Laura Ratliff

In between the occasional deluge, it would seem that Miami has finally entered its brief but beautiful autumnal window. These breezier, less humid afternoons are the reminder we need that winter is around the corner, and that's really when this city hits its stride. For now, the palm trees are twinkling in their holiday looks, another whirlwind Miami Art Week is behind us, and there is officially way too much to do between now and the new year. Take this weekend: a massive Japanese street food festival, a pop-up inside a giant sandcastle, a holiday boat parade and a luxury vintage market in Bal Harbour are all on our radar. If it's a touch too chilly for that beach day you had planned, perhaps a fabulous Miami spa day is in order. If the sun's out but you'd rather avoid getting your toes sandy, sunset vibes at a Miami waterfront bar could be the move. There's a free concert, bustling farmers market, festive holiday-pop-up or raunchy drag show for every stripe of weekend warrior. Ready to have some fun in the 305? Here are the best things to do in Miami this weekend.  RECOMMENDED: Things to do in Miami

Planning your travels for the new year? You should absolutely factor in those long-standing bucket list entries, but if you’re looking for some fresh inspiration, 2026 promises a world of brand-new travel experiences.  From sleeping over in an open-air museum to journeying through ancient landscapes on e-bikes, ziplining over glorious wildlife reserves and partying through a solar eclipse – yes, really – there’s a shedload of off-the-beaten-track, out-of-the-box stuff happening over the next 12 months. Scroll on for our handpicked selection of the 26 coolest, weirdest and most exciting things to do in 2026.  RECOMMENDED:🎶 The biggest and best music festivals in 2026🛍️ The coolest streets in the world🏘️ The coolest neighbourhoods in the world🌃 The best cities in the world right now Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

South Florida doesn’t do winter. At least, not the frosty, scarf-necessary, hot-cocoa-as-survival-fuel kind. Which is why the return of real-ice skating to downtown West Palm Beach feels like a minor miracle powered by equal parts holiday spirit and serious refrigeration tech. Winter Wonderland is back at The Ben Hotel starting November 1, transforming the waterfront lawn into a glittering holiday playground with twinkling trees, Aspen-style chalets and, of course, a 50-by-66-foot rink made of the real stuff. Yes, ice. In Palm Beach. Again. Last year’s debut drew more than 30,000 skaters, proving locals are more than ready to trade sand for snowflakes, at least in theory. Around the rink, expect plenty of festive distractions: chalet vendors slinging gifts and sweets; a holiday bar for hot chocolate, s’mores, grown-up toddies and the debut of a Holiday Tree Forest created in partnership with local nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. There will also be themed events like Live Music Saturdays and Santa Sundays, ornament-making workshops and an opening-day curling exhibition (yes, Palm Beach now has curling athletes and, no, the tropics do not care about your winter stereotypes). When is Winter Wonderland at The Ben Hotel? Skating runs daily from November 1 through January 4 from 10am to 9pm. How much are tickets? Entry is free unless you’re lacing up, in which case tickets start at $25 for adults and $10 for kids 11 and

Talking Heads frontman, Broadway innovator and all-around creative polymath David Byrne is once again blurring the line between art and science, this time in the middle of downtown Chicago. “Theater of the Mind” is Byrne’s latest experiment in perception, identity and theatrical immersion—and it’s happening inside a real office space. Created with writer and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar, the 15,000-square-foot experience invites audiences of just 16 at a time to explore a series of rooms designed to mess with your senses and make you question, well, yourself.

New Yorkers rush past bodegas, take-out joints and dry cleaners a hundred times a week without really seeing them. But at "Pedestrian," the new exhibition by Brooklyn artist Charis Ammon at Sargent’s Daughters in Tribeca, those everyday facades get the kind of attention usually reserved for landmarks. A few of the paintings stretch nearly eight-by-twelve feet—almost the size of the storefronts themselves—so there’s no chance of treating them like background noise. Ammon, who lives in Bushwick, has spent years thinking about what you notice when you move through a city on foot. Her first solo show was all about Houston’s sidewalks and underpasses, imparting a sensibility that stayed with her. “I was thinking a lot about the rhythm of your footsteps and this sort of meditative nature of going on a walk,” Ammon told Time Out. “Even though you’re in a public space, there’s the private mind.” That mix of public and private and inner and outer inspires the scenes she returns to again and again. Photograph: Drake Wolf She often photographs a storefront for months, sometimes years, waiting for the right moment. A thrift store near her apartment became a long-term muse. “I’ve walked by that place for over two years, taking pictures,” she said. Then, one partly cloudy afternoon, the window caught “a little pizza slice of sky,” framed by houseplants inside and the elevated J line behind it. Suddenly, the scene felt different, as the plants, the sky and the train all folded into on

Sunset Park’s waterfront is getting a serious volume boost. The team behind Public Records, the reliably packed Gowanus hotspot beloved for its meticulous sound, has been tapped to build a brand-new 1,000-person performance space at MADE Bush Terminal, the city-owned industrial campus being turned into a creative district. The venue doesn’t have a name yet, but it’s already one of the most intriguing projects on the horizon. Public Records’ founders Shane Davis and Francis Harris, operating through their creative studio Public Service, are partnering with the NYC Economic Development Corporation to reimagine a 10,000-square-foot ground-floor warehouse in Building A. It’s slated to open in late 2026—plenty of time to dream about hearing a German electronic set or a 30-person gamelan ensemble against views of New York Harbor. This won’t be Public Records 2.0, though. “There will never be another Public Records,” Davis told Dezeen, though he added that the team is interested in projects “that are ambitious and challenging.” With triple-height ceilings, room for large-scale art installations and acoustics shaped by Arup alongside bespoke speaker design from Ojas, it's shaping up to be a canvas for the kind of live programming that the Gowanus space simply can’t fit. The building (and the whole MADE Bush Terminal campus) comes with its own backstory. The 36-acre site was once a late-1800s industrial workhorse that churned through shipping, manufacturing and even military uses duri

New York’s tinned fish moment just got a very chic upgrade. Seirēn, a new conservas and cocktail bar dedicated entirely to the Iberian art of preserved seafood, opens today in Chelsea. But unlike the many spots that ignore the whole shimmering, briny universe by tucking a few sardines onto a board and calling it a day, this one is going all in.  Each tin served at Seirēn is a main event, accompanied by toasted sourdough, seaweed butter and pickled vegetables—a minimalist spread that lets the seafood do the talking. You can start with Galician mussels in escabeche, graduate to silky tuna belly swirled with walnut pesto or go full deep-end with sea urchin roe. Tapas—pan con tomate, crab-stuffed piquillo peppers and seafood salpicón—round things out.  Photograph: Courtesy of Seirēn The concept comes from Nicholas Semkiw and Elvis Rosario of SRV Hospitality, the team behind Chica & The Don, Bellhop and Las’ Lap in both New York and Miami. The pair’s latest opening draws directly from travels through Spain and Portugal, where conservas may as well be considered religion. On 23rd Street, that energy means premium tins of fish, thoughtful tapas and a beverage program that employs the same Mediterranean flavors.  Russell Pangilinan has created a sunny and coastal cocktail menu, but not without a little New York flair. The Drunken Sailor riffs on an Old Fashioned with brown-butter-washed bourbon, malt syrup and house-made everything-bagel bitters. (It even arrives with a mini everyt

Hard Rock Stadium is set for a huge summer. Miami will host four group-stage matches and three knockout-round games during the 2026 World Cup, bringing some of the tournament’s biggest names—and their fans—to Miami Gardens. With Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal and Colombia all scheduled to play here, the city’s soccer crowds are in for a packed, high-energy few weeks. Here’s everything you need to know: the full match schedule, what to expect inside the stadium, how to get there and how to actually score tickets. World Cup 2026 Miami match schedule All matches will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Here is the full list: Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, June 15 at 6pm  Uruguay vs. Cabo Verde, June 21 at 6pm Scotland vs. Brazil, June 24 at 6pm Portugal vs. Colombia, June 27 at 7:30pm Knockout rounds in Miami include: Round of 32, July 3 Quarterfinal, July 11 Third-place match, July 18 What to expect at Hard Rock Stadium Hard Rock Stadium can seat more than 65,000 fans and is built for major events: Super Bowls, the Miami Open, the F1 Miami Grand Prix and, increasingly, top-tier soccer. Last summer, it hosted matches for the FIFA Club World Cup, which served as a good test run for the large, loud crowds the real deal will bring. As a bonus, the stadium has a canopy-style roof, which will give partial shade and a break from the brutal mid-summer sun. Inside, there are wide concourses and plenty of concessions, so moving around will be easy even during the most popular mat

That metallic “whoosh” you heard over Williamsburg this weekend? It was just the Wythe Diner—yes, the actual building—dangling from a crane and sailing over North Brooklyn like a 50-ton stainless steel time capsule. On Saturday, the 57-year-old railcar diner was hoisted from its perch at the corner of Wythe Avenue and North Third Street before it was carefully swung onto a flatbed truck and driven two miles south to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its destination: Steiner Studios, where the retro restaurant will spend its twilight years as a permanent film and TV set.  The ‘50s-style caff first opened in 1968 and has been a resilient shape-shifter ever since. Once a classic diner, it transformed into the late-’90s Williamsburg hotspot Relish; short-lived upscale Mexican spot Café De La Esquina; and even a Chanel pop-up. It’s even a trained actor already, having logged appearances in Men in Black 3, The Good Shepherd, The Bride and more than 150 shoots over the years. (For a restaurant that hasn’t served a full menu since 2019, it’s had a busier IMDb page than most actors do.) Until recently, the diner’s future looked far less glamorous. The lot it sat on was sold this summer for $12.5 million to a developer planning to build a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 28 apartments on top of it. Demolition of the deli seemed imminent—until Steiner Studios stepped in at the eleventh hour to rescue it. Doug Steiner, the studio’s chairman and longtime neighborhood local, told

New Yorkers don’t typically associate Penn Station with holiday magic—more like sprinting for the right train track with a coffee in one hand. But, this December, the city’s busiest transit hub is getting a surprisingly cozy glow-up with its first-ever Penn Station Holiday Market, turning the main Amtrak concourse into a four-day shopping detour you may actually want to get there early for. From Wednesday, December 10, through Saturday, December 13, the historic rotunda on the passenger concourse will host a pop-up market packed with vintage finds, vinyl, art and handmade gifts. The hours are perfectly commuter-friendly, running from 11am to 8pm, so you can squeeze in a browse on your lunch break, after work or while you’re killing time before boarding. Instead of the usual rush of rolling suitcases, expect an eclectic mix of local vendors. Rail Records and Books will be a clutch stop for the culture nerd in your life, selling used tomes, new and vintage vinyl, cassettes and CDs, plus a giveaway for an Audio-Technica turntable during the market. Jen Wang Studios will bring sweet, city-inspired prints that are NYC-nostalgic without leaning into Times Square gift shop territory. On the fashion front, Nunumia Vintage and Hanzaya Market are rolling in racks of cozy coats, sweaters and one-off pieces, while Sumak Art is stocking artisan goods from Ecuador, including soft knits and handmade jewelry. Concept Boutique rounds things out with celestial and geometric jewelry that practi

There’s no shortage of flashy, scene-stealing restaurants in Miami, but one rooftop stunner just lapped the entire country. MILA, the “MediterrAsian” hotspot set above Lincoln Road, has officially been named the highest-grossing independent restaurant in America, topping Restaurant Business’s Top 100 independents 2025 list with a staggering $51.1 million in annual sales. If that number made your jaw clench, you’re not alone. Since debuting five years ago, MILA has been a magnet for Miami Beach glamour and has fueled a thousand Instagram dumps. But hitting the top is a leap even by Miami standards. The restaurant previously held the number five slot in 2022 and 2023, climbed to number two last year with $49 million in reported sales and now claims the top spot, edging out heavy hitters like Pastis in New York City, Le Diplomate in D.C. and Miami’s own Joe’s Stone Crab. Part of MILA’s secret sauce is that it isn’t just a restaurant: it’s now a whole universe. The flagship space has spun off into a four-part ecosystem: MILA Omakase, a 10-seat jewel box that’s earning a reputation as one of Miami’s most luxe sushi counters; MILA Lounge, a nightlife den where the tables turn into dance floors; and MILA MM, a members-only hideaway that has expanded to four locations across Riviera Dining Group’s portfolio. “Miami is an incredibly competitive market, but MILA stands out because we offer something holistic,” said Gregory Galy, the founder and CEO of Riviera Dining Group, in an offici

If your ideal holiday outing involves time travel, corsets and ample mulled wine, clear a weekend: our new ranking of the best Christmas markets in the U.S. has crowned The Great Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, just south of San Francisco, as number one. And honestly, nothing else on the list is quite as extra. Instead of a quaint row of chalets, all 140,000 square feet of the Cow Palace is transformed into Victorian London, with more than four acres of cobblestone-style lanes, gaslamp lighting and hundreds of costumed characters roaming the “streets.” Attendees can spot an Ebenezer Scrooge grumbling past chimney sweeps, Father Christmas posing for photos and may even bump into Oliver Twist, Nancy, sailors, suffragists, or even Dickens himself mid-monologue. Scenes from A Christmas Carol and other novels break out around you like pop-up theater. The fair is essentially a full indoor city of holiday distractions. There’s Fezziwig’s dance party, where you can learn Victorian waltzes and country dances; the Surrey Theatre for melodramas and magic; Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House for rowdy music hall antics; and a Father Christmas Stage and Punch & Judy theatre for kids. The experience starts at “Victoria Station,” complete with a miniature live steam train that ferries you, symbolically at least, back to Christmas Eve in 19th-century London. On the food front, expect English bangers and fish and chips, plus global comfort food, sweets and five pu

Holiday travel is already a contact sport—and no one knows it better than Uber. Fresh off a record-breaking Thanksgiving (the company’s busiest airport pickup days ever), Uber is rolling out new tools to make the rest of the season a little less chaotic. The top of the list? A real, physical, tap-it-with-your-actual-finger Uber kiosk, debuting at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal C. The kiosk offers a phone-free, app-free, data-plan-free way to request a ride. International visitors without roaming, travelers with dead batteries and anyone who simply likes a screen they can touch now get a low-tech path to an Uber. Just walk up, type in your destination, browse upfront prices for UberX, Comfort, XL and more, and print your paper receipt (yes, paper) before heading to the pickup point. LaGuardia is the first test site, but Uber plans to drop additional kiosks into hotels, ports and international hubs in the coming months. If you’ve ever stood in an airport thinking about how there really should be a machine to request a rideshare, you manifested it. Photograph: Courtesy of Uber That’s not Uber’s only airport news. Over at Newark, the company is finally launching Uber Shuttle, answering what it says is riders’ most-asked question. The service already runs at JFK and LaGuardia so, now, with Newark in the mix, all major New York and New Jersey airports have shuttle coverage. The Newark version will operate two fixed routes, one to and from the West Village and another to and from 42

Brooklyn’s librarians have spoken—and they’ve delivered a reading list with more range than the G train on a good day. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has unveiled its 100 favorite books of 2025, a staff-curated mix of fiction, poetry, memoir, kids’ picks and wonderfully odd gems that prove librarians remain the city’s most reliable tastemakers. The annual roundup, pulled from the titles BPL staff genuinely loved this year, stretches from cult classics to buzzy debuts. And while the full list hits triple digits, a few standouts already have readers buzzing. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, Elizabeth Taylor’s funny-sad 1971 novel about eccentric hotel residents, earns a spot thanks to its “absolutely wonderful” portrait of aging. Meanwhile, Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly offers the kind of tech critique that apparently “totally changed how I thought about music.” (Consider yourself warned before you open the app again.) Poetry lovers will find a long-overdue moment for Essex Hemphill in Love Is a Dangerous Word, a collection praised for its unflinching clarity. On the fiction front, staffers embraced Emily St. James’s Woodworking, calling its characters “so real, messy and complicated” you’ll wish the book were longer. And if you’re craving a gut-punch of investigative nonfiction, Haley Cohen Gilliland’s A Flower Traveled in My Blood—the true story of the grandmothers who fought to find a stolen generation of children—com

Chicago’s fine-dining flex just got international receipts. La Liste, the influential French guide that crunches reviews, guidebooks and online ratings from more than 1,100 sources into a single global ranking, has released its 2026 top 1000 restaurants list—and five Chicago spots made the cut. Leading the local pack is Ever in Fulton Market, scoring a lofty 96 out of 100. Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser’s tasting-menu temple is already a two-Michelin-star destination, but La Liste’s nod just confirms what anyone who’s stared down one of Duffy’s plates already knows: this is the ultimate “special occasion” spot. Right behind it is West Loop favorite Smyth, coming in at 95. Here, John and Karen Urie Shields lean into hyper-seasonal cooking, driven by a 20-acre farm south of the city, turning a lengthy, 2.5-hour tasting into something both comfortable and luxurious. One course might feature salted licorice-soaked egg yolk and another pristine yet simple seafood or vegetables. (Plus, the room feels more like a stylish friend’s home than a white-tablecloth temple.) Lincoln Park’s boundary-pushing Alinea lands a score of 93.5, tying with West Loop heavyweight Oriole. At Alinea, Grant Achatz’s famed helium balloons, tableside theatrics and multi-course mind-benders still make for one of the city’s most immersive nights out. Meanwhile, Oriole takes a quieter route to the same level of wow: guests slip in through a back alley, ride a freight elevator and then settle into a minimalist

If you needed another excuse to splurge on a marathon tasting menu, here it is: four of Los Angeles’s most coveted restaurants have landed on La Liste’s new top 1,000 ranking of the world’s best restaurants for 2026, the algorithm-driven guide that crunches reviews, guidebooks and guest feedback from more than 1,100 sources.  In the latest list, the avant-garde West Hollywood stunner from chef Aitor Zabala Somni leads the local pack with a score of 96.5 out of 100. It’s safe to say that the 20-plus-course experience is now firmly in global power-dining territory. Not far behind is the Hollywood seafood temple Providence, which scored 90. Even after 20 years, Michael Cimarusti’s meticulous approach to sustainable fine dining still resonates with critics and high-rollers alike.  n/naka, Niki Nakayama’s modern kaiseki landmark in Palms, clocks in at 83.5, while Hayato, Brandon Go’s jewel-box counter in ROW DTLA, earns a 75.5 score for its hushed, hyper-seasonal kaiseki.  Globally, La Liste’s 2026 edition crowned nine restaurants in seven countries as joint number ones, from Arnaud Donckele’s La Vague d’Or in Saint-Tropez to Le Bernardin in New York and SingleThread in Northern California, part of a field that now sees the U.S. matching France for the number of establishments in the top 1,000.  The ranking isn’t just a beauty contest, either. La Liste’s algorithm folds in everything from legacy guidebooks to newspaper write-ups and online guest reviews, then layers on environment