By Liliette Marcus, CNN
This week in travel: Some destinations in Asia have finally reopened with stricter Covid policies, annual rankings of the world’s coolest neighborhoods provide inspiration for your next vacation plans, and Fat Bear Week sparks a cheating scandal to crown a new winner.
hipest covers
Time Out has released its annual list of the world’s coolest neighborhoods.
Colonia Americana in Guadalajara, Mexico is the center of the world – and North America – of tranquility.
James Manning of Time Out said the neighborhood is “home to a creative community that pushes boundaries, a growing number of great places to eat, and some of the best nightlife in the Western Hemisphere.”
The eclectic collection also includes a classic Montreal foodie neighborhood, an emerging neighborhood at a temple base in Siem Reap and the seaside arts center in England.
Find out if it was your city – or your future vacation destination – that led to this reduction.
If you want to get a little more granular, Time Out also shared a list of the world’s coolest streets earlier this year.
Meanwhile, one of Europe’s coolest capitals is getting colder.
open bells
Although it may seem that the epidemic is So In the past year, there are still destinations – especially in Asia – that have been slow to reopen for tourism.
These Covid-related restrictions are one of the reasons why the Asia Pacific region is losing its title as the world’s largest travel market.
Change is finally coming, though. Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan are finally welcoming visitors after a shutdown of more than two years. However, there is still one major player in the region that still has a locked registry in its metaphorical door: China.
That’s what that means for the world’s most populous country.
And while we’re on the subject of China…
32 flavors then some flavors
When you say “I’m hungry for Chinese food tonight,” what does that mean?
China has 20 provinces, not to mention regions and municipalities. So what does all this boil down to (pun intended)?
This guide to Chinese food includes 32 basic dishes, from Cantonese-style steamed fish to Chaozhou’s best cold crab and Nanjing’s famous duck blood soup. You can spend your whole life eating and never running out of new things to try.
The downside: China is still mostly closed to tourists. The upside: The doors to your nearest Chinese restaurant are open.
Taste the world
It’s impossible to watch CNN’s “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (Sundays 9pm ET) and you don’t want to plan a big Italian feast.
If you’ve been dreaming of your very own Italian vacation, we’ve compiled a list of restaurants Tucci’s visited recently in the successful chain. Here’s another list of restaurants he stopped at in the past episodes.
Among the mouth-watering places in Calabria: La Collinetta, located in the mountain town of Martone, where lamb is cooked in wet mud; family-run Il Principe di Scilla that specializes in Calabrian swordfish; and Qafiz, a Michelin-starred dessert of meringue flavored with charcoal, apple slices and white chocolate foam.
And the food is only part of the show’s appeal.
The actor visited his family’s ancestral home in Marzi, Calabria, where nearly half of the population shares the last name Tucci. Christian Amanpour told CNN that the experience – which he shared with his elderly parents – was “very emotional”.
Un-bear-lievable
The first few weeks of fall 2022 were rocked by cheating scandals in places you might not expect – competitive hunting, Irish dancing and chess all made headlines for allegations of unfair play.
And one of fall’s most amazing traditions – the annual Alaskan Fat Bear Week – wasn’t safe either.
The contest, which followed brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve as they porked before their hibernation, was hit by a suspicious flood of unwanted sounds.
Fortunately, the chaos was settled in time, and the bearing 747 sailed to an honestly deserved victory.
To celebrate his victory, let’s all celebrate with a salmon dinner and a nice long nap.
In case you miss it yourself
Michelin has an updated guide to New York City.
There are 19 newly starred restaurants on the list.
To say chili is important in New Mexico is an understatement.
Three words: red or green?
There is a Ghostbusters firehouse for rent in Portland.
But are you brave enough to stay there?
food on high
That’s right: food tastes different on planes.
But our partners at CNN Underscored, a CNN-owned product review and recommendation guide, can be sure not to have a bland dinner at 35,000 feet.
With the help of award-winning chef Nina Compton, they’ve put together a list of pregnancy-friendly items that will enhance your al fresco dining experience.
CNN Wire
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