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| | | Buenos Aires’ cool cultural hub | First off, you don’t come to ordinary-looking Abasto for an Instagram snap. You come for the spirit. The colorful streets are filled with decades-old Peruvian cafes, hairdressers and small, practical shops. But what it lacks in ostentatious architecture it makes up for in culture: There’s a cooperative art center, an independent theater (with affordable ticket prices) or a craft-beer bar practically on every corner. Plus, there’s a famous tango connection. |
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| | | Hidden island inside Rio | Far removed from the glamorous beaches of the South Zone, Paquetá Island is the northernmost part of Rio. With dirt roads and no cars, the island is truly a time capsule in colonial Rio, right down to the traditional Portuguese architecture and horse-drawn carriages. But there are also fabulous seafood restaurants, 18th century buildings, cool live music and white-sand beaches. Plus, Paquetá boasts stunning, one-of-a-kind views of the Rio region — well worth the hour-long ferry ride from downtown. And though it’s usually one of Rio’s mellowest neighborhoods, this island hosts some of the wildest street parties during Carnival. |
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| | | Mexico City’s residential unicorn | Narvarte, a sprawling central-south residential neighborhood in Mexico City, is likely the best taco district in the Mexican capital. But most people pass right under it on the metro, missing a quiet, quirky and low-key neighborhood en route to popular “colonias'' like Roma. But multicultural Narvarte has all the charm of a film-famous neighborhood without the prices and hordes of tourists. It’s also remarkably unchanged, which makes residential-at-heart Narvarte something of a Mexico City unicorn. |
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| | | Suburban oasis in Bogota | Go to La Soledad and whole blocks might feel abandoned and ghostly. But the heart of the ‘hood is a strip of green, tree-lined parkway that’s very much alive. You’ll find cafes and unpretentious restaurants serving up Greek, Italian and modern Latin American fare, a zany theater, and once-abandoned mansions getting makeovers. It’s one of the rare places in Bogota where multiple classes and generations intersect and often live a local, carless lifestyle in the city’s car-crazed existence. |
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| | | Prague’s hidden hamlet | Břevnov, a hilly residential hamlet located a short walk from both Prague Castle and Petřín Tower, has a bustling tree-lined high street with a little cobbled lane of centuries-old houses that looks straight out of a movie set. There’s also lots of beer — it’s the oldest recorded site of brewing in the Czech Republic. But this lovely village, practically unknown to tourists, is about so much more than mugs of suds. Among other items of interest are art nouveau buildings, age-old monuments, loads of new eateries, cultural centers and even a skating park. |
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| | | Mumbai’s magical ‘gaothans’ | At the heart of India’s most crowded city are the curiously quiet heritage precincts of Matharpacady and Khotachiwadi. With their low, red roofs these “gaothans'' (village-like settlements) are an architectural history of India’s financial capital and a living museum of early 18th-century life, when Bombay’s islands were a Portuguese colony. Wander these tranquil narrow lanes and marvel at the sloping roofs, open-front porches and external staircases — and a vibrant community spirit. Consider visiting at Christmas; their celebrations are legendary. |
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WATCH MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
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| | | Secret shopping mecca in Joburg | The tiny suburb of Ferreirasdorp in central Johannesburg — a scruffy mix of gorgeous colonial architecture and nondescript 1950s concrete — is the kind of place where women still carry fires in rustic braziers into town to roast corn on. This is where the locals shop and it’s blessedly untouristy. You’ll find loads of hole-in-the-wall shops that cater predominantly to Black African commuters, flogging blankets and beads, food and natural medicines, bottles and jars. And everywhere you turn, there’s something marvelous to look at. |
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| | | Cairo’s ancient street | The pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza may draw Egypt’s biggest crowds, but a half-mile stretch of medieval architecture — the largest collection in the Islamic world — is the best place to learn about past and contemporary Cairo. And while popular among locals, Al-Muizz Street remains mostly unknown to tourists. Get lost gazing at sky-high stucco carvings and wooden lattice-adorned “mashrabiya” (windows jutting out from walls). This historic street — a 10th-century ancient path — is a crowd-free, authentically Cairo secret, for now. |
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Community Corner
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Where is your favorite off-the-beaten-track neighborhood? Share your hidden gem with us and we may cover it next. |
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