George Epaminondas

Seattle is a sunny-in-spirit city filled with beautiful landmarks, kitsch hotels and excellent coffee.

With intimate new hotels, luxe spas, and top-notch dining and shopping, Sin City shows a more sophisticated side, writes George Epaminondas.

Tequila is the new black. At least it is for Jennifer Hawkins, who has acquired a taste for Mexico’s national tipple – and now her own label, writes George Epaminondas.

Fresh restaurants and luxury digs inject new vibrancy into the alternative scene of LA’s Eastside.

Following in the footsteps of Henry Miller, George Epaminondas heads to Big Sur, where the rugged landscape attracts writers, soul searchers and escapees from the city alike.

Downtown Los Angeles is heading uptown as trailblazing bars and eateries bring new life to the central business district.

A pan-Asian restaurant in Los Angeles with Australians at the helm takes off.

Two LA hotels, both with shady pasts, are taking a glamorous, new turn.

At the tip of Long Island is Montauk, a fishing village that balances its rustic charms with splashes of urban glamour, so near yet so far from its manicured neighbours, writes George Epaminondas.

Miami has outgrown its kitsch beach-town short pants to become a showcase for art and architecture, with high-end hotels and a rich dining scene, writes George Epaminondas.

In a centuries-old rivalry, Copenhagen and Stockholm have been battling it out for the crown of Scandinavia’s coolest city. George Epaminondas umpires a match-point game.

Within medieval city walls, George Epaminondas raises a glass of Dalmatian white in Croatia’s exquisite seaport city of Dubrovnik.

LAX’s smart new terminal gives everyone the star treament.

The over-caffeinated Duane Sorenson has added three restaurants in Portland to his Stumptown Coffee empire.

Cowboys and honky-tonks have long defined the Tennessee capital, but Music City is in the throes of a hipster revival that now sees its art, food and drink scene get equal billing.

Qantas’s reborn “Falcon route” via the Gulf means that travellers looking to break up their journey are turning afresh to Dubai. George Epaminondas shares his picks for where to eat, drink, stay and play in the UAE’s shimmering megalopolis.

Move over, Manhattan: the borough of Brooklyn is where it’s at. George Epaminondas rambles from Bed-Stuy and Bushwick to Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens in our essential guide to New York’s new capital of cool.

George Epaminondas heads to Portland, USA, and discovers that the cloud-bound city has upped its hip quotient with vibrant bistros, sleek bars and quirky stores. It’s now the perfect balance of outdoor pursuits and urban pleasures. Get packing.