Where to Next: Craving Culture
Photo courtesy of Paul Broussard
Where to Next is The Local Foreigner’s guide to traveling in 2021, highlighting hotels destinations, and activities that are open and accessible to American travelers during the transitional period between the pandemic and the eventual return to round-the-world travel.
Whether you’re an art enthusiast, a self-declared foodie, or a person who simply enjoys discovering different ways of life, these destinations offer a much needed dose of culture in not-so-far-from-home locales.
CRAVING CULTURE
"CULTURE IS THE WIDENING OF THE MIND AND OF THE SPIRIT”
Jawaharlal Nehru
San Miguel de Allende
Mexico
There is a certain magic that pervades the streets of San Miguel de Allende, an artistic enclave tucked into the hills of Guanajuato. Centered around the pink-hued Parroquia, a neo-gothic sandcastle dripping with colonial charm, the city splays across the manicured El Jardin and its surrounding cobbled streets. Color erupts from every crevice, making each new corner more beautiful than the next. Vendors tote zoos of balloons with cartoonish whimsy, artisans lay their wares on market floors, and jacarandas blanket the horizon line, coating the city in unfathomable shades of purple each spring. At night, the sound of mariachi lures listeners to lantern-lit plazas, coaxing wonderment from everyday joys.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
December-August
RIGHT FOR
Artists and creatives, foodies, photographers, designers, those with a special place in their hearts for Instagrammable doors
WHERE TO STAY
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, a formidable hacienda-style property with the city's best rooftop
Marfa
Texas
A Texas-sized anomaly in the middle of the high desert, Marfa is one of the country’s most distinguished contemporary art destinations. First conceptualized in the 1970s by minimalist Donald Judd, Marfa is now maintained by his namesake Judd Foundation and the Chianti Foundation, who aim to showcase the inextricable links between art and nature. In recent years, the city has emerged as a holistic cultural destination, going beyond its famous art installations to provide visitors with creative dining concepts, theater productions, concerts, and ingenious accommodation options.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
October-April
RIGHT FOR
Artists & creatives, cross-country roadtrippers, seekers of the unusual
Where to Stay
The retrofitted vintage airstreams at El Cosmiso embody the spirited essence of Marfa, though traditionalists may prefer Cibolo Creek Ranch, 33 miles south of the city (that’s Texan for right down the block).
Cartagena
Colombia
As if magicked into existence by Garcia-Marquez himself, Cartagena is a colorful reminder that reality is often more beautiful than fantasy allows us to believe. A sultry city hazily painted with hot and humid brushstrokes, Cartagena oozes romance from every bougainvillea-draped facade, its day and night soundtracks tuned to the clip-clop of horse carriages and the ruckus of whiskey slicked chiva busses. Golden hour finds kids flying kites along the fortress walls and lovers climbing rooftops to catch a glimpse of the setting sun, a round yellow yolk dripping into the water, as hot and runny as the inside of an arepa.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
November-April
RIGHT FOR
Travelers who aren’t scared of a little humidity
WHERE TO STAY
Casa San Augustin, a 17th century stunner in the center of Cartagena's historic walled city
New Orleans
Louisiana
A bayou backwater emerging from the final s-shape curves of the Mississippi, New Orleans is a creole mirage, where voodoo lore and old-world French gentility hang in humid air like Buescher melodies. Tangled in a web of influence, New Orleans possesses a stronger identity than any other American city, flaunting its brash individualism with Fat Tuesday panache. Between boudin and beignets, life in the Big Easy glides on a street car, desire and destruction the historic stops of its route.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
October-May
RIGHT FOR
Foodies, festival fanatics, and Francophiles
Where to Stay
Maison de la Luz, Atelier Ace's jewel-box boutique in the Warehouse DIstrict
New Orleans Photos Courtesy of (respectively, from left to right), Cheryl Gerber, Paul Broussard, and Chris Granger via New Orleans & Company.
Guatemala
Wedged between Mexico and Belize, Guatemala is Central America’s middle child – taking influence from its neighbors while quietly forging its own path, without much notice from the outside world. Sure, it doesn’t have Mexico’s world class cities or heritage cuisine, nor does it boast Belize’s beaches or underwater appeal. Instead, Guatemala offers what these two countries cannot – a truly undiscovered landscape untouched by the heavy hand of tourism. Explore the colonial charm of Antigua, a sleepy city known for its hillside coffee plantations and eternal spring climate. Discover the wonder of Lake Atitlan, a crater lake with a peaceful atmosphere and striking volcanic scenery. Or venture to Tikal to witness the country’s own Mayan ruins.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Year-round, much of Guatemala is blessed with an “eternal spring” climate
RIGHT FOR
Off-the-grid adventurers, those who have been everywhere
WHERE TO STAY
Casa Palopo, a private home turned Relais & Chateaux boutique on the cliffs above Lake Atitlan