You’ve visited world’s greatest hits. Here are the newest destination ready-madae for the tastemaking traveler
PORTLAND, MAINE
Portland is the new Portland
Discussions of which up-and-coming American city is the “new Portland” seem, ironically, to ignore the obvious: the original Portland. Friendly, diverse and easily navigable, this New England town is equal parts old-school charm and modern sensibility.
In spring and summer, the Portland Sea Dogs play at Hadlock Field, one of the best minor league stadiums in the country, complete with a replica of Fenway’s Green Monster.
Good spots for steamed clams and lobster rolls naturally abound, but you’d be well advised to stop at the Honey Paw for Asian- inspired comfort food such as Korean fried chicken with corn bread, and tagliatelle with roasted chili ragu. End the night at Vena’s Fizz House, a combination mixology shop and cocktail bar where the bow-tied bartenders are happy to create a drink to your specifications. Portland is dead, long live Portland.
PARIS, FRANCE
Eat better for less in the City of Light
It’s an open secret that the Paris food-and-drink scene had gone stale in recent decades. Now, an embrace of farm-to-table cooking, natural wines and the cocktail revolution have made the city an exciting culinary destination again.
The best deal is in Le Marais at the oldest covered market in town, Marche des Enfants Rouges. At Chez Alain Miam Miam a silver-haired man wearing a “who the fuck is Shawn Carter” T-shirt will make you a delicious Comte-and-ham sandwich for just eight euros.
For dinner, hit Le Verre Vole, a tiny wine shop-restaurant that serves rustic fare including Normandy beef atop bean salad, and whole shrimp tossed in dill. After dinner, head to Pasdeloup restaurant for a nightcap. Tucked in the back is one of Paris’s best cocktail bars, helmed by American expat Amanda Boucher, who mixes stellar drinks both classic and new.
COROMANDEL PENINSULA, NEW ZEALAND
Down under, more over
Surfers (and even suits with a beach-bum mentality) have been following the tide all the way to the Coromandel Peninsula — a sandy hot spot with underground springs at Hot Water Beach, excellent left-hand surf breaks at Whangamata and killer snorkeling in Opito Bay.
The 309 Road gives Route 66 a run for its money with waterfalls, trekking trails, impressive summits and chill local characters. When all that vacationing demands you go in even slower motion, ferry over to nearby Waiheke, a supercool under-the-radar island 30 minutes off the coast of Auckland.
It’s Kiwi with hints of Hawaii, with chic hotels (the Boatshed, the Oyster Inn), a community art gallery and dozens of wineries (Syrah, cab and merlot feature heavily) to ensure that the air, sun and sand all go to your head.
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA
Reuse your imagination
The European Grand Tour is old news. You’ve outgrown Ibiza; you’ve done a stint in Berlin. Maybe you’re itching to find the cool kids, in which case you should follow the graffiti all the wray to Ljubljana.
As the city shakes off its Eastern Bloc vibe, the mood is one of radical excitement. The living is good and cheap, the food is wild (deer tartare! bear paw!), and the wine scene is strong — Dvorni Bar is a good place to start your education in the local varieties.
Street art of the Banksy kind is public and vibrant. Old buildings have been given newiife at venues such as Stara Elektrarna, a former power station that nowr hosts live show’s, and Metelkova, a barracks turned modern art museum.
A stay at Vander Urbani Resort, in the heart of the city, will do you right with its clean, spare, modern rooms, strong coffee and superfast wi-fi — signs that the chic millennial traveler is here to stay.
MEXICO CITY
America’s hippest destination may be south of the border
Decked out with bonsai, raw concrete and immaculate midcentury modern furniture, Xaman Bar could be the hottest new signless spot in New York or Tokyo.
The cocktail list, howrever, is quintessentially Mexico City. Like the drinks, which fuse Mexican botanicals with top-shelf gin and mezcal, this chaotic metropolis excels at combining the traditional with the modern and cosmopolitan.
At La Valise, a three-suite designer hotel set amid the coffee bars and streetwear shops of Roma Norte, the rooftop option features vintage furniture and a bed on rails that slides out onto a private terrace. A short wralk away at Contramar, the raw hamachi tostadas with avocado and spicy mayo are a brilliant marriage of Mexican and Japanese. Save room for a late-night torta, Mexico City’s preeminent street snack.
