With its rugged beauty and bohemian vibe, the coastline south of Monterey, California, represents the antithesis to urban living. Think tree-house hotels, kelp forests, and coed, naked hot springs.

An abundance of indie bookstores, noirish landmarks, and writerly watering holes make the City of Angels (a.k.a. the biggest book-buying city in America) a bibliophile’s paradise.

An hour away from JFK, the varied neighborhoods of the French-Canadian cultural capital are an architectural time machine going back over 300 years.

Recuperate from city life with farmer's markets, fresh air, and enough hiking to work off the toxins.

The coolest pool at every price point.

Perfect stretches of sand for every oceangoer.

Soar in a hot-air balloon, climb a lighthouse, and take in a polo match.