Uniform Wares

Day one
Take a view

Ride the famous 1960s monorail (seattlemonorail.com) from the downtown station at Westlake Centre (4) up to Seattle Centre (5). The Seattle Centre was the site of a World’s Fair in 1962 and is manna for vintage junkies, with all sorts of cool retro architecture from the Mad Men era. The first thing you’ll want to do is take a photo of the Space Needle (6) (spaceneedle.com), Seattle’s bona fide icon. It graced the titles of TV sitcom Frasier and is the symbol of the city. From the top you can get a great view across town (assuming it’s not foggy, which it often is). Open 9am-9.30pm Friday to Sunday, 9am-10.30pm on Saturdays.
Take a hike

Imagine yourself describing a curve running from north-west to south-east and you can take in a lot of Seattle’s highlights in one easy morning walk. Venture off down 4th and you’ll soon be strolling through historic Belltown (7). After about eight blocks, on the corner of 4th and Virginia, you’ll find the famous Sub Pop Records (8) (subpop.com), which defined Seattle in the 1990s as one of the most important cities in the world for rock music. This is where grunge was born, and Sub Pop was the label that released records by bands like Nirvana (incidentally there’s also now a Sub Pop shop at Sea-Tac Airport for cool last-minute souvenirs on the way home). Continue down 4th and turn right on Seneca to see an eccentric Seattle attraction – Freeway Park (9). This beautiful brutalist park spanning I-5 was designed by famed architects Lawrence Halprin and Angela Danadjieva in the 1970s. It mixes concrete with flowers and oriental water features, and is where you’ll find picnickers on warmer days. Head south-east on 6th Avenue then take a right on Madison Street; after one block you’ll come to Seattle’s grand Public Library (10), designed by Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004.

Pools, spas and public areas
Guests have access to the saltwater lap pool which can simulate three different types of current if you’re looking for a proper workout. There’s also a fitness centre, and guests can book themselves a pampering session at the hotel’s Elizabeth Arden Red Door spa before a night out on the town (or perhaps the morning after).

Best for bunking up: The Freehand
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Once a fairly boring centre for finance and conferences, Downtown LA is now happening again, with great restaurants, boutique stores and a vibrant arts district all within a few blocks so you can actually walk everywhere. In the heart of the action is The Freehand, a smart hostel/hotel mashup offering spacious suites as well as shared bunk rooms – perfect if you’re with a group of mates. A bunk also allows access to a shared kitchen, although with an excellent Israeli restaurant in-house, as well as the poolside cocktail bar Broken Shaker on the roof, cooking may be the last thing on your mind. There’s also a programme of regular events and DJs as well as the Flowerboy pop-up shop selling fresh flowers and vintage knick-knacks.

Doubles from $229 and shared bunks from $55, room only

Best for hotel dining: NoMad Los Angeles
Neighbourhood: Downtown
If, like me, you judge a hotel by its food offering, then the NoMad Los Angeles has an ace up its sleeve: a restaurant run by Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park, currently fourth on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants league table. For breakfast you can potter downstairs for duck sausage and eggs and for dinner you can have the legendary whole roast chicken covered in foie gras and black truffle – a better bird you will not find anywhere else. The hotel, set in the renovated neoclassical Bank of Italy building, is as classy as the food, with ornate golden ceilings, marble floors and Doric columns. With a rooftop pool, an art gallery and a pop-up shop, this is one of LA’s most sophisticated stays.

Doubles from $315, room only

Moqueca de camarão | Brazil
Palm oil and tomatoes tint coconut broth a warm, orangey red in this specialty from the Bahia region of Brazil, where locals eat steaming bowls on even the hottest days.
This soup's real draw is sweet, tender shrimp floating in the broth, however. Traditionally, moqueca de camarão is cooked in a handmade pot made from black clay and the sap of mangrove trees, then brought to the table in the same authentic vessel.

Menudo | Mexico
Tripe simmered for hours in a piquant, garlicky broth is the ultimate Mexican hangover cure, but menudo goes far beyond morning-after remedies. It's a favorite at weddings and big occasions, too, when an enormous pot of the traditional soup can feed dozens of guests.
It's sheer comfort food, with kernels of hominy that get fresh bite from a garnish of raw onions, chiles and cilantro. Choose from one of two main varieties: Menudo rojo turns a deep red from chiles in the broth, while Sonoran-style Menudo blanco is a milder alternative.

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