Duarte Sequeira is Northern Portugal’s Art Oasis

Low-cost airline Breeze Airways is continuing to expand with a new flight from New York to Florida in time for a warm-weather winter escape.

TUI Group has consolidated its digital activities in Portugal by opening a new tech center in Porto.

Portugal’s Finance Minister Fernando Medina kicked off the long-awaited sale of TAP Air Portugal Thursday with the announcement that the government would sell a 51% stake in the state-owned airline to the highest bidder.

While Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve are increasingly busy—perhaps even on the verge of being loved to death—the essence of Portugal is still alive in the laid-back region between the bustling capital and the famous southerly beaches. The Alentejo is the largest region of Portugal but also the least populated, with charming villages, living traditions, excellent gastronomy (both high and low), some of the country’s best wineries and dreamy places to stay. This is the soul of Portugal, and it’s seemingly tailor-made for slow travel. Here’s an opinionated guide to the best of the best.

Chicago, the city known for its vibrant arts scene and rich cultural heritage, is gearing up for Halloween. LUMA8, an independent not-for-profit organization, is planning its 9th Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade. This family-friendly parade includes unique floats, puppets, and an array of creative performances. The parade will take place on Saturday, October 21st, from 6 pm to 8 pm (CST), along the historic State Street, stretching from Lake to Van Buren Streets. But the fun begins earlier at 5 pm with a pre-parade candy giveaway.

Rocco Forte Hotels have launched two urban art-themed tours which have been designed to immerse guests into the deep history of the world of graffiti and street art in Berlin and Munich. 

Manhattan’s Lower East Side has always been known for its gritty edge. This is the place where immigrants, arriving from Ellis Island and typically holed up in a tenement apartment, had their first view of New York, and indeed of their version of the ‘Great American Dream’. As a consequence, there is still a strong presence felt of a wide variety of different communities and cultures – from Jewish to Italian. In fact, at the crossroads with China Town, Little Italy and SoHo, you still feel as if you are in the heart of the city’s infamous melting pot which makes this city so diverse and exhilarating.

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Seen from Paris’s Pont de la Tournelle, the eight-story facade of the landmark restaurant La Tour d’Argent looks about the same as it did when its third-generation owner André Terrail grew up there in the 1980s, deploying toy parachutists into quayside traffic. But the interior is no longer indifferent to the 21st century: Late last month, La Tour d’Argent reopened its doors after a yearlong renovation led by the Paris-based architect Franklin Azzi. “It’s my Tour,” says Terrail, who took over following his father’s death in 2006. “The same, but more exacting, more thoughtful.” The new look draws on the outsize history of the classically French fine-dining institution, which has been serving diners since 1582, taking particular inspiration from the streamlined motifs of its Art Deco era. On the seventh floor, the redesigned restaurant — overseen since 2020 by executive chef Yannick Franques — functions more than ever as a theater. The airy dining room, in shades of indigo and silver, looks onto an open-plan kitchen and an elevated platform where the restaurant’s signature pressed-duck dish is prepared nightly. Upstairs and downstairs are new bars suited to less formal occasions: Le Bar des Maillets d’Argent, an all-day lounge with a fireplace, andLe Toit de la Tour, a rooftop terrace. Given that it has the welcoming air of a boutique hotel, it’s no wonder that the building can now host overnight visitors in a private apartment on the fifth floor, complete with a touch of Scandinavian-style minimalism attributable, in part, to Terrail’s Finnish mother.

Porto, a coastal city in the northwest of Portugal, has long been relegated to Lisbon’s shadow, but it’s finally commanding global attention for its culinary offerings. 

It’s time for the wine harvest in Tuscany and I am vexed. As a tenured Lazioi lover, I don’t want to like this region but it’s impossible not to be captivated by the gorgeous landscapes, tradition of hand picking and an incredible artistic heritage. Here’s a secret, Tuscany, known for its sundrenched vineyards, Medici villas and Michelangelo, is also home to innovative wineries that curate captivating collections of modern and contemporary art.

Welcome to the vibrant and captivating city of New Orleans, where a melange of cultural flavors converge. In a city where there are a myriad of dining options, choosing where to go can become overwhelming. So, set forth on this delectable journey that I’ve verified and immerse yourself in the culinary delights that await in the heart of this enchanting city: