Things to Do in North America

Bringing sophistication and elegance to the Las Vegas Strip, the Wynn Hotel stands out against the bright lights and flashing sign. With its golden, concave structure, and perfectly groomed trees out front, you’ll forget that Las Vegas is where all of the action happens, and instead is where the relaxation happens.

Surrounded by lagoons, waterfalls, and terraced landscapes, the effect of the Wynn Hotel and Casino is a peaceful one. The inside of the Wynn is marked by boutique hotels and the finest in restaurant offerings. With restaurants with the acclaimed fare of Daniel Boulud, Masa Ishizawa, and Mark LoRusso, you’ll enjoy a feast of the senses.

A refined take on nightlife and entertainment, the Wynn Hotel offers shows by Cirque Du Soleil and secluded nightclubs like Blush and Tryst that are surrounded by lagoons. Then, there’s the window shopping at the Wynn Esplanade, offering high end clothes by designers like Chanel and Dior. 

Pedestrian-friendly Yaletown is Vancouver’s "little SoHo", a former red-brick rail terminal turned into a warehouse district lined with swanky New York-style lofts and chichi boutiques. The focal point of the modern-day yuppie enclave exudes a hip and inviting atmosphere - especially at night, when its sophisticated drink and dine spots are packed to the rafters with the city’s beautiful people checking each other out.

Walking along Yaletown streets provides a bounty of attractions. The neighborhood has plenty of pricey boutiques to window shops, art galleries to linger in, and lots of places to stop for lunch, coffee or a splurge-worth dinner. Some of the best seafood restaurants are here, as is Yaletown Brewing Company, where you can sample its home-brewed beer.

If you’re curious about the area’s almost-forgotten rough-and-ready past, follow the old rail lines embedded in many of the streets and amble over to the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. You’ll find a mothballed steam train that recalls the area’s original raison d’etre.

Using the natural surrounding of Mexico's Riviera Maya, Xenses Park lets visitors lose themselves in the sounds and sights of optical illusions. The park's vision involves the fascinating neurological phenomena known as synesthesia, where a single sense has the ability to suddenly stimulate another. Colors seem to be heard, sounds felt and smells seem to be tasted. 

High on a cactus-studded plateau, the ruins of Yagul offer a view of Oaxaca’s Tlacolula valley. Yagul dates back to at least 500 AD, but most of the existing structures were built several hundred years later, after the decline of the nearby city of Monte Albán . When the Spanish arrived in Oaxaca, Yagul still had a population of 6000.

Due to the easy-to-defend location and fortifications, archeologists believe Yagul was a military center. Like the other major ruins in the area, the site was occupied at various times by both the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs. The ruins include the second largest ancient ball court in Mesoamérica, several typically creepy tombs, and a labyrinthine stone palace with six small stone courtyards.