Stands the Church clock at ten to three?

And is there honey still for tea?

Rupert Brooke, the English poet who penned those yearning nostalgic lines, would surely have approved of the lavish afternoon tea served Saturdays and Sundays at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York. After all, it’s been a tradition ever since the hotel opened in 1929.

At that time, “The Dowager of Front Street’ was the tallest building in the British Empire. Winston Churchill was among its first guests, and it’s been a favorite of the glitterati ever since. Queen Elizabeth has stayed here three times — in the Royal Suite, naturally. So have entertainers like Frank Sinatra and Justin Bieber, Cary Grant and Antonio Banderas.

The Lobby dazzles still with chandeliers, travertine pillars, a hand-painted ceiling — and lots of lions, sprawling everywhere from the rugs to the pedestals. Feeling hungry rather than regal, my daughter and I climbed marble stairs to the Library Bar, a large clubby space filled with an agreeable clinking of tea-cups and the gentle strumming of a guitar.

Photos courtesy of Fairmont Royal York

Once seated, we were offered a “fine selection of loose leafs [sic] teas .“ No tea-bags here. An affable waiter soon arrived with our choice, a large pot of Empress 1908 Blend. Next came the first of three courses, a crumpet, topped with fresh berries and a drizzling of butter and Grand Marnier sauce. Then a plate of finger sandwiches: lobster and mango salad, smoked Nova Scotia salmon, smoked turkey breast, and, cucumber, of course.

The grand finale, a three-tiered tray, fairly groaned with cranberry scones and clotted cream and preserves, honey and white chocolate madeleines, and strawberry cheesecake squares.

From May to September, there’s another treat, an après-tea tour — some 14 stories above ground. Way back in 1998, an employee suggested installing an herb garden on the roof. Now the 110 cooks, apprentices, and Chef David Garcelon enthusiastically moonlight as gardeners, tending the seventeen raised beds and planters. This oasis in the sky is surrounded by high rises, which shelter it from the wind, creating an urban micro-climate.

They grow lavender, calendula, rapini, kale, rhubarb, six kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, horseradish, many herbs,, and edible flowers. They’re experimenting with two kinds of grapes and a fig tree. It’s totally organic, with compost from the garden refuse. All the vegetables, fruit and herbs are used in the hotel restaurants.

Photo by Mary Alice Downie

Three years ago, a different sort of royalty moved in permanently, in partnership with the Toronto Beekeepers’ Co-Operative. The cooks helped build and now maintain six hives with their queens. (A single summer hive may contain 60,000 bees.)

The honey is harvested twice a year. In 2010, they gathered 450 pounds – and again, with the lowest of carbon footprints, took it downstairs. The hives are green, reflecting the mood of the hotel.

Several sister properties such as le Chateau Frontenac and Hotel Vancouver, thinking the idea the bees’ knees, have installed apiaries and herb gardens of their own. And so. . . another fine tradition.

My self-imposed parameters for this adventure were that the sites be in Dallas (not the suburbs), free (no restaurant patios or museums, then!), outdoors (you can hack the heat, can’t you?), and outfitted with generous amounts of seating.

Here’s what I found:

Dallas Farmer’s Market: A bench in the shade outside Shed 2 of the Market on a Sunday offers some of the city’s best people-watching. During my stint there, a busker with a guitar chatted with a buddy by the snack bar, an older gent sat reading a newspaper across the way, a little boy had a minor meltdown because his folks wouldn’t let him try to catch a pigeon on the shed roof. (Not clear how he intended to do that, but I’m sure he had a plan.)  Benches and tables and chairs are well place, and and the scene is a cultural crossroads, from sleek blonde mommies to grizzled bikers in bandanas and leather.

Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive: I stopped here on impulse en route to the Farmer’s Market. Around the larger-than-life sculpture of longhorn and horse-riding cowboys, kids dabbled in the water, couples sat on stones in the shade, a tour bus pulled up and disgorged tourists with cameras, and an ice cream man set up shop. The downtown skyline added a touch of urban excitement. The scene is more tranquil than dynamic, but this inviting spot attracts all kinds of people — and is said to be the second-most visited attraction in the city (after Dealey Plaza).

Bishop Arts District: Benches in the Bishop Arts District are seldom ideally placed (what’s with the bench facing the parking lot?), but this funky intersection in the Oak Cliff neighborhood is ripe for people-watching. On a Sunday morning, diners line up in front of Oddfellows, waiting for brunch and a crack at the eatery’s famed coffee menu. At other times, a full calendar of events in the area — from chili cook-offs to crafts markets, plus the popular First Thursdays, draws an eclectic and always-colorful crowd.

Photos courtesy of Visit Dallas

Fair Park: The fountains burbled and the gardens were lush, but the park — which offers a great collection of Art Deco exposition buildings, as well as several specialty museums — was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon. I did find clusters of strollers at the Texas Discovery Gardens, ten themed areas that offer everything from a butterfly habitat to a scent garden. I sat on a wall outside the gardens’ entrance, near a couple of fellows with their noses buried in books, and watched families come and go.

OK, so it’s not New York yet. But at least I see glimmers of hope — when I know where to look.

Sophia Dembling is the author of The Yankee Chick’s Survival Guide to Texas.

Viaduct at night; photo courtesy of Tourism Auckland

The City Traveler’s far-flung correspondents are already booking their 2011 destinations. Here’s a sneak peak at where they’re headed. What’s on your itinerary for the new year?

Auckland: Easy to Be Green

Why go to Auckland? As the biggest city in very green New Zealand, Auckland is a gateway to the Hauraki Gulf, where you can sail on an America’s Cup yacht; native rainforests  of the Waitakere Ranges that are ideal for trekking; boutique wineries producing Bordeaux-style reds, and wild, black sand beaches. The city’s Maori nickname –– Tamaki Makau Rau or  “the maiden with a 100 suitors” –– is a reminder of its multicultural heritage; Auckland today has the biggest concentration of Polynesian people in the world. –– Beth D’Addono

Cairo: Otherworldly Treasures

As a longtime aficionado of ancient Egyptian art and monuments, I’m finally getting to Cairo, a magical city on the Nile. I find it fascinating that the entire culture was based on the afterlife, rather than our fixation on being “in the moment.” The otherworldly gold and lapis treasures and mummies from royal tombs, the Mosque of Al-Azhar, the neighborhood of the Coptic churches and the Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx, are all high on my must-see list. –– Emilie Harting

Copenhagen: Foodie’s Delight

I’m tantalized by Copenhagen, its food, design, esprit. I recently met Chef Renee Redzepi when he was on his North American tour and was bowled over by his dizzying creativity –– his restaurant, NOMA, won Restaurant Magazine’s highest accolade: best restaurant in the world. And with 13 Michelin stars in 2010, Copenhagen is Scandinavia’s culinary capital. The food scene isn’t all haute, either: At street level, two- and three-wheelers are now allowed to set up micro-shops selling coffee, soup and pancakes. Design also has a certain casual delight: Architect Bjarke Ingels’ vision includes high rises with green terraces next door to fields where cows graze.  –– Jacqueline Swartz

Lapin Saute in Quebec City; photo by Mike Eklund

Quebec City: Generational Appeal

So many memories: Although we’ve visited the walled City on the Rock in all seasons, we’re returning again to Quebec City in May –– three generations strong. Our three grandchildren, who are ages 5, 9 and 11, especially like that there are kids out in the street in the evening. For the adults, the draws are the history (400 years and counting), the evocative stone buildings, the romantic atmosphere –– all ages stroll about holding hands.  Everyone loves lunch at the festive Lapin Saute restaurant on one of the oldest streets in North America. –– Mary Alice Downie

Rio: Postcard-Perfect

It was a postcard of Rio de Janeiro’s towering Art Deco Christ The Redeemer statue overlooking the city’s sun-drenched beaches of Rio de Janeiro that first got my attention a few years back. I figured if Rio could look that good scaled down to 3 x 5 inches, the city could only get better in real life. I’m intrigued by Rio’s social and physical contradictions: Breezy bossa nova music, Carnival, and famed beaches (with song title-ready names like Copacabana and Ipanema) stand in sharp contrast to its poverty-stricken slums, known as favelas, and headline-making crime rates.  –– Nicole Pensiero

Photo courtesy of Visit Tucson

Tucson: The Un-Phoenix

A 2003 trip to Tucson left me yearning to return to this unpretentious, mountain-edged city. To me, Tucson is the “un-Phoenix,” offering in urban form the full Southwest package –– architecture, Hispanic and Native American history, culture and food, and the landscape –– without being huge, brash and generic.  I plan to revisit the old Presidio precinct and the grand San Xavier del Bac Mission and take in the new (to me) Barrio Historico, University of Arizona, and a peppering of landmarks from Mexican to 20th-century modern. –– Arnold Berke

Valencia: All Fired Up

Valencia beckons as part of an extended, two-month sojourn to Europe. Spain’s third-biggest city appeals on many levels: the food (it’s the birthplace of paella); location (it’s on the Mediterranean coast); and the weather (mid-60s in March, anyone?). I’ve also timed my trip to the mid-March Las Fallas, a five-day festival honoring St. Joseph that culminates in dramatic fashion: At midnight on the final day of the event, hundreds of specially made puppets, or ninots, some several stories-high, are set on fire. –– Robert DiGiacomo

It’s an ongoing dilemma for me. To really get to know a place that intrigues me, to write about it with the focus and depth that we encourage here at The City Traveler, I need to (and want to!) return again and again.

And, still, there are so many new worlds to discover. Will I ever make it to Sydney or Cairo? To St. Petersburg or Buenos Aires?

When push comes to shove, though, I seem to favor coming back to a somewhat familiar place. For me, exploring the world is less about collecting dots on a map than of gaining a truer understanding of those dots.

After several visits, that means skipping the tried and true attractions, for example, and moving out into the neighborhoods. Often it means waking up without any plans and simply seeing where your meanderings take you. As with an old friend, there’s a history in the relationship. You can skip the preliminaries, the obligations — you know the lay of the land and you’ve done the sites — now you can just settle in.

This time when I return to Japan, I’ll be embarking on day trips outside of Tokyo, then returning to the capital for the evenings. Since everything — including shops — remains open there till at least 9pm or 10pm, I’ll enjoy the best of both worlds. I’ll hit a few new towns in the region while the sun’s out, and then delve deeper into a city that after so many visits I can’t say I know all that well.

That’s the central point of returning to the same destination over and over, I think. It’s the opportunity to move toward a thorough comfort level with a place. The kind of thing where you know how to walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe without looking at a map. After five or six visits to Paris, spaced out, unfortunately, every few years, I’m finally getting to that point.

Yet there are still places in Paris, and London and Tokyo for that matter, that I’ve still haven’t seen. I’ve never visited Pere Lachaise, the cemetery where Jim Morrison and Proust are famously interred. I’ve never been to Hampstead Heath, the tony neighborhood that fronts what’s widely considered one of London’s loveliest parks.

In Tokyo, this time ’round,  I’m planning to spend some time in Ueno Park, where many of the capital’s museum are situated. I can’t believe I haven’t made it there before. That, too, is the pleasure of the beloved familiar, the old friend. You never get tired of its company and, after all of these years, it never ceases to surprise you.

Perhaps it’s true, after all, that — as Thomas Wolfe once wrote — “only the dead know Brooklyn” (or Paris or London or Tokyo)? The central appeal of these cities is, for me, their essential unknowability. Vast in area, wide in scope, and deep in layers, they are ever the same, yet constantly changing.

This sampling of staples like patatas bravas (fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce), tortilla de patata (potato omelet) and gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp) helped set the stage for a more hands-on exploration of Spanish cuisine via an immersive, one-day cooking class in Seville.

Our teacher was Ruth Roberts, an Australian expatriate who for some two decades has made her living in Spain as a student, teacher and practitioner of local cuisine. Ruth served a stint as a VIP chef at the British pavilion at the 1992 World Exposition in Seville, and cooked for the wedding of a daughter of the country’s King and Queen.

Our day with Ruth started at around 10 a.m. at the well-worn market at the Plaza de la Encarnacion, where we gathered up supplies, and had a coffee to fortify us.

From there, we walked over to Roberts’ sunny studio apartment, where we would prepare –– and consume –– a lavish lunch.

On the menu: an olive and almond tapenade (below); garlic shrimp, seared tuna with Oloroso sherry, steamed clams and boquerones fritos (fried filets of fresh anchovies); shoulder of lamb with baked vegetables paired with a salsa Romesco, a garlicky tomato condiment infused with pine nuts and hazelnuts (below), and flan de naranja (orange custard).

The dishes reflected Spain’s Mediterranean climate, centuries-long occupation by the Moors, or Arabs, and proximity to northern Africa. Each recipe was designed to elicit bold flavors by pairing the freshest ingredients with garlic and key spices and generous amounts of Spanish olive oil.

Cooking the anchovies brought new meaning to farm to table, or in this case, the sea; and required a killer instinct: A quick rip of the head, removal of the spine, a dip in some flour and then into the sizzling frying pan each one went.

The recipe for the lamb dish dates to 10^th century Cordoba, when the city was occupied by the Moors, and incorporates saffron, nutmeg and cumin.

Finally, after some three hours of slicing, dicing –– and a few sips of Spanish sherry –– la comida was ready to be served on the terrace.

A good read: The Cuisines of Spain: Exploring Regional Home Cooking

On February 12, the 124-year-old Vancouver Rowing Club became Saxony House, a pavilion representing Germany at the Olympics. The historic club will be open to the public, post-Games. (photo courtesy Tourism BC)

Ann Duffy, sustainability officer of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, talks to us about what will become of the hosting sites in and around Vancouver.

This winter’s Olympic games have attracted a lot of attention for being green. How much environmental impact do the Olympics typically have?

It depends what’s involved, but the challenge in convening the games is not only about providing a great experience but also leaving legacies that make a positive contribution to the region long after the games are over. So in 2003, when we won the bid to hold the games, we were already considering the impact to the area, and the needs of the local communities.

We used existing sites and facilities wherever we could. For the nine venues we needed to build, we built on land already being used – in other words, not virgin land. Any new construction was through the Canadian version of the LEED Council, to a silver level. So architects and construction teams were striving for energy efficiency, smart landscaping and the like.

Whistler Olympic Park was designed to host three events in one spot, making it as compact as possible. We actually took the original parameters and shrunk them by 30 percent, which means there were fewer streams to cross and fewer trees to cut.

Whistler Sliding Centre (photo Vancouver 2010)

When people visit Vancouver – and other venues at Whistler and Richmond – what will they find?

The venues were designed to be multi-purpose. For example, our speed-skating oval converts to not just a speed-skating track but also hockey rinks, and our 5,000-meter space converts to eight basketball courts and two hockey rinks. We added recreation trails, which we’re calling the Legacy Trails, for the public to use after the games.

The Whistler Sliding Centre, the site used for the luge, bob sleigh and skeleton competitions, has a wild, very fast sliding track. From the sport point of view, it’s already very attractive, but from the hospitality and tourism point of view, we’ve added entrances further down the course so the public can access it and have the ride of their lifetime—with an experienced driver, of course.

The meeting space in the upper pavilion has a terrific view. We built multi-use facilities to support tourism and hospitality. Same with Whistler Park, where cross-country trails can be used during the day and lit up at night.

What do you think of the park being built in London for the 2012 Olympics? It’s being touted as “the largest urban park to be built in Europe in 150 years,” a reinvention of East London into an environmental and social hub and wildlife attraction.

They’ve taken the sustainability aspect a step further in London. Any bid team looks to what others have done before and figures out ways to improve on it. Just like we did, London is already improving on previous games.

Hotels around the globe are painting the town red — and pink! — for Valentine’s Day. Here’s a sampling of packages, all which include one night’s accommodations, natch.

Get Inspired

Washington, D.C. You and your honey can each enjoy a special Romance Cocktail before settling into a seven-course tasting menu and breakfast the morning after. To take home: a half bottle of Champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, all at The Jefferson.

photo courtesy of Hotel Hassler

Rome: More than just a big pizza pie, amore here means a special Valentine’s Day menu at a Michelin-starred panoramic restaurant, plus a bottle of Italian sparkling wine, a red rose, a surprise gift, and breakfast the next day, at the Hotel Hassler.

Go Tiger

New York City: Your luck is sure to improve with a stay at the recently opened Distrikt Hotel, where the Cupid’s Chinese New Year package rewards you with a red rose, a (Year of the) stuffed Tiger, Champagne, and chocolate-covered fortune cookies.

Parisien Passions

photo courtesy of Hotel Fouquet's Barriere

Paris: Put a healthy spin on the holiday with a stay at the eco-minded Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere, which serves a “Fitness Breakfast” with egg-white omelet and local produce, pours organic Champagne at dinner, and provides electric bikes for touring the town.

Paris Redux: Tickle each other pink with rosé Champagne, pink petit fours, a bouquet of roses, a surprise gift, and breakfast, at Le Meurice.

Boutique Bouquets

Nationwide: Take you and your Valentine to Seattle, Atlanta, San Francisco or any of the other dozen cities with Kimpton Hotels, and enjoy a stay tailored to that destination, with such treats as locally-sourced chocolates, romantic picnic lunches, and Champagne in your room.

Trump Cards

photo courtesy of Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago

Chicago: Pop the question with a shiny bauble from Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry in a rarefied setting: the 89th floor of the Trump International Hotel & Tower. This “Once in a Lifetime” package also boasts a lakeview suite, two dozen red roses, dinner prepared by a private chef, and spa treatments.

Las Vegas: Get away from the hustle, bustle — and tackiness — of the Strip by retreating to a Trump International Hotel studio suite, where you can lounge in personalized, monogrammed bathrobes, while sipping Champagne and nibbling on chocolates.

Say Ahhh to Spa

photo courtesy of Qua Spa

Atlantic City: Dessert’s included in the Chokolate Delight Treatment, which features chocolate oils and a chocolate wrap, at Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars.

Philadelphia: You and your sweetheart can enjoy a 50-minute Enrich Yourself massage and scalp treatment for two in the private couples suite, valet parking, and a box of gourmet chocolates, at the Four Seasons.

A gallery at Sakip Sabanci Museum (courtesy Sakip Sabanci Museum)

When the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul staged Turkey’s first-ever exhibition of work by Pablo Picasso in 2003, promotional billboards covered the city’s walls with the venue and dates of the exhibition, and just a single word: “Picasso.”  On opening day, crowds filled the museum to capacity – not because of public passion for the artist, but rather, because everyone in Istanbul had wondered, “What – or who – is a Picasso?”

You wouldn’t believe that now, seeing the multitude of art lovers who swarmed to the fourth Contemporary Istanbul art fair last December – women in black mini-skirts, D&G jackets, and impossibly high heels on opening night, families with small children who played happily among the sculptures on the afternoon of the last day.

In just six years, Istanbul’s passion for modern and contemporary art has blossomed, reaching from an elite group of wealthy, intellectual pioneer collectors to a mass public that, it seems, cannot get enough. Like much of what one experiences in Istanbul, the scene was a study in contrasts against the calls to prayer that sound five times a day from the great mosques throughout this exquisite, high-energy city.

But while these historic mosques – the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Sultanamet, among them – remain the primary draw for tourists, it’s the contemporary art scene that most excites Istanbul natives. Galleries open almost monthly these days, largely along the pedestrian-only Istlikal Caddisi (Independence Avenue), a bustling, shop-lined street in  the Taksim district (Casa Dell’Arte is one prominent newcomer) – though a new art center is burgeoning in nearby Tophane (Beyoglu).

Yahsi Baraz, founder of Galerie Baraz, with the author at the Contemporary Istanbul Artfair

Some, like Galerist, Artist, and Pi Art Works have already established an international presence at art fairs like Scope Basel and Art Frankfurt. Others, like Galerie Apel and Galeri Baraz, are satisfied with the success they’re having at home, showing mostly – but not exclusively – Turkish artists, many of whom are now themselves receiving international attention.

Credit for the city’s new fascination goes indisputably to Yahsi Baraz, who, in 1975, founded Galerie Baraz, Turkey’s first gallery for modern art. Focusing entirely on Turkish artists at first, Baraz cultivated a small group of collectors, most notably architect Çan Elgiz and his wife, Sevda.

Active collectors who miss few art fairs in the world, the Elgizes decided to share their extraordinary collection with the public in the hopes of inspiring others. Proj4L/Museum Elgiz opened in 2001, the first contemporary art museum in the country.  Last summer, the museum moved to the Maslak region, where a larger space allows for three project rooms and a special showroom highlighting the work of young Turkish artists.

Not to be outdone, other prominent industrialists began establishing museums of their own. The Pera Museum, for instance, created by the Koç banking family in 2005 near Taksim, features changing exhibitions of modern art (an exhibition of works by Chagall was on view during the art fair) and permanent collections of ceramics.

The Golden Horn, Istanbul's historic inlet, subject of countless works of art (photo Abigail R. Esman)

In 2004, the enormous Istanbul Modern, sponsored by the Eczacibasi family, opened on the waterfront in Tophane/Beyoglu, the area just below the Istlikal Caddesi. The museum has since become the anchor for  Tophane’s newly-expanding gallery scene.

At about the same time, the Elgiz’s founding director, Vasif Kortun, created Platform Garanti, an alternative, avant-garde space on the Istlikal Caddesi, just across the street from the contemporary gallery of the Yapi Credi Bank, one of the first to follow Baraz’s example. Changing exhibitions in Platform Garanti’s enormous storefront space attract the thousands of shoppers and club-goers who carouse the street. (Anyone who relished  SoHo’s Broadway stretch during the 1980s will feel immediately at home here, where fruit and nut shops, their windows piled high with Turkish Delight, cozy up to parfumeries, and merchants on cobblestoned side streets offer designer knockoffs along with excellent deals on pashminas, silver jewelry, and leather goods.)

Recently, Pi Art Works organized a regular art walk through the Tophane neighborhood with other local galleries (including Apel), planning events and synchronizing openings every three months – the latest in an effort to keep up with the city’s growing art fever – if they can!

Photo courtesy of Austin CVB

Thinking about next year’s travel plans — real or armchair — but not sure where you’d like to go?

TheCityTraveler’s editors have combed our recent posts to offer up this itinerary of 10 compelling possibilities.

The adventures include perennial favorites like Paris, as well as less likely locales, such as Detroit, Quebec City and the Spanish city of Oviedo.

Austin: Keeping It Weird For anyone looking for a getaway with great food, a vibrant music scene and a vivid sense of the offbeat, writer Beth D’Addono finds plenty to recommend in the Texas capital.

Paris: Allez-vous Aux Puces? The dizzying selection of goods at Le Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen, the oldest flea market in Paris and the biggest such retail spot in the world, offers a bit of shopping nirvana for writer Caroline Tiger.

Detroit: A Wealth of Surprising Interiors Preservation Magazine executive editor Arnold Berke gives us the ultimate insider’s tour of five Motor City landmarks.

Kyoto: Hotel Screen, Peeling Back the Layers TCT co-editor JoAnn Greco recommends making the Hotel Screen, a boutique property whose rooms have been created by an eclectic baker’s dozen of interior designers, your base for a visit to Kyoto.

Trieste: Out of Venice’s Shadow Having taken full advantage of a year-long stint in Prague to fully explore the continent, writer Christine Sisson shares one of her “discoveries” –– the oft-overlooked Italian city of Trieste.

Malta: Roman Holiday TCT co-editor Cathleen McCarthy sees boom times ahead for this idyllic island, with its miles of Mediterranean shoreline, easy access from Rome and much new hotel activity.

Nashville: A Mansion Among Mansions Given her druthers — and a satchel full of cash — writer Eileen Smith Dallabrida could see herself ensconced at Belle Meade Plantation.

Luxembourg: Cafe Central at The Grund This storybook neighborhood is just one reason why TCT co-editor Robert DiGiacomo recommends detouring from your French or German travels to spend a few days in this lesser known European capital.

Quebec City: Funky St. Roch Chicago-based writer Jacqueline Ostrowski leaves the more familiar confines of Quebec City’s Upper Old Town to explore this emerging neighborhood.

Oviedo: City of Cider In this sophisticated city in Northern Spain, writer Mary Alice Downie tries to quench her thirst for the local specialty of sidra natural, a drink made from naturally-fermented apples.

Cities around the globe are celebrating the holiday season in their own unique styles.

Nice. Rejoice in the season Russian-style, without the snow and the cold, as Place Masséna is transformed into a wintry wonderland, with a forest of 750 pine trees, an ice skating rink, an ice sculpture, and 60 chalets selling the hand-made wares of French and Russian artisans.

Vienna. The famed Boys Choir lets loose on New Year’s Eve.

Las Vegas. Sway to Christmas tunes at the Bellagio fountains, indulge in late-night, last-minute shopping, and take a peak as the $8.5 billion City Center complex continues to unveil its many public spaces.

Sydney. Welcome in the New Year before everyone else, and in your shorts. The Harbor of Lights flotilla features 55 illuminated vessels, including tall ships and commercial charters, bedecked and bedazzling in holiday lights.

Sydney's Harbor of Lights Festival (photo courtesy City of Sydney)

Washington, D.C. Catch a performance of everybody’s favorite, “A Christmas Carol,” at Ford’s Theater.

Rome. Create your own nativity scene tour — they’re all over the Eternal City these days — then cap it with the life-sized one in St. Peter’s Square, which as of 2007 has substituted a depiction of Joseph’s carpentry shop in Nazareth for the traditional manger.

Philadelphia. The Comcast Experience presents its new holiday presentation on the world’s largest LED screen, located in the lobby of America’s tallest building west of New York and east of Chicago. . . and it’s all in 3-D.

Rio de Janiero. Dig out some white togs and head to Copacabana Beach to witness what’s billed as the world’s largest fireworks display as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Then, revel in the fact that you’re celebrating in 80-degreee temps by heading toward the ocean to offer your own special devotions to Iemanja, patron deity of the waters.

Santa Fe. Stroll down famous Canyon Road on Christmas Eve, when it’s decorated with farolitos (small, sand-filled bags with votive candles) and luminarios (bonfires).

Tokyo. The Japanese love shopping, of course, but the main holiday here is New Year’s Eve and Day, a time for slurping noodles and breathing in incense with millions (yes, millions) of others at Meiji Jingu Shrine.

New York City. Go window-shopping, literally. From Cartier, tied in a big red ribbon, to Lord & Taylor’s Victoriana animatronics, nobody does holiday windows like the Big Apple. Don’t forget Barney’s for a decidedly cutting-edge take (this year the inspiration is Saturday Night Live), and Tiffany & Co. for artistry in miniature.

Salt Lake City. New Year’s Eve starts early here, on December 29. Hosted in several downtown venues, EVE is a three-day indoor/outdoor extravaganza with live entertainment and performing arts, winter sports, activities for kids

London. Skate in the shadow of kings. Ice skating rinks are seemingly everywhere in Londontown, but to really lose your head (while keeping your balance), try the one at Hampton Court Palace, once home to Henry VIII.

Montreux and Lausanne. Taste, sip and spend your way around 100+ stands, decorated like mini-chalets, on the western shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva during the annual Christmas Markets. Now through Christmas Eve, local vendors offer crafts, gifts, roasted chestnuts and white wines from the Lavaux vineyards. After shopping, stick around for midnight fireworks.