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Arosa, Switzerland | Durango, Colorado | Venice | Las Vegas | Honduras | Palm Springs | Madrid | Washington, D.C.
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New Year's around the globe, top ice rinks, holiday reflections, great movie theaters, and more.
Snow and skiing aren't everything at this Alpine winter wonderland. At night, Arosa comes alive with a vibrant club scene and—who knew?—one of Europe's funniest festivals.
WHERE TO STAY There always seems to be a party at the Hotel Eden Arosa. DJ's spin into the night at the underground Kitchen Club while guest rooms employ tongue-in-cheek themes (wild stripes in Tiger Lily, jazzy patterns in the Blue Note). The 133-room Tschuggen Grand Hotel is more sedate but doesn't skimp on style. Make time for afternoon tea in the ornate lobby. Hotel Seehof uses rustic-chic touches such as animal-print banquettes and deer heads on the walls to enliven its somewhat rarefied atmosphere. SAY CHEESE Dig into raclette and other traditional Swiss fare at Restaurant Burestübli. ALL-TIME HIGH No matter if you're a black-diamond skier or an inexperienced snow bunny, you'll want to take a cable car or gondola to the peak of the Weisshorn, the immense 8,694-foot mountain that towers over Arosa. Bring your camera: once at the summit, you'll have 360-degree views of the Alps. YOU CRACK ME UP Switzerland is famous for chocolate, cheese—and stand-up comedy? Strange but true—the quaint village plays host to funny folk at the Arosa Humor-Festival each December, when comedians from around the world gather in a tent at the base of the Weisshorn for 10 days of laughs.
—Thomas Fierro
Get in touch with your inner Michelle Kwan at these ice rinks around the globe.
Downtown on Ice, Los Angeles
No hat or gloves needed here. A central Pershing Square location lets Angelenos enjoy both mild winters and outdoor skating—surrounded by palm trees (818/243-6488; www.laparks.org; open November 20-January 19; admission $7, skate rental $2).
Depot Rink, Minneapolis
Set inside a restored 105-year-old train station, this grand indoor rink has a soaring canopy roof and floor-to-ceiling windows with terrific city views. But watch out: hockey-loving locals set a brisk pace (612/375-1700; www.thedepotminneapolis.com; open November 16-March; admission $7, skate rental $6).
Bonsecours Basin, Montreal
Underground refrigeration units at Bonsecours cool the ice and lengthen the skating season. When the weather turns frigid, the rink expands with surrounding natural ice, making room for skaters of all levels (514/496-7678; www.oldportofmontreal.com; open December 6-mid-March; admission $2.20, or free with $3.70 skate rental).
Lasker Rink, New York City
In-the-know skaters skip Rockefeller Plaza in favor of this trim oval in the craggy hills of Central Park's northern reaches. Here wobbly urbanites test their edges to hip-hop and R&B (212/534-7639; www.centralparknyc.org; open November-March; admission $4.50, skate rental $4.75).
Somerset House, London
You can't skate on the Thames itself, but you can glide right alongside it in the courtyard of these majestic 18th-century offices (44-207/845-4600; www.somerset-house.org.uk/icerink; open November 27-January 25; admission $15-$17, including skates).
—Amy Farley
This mountain town serves up an old-fashioned holiday without all that Aspen attitude. Explore Pueblo dwellings, take a brisk ski run down the slopes, or just curl up with a rum toddy in a true Western saloon.
WHERE TO STAY The Rochester Hotel pays homage to Durango's cinematic past: each of the 15 rooms recalls a locally produced movie, from the Mexican-themed Viva Zapata suite to a Euro-style room called Around the World in Eighty Days. A favorite stop of bawdy miners and madams back in the 1890's, the grandly restored Strater Hotel houses the Diamond Belle Saloon, Louis L'Amour's preferred watering hole (several of his novels were written in the rooms above). CHOW TIME Plan a Christmas Eve feast at Ken and Sue's, an easygoing bistro. Try the grilled pork medallions wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon with a molasses-cabernet sauce. COWBOY COUTURE In Durango, anyone can look good wearing a cowboy hat. O'Farrell Hats Direct custom-crafts the best in the West; look for the wide-brimmed Silvertons, a town favorite. ALL ABOARD Take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for a five-hour excursion—in a heated coach, of course—through rugged Cascade Canyon. You'll chug past snow-caked evergreens, alongside the ice-choked Animas River, and up hair-raising inclines, on a train that's been in continuous operation since 1881.
—Andrew Collins
