Wat Phra Kaew: Gold, Guardians & Sacred Space
Series: 3 of 3 | Visakha Bucha Week

We close our Bangkok temple trio with Wat Phra Kaew, inside the Grand Palace—spiritual heart of the country and home to the Emerald Buddha.

It’s ornate, sacred, and best visited early—when it’s...

Wat Arun: Light, Porcelain & Steep Stairs
Series: 2 of 3 | Visakha Bucha Week

Next in our temple tour for Visakha Bucha Day (May 11): Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Rising from the Chao Phraya River in shimmering porcelain, it’s at its best at sunrise—or when you climb to the top...

Temples, Tales & Gold You Can’t Miss
Series: 1 of 3

This week marks Visakha Bucha Day (May 11)—Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist holiday, honoring the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and passing. To celebrate, we’re spotlighting three temples where spirit, beauty, and daily life...

What if you choose a blackout this time?

After last week’s unexpected blackout in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, a few of you said you felt inspired.

So here’s a thought: what if you intentionally recreated that feeling?

Start in Sedona, with a hike that doesn’t need...

Where Books Breathe and People Matter

At Powell’s—Portland’s iconic city-block-sized bookstore—store manager Bryanne Hoeg starts her day in the hush before opening.
“It’s quiet, but buzzing—like the books know it’s showtime.”

She dreams of driving the Powell’s delivery truck...

French macarons are one of those things you think you like—until you try a real one. Then it’s over.
The ones we’d gladly risk adding an extra kilo for? Sweets by Shayda. No notes.

Crisp outside, cloud-soft inside, and filled like someone actually cared.
Birthday cake. Lemon curd....

#DYK the chandelier at the Palais Garnier in Paris weighs over 7 tons—and once crashed mid-performance?
(Imagine buying orchestra seats and getting hit with plot development.)

This 1875 masterpiece is all marble staircases, gold leaf, velvet with status, and a surprise Chagall ceiling...

When the lights went out, something else switched on.

Yesterday’s blackout across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France brought everything to a sudden, strange stop. No trains, no phones, no screens — just people stepping outside.

The beach turned into the meeting place, paper maps...

Spending just 20 minutes in nature can improve working memory and attention by 20%. That’s not wellness fluff—that’s science.

Now imagine 36,000 acres of alpine stillness, clean design, and a bathtub facing the mountains. That’s Flock Hill Lodge, New Zealand.

Bring layers. Maybe...