United States Archives

What It’s Like to Visit One of America’s ‘Happiest Places’ on California’s Central Coast

About 230 miles south of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge and just over 200 miles north of Los Angeles’s world-famous Hollywood sign – right off highway 101 — lies the central California community of San Luis Obispo. Referred to by the laid-back locals with the simple moniker “SLO” (pronounced as “slow”), the town and […]

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THE IRRESISTIBLE CHARM OF NAPA’S CULINARY CAPITAL YOUNTVILLE

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

The Napa Valley town of Yountville is like a beautiful well-crafted bottle of wine: carefully thought out and the longer you spend in its atmosphere, the better it gets. You immediately become infatuated by its carefree, unhurried vibe, unmistakable charisma, and sheer beauty intertwined with vineyards. The Town of Yountville is steeped in upscale epicurean

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BOTTLEROCK NAPA VALLEY – WHERE THE FOOD RIVALS THE MUSIC

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

If it’s Memorial Day weekend in the Napa Valley, then it’s time for BottleRock, the three-day music, food, wine, and brew festival. The first taste of the summer festival season begins with BottleRock presented by JaM Cellars and taking place at the Napa fairgrounds. Move over Muse, Snoop Dog, and The Killers; there’s more to BottleRock

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A Recipe for Success at EPIC Steak with Hangar 1 Vodka

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Designer Pat Culeto and Executive Chef and partner Parke Ulrich have created a wonderful ambiance and are dazzling diners with their hit, Epic Steak. Located on San Francisco’s Embarcadero Waterfront, visiting foodies are graced with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay. On warm summer days, the 5,600 feet of outdoor patio space makes the modern steakhouse the perfect

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Napa Valley: A Culinary, Palette-Pleasing Tour for the Fifth Sense

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

SolbarTantalize your five senses with our roadmap to restaurants we’re loving in the valley of vino. At a blind tasting in Paris in 1976 known as the “Judgment of Paris,” Napa Valley vintners shocked the wine world with not one, but two first-place finishes. Stag’s Leap S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won for reds, and for whites

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Is Sonoma County America’s Most Complete Wine Region?

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” That mantra bodes well when deciding where to visit Northern California’s two most celebrated grape destinations. Napa Valley is a deserving queen to the throne, holding the torch as America’s preeminent encounter with

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12 Destinations to Photograph Fall Foliage

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Although technically it is still summer, and most of the country remains in heatwave mode, gradually temperatures will drop, and the vibrant colors of fall will grace America’s treasured National Parks and open spaces. Autumn is less than a month away and for photography buffs, some of the most colorful scenery of the year is

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Seafood Magnificence: In a Fantasy World Décor at San Francisco’s Waterbar

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Located on San Francisco’s Embarcadero Waterfront with panoramic bay views A veritable seafood feast with breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. Famous among local San Franciscans and surely, now under the visitors radar. A seafood lover’s dream eatery. How can you not love a restaurant with an oyster bar

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New York Hotel Restaurants Worth Dining In

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Hotel restaurants have come a long way from being a less than stellar last resort dining option. In New York City, long known for being “the city that never sleeps,” now it’s possible to have a night on the town right in your hotel’s eatery or bar area. New York hotels have upped the ante

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The Michelangelo: Italian Elegance in Midtown Manhattan

NORTH AMERICA / Nicholas Kontis

Located just a block from Radio City Music Hall and within easy walking distance of Midtown, the Starhotels Collezione Michelangelo stakes a claim to being New York’s only premier Italian hotel. Indeed, few properties can boast its sensibility and flair, blending Old World panache with contemporary style at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 51st

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