By Paulette Safdieh

It’s that time of year when we New Yorkers decide we’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle of the city and start to pack up for weekends in The Hamptons. Although mainly recognized as the playground of the rich and famous, the core of the community there lies within the land. It’s not just the urge to see some grass and trees that sends city folk running east, but what’s growing from the ground as well. The Hamptons is the hot spot for the latest food trend—garden-to-plate dining. The fertile land on the east end of Long Island is a farmer’s heaven and the water is a national fishing capital, leaving the restaurants with access to none other than the freshest, crispest summer produce and locally-caught seafood. The farmers, fishermen, restaurant owners and chefs make up a community within a community, supporting each other’s local businesses and working together to give us all even more incentive to get traveling this summer.

By Pamela Jacobs

Times Square, the pulsing heart and midpoint of this city, is anything but calm. It’s bright, it’s alive, but it’s not soothing. And yet, right in the center of it all, lies a luxury spa within an elegant and graceful hotel that transports guests to another dimension, a place where the noise, hustle, and bustle instantly disappear. The Chatwal Spa by Kashwére, in the Chatwal Hotel, is one of the city’s loveliest gems.

By Bri Thomas

In honor of the late Jeff Salaway, the 2011 Chefs Dinner will be held at Hayground School in Bridgehampton on Sunday, July 31st. The event will feature notable Manhattan chefs, as well as top local chefs, and those who love gourmet splurging should not miss out on this grand evening. From 5-7:30 pm, specialty drinks and wines will be served, with a silent art action held featuring renowned local artists. Dinner, boasting a four-course meal, will follow from 8-10:30 pm. A fraction of the produce used to prepare the meal will be provided by Hayground School’s Slow Foods Greenhouse. A live auction will also come after the dinner and will offer exclusive culinary and travel packages, such as cooking sessions with celebrity chefs and five-star travel deals.

By Karen Loftus

Hotels and hideaways have long provided a great base and backdrop for romance, illicit or otherwise. Once in your own private oasis, away from the demands of everyday life, romance is on the rise and senses are easily aroused. This summer you’ve got six top notch properties and six sexy directions to head in on the global road that are sure to seduce the senses.

By Lisa Loverro

Cruising is not something I have ever considered as a vacation option, crowds of people occupying the same space for an extended length of time did not appeal to me. So when I was invited to cruise the Mediterranean, I skeptically accepted. This cruise, however, turned out to be a great way to see a multitude of countries aboard a truly unique concept in cruising. The MSC Yacht Club (www.mscyachtclub.com) aboard the MSC Splendida is more of a “ship within a ship” with deluxe accommodations, butler and concierge service along with private Top Sail Lounge and a private Top Deck. The Top Deck, on the 18th level, made the entire experience worthwhile ; a private deck for just its Yacht Club members, with swimming pools, Jacuzzis, restaurant and bar away from the overcrowded decks filled with the ship’s other guests. The Italian vessel, MSC Spendida, is a massive ship accommodating over 3,000 people offering 7-night cruises from April through November sailing into such exotic ports of call as Genoa, Barcelona and Casablanca, among others. The Yacht Club provides the same experience, sans the commoners.

By Pamela Jacobs

Tahiti. Bora Bora. Moorea. Don’t the names alone just conjure up images of a place so beautiful, so exotic, you wonder if they can possibly be as magnificent as they sound? They are. Actually, they’re even better than anyone can possibly imagine.

By Alyssa Pinsker

New York has some of the best fitness and health amenities in the world, and the Upper East Side hosts many of them. From colonics to core fusion, check out these various oases of strength and wellness for some classic winners and new favorites.

By Hugh Spencer

Sure, standing on the banks of the Danube looking around you can just imagine the proletariats trudging to work in pre 1956 communist Hungary past the aristocracy at the Castle, the Parliament and in their turn-of-the-century homes. You can even imagine what Eastern bloc Hungary must have been like just 22 years ago. And, imagine this country joined the European Union a mere eight years ago and you realize that Budapest is really a tale of two cities.

By Ashley Hoffman

Now that you’ve secured your shelter, it’s time to eat in a place where the haute eating season eventually ends. We surveyed the best new restaurants, from big-ticket expansions to casual hangouts, setting up in a local culinary scene with a deeply treasured artisanal bend and a love for the the South Fork.

By Dorri Olds

Hooray! We made it through another New York City winter. Aren’t you glad that’s over? Now it’s time to party down, forget your cares, c’mon get happy. While the weather is fine we can reach right up and touch the sky—ready, set, go.