honors and it is, once again, New York's tallest structure. The view from the 86th-floor observation deck is breathtaking. You won't be the only one who's decided to visit, so prepare to wait in line; to avoid the throngs, the best times to come are at 8:30 a.m. or during lunch and dinner hours, Monday through Wednesday. Tickets are steep, but worth it: $17.61 for adults; $41.52 for an "express pass" that whisks you pass the hordes. For an extra $15 you can buy a ticket to the more intimate 102nd-floor observation deck. Buy your ticket online to reduce waiting-in-line time.

Little Branch

Gazimal / Iconica / GettyYou met someone on the flight into LaGuardia. You flirted. You exchanged numbers. Now what? Slide into a cozy booth and get better acquainted at Little Branch (open Monday–Saturday 7 p.m.–3 a.m.), a dimly lit cocktail lounge that practically whispers tryst. Mixology is a serious study here. A tantalizing menu of classic cocktails are lovingly mixed and poured over ice chipped from blocks. You may well be seduced — by the bar.

P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center

Michael Moran / AP
MoMA is home to the modern masters. But head to MoMa's cutting-edge kid sister across the East River to see tomorrow's masters. Located in a refurbished public school, P.S. 1 consistently mounts challenging exhibitions from the world's most provocative artists. Don't miss James Turrell's transcendent installation, Meeting (seasonal, and weather permitting), and, in summer, the always-changing architectural garden. Also, on summer Saturdays, hit the early evening Warm Up session, a free weekly dance party that's become a must-stop on the city's nightlife calendar.

Bergdorf Goodman

Spencer Platt / Getty
Now that Barneys — still a stellar place to shop — has become a national mini-chain, Bergdorf's is the sole remaining New York–centric luxe department store. Even if you can't afford a thing, it's still fun to browse and dream. But if you can, rev up your credit card. For the ladies, an all-star roster of couture designers is on hand, from Alexander McQueen to Zac Posen. Tight on time? Arrange for a personal shopper to help you out. Guys get their own store across the street, which is no less exquisite — and no less expensive.

Bowery Ballroom

Scott Gries / Getty
Hands down the best music spot in New York, Bowery Ballroom should be visiting music-lovers' first stop. Up-and-coming national acts with indie-rock leanings occupy the two-level music venue, home to the city's best sound system. The downstairs bar is a great place to warm up before the show. The Ballroom is the crown jewel of the Bowery Presents chain of local venues, which includes the Music Hall of Williamsburg (the Ballroom's Brooklyn twin), Mercury Lounge (local bands, smaller national acts), Terminal 5 and Webster Hall (both of which book bigger touring bands). Among them, there's something for everyone.

Grand Central Terminal

Spencer Platt / Getty
Take the express back to a bygone era. Grand Central Terminal — don't call it Grand Central Station — is a living, bustling temple to New York's illustrious past. Gaze at the celestial ceiling mural above the vast main concourse. Slurp some Kumamotos at the legendary Oyster Bar downstairs, and wash them down with a Manhattan at the swank Campbell Apartment. Tell a secret to your partner in the Whispering Gallery: stand at the end of either Oyster Bar ramp and whisper into the wall; you'll be heard way across on the other side. Mingle with the commuters in the gourmet culinary market. Explore the "secret" elevated passageways for a spectacular view of the concourse. Even if you have nowhere to go you can spend hours here and never get bored.

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Beijing china

Introduction

1. Emperor Hotel Bar

2. Shichahai Lakes

3. Hutongs

4. Nanluoguxiang

5. Dali Courtyard Restaurant

6. The Legation Quarter

7. Panjiayuan Flea Market

8. Coal Hill Park

9. Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

10. Reflexology

Rome Italy

Rome: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

Introduction

1. Galleria Borghese

2. San Luigi dei Francesi

3. Giorgio de Chirico House-Museum

4. Via del Governo Vecchio

5. Ponte Sisto Stroll

6. Pizza al Taglio

7. Gianicolo

8. The Pope

9. Ristorante Al Presidente

10. Gelato

City Guide: London

City Guide:London

City Guide:London

City Guide:London

City Guide:London

City Guide:London

City Guide:London

If you have to gamble visit Las Vegas

Introduction

1. Bellagio Fountains

2. Cirque du Soleil

3. Designer Dinner

4. Breakfast Buffet at the Wynn

5. Shark Reef Aquarium

6. The Clubs

7. New York-New York Roller Coaster

8. Party at the Pool

Las Vegas: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

9. The Spa

10. Downtown

Bonus: Liberace Museum, Gun Store and More!

Dubai This is a city of the super rich and the super poor

Introduction

1. Cheap and Chic Eats

2. Shopping Malls

3. The Gold Souk

4. Champagne Brunch

5. Burj Al Arab

6. The Traditional Dubai

7. Man-Made Islands

8. The Beach

9. The Desert

10. Golf

New York City: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours

New York City:

Time Warner Center

2. West Village Stroll

Film Forum

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

City Guide:
London

City Guide:
London

City Guide:
London

City Guide:
London

City Guide:
London

City Guide:
London