Steven Lawrence

Michelin stars aside, Tokyo’s food scene is incredible. In addition to the mountains of money you can spend dining at the finest establishments in Ginza, we found that there are also plenty of quality cheap eat options pretty much anywhere in the city. Between countless ramen shops and udon joints to barbequed eel on a stick, waygu beef, and (of course) sushi, we did not find any trouble filling our stomachs; and neither will you. Let’s start by sharing the foods that we came across, and where we got them.

For as well-known as Tokyo is for its food scene, its drinking culture is equally as impressive. If you’re a beer drinker, you’ll have no problem popping into an izakaya off the street and finding a vibe that you like. If you like Japanese whiskey, same deal. Tons of establishments like Zoetrope in Shinjuku or Tokyo Whiskey Library in Shibuya will most likely blow you away. Don’t forget to have your share of the most iconic whiskey drink of all, the Japanese highball!

Obviously, sake should be on your priority list. If you’re not a fan of sake in the states, I challenge you to branch out and try the good stuff they make in Japan. Sake production is more complex than you think, which causes the final product to vary tremendously depending on the region where the rice was grown, the amount of polishing the grain of rice went through, and the type and length of fermentation process. I’d recommend booking yourself an experience in or near one of Japan’s sake regions like we did in Kyoto. More on that later. No matter your style, you’re bound to find something that reminds you of your favorite glass of wine, and maybe even better than anything you’ve had before. When it comes to finding the right place, as you could probably guess, there are a plethora of sake bars scattered throughout the city. All you have to do is look for the hanging lit red lantern outside of an izakaya to know if they’re serving sake inside. If you find yourself with a sake craving and you’re looking for a more specialized sake bar, I can help you parse through the noise and come up with a list of options to choose from.

Finally, there are the fancy cocktail bars, which I love the most. Nothing jazzes me up more than a uniquely thought-out and perfectly executed cocktail in a quality glass with ice so clear its invisible. Out of the three spots we hit up, two of them made the 2023 World’s 50 Best Bars list. These places take cocktails to the next level, and I’m excited to share my first-time experience at them with you.

I traveled to Croatia for the first time in 2022. My wife and I took two weeks to see the whole country, which turned out to be an ambitious goal. We decided to road trip it top to bottom. From the capital city of Zagreb to the rolling hills of Istria, down to Split and through to the old city of Dubrovnik (with a few pit stops along the way), we had a packed itinerary. This article details our first hand account across our first four days in Croatia’s beautiful, and lesser talked about city, Zagreb.

I've been going to Western North Carolina since I was born. Growing up in Florida, my parents would take us to our mountain cabin there once a year during the holidays for some winter wanderlust. Ever since, the Blue Ridge Mountains have held a special place in my heart. Asheville stands out as the trendy hot spot in these hills that keeps drawing me in. The food and drinking scene is killer for a town of that size. Add that to Asheville's proximity to great hiking and you can't get bored spending a long weekend here.