Things to Do in North America

Arguably the most luxurious department store in the city, Saks Fifth Avenue is the result of a partnership between two powerful New York City department store families: the Saks’ and Gimbel Brothers. In September 1924, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel opened this famous chain’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan, next door to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and across the street from the site that would become, in 1939, Rockefeller Center.

Saks’ flagship building occupies an entire city block and is decorated in the Art Deco style, inspired by the 1925 Paris Exposition. The store’s layout is divided into a series of high-end specialty shops, each highlighting individual designers of clothing, accessories and home wares. The 8th floor shoe department, 10022-SHOE, is a fantasy-inducing collection of the world’s greatest luxury shoe designers, and is named with the zip code of the surrounding neighborhood.

Though utilizing ground floor windows for elaborate product displays had become common practice by the 1920s, the flagship has since become especially famous for its window scenes, which feature entire room sets, costumes, mannequins, a wide variety of art and craft materials, video projection screens and more. Especially at Christmastime, the window displays here are a tourist attraction all on their own.

The Royal Lahaina luau is a family-friendly evening of oceanfront entertainment set inside of Ka’anapali’s Royal Lahaina resort.  More economical than some of the larger shows in town, children will love getting on stage and trying their hand at the hula, and adults will love the buffet of Hawaiian food and open-bar of tropical drinks. Mai-tais and Blue Hawaiians are paired with luau classics such as kalua pig, lomi salmon, and bowls full of poi, and everyone can agree towards the end of the night that the fire dancers are the overall highlight. Oftentimes, the twirling staffs are a fitting end to a fiery sunset which has given way to darkness, the last rays having disappeared over the horizon which is visible from your oceanfront seat.

Since the Royal Lahaina luau is located in the Ka’anapali resort district, the luau grounds are only a short drive from neighboring hotels, or, if you’re staying in the immediate vicinity, you can reach the luau on your own two feet by taking a leisurely stroll down the beach. Once inside, learn about the history of Polynesia as it’s told through chanting and dance, and gradually lose yourself in the rhythm an oli (chant) as you sip your drink beneath a rustling palm.

Both entertaining and filling, the Royal Lahaina luau is a great evening for groups traveling with children, and the affordable ticket price and casual atmosphere make it a family evening that you’re sure to remember long after you’ve left the islands behind.

A 160-acre park that sprawls along the Hollywood Hills, this is where Angelenos go to hike and be seen. Full of dogs and their spandex-clad owners, a walk here is a regular routine for both aspiring performers and famous celebrities, singles of every age and persuasion, and folks who are simply single-minded about their fitness.  

Devoid of shade and full of dirt-packed paths, Runyon’s various features allow you to customize your workout. The Fuller Avenue entrance requires one of two steep climbs, either up a winding series of high, uneven steps, or up a long hill with two switchbacks; these two climbs can be combined in a challenging loop. The Mulholland entrance enables you to either head up into the steepest hills for the most challenging terrain, or to take a mostly flat, 15-minute route straight out to a viewpoint; this second option leads to both the stairs and the long hill up from Fuller, so you can tack on either route – or neither.

Runyon looks and feels its best on L.A.’s clearest days, generally from late November to early May; throughout the summer and fall, it can get extremely hot up here anytime after 8 a.m. More often than not, though, the paths and lookout points here offer panoramic views of the city’s coastline, Westside, West Hollywood, Hollywood and Downtown.

The name Sacramento doesn’t just refer to California’s capital, but it’s also the name of the largest river in all of California. In total, the Sacramento River flows for 445 miles from the high country outside of Mount Shasta to the waters of San Francisco Bay. Camping, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing are popular pastimes on the wilderness sections outside of Redding and Red Bluff, although most visitors to the Sacramento River are those who stroll along its banks in Old Town Sacramento. Step aboard the Delta King Riverboat that’s now permanently docked on the river, and dine in one of the multiple restaurants in this historic, floating hotel. In summer, the calm waters of the Sacramento River are covered in colorful clusters of tubers and floating cooler flotillas—and while the tubers eventually leave the river and continue to wander the Old Town, the water keeps following its route towards the sea to create an inland series of wetlands home to thousands of resident birds. Finally, as the river approaches San Francisco Bay and forms a deep water delta, wakeboarding, boating, sailing, and kitesurfing keep East Bay residents entertained where the river meets with the sea.