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AFAR

MORE 2023 JAMES BEARD AWARDS THAN ANY OTHER CITY? Philly, baby!

Contributors

A Big Year for Hotels

Lost in Translation • AI-assisted apps make navigating language barriers easier. But at what cost?

How Can I Make the Most of a Travel Advisor?

The Best New Hotels in the World

5 Openings to Watch in 2024

FEATURES

IN SICILY, A GRAND EXPERIMENT IS UNDERWAY: REVIVING CENTURIES-OLD VILLAGES BY SELLING OFF VACANT HOUSES FOR NEXT TO NOTHING. • WRITER LISA ABEND HEADS TO THE LARGEST ISLAND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN TO SEE IF—AND HOW—LIFE HAS CHANGED.

THE AFAR GUIDE TO SICILY • Italy’s largest island has hit travelers’ radars in a major way, thanks in large part to the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus, which was filmed in Taormina. But beyond that picturesque clifftop town, visitors will find baroque architecture, beautiful beaches, lively street markets, volcanic peaks, and sprawling vineyards.

Into the Mystic • IRELAND’S DINGLE PENINSULA IS RUGGED, REMOTE, AND WILD—AND BELOVED FOR THOSE VERY REASONS.

Great American Cities PHILADELPHIA • In the City of Brotherly Love, culinary creativity and a rich artistic scene reign supreme. Four tastemakers explain why Philly is the place to be.

MY HOUSE, MY RULES • In 2023, Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon was named Best Mid-Atlantic Chef by the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit that celebrates restaurants and chefs in the U.S. Prior to rising to the top of the restaurant world in the United States, she spent two decades as a business class flight attendant for Kuwait Airways and Thai Airways. For six years during that time, she also ran a restaurant in Bangkok. She moved to the States in 2010, where she trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. In 2019, Suntaranon opened her 32-seat Thai eatery, Kalaya, in Philadelphia’s Italian Market, one of the country’s oldest open-air markets. Thousands of dumplings and a pandemic later, in 2022, Suntaranon moved Kalaya to an expansive former warehouse in Fishtown.

A LIFE IN COLOR • In 2015, after a decade working in fashion in New York (Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, American Eagle), Shannon Maldonado wanted to bring a sense of whimsy and design to the city where she grew up. She opened her housewares shop Yowie online in 2016, followed by a brick-and-mortar store in 2018. Named after Australia’s version of the yeti, Yowie quickly gained acclaim for showcasing local artists and stylish decor. In 2021, Maldonado and her business partners bought two adjacent row houses on South Street, where they built a 13-suite boutique hotel and store, plus a café called Wim.

THE AFAR GUIDE TO PHILADELPHIA • If there is one word to describe Philadelphia, it’s “proud.” The city of 1.6 million people is a hub of creative energy, supported by a loud and loyal populace passionate about their home.

ART ALFRESCO • Born and raised in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, Conrad Benner founded his blog Streets Dept in 2011. A champion of the city’s homegrown art and design scene, he has parlayed his writing into advocacy work in the arts world and beyond, working as a curator and an organizer for voting rights campaigns, social justice organizations, and civics groups. In 2023, he launched Art Outside, a podcast that spotlights muralists across Philly and discusses the vitality of public art.

PHILLY IN EIGHT COURSES • Husband and wife Chad and Hanna Williams are the owners of Friday Saturday Sunday, a restaurant in Philadelphia’s...