Tel Aviv in Israel.
SURE, certain reputations are both earned and inevitable, but other pigeonholing perceptions are decidedly less fair (not all New Yorkers are rude, people!).
In the spirit of global pluralism, we packed a passport and an open mind to explore the hidden gems and unsung attractions of some of the world’s most popular (not to mention notorious) places.
1. MEXICO CITY
Those deterred by Mexico City’s reputation for street crime and urban sprawl are seriously missing out on one of the Americas’ hottest cultural capitals. The sleek Polanco neighbourhood has Mexican magnate Carlos Slim’s almost $100 million Museo Soumaya, as well as star chef Enrique Olvera’s groundbreaking Pujol restaurant.
Creative communities convene in buzzy districts like La Condesa, replete with indie galleries and art deco architecture, and Roma, which has an Eataly-esque gourmet food hall, Mercado Roma.
Where to stay: Polanco’s newly renovated W Mexico City is within walking distance of the Auditorio Nacional, and has 237 rooms with views of Chapultepec Park and the Zona Rosa, as well as a killer restaurant by super star Spanish-American chef, Jose Andres.
The Museo Soumaya. Picture: Ralf Peter Reimann
2. DUBAI
Dubai may be best known for big-spending bankers and their monolithic construction projects, but the city-state also has a thriving contemporary arts scene. Alserkal Avenue, an arts district in the industrial Al Quoz neighbourhood, has 23225 sq m of galleries, open-air exhibition space, live performance venues and the Salsali Private Museum showcasing contemporary Middle Eastern and international art. It plans to double in size this year, welcoming outposts of regional heavy hitters like Leila Heller Gallery, and launching an artist-in-residence program to support Dubai’s burgeoning creative community.
Where to stay: Hotel newcomers include the Langham (coming to the Palm in 2016) and St. Regis. Or, you could always go big at the Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort, which has overwater bungalows, lagoon views and a chic spa on Dubai’s man-made island.
3. HOUSTON, US
There’s a lot more to HTown than low-slung corporate parks and snaking highways. The city’s ascendant food scene spans authentic pho, barbecue, surprisingly nuanced Tex-Mex (try Cafe Adobe and Original Ninfa’s) and innovative plant-centric fare.
Locals get their fill, then escape to Buffalo Bayou Park, a 64-hectare swatch of green hills and sloping pedestrian paths in the heart of downtown Houston that was renovated to the tune of $58 million last year.
Where to stay: Downtown, there’s the classic St. Regis and Hotel Icon, while the Hotel Sorella CityCentre on the West Side has a mod, minimalist design scheme and knockout rooftop pool.
Hi there, Houston. Picture: Katie Haugland
4. NEW YORK, US
Towering skyscrapers, oversized attitudes and staggering price tags may give the Big Apple its bite, but a kinder, gentler Gotham abides in astonishingly cost-effective outer-borough attractions like Brooklyn’s Industry City.
This collection of former warehouses has tiny galleries with free exhibitions, a food court with kiosks from local favourites like sausage shop Ends Meat, and a second-story loft that holds the enormously popular Brooklyn Flea in winter months.
Outdoors enthusiasts can grab one of New York’s now-ubiquitous Citi Bikes and pedal to Green-Wood Cemetery, a surprisingly Zen collection of Gothic buildings and rolling greens that serve as the final resting place for famous locals like Boss Tweed and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Where to stay: The city’s newest sleep is The Brooklyn — A Hotel, which straddles the burgeoning Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy neighbourhoods and is decked out with black and white photography and works by local artists.
5. AMSTERDAM
Bypass the stumbling co-eds and raucous British stag parties, and the Netherlands’ canal city has art, culture and class to spare. The Rijksmuseum, a national treasure stocked with Dutch masterpieces, reopened after a 10-year, $563 million renovation in 2013, as did the van Gogh Museum.
Soon thereafter, The Hague’s Vermeer-centric jewel box Mauritshuis Museum doubled its exhibition space. Modernists convene at Dutch design maven Thomas Eyck’s stylish Matter.of Material boutique, and pick up cutting-edge duds at fashion collection Young Designers United.
Where to stay: Grand dame Hotel de l’Europe underwent an $117 million renovation to introduce the Dutch Masters Wing, a fleet of 23 individually designed suites fitted with reproductions of famous works from the nearby Rijksmuseum.
Cool Amsterdam. Picture: Bert Kaufmann
6. TEL AVIV
Israel’s stylish, resilient cultural core defies headlines. Sure, Ben Gurion International Airport may have notoriously unsmiling desk agents and extensive security clearance — but you’ll brave the customs counter in a sleek, solar-powered terminal (nicknamed Silicon Wadi) that received a $397 million upgrade in 2014.
City streets are lined with mod start-ups, buzzy cafes and devastatingly chic locals (cop their style at trendy boutiques in Neve Tzedek and Sarona). There’s also artistic inspiration aplenty at contemporary institutions Dvir and Noga Galleries, the grand Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv.
Where to stay: In addition to The Norman Tel Aviv, which occupies a sparkling Bauhaus building in the historic White City, Israel will welcome its first W hotel in the historic Jaffa neighbourhood early next year.
A Tel Aviv beach. Picture: Israeltourism
This story originally appeared on Jetsetter.com.
Beachside. Picture: Xiquinhosilva
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