• Brooklyn: Who'da thunk it? Brooklyn is the hippest borough in NY right now. If anywhere near the Big Apple this summer, get your butt out of Manhattan and check out quickly gentrifying neighborhoods such as Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or historic Ditmas Park.
  
  
• Latvia: This coastal country smushed between Estonia, Lithuania, and Russia has long been considered the hidden gem of the Baltic among locals, but is only lately being discovered by the trendy touristers. Castles, pagan traditions, music festivals, scenic river valleys--summer is short and busy here, with the highlight being August 15th's Ascension Day , a day of Catholic pilgrimage and celebration for the Virgin Mary.
  
  
• Iowa: Traditional small towns. Hot summer nights. Crickets and fireflys. Baseball and ice cream. This is what American summer is all about, and Iowa's the king of such simplicity. From the funky, post-industrial town of Davenport, to the hills and bridges of Madison County, and the transcendental utopian community of Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa is much more than farmland. But if traditional farm life is what you're after, head to the grand Iowa State Fair, where you can see a cow made out of butter , faux-Abba, outhouse races and cow dung throwing contests. You won't see that on YOUR street corner this summer!
  
  

Past Hot Spots