Monocle

"Founded by Sonja Noël, Stijl has been instrumental in providing a platform for emerging and groundbreaking designers since it opened in 1984. Together with the Antwerp Six, Noël cleverly marketed Belgium as a cult fashion destination and the Rue Antoine Dansaert as its epicentre of high-end garms. On sale are stalwart brands such as Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, plus forward-thinking labels including Sofie d’Hoore and Jan-Jan Van Essche."

"Maniera invites artists and architects to extend beyond their usual practice and dabble in the world of product design. Founded in 2014 by Amaryllis Jacobs and Kwinten Lavigne, the Grand Place gallery commissions limited-edition objects of use and pieces of furniture that blur the lines between creative practices. As well as working with the next generation of makers, Jacobs and Lavigne collaborate with more established designers such as Anne Holtrop and Jonathan Muecke, who have signature styles that can be channelled into highly original works. “We look for artists and architects who have a very specific design language,” says Jacobs. “Nobody builds like Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen (known for its project Solo House) or Studio Mumbai, for instance. Their language is so clear you can almost pitch it in one line.”"

"This building opened in 1970 as the HQ of Belgian concrete- production firm CBR. Architect Constantin Brodzki was charged with showing the power of the company’s product. It’s a first-class example of prefabricated architecture: 756 concrete modules, glass included, that were assembled on-site. Snaking channels between each unit take care of rainfall, meaning there’s no need for plastic piping, and a heating system encased in sapele wood veneer beautifully lines the interior of each floor. Today it’s an office and co-working space owned by Fosbury & Sons, following a sensitive renovation in 2018."

"Brussels’ first indoor centre for bouldering opened its doors in 2018 in a former factory. It offers about 100 different climbing routes, encompassing a wide range of grades. The in-house bar has an impressive beer list and a menu of vegetable-based dishes, making it a good spot to unwind after an intense scramble on the walls."

"We’re stretching the boundaries of San Francisco a little with this one but it would be remiss to leave it out. Located just outside the city on the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge (many of the rooms look directly onto it), this hotel is a sensitively restored turn-of-the-century military building. Choose between the original house, with its authentic tin ceiling and fireplaces, and the hillside new-build rooms with their floor-to-ceiling windows, spectacular views and radiant-heat floors for those slightly chilly nights. There’s also the Murray Circle restaurant, optional cooking classes, yoga sessions and hiking in the nearby national park. In short, it would be easy to stay on this side of the bridge for your entire trip."

"Founded in 1849 as a coffee stand in the Financial District (when the Financial District was still a series of wharfs), Tadich Grill is San Francisco’s oldest restaurant. “At least half of this menu goes back 100 years,” says current owner Mike Buich – that’s around the time that his grandfather took over the restaurant. Signature dishes include Australian lobster tail and cioppino, a seafood stew traditionally made by fishermen."

"Born in Réunion and trained in Belgium by a Japanese chef, Laurent Balancy channels his international spirit at this lively bistro. Think classic French dishes with a Creole twist, such as a signature cassoulet spiked with turmeric leaves and garlic. Balancy’s nose-to-tail approach and expert way with a whole fish has earned him many fans. Regulars often turn up for lunch and stay until dinner, working their way through microbrewed suds and easy-to-quaff bottles of natural wine."

"The historic Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert may be reminiscent of times past but the hotel located at their centre pays homage to contemporary art and design. Opened in 2014 by Parisian publisher and art collector Nadine Flammarion, and laid out by her daughter Camille together with interior designer Fleur Delesalle, the Hotel des Galeries has raised the bar for hotels in Brussels. Spread across four floors, each of the 20 rooms and three suites retains the former shopping arcade’s parquet floors and shuttered windows. White walls are pepped up with vibrant prints by 20th and 21st- century artists such as Sonia Delaunay, the colours of which are picked out in rugs, cushions and other design details. Furniture by Belgian designers including Sylvain Willenz sits alongside antiques picked up in the Sablon neighbourhood, while books by Flammarion and ceramics made by Camille are dotted around the hotel."

"With some 24 million visitors each year, this is the third most visited park in the US. The crown jewel among the city’s 220 public green spaces, it was founded in 1871 by engineer William Hammond Hall and master gardener John McLaren. Beyond the regular trees, plants and streets of a park, the features here range from the California Academy of Science and Dutch windmills to an archery field and summer festivals. Tour the area by foot, bike or rollerblade."

"Located within the Hayden Tract area of Culver City, Conjunctive Points is a litmus test for how far redevelopment can be pushed. Over the past three decades husband-and-wife developers Frederick and Laurie Samitaur Smith have been buying old warehouses and land, and collaborating with architect Eric Owen Moss on almost 30 projects. Today, the Tract feels like one of the most buzzing places in LA for avant-garde design. Pterodactyl, a jaggedly beautiful office building, sits atop a parking garage from 1998, nestled between warehouses from the 1940s. Waffle resembles a misshapen cheese grater while the steel-ringed “information” edifice Samitaur Tower incorporates projection screens."