Fodor's Approved: Best Checked Luggage for 2015 http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Try as you might, sometimes it's impossible to fit everything you need for a trip into a single carry-on bag. Whether you're hitting the road for a month, packing clothes for more than one person, or just want to have room for all the things you know you're going to buy, there are times when checked luggage is exactly what you need for your travels. With that in mind, we've tried out the latest crop of large luggage on trips all around the world, road-testing the wheels on subways and sidewalks, noting how much each suitcase can hold, and deciding which pieces are attractive (or at least functional) enough to warrant the investment. For your next long-term or long-range journey, look to this lineup of our favorite staff-tested and
-approved checked luggage.

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America's Best 4th of July Fireworks Displays http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Flashes of red, white, and blue fill the skies every July, when cities from coast to coast pull out all the stops to celebrate our nation’s independence with dazzling fireworks displays. Though it might seem like a modern development, the origin of fireworks on the 4th of July actually dates back to 1777, when Philadelphia commemorated the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a parade, live music, and, you guessed it, fireworks. More than 200 years later, the Independence Day tradition is alive and well, with pyrotechnic shows that get bigger and better every year thanks to awe-inspiring technological advances. From Seattle to Miami, we’re showing you where to see America’s most epic fireworks this year.

By Zachary Laks

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World's Biggest Pride Celebrations http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

With a penchant for the colorful and bold, LGBT pride festivals around the globe bring out the best in cities. Glitter, glitz, and never-ending music fill the streets as hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of LGBT people and their allies unite to celebrate their differences and raise a voice of concern for those who cannot. What’s most important to note about modern-day LGBT pride festivals is their all-inclusive nature, welcoming attendees from all walks of life to join in the celebration. From the birth of the modern gay rights movement on the streets of New York City’s West Village to a pride festival in Brazil that counts attendees by the millions, these are the world’s biggest LGBT pride celebrations.

By Zachary Laks

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Food Lover's Guide to Oaxaca City http://ift.tt/1K8OhYS

As travelers’ awareness of Mexico’s regions has increased, it’s likely that you've heard some buzz about Oaxaca at one point or another. In case you haven’t, here’s what you need to know: The capital of the southern Mexican state of the same name, Oaxaca City may be hard to pronounce—for the record, it’s “wah-HA-kah”—but it’s arguably most notable for having exciting culinary offerings. Aside from food, Oaxaca City is also a nice town for strolling off the calories, with pretty colonial architecture, an appealing pedestrian thoroughfare, a large zocalo (town square), good museums, and lively markets.

Like many parts of Mexico, the state of Oaxaca boasts its own homegrown cuisine. It's said to be the land of seven moles, the most famous of which is mole negro, a rich, dark, chocolate-laced sauce you might have tried on chicken or enchiladas. Tlayudas, which bring to mind a large folded Mexican pizza, are another ubiquitous local specialty. Read on to discover the can't-miss stops for food-and-drink focused travelers.

Markets

To familiarize yourself with the flavors of Oaxaca, make the markets your first stop. Just a few blocks below the zocalo, the Mercado Benito Juarez is crowded with kiosks and vendors selling every imaginable edible, from grasshoppers to pork rinds. In the center you'll find stalls selling a cold, chunky corn-based drink (better than it sounds) made with toasted maize flour, fermented cacao beans, pits of the mamey fruit, and flor de cacao. Do as the locals do and give it a stir before drinking.

The Mercado 20 de Noviembre's home in the adjacent building was closed during a recent visit in May, meaning its vendors had moved to temporary stalls on the street surrounding Benito Juarez. No matter: Meat Alley is still an experience you won't find elsewhere. Look for the area with lots vendors selling meat ("carne," if you need to ask somebody) and grills lining the sidewalk. The ordering process can be confusing since you buy everything a la carte, including vegetables for the grill and even salsas and tortillas. Carniceria Lety simplifies things by selling all the ingredients in one place and offering ample seating. Be sure to get some tasajo, Oaxaca's signature dried beef, and tripe, which emerges from the fire deliciously crispy. Half a kilo of meat is plenty for two people. You'll also want onions to throw on the fire, and a few chilies if you like it spicy.

Assuming you're not marketed out, there's a nice set-up every Friday at El Llano Park, an excellent spot to grab lunch. Elsewhere, the small Mercado Sanchez Pascuas is a worthy breakfast destination. Look for Jugos Angelita to grab a fresh fruit or vegetable juice, then sit down for an excellent chicken mole tamale from the vendor across the way; they're made Oaxacan style, wrapped in banana leaves. If you're not full, pop two tables down to grab a memela, a freshly griddled masa patty spread with a thin layer of asiento (pig grease), beans, then topped with fresh cheese and your choice of meat.

On Sundays, don't miss the huge market in Tlacolula, 30 minutes outside of town. This wonderland of food, household items, clothes, and even live birds stretches on for blocks. In the center is a covered building housing grills as well as several establishments selling barbacoa (lamb barbecue served as tacos and consommé)—(Barbacoa Adolfa is a solid choice. You can also try a good Oaxacan hot chocolate from the nearby vendors.

Restaurants

Occasionally it's nice to sit at a proper table for a meal, which is where the city's excellent restaurants come in La Teca offers the best home-style cooking in town, served on the ground floor and patio of the owner's home. The restaurant specializes in the tasty flavors of the state's Isthmus region. Be sure to start with the famous garnachas, mini disks of fried masa topped with shredded meat and cabbage. For Isthmus cuisine in a hip setting, head to Zandunga (García Vigil 512). The appetizer sampler (more garnachas!) is an excellent accompaniment to the broad mezcal list and terrific micheladas.

Across the street from Zandunga, La Popular is a lively spot that lives up to its name offering Mexican classics like tacos and tortas, plus Oaxacan dishes and ceviche. For casual dining, hit Tacos Alvaro, which makes an excellent al pastor and serves food later than most restaurants in the city; they also serve great pozole, a hominy stew). Unique Itanoni, a short cab or bus ride away from the city center, declares itself to be dedicated to all things corn. That basically means everything is wrapped in a freshly made tortilla of one variety or another—try the de ese, where the masa is pressed into a fragrant leaf of the hoja santa herb and wrapped around your choice of filling.

Drinking

The local drink of choice in Oaxaca is mezcal, a close cousin of tequila that's also distilled from the agave plant. Anyone with a serious interest in learning how mezcal is made should sign for a day of visiting small palenques, rustic mezcal-making operations, with Alvin Starkman of Mezcal Educational Tours. The Canadian expat's connections to palenqueros in Oaxaca state stretch back 20 years. In his company, you'll visit tiny, family-run operations where horses are still used to pull grinding stones. You can also buy mezcal directly from the producers much more cheaply than in town.

If you’d rather skip the behind-the-scenes look, head straight for the mezcalerias (mezcal bars) that are currently booming in Oaxaca. In Situ is one of the most respected joints, co-owned by mezcal scribe Ulises Torrentera, with close to 200 varieties on the menu. One of the newer options, Mezcalogia, is a dim and intimate little spot with a smart selection of sips. And Txalaparta (“sha-la-PAR-ta”) is not really a mezcaleria, but it is a rambling, fun bar that's popular with locals on weekends—especially on the rooftop patio—with a small though respectable mezcal selection. If you're peckish after drinking here, a tasty consommé vendor sets up on the street just outside on weekends.

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8 Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Homes You Can Sleep In http://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Opening the door to a Frank Lloyd Wright house is like walking into a work of art. Floor-to-ceiling windows, vast open space, an uncluttered floor plan, and varying ceiling heights work together to create what Wright himself described as “a thing of beauty.” A handful of Frank Lloyd Wright–designed homes can be booked for overnight stays. Of course, availability is limited and most homes require a two-night minimum stay, plus you'll likely have to reserve several months in advance. Still, all the hassle will be worth it for a couple of nights in these gorgeous homes.

By Kristan Schiller

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Why Queens Is the NYC Borough You Can No Longer Ignore http://ift.tt/1GUkDnI

Wonderfully diverse Queens—home to the greatest concentration of cultures not just in New York City, but on the planet—has no shortage of fascinating immigrant enclaves and foodie-magnet international eateries to explore. Nor does the borough lack for its arts appeal, harboring cultural heavyweights like MoMA PS1, the Noguchi Museum, and Queens Museum. Still, the borough's obvious, yet under-the-radar, lures have long been reserved for in-the-know locals and adventurous travelers.

Today, Queens is in the midst of a renaissance, due largely to an influx of the city's creative class; long since priced out of Manhattan and even Brooklyn, they're finding a new haven in this more affordable and space-affording borough, bringing with them a fresh wave of hip markets, microbreweries, comedy clubs, and more. Add to the mix a new crop of affordable boutique hotels, reimagined waterfront spaces, and improved cultural institutions, and you'll see why Queens can no longer be overlooked—so put it on your travel radar now.

Market Mania

Global cuisine may just be what Queens does best, but if you can't pick between the borough's bountiful culinary offerings, simply look to a bevy of new, food-focused markets that are primed for some palate-pleasing sampling. Kicking off July 11, Brooklyn-born Smorgasburg will debut a Long Island City outpost running on Saturdays, situated in an outdoor lot/indoor building just next to foodie favorite M. Wells Steakhouse. Chow down on international fare from more than two dozen Queens-based vendors dishing out Thai noodles, Colombian arepas, Korean BBQ, and more.

Smorgasburg follows on the heels of instant-hit newcomer Queens International Night Market, which debuted in April as a Saturday-evening alfresco affair inspired by the street food markets of Asia. More than 80 independent vendors (mostly food stands) serve up an exotic spread with affordable (and adventurous) global dishes like Trinidadian shark sandwiches, Burmese palatas, and more. On hiatus through June, the market is scheduled to return over the July 4th weekend, in the New York Hall of Science parking lot at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

There's a new reason to hit the beach in Queens this summer. The team behind the buzzy Brooklyn Night Bazaar (which recently closed its space in Greenpoint) debuted the Riis Park Beach Bazaar in the Rockaways in May, where they've signed a five-year lease to develop food and beverage as well as cultural programming at Jacob Riis Park Beach. The new waterfront locale will pair the market's signature entertainment (including free weekend concerts) and homegrown dining and drinking options (try homemade ice cream from Ample Hills Creamery or chicken-and-waffle cones from The Brooklyn Star) with a newfound surf-and-sun setting, spread out over a large pavilion, food concession stand, and mobile food-stand pop-ups. Expect, too, beach chair rentals and beachy activities like a volleyball league, sand-sculpting contests, kite-flying fest, and more, as well as vendors for arts and crafts, vintage clothing, and services like tattooing and tarot reading.

Get Your Beer (and Booze) Here

Queens has been at the epicenter of a microbrewery explosion in recent years, transforming the borough into a pilgrimage point for craft-beer lovers. Sample the borough's best at a brand-new outdoor all-Queens beer garden, which debuted at the three-year-old LIC Flea & Food weekend market in Long Island City in May. Discover draft beer from six Queens breweries, including Rockaway Brewing Co. (their brewery and tasting room, with rotating taps and pop-up food partners, is just across the street), Big Alice, SingleCut, Bridge and Tunnel, Queens Brewery, and Finback, and pair a cold brew with fare and wares from about 80 local vendors in the adjacent flea market.

Also in Long Island City, tucked under the Pulaski Bridge, hit up the tasting room at yet another brewery, the year-old Transmitter Brewing, known for its small-batch, Belgian-style farmhouse ales. (Rockaway, Transmitter, Big Alice, and the most recent newcomer, LIC Beer Project, all located within a mile and a half of each other, jointly collaborate on a special beer walk—pick up a map at any participating brewery.) Or, look to the Glendale neighborhood, where Finback Brewery opened a tap room in May 2014 with public tours and tastings; they've since doubled their barrel inventory and introduced rotating art installations.

For spirits, the Astoria Distilling Company, makers of Queens Courage (an Old Tom–style gin, made with New York State ingredients), is readying to open its Long Island City tasting room later this year—marking the first distillery to operate in the borough since Prohibition. Elsewhere, in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Ridgewood, the expansive outdoor bar Nowadays debuts June 18. Helmed by Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin, the duo behind the ever-popular Mister Saturday Night and Mister Sunday parties, the space promises picnic tables and burgers, honey locust trees and grassy hills, and Ping Pong and bocce ball.

Restaurants to Watch

New Yorkers are already well aware of the clout behind Queens's global food scene, so it's no surprise that four restaurants (a record for Queens) garnered Michelin stars here for 2015: Casa Enrique (serving haute-Mexican) and M. Wells Steakhouse in LIC; Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen, for its informal French, Italian, and Spanish cuisine in Forest Hills (a spin-off is in the works for a second LIC location); and Zabb Elee, serving Thai in Jackson Heights.

Not starred, but noteworthy nonetheless as newbies on the local restaurant scene are: Villa Enrico for mouthwatering Italian seafood served in an elegant subterranean space in LIC's Z NYC Hotel (don't miss the upstairs rooftop lounge for stellar city views). Also in LIC, look out for Mu Ramen, being touted as amongst the city's best for Japanese noodle goodness (helmed by a Per Se alum); while in nearby Astoria, Tacuba pairs gourmet Mexican with fresh-ingredient cocktails (some of which are festively served in carved-out pineapple husks).  

Museum Revamps

Several of Queens's major cultural institutions have undergone major revamps in recent years. The Queens Museum (known especially for its meticulously detailed diorama, Panorama of the City of New York) underwent a $69 million expansion a year and a half ago that doubled the institution's size with expanded galleries, a new sky-lit atrium, and artist studio wing (site of an international artist residency program).

In 2011, the Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria, completed an equally massive, size-doubling $67 million revamp that added a new courtyard and theater, among other features. It, along with neighboring cultural players like Kaufman Astoria Studios and the Queens Council on the Arts, now fall within the Kaufman Arts District, a 24-block arts district that was created by the city in 2014.

In Long Island City, the Maya Lin–designed SculptureCenter, set in an old trolley-repair shop, was significantly overhauled in fall with a new lobby, expanded gallery space, and enclosed courtyard area for outdoor exhibitions and events; the institution showcases rotating exhibitions of contemporary sculpture. Easily visit the SculptureCenter, and other LIC cultural powerhouses (Socrates Sculpture Park, The Noguchi Museum, and MoMA PS1), courtesy of the free LIC Art Bus, an initiative that's now in its second year, and makes navigating the LIC cultural scene a breeze (it shuttles visitors between the four institutions on weekends, through September 13, 2015). Of special interest this summer at Socrates, check out the large-scale installation The Living Pyramid, by Agnes Denes, and a full roster of special free summer events, like a sunset performance by the Metropolitan Opera on June 24.

Hotbed for Hotels

Queens is fast-rising as a lodging hub, with just over 100 hotels now open, and another 50 or so currently in development (check out our picks for the 10 Best Hotels in Queens). Long Island City, with its one-subway-stop-from Manhattan location, has been at the epicenter of the activity with newcomers like the year-and-a-half-year-old industrial-chic Paper Factory and artsy hostel The Local. Next up is design-centric Boro Hotel, opening in late June with 108 industrial-loft-like rooms touting floor-to-ceiling windows (many with balconies) overlooking the city. Further afield in Flushing, the year-old Hyatt Place Flushing/LaGuardia Airport Hotel offers sleek guestrooms and public spaces, including a heated indoor rooftop pool.  

Wow-Factor Waterfront

The ongoing movement to reclaim NYC's waterfront continues in Long Island City. The two-year-old, 5.5-acre Hunters Point South Park, set on the East River, unveiled LIC Landing by COFFEED last year, serving craft beers, wines, specialty coffees, and healthy fare. The venue comes tucked under a solar-paneled pavilion that generates energy for the park, and features an outdoor seating area and events space. Plans are also underway to expand the park with a kayak launch, toddler play area, and a curving, 35-foot-high footpath along riverfront bluffs by 2018.

Nightime Entertainment

Forest Hills Stadium, which reopened in 2013 after a nearly 20-year closure, is back on the scene, attracting big-name acts like Van Morrison, James Taylor, Alabama Shakes, and Santana, all summer long

Queens is fast-emerging as a comedy hub, attracting priced-out comedians from Manhattan/Brooklyn to intimate venues. Newcomer The Standing Room (from the same team behind Manhattan's The Stand) debuts in Long Island City in late June, pairing regular comedy acts with signature cocktails and local draft beers. They join new arrival Q.E.D. in Astoria, which bills itself as an "after-school space for grown-ups," with a robust calendar of stand-up comedy, game nights, storytelling, improv, DIY classes, and more.

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5 Best Family Resorts in the Wisconsin Dells http://ift.tt/1IlMgTi

As the Midwest’s premier family destination, the Wisconsin Dells’ popularity has surged in the past decade, filling resorts to capacity with children eager to take on any waterslide in sight. Enjoy the multitude of options at one the five best family resorts, where a world-record-holding water coaster, indoor go-kart tracks, and a six-story indoor Ferris wheel bring out the kid in everyone.

Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort

Proud to be America’s largest waterpark resort, Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort overs 600 acres with a remarkable 1,163 lodging options on its three properties: Wilderness Resort, Wilderness on the Lake, and Glacier Canyon Lodge. Operating since 1995, the complex ushered in a new era of family accommodations in the Dells, pushing boundaries with the first-of-its-kind indoor waterpark. Since then, Wilderness Resort has continued to lead the pack, expanding to now feature a head-spinning total of eight waterparks, four indoors and four outdoors. Complete with more than ten eateries throughout the grounds, there’s enough to fill a family’s daily agenda for weeks on end.

Kalahari Resort

A safari-themed complex that houses the Dells’ largest indoor waterpark, Kalahari Resort measures up as a prime spot for family getaways year-round. With comfortable rooms and campsites, families delight in the endless activities of the resort. With an indoor theme park that includes a six-story Ferris wheel, a raised go-kart track, a mini golf course, and 24 lanes of bowling, there’s never a dull moment. When it comes to the indoor waterpark, waterslide lovers go for the country’s only indoor looping waterslide, the Sahara Sidewinders. Leave your car keys in your room, as the multiple dining options at restaurants like Double Cut Charcoal Grill and Wisconsin Brew Pub prove that once you’ve arrived at Kalahari, there’s no reason to leave.

Great Wolf Lodge

With a brand that has grown in the past decade to twelve resorts in the U.S. and one in Canada, the flagship Great Wolf Lodge offers visitors rustic charm. Built with families in mind, the resort goes the extra mile in accommodating children, with fun amenities such as Scooops, an ice-cream-themed kids spa, nightly story time with friendly animal characters, and MagiQuest, an interactive adventure throughout the hotel grounds. Highlights of the indoor waterpark include the Howlin' Tornado, a six-story, red and yellow funnel that blasts rafts of four riders as high as 30 feet up the walls of the vortex, and the slick, four-person races of Mountain Edge Raceway, the park’s most interactive slide.

Chula Vista

Just off the Wisconsin River and three miles north of downtown Dells, Chula Vista Resort brings a southwestern ambiance to the Upper Dells. As one of the longest standing vacationing names in the Dells, Chula Vista’s origins date back to the 1920s, just as the Dells (then known as Kilbourn City) began emerging as a popular summertime destination for Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee families. Having undergone a $200 million expansion in 2006, the resort stands as one of the largest in the area, with 620 rooms that range from standard guestrooms to a private chalet. The resort continued to expand its indoor waterpark facilities, introducing a new 80,000 square-foot addition that includes the Flyan Mayan Up Hill Water Roller Coaster, the world’s fastest and longest uphill indoor water roller coaster. Chula Vista delivers a more laidback resort experience, with popular activities including eighteen holes of golf at the resort’s Cold Water Canyon Golf Course, a plush spa, and an afternoon spent relaxing in the outdoor hot springs.

Cliffside Resort and Suites

No visit to the Dells is complete without admiring the beauty of Lake Delton. So when it comes to enjoying the great waters, a stay at lakeside Cliffside Resort and Suites fits the bill. At a retreat that’s tailored to a more nature-centric experience, the sunset gives way to a quiet night of stargazing. Forgoing an indoor waterpark and crazy thrill rides, days spent fishing, hiking, and swimming the cool waters of Lake Delton are preferred at this resort. Only a few miles from the theme parks and attractions that have created a bustling scene in the Dells, it’s a nice change of pace to escape the noise and return to what originally made this region a desirable escape.

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