Word of Mouth: São Miguel Island, Azores

From volcanic thermal baths to incredible food and music, this little-known location boasts more than expected

Jettisoning across the Atlantic Ocean is a familiar experience if you’re a travel nut, but rarely do we ponder the infinite unknown—or in this case, the tiny archipelago that dots the swathe of sea in between North America and the European frontier. Smack in the middle of the Atlantic lies the Azores archipelago and São Miguel, a 287-square-mile island comparable to the “Hawaii of the …

Mew Men Ramen Shop

A chicken broth-only restaurant opens up in NYC's West Village

Around the corner from NYC indie filmhouse IFC Center sits a new, small ramen joint Mew Men. It’s a little sister to the wildly popular Midtown basement pub Izakaya Mew, but here the menu is minimalist. There’s not much beyond the five ramen options, aside from a few appetizers like kara age (Japanese fried chicken). The sake list, for example, consists just of “hot,” “cold” …

Word of Mouth: Madrid

From arabic corbels to a moorish hotel and delicious fusion eating, we stroll around the Spanish city

by Rima Suqi While the Barcelona-vs-Madrid rivalry is very real on the soccer field, when it comes to tourism, the two coexist on fairly even ground. Barcelona might have a sexier reputation, but over the years it also has experienced an explosion in tourism, and the crowds and other fallout (both positive and negative) that comes with that. Madrid, by comparison, is looking better and …