Clara Hogan

The age-old saying really does hold true: The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. Soak up the holly, jolly vibes at one—or more!—of our favorite Christmas cities across the US, which offer dazzling decor and plenty of holiday cheer via a slew of special events and activities like magical Christmas markets, impressive Christmas light displays or must-visit Christmas stores. Take North Pole, Alaska, for instance: At this aptly named city, visitors can check out the world's largest Santa and walk down Kris Kringle Drive, outfitted with candy cane-striped street lights. Alternatively, make a beeline for Santa Claus, Indiana (yes, that's really the name), where local "elves" volunteer at the post office to answer buckets full of children's letters to Santa every year.  *]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:7ea92c4e-d996-4997-b8f4-b1ffeba08328-31" data-testid="conversation-turn-64" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> Intrigued? You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that some of the best holiday destinations are closer to home than you'd imagine. From a seaside New England city with rich history to a charming South Carolina mountain town, keep reading to discover our favorite Christmas cities in the US.

This vibrant neighborhood is full of busy shopkeepers, produce markets, bustling restaurants and plenty of visitors aiming cameras at beautifully Instagrammable architectural features—the most iconic being the green-roofed Dragon’s Gate. You’ll also find red lanterns and flags draped across streets, and dramatic paint colors used for signs and structures. San Franciso’s Chinatown is the nation’s oldest and largest Chinatown, settled by immigrants lured by the Gold Rush’s siren call. Although much of it burned during the 1906 earthquake and fire, the neighborhood was rebuilt. Today its 30 blocks draw locals and visitors alike to enjoy this spirited Chinese culture. RECOMMENDED:🥟 The best dim sum in San Francisco🍽️ The best restaurants in San Francisco👗 The best thrift stores in San Francisco📍 The best things to do in San Francisco🍳 The best brunch in San Francisco

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and festive Christmas markets are starting to pop up around the U.S. It's hard to top the Christmas markets that have marked the holidays in Europe for hundreds of years, but these markets come pretty close. Decked out with twinkling lights, and boughs of holly, these markets are pure holiday spirit, and you can't help but get in the mood as you stroll the grounds. Shop hundreds of vendors for one-of-a-kind gifts, sip mulled wine or cider, sing along with carolers and maybe even meet Santa. These markets feature rides, traditional holiday foods and plenty of holiday entertainment. In cities like Chicago, Denver and New York plus small towns like Helen and Tomball, these markets go 100% for the holidays. Ready to shop and celebrate the season? Bundle up and get ready to eat, drink and be merry. Here are the best Christmas markets in the U.S. RECOMMENDED: The best Christmas light displays in the USAThe best Christmas vacations for an epic holiday

Lights provide a huge part of the Christmas ambience: We love to see candle flames flickering, strings of lights draped over rooflines, tiny colored lights in our living rooms embedded in the branches of our Christmas trees—and a star on top. The steady glow of light in the dark makes the whole season seem magical. And venturing out of our own neighborhoods, it’s fun to visit a citywide fantasyland of lights, with shops lit up, Christmas markets bustling, and creatively illuminated lanes to wander (or drive) through with displays geared to make our eyes light up, too. Here’s our tour of some of the most enchanting light displays you can encounter this holiday season. Don a sweater or parka, depending on where you live, and pour some hot cocoa into that mug as you embark on an evening of wonder. RECOMMENDED:The best Christmas towns in the U.S.The best Christmas markets in the U.S.

Europe has a lot to offer in winter: over-the-top Christmas markets, snow-covered villages, stunning alpine views, and some of the best ski resorts in the world (to name a few). But the best way to take it all in, in my humble opinion? That’s got to be by train. I live in Italy, and I take a cross-country European train at least once a month – trust me, once you try it, you’ll never look back. Skip the long airport lines, swerve the travel chaos and settle in for a completely relaxing (and ridiculously scenic) holiday experience – there’s no better way to see this beautiful continent at Christmas. From ultra-glam carriages departing Paris to cosy sleeper trains that carry you into the Arctic Circle, and festive rides completely decked out for Christmas, these journeys invite you to step aboard, grab a glühwein and settle in to glide past candlelit towns, frosted lakes and snow-packed mountain peaks. Here are the best wintery train journeys to book this Christmas.  📍 Discover our ultimate guide to Europe Clara Hogan is a travel writer based in Italy, who takes a European train every month. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

San Francisco is brimming with bespoke shops, clever merchandise and all the creative flair that makes the city what it is. Sure, you’ll also find chain stores and even some big-box ones, but wander the neighborhoods to see the best of independent business owners selling something special. Build a day into your schedule—whether you’re a local or a visitor—to cruise by some of these shops and get a head start on holiday gift buying, or to get a cool souvenir for yourself. You might also want to plan a visit to one of the city’s flea markets for the best of sustainable buying. Speaking of which, don’t forget to bring your reuseable shopping bags.

The rural beauty of the Sorrentine Peninsula is magnificent – and so is its hotel offering. Hotels here provide the perfect base to explore Sorrento’s villas, vineyards, lemon groves and restaurants – and they’re as diverse as they are beautiful, with five-star hotels, all-inclusives, aparthotels with pools and much more to choose from. Our experts have selected the very best hotels in this Italian gem. Read on for our favourites.  Sorrento’s best hotels at a glance ⭐ Best five-star: Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria 🏩 Best boutique: Palazzo Marziale Sorrento 🌅 Best sea views: La Minervetta 🛎️ Best all-inclusive packages: Grand Hotel Aminta How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. We may not have stayed at every hotel featured on this list, but any we haven’t stayed in have been selected by experts based on their amenities, features, pricing and more. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to hotels in Italy 📍 Explore the best things to do in Sorrento

San Franciscans may not stay out late at night but they definitely know how to keep a dancefloor electric and support the local music scene. Thanks to a history that dates back to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Counting Crows, Journey and other local luminaries, the city embraces its musical legacy—and keeps it going. Golden Gate Park remains a legendary place to see a show on the green, and the city abounds in nightclubs, including LGTBQ+ spaces in the Castro, small live music venues and gigantic multi-level clubs with multiple dance floors spinning out DJ beats. Watch for rotating calendars of visiting artists and bands, pop in your earplugs if the volume’s at 11 and keep the pulse pulsing all night long. Here’s our list of the best nightclubs in San Francisco.    

Ice skating is one of America’s favorite pastimes, but did you know that ice rinks weren’t always made of ice? Fun fact: Before the invention of refrigerated ice rinks, people used a mixture of hog lard and salt for a short period of time. Sounds… oily. Nevertheless, the artificially frozen ice rink came into fashion in the late 19th century and has stuck around ever since. So what is it about ice skating that makes us continue to lace up our skates decade after decade? Perhaps it’s the love of the challenge (a.k.a. trying to stay upright), or maybe it’s the soft swish of your blades gliding over the ice, or maybe it’s time spent with friends and family. Below, you’ll find the best options for skating when you have the hankering to flex your skills (or just wipe out a few dozen times in front of your besties). But hey—at least you’re not falling in a pool of lard anymore! Here are the best ice skating rinks in the U.S. RECOMMENDED: The best Christmas markets in the U.S.

There’s no wrong way to eat seafood in America—whether you’re digging into a lobster at a picnic table, slurping oysters at a raw bar or sipping champagne with caviar in a white-tablecloth dining room. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the best seafood restaurants in the U.S. serve up fresh fish in every style imaginable. While coastal cities like Boston, Seattle and New Orleans set the standard, the country’s seafood scene stretches far beyond the shore. You’ll find Southern gems turning shrimp and grits into an art form, Midwest spots flying in pristine fish daily and modern chefs creating elegant takes on “catch of the day”. These are classic fish shacks, restaurants with refined tasting menus and everything in between. Here, freshness matters, flavor rules, and the only thing better than the food is the view when dining right near the water. Updated October 23, 2025: We've revisited our list of the best seafood restaurants in America to highlight and celebrate the seafood stars offering the freshest fish and most exciting seafood dishes. While restaurants like Aphotic in San Francisco and La Mar, the Peruvian favorite in Miami, have closed (fortunately, La Mar's closing is only temporary), classic spots are still going strong. Holbox, a Michelin-starred food counter in Los Angeles and GW Fins, an innovative fine-dining restaurant in New Orleans, join the ranks. If you love seafood, read on. From lobster rolls and fried clams to dry-aged swordfish and grilled tiger prawns,

You could revisit San Francisco countless times and always have a different experience, so we’ve compiled a list of the city’s best hotels which are sprinkled across its broad array of different neighborhoods at a range of different budgets. You’ll find ultra-luxe stays in the swanky Nob Hill as well as kind-on-your-budget spots near Fisherman’s Wharf, and pretty much everything in between. So, without further ado, here are Time Out’s picks for the best hotels in San Francisco, including new reviews of the Four Seasons at Embarcadero, the Ritz-Carlton and The Battery for Fall and Winter 2025.  Which area is best to stay in San Francisco? First time visiting the Golden City? To have as much of San Francisco as possible within easy reach, opt for somewhere near Union Square, and if you’re traveling with your family, we’d recommend Fisherman’s Wharf. However, San Francisco is vast and gloriously varied when it comes to where to stay, so other brilliant options are Nob Hill for that quintessential architecture or The Castro if you want to explore the city’s LGBTQ+ scene. Hayes Valley and Haight Ashbury are excellent for spots which are a little less central.  San Francisco’s best hotels at a glance: 💎Most luxurious: Four Seasons at Embarcadero 🛍️Best mid-range: The Clancy 👛Best budget: San Remo Hotel 🍝Best restaurant: The Jay 🤩Most iconic: Golden Gate Hotel 📍 Discover our ultimate guide to the best boutique hotels in San Francisco How we curate our hotel lists Our team of

Part of the joy of Thanksgiving is anticipation: the turkey slowly cooking as tantalizing aromas drift out from the oven and from various pots and pans on the stove. And Thanksgiving parades are another way of stretching out the expectations—whether you’re keeping one eye on the TV while you’re managing the potatoes or on the sidewalk cheering as the marching band passes by. Watching a parade provides a time-honored way to come together as a community; feel pride as Americans sharing an important holiday; showcase the talents of musicians, dancers and members of civic organizations; and, of course, enjoy some really impressive balloons! These parades are free to watch, but comfortable viewing in grandstands can often be purchased. And if you want to easily transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas, many of these events incorporate a visit from Santa and his reindeer. RECOMMENDED: Where to find the best pies in America

When a hotel counts Marilyn Monroe, Oscar Wilde, and Sophia Loren among its former guests, you expect a little drama. And Sorrento’s iconic Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria delivers on all counts, with hand-painted frescoed ceilings, rooms draped in elaborate furnishings and a terrace that overlooks the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. Still owned by the same family after nearly two centuries (despite countless offers to sell), the team here have maintained every detail meticulously, and it’s still dripping with old-world glamour.  Staying here will have you feeling like a star in a Fellini film - as it felt like for me as soon as I stepped through the hotel’s iron gates just off Sorrento’s most bustling square, Piazza Tasso. Make your way up the tranquil, citrus-scented pathway up to the lobby, passing a glossy Bohemia grand piano and a wall of black-and-white portraits of royals and celebrities and get ready for something very special indeed. Why stay at Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria? The Sorrento area has so much to see and do, but staying at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is an experience in itself and an immersion into the region’s history. Founded in 1834 by the Fiorentino family, it was often the final stop of the Grand Tour, the pilgrimage taken by young aristocrats across Europe to experience culture, history, and art. The cliffside location is one of the property’s greatest luxuries (it’s even said to be the former site of an Emperor Augustus villa).  Today, th

What is the Golden Gate Bridge? Built in 1937 to connect San Francisco with the Marin headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most universally recognized landmarks and most photographed bridge in the world. Visitors stand in awe of its 746-foot tall towers and bold International Orange color, which is repainted year-round. Is the Golden Gate Bridge worth visiting? The Golden Gate Bridge is the number one landmark in San Francisco—don't miss a chance to witness its stunning architecture, be it heading across the bridge or taking in views from San Francisco or Marin. Whichever way you choose, just don't forget a jacket—Karl the Fog is often looming nearby.  What's the best way to see the Golden Gate Bridge? Visitors often choose to experience crossing the bridge by foot, bike or car. Bikes and cars are permitted access 24 hours a day, while walkers can cross using the east sidewalk between 5am-6:30pm (5am-9pm during Daylight Savings Time).  Looking for a good viewing spot instead? You'll have plenty of options, including Crissy Field, Fort Point, Baker Beach or our favorite, the brand-new Presidio Tunnel Tops. What's good to eat near the Golden Gate Bridge? There aren't a lot of options directly near the base of the bridge on either side. On the San Francisco side, your best bet is in the Presidio—try Il Parco for a casual option in the Presidio Tunnel Tops park or Dalida, a buzzy new Mediterranean restaurant. On the Marin side, we continue taking in the views from Farl

You can hear the Napa Valley Wine Train before you see it. Starting in Downtown Napa at the McKinstry Street Station, the train rumbles through towns like Yountville and iconic vineyards like V. Sattui on a 36-mile round trip journey to St. Helena and back. The cavalcade of railroad cars were built in 1951 by the Pullman Standard Company and  refurbished for the modern era with details nodding to the original time period such as plush booths and mahogany paneling. Passengers can choose from a variety of dining journeys, including the Gourmet Express (a multi-course meal), Romance on the Rails (dinner and wine in a private booth on the train's Vista Dome) and Murder Mystery (a murder-mystery– themed dinner). One of the most intimate option is the Champagne Vista Dome experience, which guarantees you a private table. This car features curved glass windows in the observation-style dining car that give even more expansive views of Napa's lush countryside.  The three-hour lunch and two-hour dinner rides generally stick to the rails, but if getting off and exploring the vineyards is more of your thing, opt for one of the winery tours; most go to a few wineries and include lunch or dinner on the train.

Since 1994, the old stone cottage in the heart of wine country that houses the French Laundry has stood among the holiest of holy grails not only for destination diners, but aspiring industry pros around the world. Chef Thomas Keller’s influence on the culinary world is inestimable; without him, there’d be no Noma, Alinea, Benu or Frasca Food and Wine, to name just a few iconic restaurants his mentees have gone on to open. The pilgrimage to this intimate, 17-table Napa Valley institution remains at the very top of foodies’ bucket lists. Reservations open a month in advance, with seatings occurring daily from 4pm to 8:15pm. Every meal begins with a crisp salmon tartare cornet paired with a glass of champagne. From there, diners select one of the two prix fixe menus (one for meat eaters and one for vegetarians) and are then promptly taken on a three-to-four hour culinary journey. Dishes consist of classic and refined, yet unstuffy, French cuisine that showcase California-fresh produce sourced from the culinary garden across the street. The French Laundry has served as the pinnacle of fine dining for 25 years, with hospitality as unwaveringly pristine as the food. The restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars every year since the first Michelin guide to the San Francisco Bay Area was issued in 2007, making Keller the only American chef to have two three-star restaurants at the same time (the other being Per Se in New York.)  The restaurant recently underwent a stunning $1

Think of San Francisco’s largest Halloween pub crawl as trick-or-treating for adults. Thousands of costumed revelers take over Polk Street for drinks, music and dancing, and costume contests. This year, whether you show up on foot or via the San Francisco Party Bus, you’re sure to be in spooktacular company at 20 haunted watering holes including Mayes, Nick's Crispy Tacos, Del Mar, and Wonder SF. It’s free to join the festivities.     

Napa Valley’s BottleRock festival is back this year for its first “normal” event since 2019. The festival was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 and, in 2021, it was delayed until the fall and had pandemic precautions in place. This year, BottleRock is back in all its glory in its usual slot, Memorial Day weekend, with big-name headlining artists from Pink to Metallica and Luke Combs. Other performers include Twenty One Pilots, Kygo, Pitbull, Alessia Cara, Vance Joy, and Amos Lee. The event will also host a slew of other activities from famous chefs and celebrities on the culinary stage to an impressive food and drink line-up and a series of more intimate performances outside of the main event.  We’ve rounded up answers to all of your questions to give you everything you need to know about BottleRock 2022. We also have you covered on where to go, eat, and sleep in Napa Valley should you want to explore more.  What is BottleRock?BottleRock Napa Valley, presented by JaM Cellars, is a three-day music, wine, craft brew and culinary festival that started in 2013.  When is BottleRock? BottleRock 2022 will run Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29, in downtown Napa at the Napa Valley Expo fairgrounds. How do I buy BottleRock tickets? Three-day tickets are sold out, but one-day general admission tickets for Friday and Saturday are still available through the BottleRock website. You can also still buy sold-out passes through the official ticket exchange Lyte. How much are BottleRock tickets?

What is Alcatraz? Alcatraz was once host to the first lighthouse on the West Coast, but it is most famous for serving as a former maximum security federal prison from 1934 to 1963. A small island situated in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the formidable fortress was home to some of the 20th century's most notorious criminals. Today, the site is run by the National Park Service, and you can visit “The Rock” on a reserved tour. After taking a ferry departing from Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing, you'll receive a headset that allows you to take a self-guided audio tour of the prison.  Is Alcatraz worth visiting? A trip to Alcatraz is worth it both for the scenic ride out and back—where you can take in sweeping views of the bay and cityscape—and for the enthralling tour of the abandoned prison. Narrated by former inmates and guards, the audio tour will tell you stories of harrowing escape attempts, prison riots and the 19-month long occupation of the site by Native Americans demanding reparation for broken treaties in 1969. What's the best way to see Alcatraz? There is only one way to visit Alcatraz: book a tour (which often book up in advance, so look early.) The site is operated by the National Parks Service and only one ferry company — Alcatraz City Cruises — has a contract to transport people to and from the island. Tours are offered year-round, and ferries depart every half an hour throughout the day. To get a more creepy bang for your buck, opt for a night tour. Plan to spe

The local coffee scene across American cities has exploded in recent years — but which city loves its coffee the most? That would be the City by the Bay, at least according to one recent report. San Francisco is the number one coffee city in America, ranked by a survey from the personal-finance website WalletHub. The calculation compared the 100 most populous cities across the US using 12 key metrics, including the average spending on coffee per household, the share of homes with coffee makers, the number of coffee shops and manufacturers per capita, and the number of coffee-centric events.  After San Francisco, Seattle, Orlando, Honolulu, and Portland rounded out the top five coffee cities.  Source: WalletHub Coffee has played an important role in San Francisco's history: the first cup of restaurant coffee in the West was served there, large coffee brands such as Hills Brothers and Folgers started in the city, and the Italian espresso houses of North Beach were popular meeting spots for famous Beat poets. Today, the "third wave" of coffee shops has meant a coffee boom.  San Francisco's top coffee shops are independent, full of local personality, and spread throughout the city. Favorites include Ritual Coffee, Andytown Coffee Roasters, and Farley's. A few of the factors for SF's number one rating — it had both the highest number of affordable coffee shops and cafes rated 4.5 stars or above per capita, as well as the highest number of manufacturers. It also ranked number on

Add another must-do to your San Francisco bucket list: the Presidio Tunnel Tops, a project 30 years in the making. The new federal parkland is now officially open, offering 14 acres of space to play along the bay and take in stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Tunnel Tops, located within the Presidio, a national park formed out of a former military outpost, debuted on July 17 to an outpouring of crowds eager to see the city's newest national park destination. It is a creative solution to creating usable green space in a densely packed city, located on top of the busy Presidio Parkway highway tunnels and connecting the center of the Presidio to the park’s Crissy Field waterfront. The unique design feat was a perfect fit for James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind New York City's High Line, which also found ways to connect urban streets to more peaceful, nature-focused settings.  The park is already a hit with locals and visitors alike, featuring picnic sites, a campfire circle, trails, native plant gardens as well as the Outpost, a sprawling two-acre, nature-inspired play area for children.    Photograph Courtesy of the Trust for the PresidioTunnel Tops   Getting to the Tunnel Tops is easy from most places in the city. Several of the city’s MUNI lines stop at the nearby transit center and there's a free PresidiGo shuttle from downtown.  If you get hungry, you can count on a variety of food trucks and carts nearby, in addition to a slew of eateries offered with

イギリスの金融商品比較サイト、Money.co.ukは新しい分析調査を実施し、LGBTQ+コミュニティーに最も友好的な世界の都市ランキング『The most LGBTQ+ accepting cities』を発表した。 分析に使われたのは、さまざまなデータ。例えばSocial Progressから入手した各国の受容度に関する世界的な指標、人口10万人当たりのLGBTQ+施設の数を示すTripadvisorのデータといったもの。出生証明書や運転免許証の性別表示変更が州相当レベルでどれだけ容易か、成人におけるLGBTQ+自認の割合、子育てをしている25歳以上のLGBTQ+成人数なども含まれている。 その結果、世界で最もLGBTQ+の人々を受け入れていのは、アイスランドのレイキャビクとなった。同地のLGBTQ+受容度スコアは満点の10ポイント。LGBTQ+専用のバーやクラブが最も多くあり、それらの質も高いことが結果に反映されたようだ。 2位、3位はオランダのアムステルダム、ロッテルダムが続いた。アムステルダムは、惜しくもレイキャビックにトップの座を譲ったが、スコアの差はほとんどない。受容度も9.8ポイントと非常に高く、ナイトライフについても数、質ともに大差がなかった。ロッテルダムは、LGBTQ+向けの施設の数が上位2都市に比べると少ないため、この順位になったようだ。 4位に入ったのが、アメリカのサンフランシスコ（アメリカの都市として1位）。同地は、人口10万人当たりのLGBTQ+施設の数が全都市中2番目に多く、それらのTripadvisorの平均評価も星4.2つと高い。サンフランシスコが高順位になったことは、この都市がLGBTQ+コミュニティーにとってリベラルで進歩的な避難所であるという長年の評判や、LGBTQ+運動の歴史を考えると大きな驚きではないだろう。 このランキングのトップ20を見てみると、、アメリカからはボストン（11位）、シアトル（12位）、ロサンゼルス（16位）、シカゴ（17位）の5都市がランクインしている。 ただ、同時発表されたアメリカの州別ランキングで1位になったのは、カリフォルニア州ではなく、ハワイ州だった。同州では人口の4.6％がLGBTQ+を自認。労働安全や出生証明書の性別表記を変更する手続きなどでも高い評価を受け、LGBTQ+コミュニティーで子育てをしている割合が30％と、上位5州の中で最も多い。ハワイに続く2位にはメイン州、3位にはバーモント州がランクイン。カリフォルニア州は4位となった。 ランキングと分析内容は、Money.co.ukの公式サイトで確認できる。 原文はこちら 関連記事 『ブライダル大手が同性婚のためのウエディングプランを紹介』 『東京、学びのクィアスポット6選』 『日本のジェンダー観や婚姻制度のあれこれ、もう一度社会の前提を疑おう』 『ニューヨーク歴史協会がLGBTQ+博物館の設立を発表』 『6年で日本は「ジェンダー平等」に近づいたのか、公平な制度の実現へ』 東京の最新情報をタイムアウト東京のメールマガジンでチェックしよう。登録はこちら

A new study shows which cities around the world are the most friendly toward the LGBTQ+ community, and we're not that surprised at the winners.  The study, conducted by Money.co.uk, analyzed cities based on a variety of criteria, including a worldwide indicator sourced from Social Progress on the level of acceptance in each country, Tripadvisor data showing the number of LGBTQ+ establishments per 100,000 people, as well as how easy it is at the state level to change the gender marker on your birth certificate and driver's license, the percentage of adults who identify as LGBTQ+, and how many LGBTQ+ adults over 25 are raising children, among other factors.  In the United States, San Francisco came out on top as the number one most accepting city in America, and fourth in the world. The city has the second-highest number of LGBTQ+ establishments per 100,000 people and has an average rating of 4.2 stars.  San Francisco coming in the first place isn't a huge surprise, given the city's long reputation as a liberal and progressive haven for the LGBTQ+ community and its history of LGBTQ+ activism. Out of the top 20 most accepting cities, five are based in the US: Boston ranked 11th; Seattle ranked 12th, Los Angeles placed 16th and Chicago came in at 17th. At the worldwide level, Reykjavik, Iceland was number one. That was followed by Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.  In terms of states in the US though, California wasn't number one. It came in fourth. Hawaii actually cam

Napa Valley is a bucket-list destination for every wine lover – the rolling vineyard hills, award-winning wineries, and gourmet California cuisine make it a foodie mecca that people around the world flock to. And one of the most magical ways to take in all that wine country has to offer is aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train.  The wine train is an iconic piece of Napa that’s been operating for more than 30 years, running directly through the valley on a rail line originally built in 1864. It was on a long hiatus during Covid, but officially re-opened in May. And now it's bringing back its popular Murder Mystery rides starting this month through October. The themed rides include 'Crime and Punishment,' 'Death of a Gangster' and a 'Wizards and Witches' tour that sounds perfect for Harry Potter fans (wizarding robes and hats are highly encouraged).  Photograph: Courtesy Napa Valley Wine Train While aboard the refurbished 1951 Pullman coaches, guests will have two hours to solve a murder (all while being served a multi-course fine-dining experience). On the Wizards and Witches tour – which takes place October 2, 9, and 16 – feel free to dress up as your favorite Hogwarts character and imagine you're aboard the Hogwarts Express!  Not into dress-up? The train offers a variety of other tours. Choose from various experiences and times, including daytime and evening rides, an intimate meal in the Champagne Dome, as well as those that includes stops at wineries and special ones like j