“If you’re in Madrid, you’re from Madrid.” It’s a phrase heard often in the city and refers as much to the mixed ancestry of the residents as it does to guests. It doesn’t mean that the Madrileños beat down any hotel doors to make guests feel at home. But the first time a visitor to the city finds themselves lost in unfamiliar territory and is taken under the wing of a local, the meaning becomes clear.

In contrast to the rich architecture of Barcelona, France, and Italy, this humble array of majestic estates and cobbled roads, juxtaposed against skyscrapers and modern architecture, has little to say about its appearance. It has much more to say about the lifestyle and philosophy of the people that call Madrid home.
For one, they love their bullfights in the afternoon. Sparkling toreadors perform the traditional dances and footwork of their school in the deadly artistic craft that pits man against the fury and force of 2,000 pounds of angry bull.

When there’s not a fight to be seen, Madrileños can be found enjoying sushi and shopping for steals at the Rastro—a flea market featuring everything from precious gems to cast-offs, where the serious shoppers line up as early as 7 a.m. for first picks. A 350 acre stretch of shade trees and ponds offers the perfect repose at Parque del Retiro before the evening kicks into gear.

After all, it’s not the bullring or the flea market that draw travelers to this oldest and most Spanish of Spain’s cities. Some of the best live music to be found, enjoyed from a banquet of restaurants and bars, nestled between art galleries fit to rival the Louvre for size and quality, offers unrivaled entertainment and a serious party scene.

Evenings can be spent nibbling stuffed peppers and regional cheese, drinking Spanish wine and meeting new friends skipping between the tascas—bars specialized in a wide variety of appetizers and sophisticated banquet dishes. Past midnight, the night scene takes off, locals and travelers packing into the bars for drinks and heading to Calle Arenal to jam in Madrid’s big named clubs until there’s no night left.

From circus tents to Arabian castles, from pyramids to erupting volcanoes, the neon lights of Sin City illuminate some of the world’s premier entertainment venues. Gambling may be the heart of the Casino façade, but there are plenty of ways to burn away the day outside of slots.

Circus Circus offers daily performances from trapeze to tigers. Lied’s Children’s museum, Cirque du Soleil, and the strip itself—the world’s biggest light-and-sound show—offer a few of Vegas’s hundreds of low-key attractions. Replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the Roman Colosseum offer a chance to tour some of the premier icons of Europe without ever leaving the states. Shopping epicenters known as casino arcades offer excellent venues for designer shoes and precious jewelry. Lake Mead awaits only 30 minutes from the strip, offering a lakefront break from the busy life of the city.

But it’s sequined and sparkling showgirls and the smell of money that pump the arterial veins of Vegas. Night and day, some of the top shows in the world are played out in Vegas by some of the sexiest dancers in the world. Stage performances offer acts as diverse as Ultimate Fighting Championships and The Bangles.

Beneath it all is the sound of dice and shuffling cards. Hundreds of casinos offer a nightlife that runs 365 days a year. The Strip and surrounding city is the premier playground for gambling and betting and partying free.

One sound guests won’t hear is the ticking of a clock. The resorts, clock and time free, single-mindedly deliver the message that this is one party that should last forever.

Under the staggered letters of the Hollywood sign, the City of Angels is a city of hustle and bustle with entertainment for every walk of life. In Beverly Hills, shopping has been reinvented as a competitive sport, turning Rodeo Drive into a fashion list touting some of the most famous retailers in the world. In contrast, Malibu offers some of the choicest waves in the country along a 21 mile stretch of prime, crystal blue Pacific coast and golden sandy beaches. One of the country’s biggest flea markets crowds the downtown Grand Central Market, where everything from footwear to sunglasses can be found at bargain prices.

Hollywood offers a footpath to the stars, and even their footprints on the Walk of Fame, where visitors can stand quite literally in the shoes of their favorite stars—or at least in the impressions left by their shoes.

With world renowned theme parks and attractions like Disneyland and Universal Studios meshed up against some of the premier boutique hotels in the country, the city is a mesh of stars and sightseers, with a good dose of screenwriters, aspiring actresses, and party seekers thrown in for spice.

Speaking of spice, LA features some premier five star cuisines, frequented often by celebrities. At the top of the A-list sits Spago, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in Beverly Hills. This fortress of landscaping offers exquisite seasonal seafood, served amidst glowing etched glass, and some of the world’s most beautiful and well-known faces.

Less formal fare can be found in the city’s many cultural epicenters—try some Peking duck and dim sum in Chinatown; head over to Olvera Street for a splash of primary color and authentic Mexican dishes; or visit Pink’s, where the line might stretch around the block as patrons await one of the world’s best chili dogs.

A clash of cultures, where old-school communities surround premier museums and boutique hotels sit in a sea of makeshift markets, where surfers and celebrity bleached blondes pass each other every day, Los Angeles is prime visit on any vacation list.

With a population of 71,201 residents per square mile, New York County is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Manhattan is the richest and densest of the five boroughs forming the county and sits nestled between the forked arms of the Hudson River.

The list of attractions found in the Big Apple’s beating heart is as long as the history surrounding this melting pot of cultural history and icon of America’s fight for independence. The jagged skyline of buildings features some of the tallest in the world, with nine different buildings claiming the title between 1890 and 1973. The Chrysler Building still towers over the city and held the title from 1929 until 1931; it was topped by the Empire States Building which held the title until 1972 when it was surpassed by the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.

In the early 19th century, construction of the towers created 1.2 million yards of dirt and rock. With so much earth at their disposal, the city of Manhattan expanded the shoreline of Manhattan 700 feet into the Hudson, adding 92 acres to the city, including 30 acres of parks known as Battery Park with sunset views and a panorama of the New Jersey skyline, as well as a view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Fifth Avenue, splitting Manhattan into east and west, runs like an arterial vein through the city, touting department stores like Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue. High fashion boutiques line the SoHo neighborhood and Madison Avenue, “The Fashion Road,” sports an array of couture designer shops with names like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Baccarat. With Fashion Week held yearly in Lincoln Square, Manhattan sits poised as one of the fashion capitals of the world, alongside Milan, Paris, and London.

Once the daytime fun wears down, Times Square illuminates the nighttime sky with an ocean of LED signs. Some of the best theater and night time entertainment in America can be found at the “crossroads of the world.”

Barcino, as the Romans who settled the valley dubbed the valley, is a vibrant meld of art, culture, and beauty. Nestled between the Llobregat and Besòs rivers and hemmed against the coast by the Serra de Collserola Mountains, the city of almost 2 million is a patchwork quilt of neighborhoods, each distinct in architecture and attractions.

Hop on a sailboat and head out into the waters in Port Vel before enjoying a bit of sun on the beach. Cool off with a walk through the glass tunnels of Europe’s biggest underwater marine aquarium. Take a train over to La Rambla to enjoy a variety of street fairs and performers. Get a cup of fresh squeezed juice in the vast outdoor market of Mercat de la Boqueria. All the while, enjoy a vast array of outdoor markets, boutique and high fashion shops, museums and churches.

The architecture of the city is colorful, vast, and diverse—World Heritage Sites featuring ancient works by Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, like Europe’s largest Gothic cathedral, Sagrada Familia; sweeping stone architecture overlooking the city at Park Guëll; and a collection of art nouveau buildings restored by the Modernisme cultural movement in between.

An extensive metro provides easy access to the different neighborhoods and provides quick access to an array of Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Mediterranean, and of course, traditional Catalan cuisine—black rice darkened by squid ink, tapas, and a variety of seafood. After dinner, Cacao Sampaka awaits; a chocolate factory and small museum featuring chocolate sculptures and a variety of tasty treats.

Once the lights go down, the many bars and clubs of the city pick up the beat. Barcelona offers a thriving nightlife, peaking around 2 a.m. on Saturday, when Razzmatazz, queues up a quarter-mile long wait to get inside. Each room of the city’s most famous club offers a different beat, ranging from pop to retro to trance and house music. The Catwalk, another of the city’s most prestigious clubs, offers 2 floors of R&B, hip-hop, and techno.

This city of many cities, all within walking distance or a quick train ride, experiences a six month summer from May through October, offering visitors plenty of time to soak in the sights and experiencing life in Barcelona.