We’re going to America!

There’s been a lot going on in our favourite spots in the US, says Amy Tara Koch – and here are some of the most exciting

WEST COAST AND WILDERNESS It’s Napa, but better. Now that a bigname hotel has arrived in Healdsburg, northern California, this buzzy pocket of Sonoma County is distinctly more attractive. With Montage as home base, have an afternoon of tastings (we recommend Jordan Winery, which offers hiking in the vineyard, a “soil series” at Aperture Cellars and DaVero, where wine is sampled alongside beautiful pollinator gardens) and then cap off the day at the pool or spa.

At the three-Michelin-starred SingleThread, Kyle and Katina Connaughton craft dynamic multi-course experiences (with bounty from their 24-acre farm) inspired by years spent in Japan. The duo will soon open a plant-based eatery called Little Saint. For Cali cool flavours, Dustin Valette’s Matheson serves up umami-driven dishes such as Tamanishiki rice porridge with scallops, preserved lemon, shishito spice and chrysanthemum along with 80 wines on tap.

In remote Montana, the new Green O reads like post-pandemic perfection: a restorative jaunt involving forest bathing, spa treatments and nights spent in a high-concept “haus” complete with hot tub and fireplace. By day, there are outdoor activities.

DOWN SOUTH

South Florida delivers culture and fun in the sun. Oceanfront cabanas? Divinely landscaped pool? Quietly glamorous interiors? Four Seasons Hotel at the Surf Club mines the property’s 1930s social club pedigree and mixes in of-the-moment sizzle.

For shopping and prime peoplewatching, the Miami Design District is an art-soused, outdoor high-fashion hotspot that doubles as a selfie playground. Action shot in Daniel Toole’s textured alleyways! A peace sign over Virgil Abloh’s Dollar a Gallon III sculpture! Sexy pout at the Dior Café! There are casual and upscale restaurants too (Simon Kim’s Korean Steakhouse Cote is a treat).

The Rubell Museum shows cuttingedge art in a repurposed warehouse. Snap yourself at Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden and then grab lunch at Leku, the museum’s Basque-themed restaurant. The Underline has transformed the barren landscape under

the Metrorail train into verdant walkways with art.

LOOK EAST

What’s old is new, and the Carlyle in NY has never felt more like a breath of fresh, Upper East Side air. The grande dame’s rooms have been refreshed by Tonychi Studio. A 1940s-inspired restaurant called Dowling’s has opened, with a menu of “throwback” dishes. And Bemelmans Bar, that bastion of cocktail culture, is back in business complete with never-seen-before Ludwig Bemelmans Madeline artworks and long-time pianist Earl Rose tinkling the ivories. In NoMad, another city stalwart has had a reincarnation: fine-dining res

taurant Eleven Madison Park has reopened with an entirely vegan menu.

Hot new museum shows include Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the New-York Historical Society; The Obama Portraits at the Brooklyn Museum; and In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. On Broadway, the lights are back on so book tickets for hits such as Hadestown, Dear Evan Hansen, To Kill a Mockingbird and Girl from the North Country.

Note: each state has different rules around masks and proof of vaccination to venues; check before travelling

Grape escape: Healdsburg, in California, is a superb destination for wine enthusiasts