Martin Brudnizki travel tips

Rather than a city with a single, unified style, London is a collection of distinct neighborhoods, each with their own unique character. One walk around the British capital and you’ll discover the distinction is marked by the architecture of each—from the pastel flat facades of Notting Hill to the stately, stark white townhouses of Kensington to the 19th century, industrial brick buildings of the South Bank.

While some might argue that the best way to get to know a place as sensory saturated as Las Vegas is to get out and explore, to truly experience this city, from the Strip to downtown and from the westside to Boulder City, is to taste it.

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Global hospitality heavyweights are investing in the British capital with new hotels, and they're betting big. Raffles repurposed the landmark Old War Office—Churchill's erstwhile HQ—while the Peninsula broke new ground just opposite the Buckingham Palace garden, both brands staking claims in prime London real estate. Waldorf Astoria and Six Senses will soon follow suit with their own local debuts, while Rosewood and Mandarin Oriental plan to open second properties. But don't let the big names drown out boutique newcomers like the whimsical Broadwick Soho, a glittering reminder of the homegrown English charisma that makes London a must-visit in the first place.

The Khaite designer Catherine Holstein was newly pregnant in the fall of 2022 when the French children’s wear brand Bonpoint reached out to her about collaborating on a capsule collection. Now, the 11 new designs, intended to fit babies and children up to 10 years old and made with materials that are gentle against sensitive skin, are launching on Oct. 25 with a campaign featuring Holstein’s now-seven-month-old son, Calder. Standout pieces include a billowy white cotton top with a ruffled collar, a whimsical red-and-white botanical print skirt and miniature versions of two Khaite mainstays: a double-breasted Tanner blazer and a wool version of the brand’s flare-sleeved Scarlet cardigan. “I’m just amazed at the conversations you can have with kids after the age of three, and what their perspective is,” says Holstein. “I wanted the collection to give them the option to really home in on their individuality.” The pieces most dear to the designer are those inspired by her 1980s childhood. “I had black corduroy overalls that I would wear with suspenders with cars on them and a Fair Isle cardigan. … I really wanted to capture that nostalgia.”

Hotels are always opening across the U.S. as hospitality giants such as Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt expand their footprint and charming new boutiques pop up.

“It doesn't feel like Paris, does it?” Dominique Crenn is grinning ear to ear as she whisks me through Golden Poppy, her new restaurant in La Fantaisie, a just-opened hotel in the 9th. The comment refers to the handiwork of Swedish-born interior architect Martin Brudnizki, who oversaw the design. The smile says everything about how Crenn feels right now, not only as America's most decorated woman chef but also as an artist, activist, and cancer survivor—joyful.

Since the late 19th century, when San Francisco got its cable cars and pastel-hued Victorians, Levi Strauss and Ghirardelli Chocolate, it has been the envy of other cities. So the schadenfreude that has erupted recently over home prices and homelessness, street crime and empty office towers, is nothing new. Yes, this city has real problems, but the line at Powell and Market for the cable car, which turns 150 this year, is still long, and world-class restaurants still seem to open nightly. Boom-and-bust cycles have afflicted the City by the Bay since the Gold Rush, but as surely as the fog will roll through the spans of the Golden Gate Bridge this afternoon, San Francisco will rise again.