They are energetic, diverse destinations intent on preserving local heritage and revitalizing undervalued neighborhoods, and they possess distinct personalities that set them apart from other metropolises. Whether it’s the city you’ve called home for years or one you only just stumbled upon during your travels, the best destinations are intriguing cultural centers that can’t be replicated anywhere else. No city proves this better than Kyoto, Japan, which returned for the second year in a row to the No. 1 spot on Travel + Leisure’s annual World’s Best list.

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.

Steve Jobs – Apple Worldwide Developers’ Conference, 1997

Readers called it the quintessential Japanese experience, offering visitors everything from history (in the form of spiritual shrines) to notable cuisine (shojin ryori) and encounters with Geisha. Italy’s classic crowd-pleasers, Florence and Rome, once again appear on Top 10 list — as they have for 10 consecutive years. Bangkok, likely bumped from the list in 2014 due to governmental unrest, has returned to the number six spot. Below is the full list of the World’s Best cities in 2015, which is compiled based on reader surveys. For more of Travel + Leisure’s 2015 World’s Best Awards, which cover everything from hotels to airports, click here: www.travelandleisure.com

Good news for kindred spirits – the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables will be returning to the small screen in 2017.

Breaking Bad writer Moira Walley-Beckett will be heading up the new series, which will be an eight-part adaptation for CBC. Anne of Green Gables follows the titular character as she arrives at Green Gables farm, “ordered” from an orphanage by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They had wanted a boy to help with the work, but due to a mix up, found a young girl waiting at the station.

The story itself isn’t a complicated one. Anne ends up staying with the Cuthberts, and has lots of jolly adventures (and many more misadventures) as she grows up. It’s not the plot that has enraptured so many, though. It’s Anne herself that captures the heart of her readers. Despite her difficulties, she is a precious and charming girl, the perfect combination of open-hearted and pig-headed. The Anne Shirley series is heartwarming, funny and romantic.

For globetrotting travelers, it’s easy to recognize a spectacular city. They are energetic, diverse destinations intent on preserving local heritage and revitalizing undervalued neighborhoods, and they possess distinct personalities that set them apart from other metropolises. (more…)