IN 2011, after more than a decade working and living in Paris and New York City, architect Mathieu de Genot returned to his hometown of Quito, Ecuador. At the time, the city felt quiet, remote, and more or less off the map in the eyes of the rest of the globe. "The joke we always used to make about Quito is that we're in the middle of the world, but also in the middle of nowhere," Genot told me.
Sitting 9,350 feet above sea level, Quito is the second-highest-altitude capital on the planet (the first is La Paz, Bolivia). It feels every bit as vertiginous as you'd expect: forested hillsides stand next to rampant informal development; shining glass towers jockey for space with 17th-century churches. For most of its recent history or at least since 1959, when Ecuador first declared the Galápagos Islands a national park-the seat of government has been something of an afterthought for travelers, a waypoint en route to the ecological wonderland off the coast. But Quito is stepping up as a hot spot for design, food, and more.
"People didn't really know where we were before," Genot said. "Now they're finally finding out.” The same extreme location that kept the place so isolated for so long (and that can still flummox visitors: foggy from altitude sickness, I lost my phone on the day I arrived) has also helped Quito cultivate a unique identity. "It's the mountains. It's the colors. It's the beauty you see in the folk art here," said Margara Anhalzer, who presides over a curious corner of Quito's living history as the director of
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ENCHANTED ISLANDS
An ivy-covered castle, camping by the seashore, and the power of a six-year-old's imagination: Leslie Jamison and her daughter find themselves transformed by a sojourn in southwestern Scotland.
Deep South
A state-of-the-art catamaran reveals a stretch of the Australian island of Tasmania's rugged southern coastline that few visitors get to see.
American Beauty
Cherry orchards, cute villages, and crystal shores: Wisconsin's Door County is where Scandinavian bygge meets Midwestern charm.
Surfin' USA
Big waves and small-town appeal: Paia might well be Maui's most authentic hideaway.
As the River Rises
A changed landscape in northern Botswana is now a hot spot for wildlife year-round. Jessica Vincent checks in to the new safari camp giving explorers a front-row seat.
Hearts Aglow
The names Tahiti and Bora-Bora may telegraph romance, but on a cruise around French Polynesia, Naomi Tomky and her daughters discover these islands also make for the ultimate playground.
Maternity Leave
Five months into motherhood, Brittani Sonnenberg was exhausted. After four days at a plush Mexican beach resort, she felt reborn.
LET IT WASH OVER YOU
A visit to the Mississippi Gulf Coast is one of the last things Cinelle Barnes remembers before a health crisis turned her world upside down. A year later, she reflects on the kindness of strangers-and the cycle of rebirth in a land defined by storms.
Fit Check
There's no party quite like Carnival. Dana Givens dives in to the fashion behind the festivities.
The Art of Transformation
Underwater sculpture parks help marine life—and reflect the world above the surface.
