City Guides

Browse city guides recommendations from people with great taste on Rec League.

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Leslie

On the Grid City Guides

this site was my muse, my obsession, my north star for my formative years in my early 20s. created by a design agency in brooklyn, it connected a network of city guides all curated by local creatives. they stopped updating the site in 2020, and many of the wonderful recommendations have been victim of the pandemic, of time, and are no longer with us. but this site is still a corner of the internet that i love dearly. i'm tempted to gather some friends and try to bring it back.

Kate Lindello

grand marais, minnesota

Voted best small town in America and home to many artists, daydreamers, adventurers, and entry point to the largest protected wilderness in North America — the BWCAW. Plus Minnesota people are the best.

Michael Bolognino

Marseille

CLICK HERE FOR THE COLLECTION 2026 will be my sixth consecutive visit to what I consider my favorite city in the world. There is nothing quite like the combination of Marseille's rich, gritty, arty and multicultural urban streets and the endless cliffside beaches of the Parc National des Calanques. All within a 30 minute radius. Made a Collection of all of the best spots from nearly ten years of visits.

Practica

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Heaven is a place on the California coast. Carmel-by-the-Sea is not without its faults — it's less than diverse, remarkably expensive and often feels like NIMBY HQ. But besides those footnotes, this place is unreal. Extraordinarily beautiful setting, incredibly convenient beach access, reasonable distance to both SF and Big Sur, no chains allowed in town and perfect weather pretty much always. If that wasn't enough, the hallmark movie set of a downtown filled with fairytale cottages should be. Whimsy, artistry, good taste and rich woods come together to make something special. If you have a dog, please take them. This is one of the single most dog friendly parts of the world around.

S.P.A. QUEEN

S.P.A. Travel Diary: Ponza, Rome, & Packing (2025)

grier is delightfully a paid sub and can get to those hotel recs at the bottom, basta!!

Grand Street In Williamsburg Is The New Bedford Ave

From the Domino waterfront where you’ll find Pilgrim Surf Supply, up to the recently opened Maru coffee or Devocion for the best cup of coffee in the neighborhood. Plan a morning of weaving through jewelry shops like Scosha and Mociun, and clothing shops like 7115. Eat lunch at Birds of a Feather, and hit up Bon Bon. See at movie at Williamsburg Cinema, and head all the way “down” to The Four Horsemen and Leo pizza…grab a drink at Chino Grande or Clems. The list goes on, chime in with whatever I’m forgetting.

April

Got 2 Go NYC bathroom map

Easily the most practical NYC rec for the local or the visiting person. The city isn’t the best at having or maintaining public restrooms so you will need this eventually. Every public bathroom or usable bathroom on a map you can save to your Google maps. This STAYS saving me-a girl who always has a beverage in hand. This is how I found my go to bathroom at the McDonald’s in Chinatown real quick.- if you don’t have an ability to save this always use a hotel lobby/ the in hotel restaurant bathroom in a pickle.

Practica

Pietrasanta

We visited Pietrasanta for the first time last year and were blown away. It gives as much Athens or Ojai as it does Tuscan village — which it technically is. This is a vibrant artistic town in Versilia at the foothills of the Apuan Alps — known for its historic marble workshops it is also filled to the brim with contemporary art galleries, medieval architecture and farm to table restaurants largely run by locals. Beyond just being a stunning place to spend some time, one of the best parts of Pietrasanta is its location — nestled in a woodsy foothill location but 12 minutes to the luxurious beachside Forte dei Marmi, 30 minutes to the ancient city of Lucca and less than 90 minutes back to Florence. Beyond the aforementioned, make sure to hit Piazza del Duomo, the sculpture-filled Museo dei Bozzetti, Cenoteca 122, Locanda Del Gusto and Osteria Stappasogni.

James Kylstra

Hoboken

A lovely town a short train ride from New York where AirBnBs are legal. Staying here felt like a hack. My kids kept pronouncing it with the emphasis on the second syllable, so that’s how I say it now.

Grier

An excellent Amagansett Guide!

Beloved food writer Emily Wilson (LA Times, Bon Appetite, New York Mag, and Substack the Angel) just published a pitch perfect guide to Eastern East End (Amagansett). JIC you’re heading out east this summer, NY 🪄

Jessica Menda

The Japan Series: Kyoto

My favorite izakaya, the most beautiful tea ceremony for interior design enthusiasts, and an old world art supply.

Practica

Milos

What an incredible island. Over 70 (genuinely diverse) beaches! Charming fishing villages! Colorful boat houses! Intensely turquoise waters! This island is an extinct volcano that delivers far more inspiration that you could ever imagine a piece of land this size being able to. Also there is so much to do for such a small, chill island among thousands of other islands — explore the uniquely lunar landscapes of Sarakiniko Beach, check out the Kleftiko pirate caves, watch the sunset from the Plaka Venetian Castle, bask in the beautiful beach side cliffs of Firiplaka, take the terrifyingly narrow ladder down to Tsigrado, go eat in Klima, explore the sulfur mines — I could and would go on.

Leslie

New Mags | Bakeries - The Copenhagen Series

i love buying city guides published by art/indie bookstores. sure, it's impractical - by the time any book is printed there's sure to be plenty out of date, but i think of it first as a souvenir and second as a resource. because even as the recs expire, you're still left with a pretty book for memories. new mags in copenhagen is one of my favorite places in the city, they have an excellent curation of art, design, fashion magazines and books. they also published their own city guide, as well as these dedicated editions for bakeries, coffee, restaurants and museums. they also have city guides for other cities (Milan, London, Paris, Berlin)

cole

Bungalow Heaven

a slew of craftsman houses in pasadena with historical preservation laws i wish more of the city upheld. my favorite neighborhood to walk the dog.

devan

cork ireland

I’m depressed, the sun is too bright, and the North Atlantic calls from the true Motherland.

Jessica Menda

Tokyo

Cataloguing my favorite places in Tokyo. Highlights include: easy to miss shops, the best antique markets, and the best onsen in the city.

Lily

Rome Black Book 2.0

Rome black book. Save them all to your maps so when you're walking about you've got an alley aperitivo up your sleeve.

Practica

Gordes

Gordes is a stunning, historical commune outside of Avignon in the heart of Provence. It's known for its white stone houses stacked on the cliffside, narrow cobblestone streets and the 11th-century Château de Gordes. This is simply one of the most beautiful villages in the world. As if that wasn't enough for you and your inspiration, it's filled with art galleries, cafes, and is less than two miles away from the truly special lavender-filled Sénanque Abbey. While you're out there, make sure to check out Roussillon, Lourmarin, Oppède and le Provençal Colorado.

Lily

new orleans

without question the best city in the US (besides The City, of course). being in new orleans feels like being in 3-4 different countries and historical eras all at once. i know it’s basic to be like, omg NOLA rules but it seriously fucking does and that’s coming from the most annoying new yorker of all time. ignore the link I chose it for the photo

Jessica Menda

My New Mexico List

We've had a house in Abiquiu for 6 years. These are the places I love and frequent (some things are above a paywall). Don’t forget to make your appt to visit Georgia’s house in Abiquiu. If you’re landing in Albuquerque, head over to Los Poblanos for lunch and their farm shop.

chicago delights

This whole collection contains Chicago stuff, and most of it is chic in my opinion. See if there's anything you're into here? I can also add a few galleries/project spaces or other things if you're interested-- just let me know :)

Grier

Requesting an Uber/Lyft from the Hyatt Regency next to the LAX-it ride share lot after a flight.

Attn everyone coming home from your vacations to LAX

Margo Latka

Four Days in Copenhagen, Part 1

And part two here.

Jessica Menda

5 Days in New Orleans

Where I stayed, ate, and shopped.

There's so much more to explore

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