By Choe Sang-Hun The deceased lay wrapped in a cotton blanket, surrounded by white roses and hydrangea, angelic figurines and lit candles and incense. A wall-mounted screen displayed photographs of him. His 71-year-old companion, Kim Seon-ae, convulsed with tears as she bid farewell, caressing his head and face. Next door, young uniformed morticians prepared for his cremation. The elaborate and emotional ritual was for a white poodle named Dalkong, who was nestled in a willow

By Lily Radziemski On a balmy night in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, crowds move through the graffiti-toned streets of the central Cours Julien neighborhood. Buildings are splashed in color as if the nearby Mediterranean had washed up, ebbed out and left behind pigments of a shattered rainbow. It’s almost midnight. The square is still buzzing with people cracking jokes and taking swigs of pastis. Restaurants are mostly closed, but a warm glow beckons from open coun

By Judy Gordon-Conde and Jennifer Conde-Powers Fairmont El San Juan Hotel became the cultural epicenter of the island with the successful celebration of the second edition of Cultural Canvas: An Art Series of Puerto Rican Expressions. The event, which attracted a diverse art-loving audience, presented a vibrant showcase of Puerto Rican expressions through diverse disciplines such as painting, sculpture, photography and documentary. The hotel’s historic lobby was transformed

By Stephanie Rosenbloom If a hotel full of children is not your idea of a vacation, why not try a getaway just for grown-ups? From posh city hotels to tropical resorts, these new and recently expanded adults-only escapes beckon solo travelers, couples and friends with nature hikes, classes like pottery and macramé, spa treatments, tequila tastings and perhaps the greatest luxury of all: peace and quiet. — SEDONA, ARIZONA Mii amo After being closed for two years, this long-sta

By Melissa Clark Recipe naming conventions come and go. For the baroque excess of every Beany Leeky Greens with Greeky Rampy Beans, there’s a minimalist roast chicken or tomato salad to remind us that less is often very much enough. Even techniques have aliases. One cook’s chicken fricassee is another’s braise, and yet another’s chicken stew. But all refer to the same bird browned in a pan and simmered in liquid with vegetables, until the meat is supple and soft, the vegetabl

By Bianca Padró Ocasio Peru’s capital, with dramatic cliffs that separate its high-rises and colonial architecture from the sea, gets overlooked by travelers heading for Cuzco, in the Andes, or surf spots to the north. The pandemic, then political unrest in 2022 and 2023, slowed tourism, but Lima, home to more than 10 million, is giving visitors more reasons to stay. It now holds three places on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as many chefs embrace Indigenous Andean and

By Judy Gordon-Conde and Jennifer Conde-Powers Once again, the Club Cívico de Damas (CCDPR) created a special event, “A Summer of Fantasy,” to highlight its mission based on its 103-year history. The CCDPR tirelessly fosters projects that promote the community’s civic, social, cultural, philanthropic, and educational endeavors. In this case, a Summer of Fantasy held at Fogo de Chao brought approximately 200 impressive ladies and gentlemen together in a fun-filled atmosphere.

By Elaine Glusac When cruising resumed after COVID-era travel restrictions were lifted, cruise lines wanted to fill ships fast. Some, like Windstar Cruises, which operates small ships carrying 148 to 342 passengers, pursued solo travelers with discounts on the penalties singles usually pay to occupy a cabin alone. “To fill a lot of capacity in a short time, who do you go after? Those who don’t have to ask permission or arrange schedules for two,” said Janet Bava, the chief co

By Jennie Erin Smith Every July, tens of thousands of visitors descend on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, crowding the frenzied passenger docks in the seaport of Buenaventura as they wait for speedboats that will whisk them to the small communities lining remote Málaga Bay. They’ve come to see the humpback whales. The whales, numbering in the thousands, are on their own mass mission: migrating from their feeding grounds near Chile to their breeding grounds near Colombia, where they

By Eric Asimov Spain is the most dynamic wine-producing country in the world. Anywhere you look, from Galicia in the northwest to Catalonia in the northeast, Andalusia in the south to Rioja in the north, Spain is full of energetic winemakers drawing inspiration from the country’s traditions and pushing into the future with fresh approaches. I don’t single out Spain to demean other countries. Even as the wine world feels besieged by falling sales, health concerns and the clima