Life

Story by Joe Yogerst | Video by Alexandra Gilwit and Gabe Ramirez (CNN) — For years, Flagstaff was a place that you passed through on your way to the Grand Canyon or following Route 66 to the California shore. Unless you needed gas or a quick meal, there was little reason to stop. Yet slowly

Story by Marnie Hunter, CNN | Video by Demetrius Pipkin and Lacey Russell, CNN Macon, Georgia (CNN) — Stroll through downtown Macon, and you’ll find craft brewpubs not far from a lounge that’s been keeping music lovers entertained for half a century. A beloved new bagel shop is a half-mile walk from a soul food

CNN Story by Marnie Hunter, CNN | Video by Demetrius Pipkin and Lacey Russell, CNN Macon, Georgia (CNN) — Stroll through downtown Macon, and you’ll find craft brewpubs not far from a lounge that’s been keeping music lovers entertained for half a century. A beloved new bagel shop is a half-mile walk from a soul

Story by Amy S. Eckert | Video by Lacey Russell, McKenna Ewen and Laurie Frankel, CNN Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) — A rust-colored tree stands in the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, its leafless arms contrasting with the surrounding sugar maples. Get closer, and you’ll see this is no real tree

CNN Story by Amy S. Eckert | Video by Lacey Russell, McKenna Ewen and Laurie Frankel, CNN Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) — A rust-colored tree stands in the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, its leafless arms contrasting with the surrounding sugar maples. Get closer, and you’ll see this is no real

Story by Katy Koontz | Video by Lacey Russell, McKenna Ewen and Jocelyn Contreras, CNN Knoxville, Tennessee (CNN) — Knoxville residents have a slogan for their city: Keep Knoxville scruffy. It’s a tongue-in-cheek response to a slight from a Wall Street Journal reporter writing about Knoxville’s ultimately successful bid to host the 1982 World’s Fair.

CNN Story by Katy Koontz | Video by Lacey Russell, McKenna Ewen and Jocelyn Contreras, CNN Knoxville, Tennessee (CNN) — Knoxville residents have a slogan for their city: Keep Knoxville scruffy. It’s a tongue-in-cheek response to a slight from a Wall Street Journal reporter writing about Knoxville’s ultimately successful bid to host the 1982 World’s

Story by Kathleen Murphy | Video by McKenna Ewen and Lacey Russell, CNN Duluth, Minnesota (CNN) — It can be difficult to pin down the charm of Duluth in one easy phrase. It’s a small port city with an even smaller-town feel, nestled in the northern woods of the state, two and a half hours

CNN Story by Kathleen Murphy | Video by McKenna Ewen and Lacey Russell, CNN Duluth, Minnesota (CNN) — It can be difficult to pin down the charm of Duluth in one easy phrase. It’s a small port city with an even smaller-town feel, nestled in the northern woods of the state, two and a half

CNN Travel (CNN) — CNN Travel just named America’s Best Towns to Visit in 2024. What underrated spots did we miss? We’ll be looking at small cities and towns all over the United States for our 2025 list. Please share your picks. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company.

By Alex Stambaugh and Rosa Rahimi, CNN (CNN) — Manchester Airport, one of the UK’s busiest airports, has been hit by a power cut, causing delays and disruption for its passengers. A “significant number of flights” operating from the airport in northern England have been impacted by a “major” power cut in the area, the

Story by Maureen O’Hare | CNNVideo by FJ Feng, Alexandra King, Moss Cohen (CNN) — Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance. But what of shedding those final strips

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — This week in travel news: viral candy bars in Dubai, a prime minister has to hitch a ride on a commercial flight, what really happens when a plane has a bird strike and the possible end of shoulder season tourism. Wombat walking They’re one of Australia’s cutest native animals.

By Alice Pfeiffer, CNN Paris (CNN) — Few cities have been so adamantly idealized, mythologized and captured on film and in photographs as Los Angeles and Paris. Inside the majestic botanical garden of “Jardin des Plantes” at the heart of Paris earlier this week, Mike Amiri, founder of the eponymous Californian label, brought these two worlds together in a cinematic

By Yola Mzizi (CNN) — Just an hour after getting engaged in Venice, Italy last year, Christyne de Quesada began scouring the internet for white dresses to wear to her many upcoming wedding-related events: An engagement party, a bachelorette weekend, a civil ceremony at a courthouse and a bigger celebration in Mexico City. But the

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Amy Osmun assumed she’d never see Mike Gilberstadt again. They’d met only 10 hours before. Now they were standing in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, facing one another, both putting off the farewells. But time was ticking. They were both set to catch connecting flights – Amy to Scotland, Mike to

CNN By Daniel Wine, CNN 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Struggling restaurants have been rolling out discounts in an effort to lure customers — but one very popular chain is bucking that trend and refusing to offer deals or drop menu prices. McDonald’s, meanwhile, just came out with a new $5 value meal to combat inflation.

By Jack Guy, CNN (CNN) — Two beluga whales have been rescued from the besieged city of Kharkiv in Ukraine and taken to an aquarium in Valencia, Spain, in a complex operation. A multinational team involving marine mammal care experts from Oceanogràfic de Valencia, the largest oceanarium in Europe; Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta; and SeaWorld were

By Lianne Kolirin and Matthies Otto, CNN (CNN) — A 102-year-old Holocaust survivor whose family was murdered at Auschwitz is the cover star for the July/August edition of Vogue Germany. Margot Friedländer, née Bendheim, was born in Berlin in 1921. According to a brief bio on the website of Berlin’s Jewish Museum, Friedländer spent the

By Kaila Nichols, CNN (CNN) — In the first few minutes of her new documentary film, the writer and director Lagueria Davis pays a visit to her aunt, Beulah Mitchell. At Mitchell’s house, they look through a room filled with boxes of dolls stacked up to the ceiling. Davis — who says in the documentary she

By Lisa Kjellsson, CNN (CNN) — Perhaps you’ve seen the viral YouTube clip of the Hollywood actress Alicia Vikander explaining to talk show host Jimmy Kimmel what Swedish Midsummer is all about (she even taught him the classic “frog dance,” jumping around in sky-high stilettos). Or maybe you’ve just heard that the summer solstice is

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — A dozen tourists have been banned for life from China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for reportedly displaying bad behavior around the animals. A total of 12 people between the ages of 26 and 61 have been issued lifetime bans from the center, according to a post

By Scarlett Conlon, CNN Milan (CNN) — There are few things more synonymous with Italy in spring and summer than its beaches. From the Adriatic to the Amalfi Coast, its colorful “lidos” (private beach clubs) are one of the country’s most iconic exports. The Italian contingent of the Milan Fashion Week schedule seemed set on

By Forrest Brown, CNN (CNN) — Do you yearn for long days and short nights? Then this could be the best day of the year for you and your fellow sunlight seekers. The summer solstice falls late in the day on Friday, June 20 in the United States (it will already be Saturday, June 21

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — It might be an impossible task to find a traveler who loves crowds and long lines. However, they’re part of the price that most tourists have to pay to visit some of the world’s most famous attractions, especially during peak times. It used to be that someone looking for

By Angelica Chiara Yazbeck and Louis Mian, CNN (CNN) — Jumping from building to building in an ancient city might seem like a dream for those who practice parkour — a sport that involves making it past obstacles — but it can cause damage to historic buildings. A London-based parkour group, Team Phat, visited the

By Cat Woods, CNN (CNN) — Queer love, BDSM sex, identity crises and religious trauma — they’re not the topics Korean American author R. O. Kwon was raised with; nor are they likely the subjects her family wishes she would write about, she noted wryly. But as she grew into (some of) them, so did

By Caitlin Danaher and Jack Guy, CNN (CNN) — The orange powder paint sprayed onto Britain’s most famous prehistoric structure, Stonehenge, by environmental protesters on Wednesday has been removed, leaving “no visible damage,” according to the organization that manages the site. “Thankfully, there appears to be no visible damage but that’s in no way saying

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN London (CNN) — When Ed Sheeran wrote “Shape of You,” he probably didn’t have this vision of himself sculpted from sushi ingredients in mind. The British megastar is just one of several celebrities whose image has been recreated using ingredients like rice, salmon and pickled ginger by British food artist Michelle

By AJ Willingham, CNN (CNN) — “I collect barf bags” is not a complete sentence. The grammar is there, but it demands further explanation. To make sense of this singular hobby, a “because” or a charitable “and” is needed to steer listeners through the bewilderment of hearing that set of words, arranged in that way, for the very first

By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — Another “mysterious” monolith has been spotted. This time, on a Las Vegas hiking trail in Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). “We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough water … but

KSNV, LMVPD, CNN By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — Another “mysterious” monolith has been spotted. This time, on a Las Vegas hiking trail in Nevada, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). “We see a lot of weird things when people go hiking like not being prepared for the weather, not bringing enough

By Kathleen Magramo and Yoonjung Seo, CNN (CNN) — South Korea will soon launch a new visa for foreign nationals who dream of training like a K-pop idol, in a bid to boost its tourism industry back to pre-pandemic levels. The “K-Culture Training Visa” will be open to foreigners who want to train in K-pop

By Rebecca Cairns, CNN; Video by Ana DeOliva, CNN (CNN) — On TikTok, gooey, crunchy, loaded chocolate bars are going viral. Bursting with unusual fillings such as filo pastry, vanilla custard, or tea and biscuits, these chunky chocolate bars originate from Fix Dessert Chocolatier. “We take a lot of time and effort, and put a

By Doug Drury (The Conversation) — Late Monday night, Virgin Australia flight VA 148 set out from Queenstown in New Zealand bound for Melbourne. Not long after takeoff, the right engine of the Boeing 737-800 jet started emitting loud bangs, followed by flames. The pilot flew on with the remaining engine, bringing the plane’s 73 passengers

By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — Many celebrities will be well-versed in the power of the statement heel to complete a red carpet look, but at the Tony Awards on Sunday night in New York, Brooke Shields stole the spotlight in a statement flat. Stepping out in a pair of sunny Crocs to match her

By Scarlett Conlon, CNN (CNN) — With flyers strewn across the floor, metal barriers covered in recycled plastic, and a sporadic assembly of plastic chairs arranged in dimly-lit arts space south of central Milan, British menswear designer Martine Rose eschewed the polish often associated with the Italian fashion capital, giving guests a taste of her

By Alex Rees, CNN (CNN) — Since 2008, Ralph Lauren has outfitted Team USA at nine consecutive Olympics and Paralympics, designing uniforms for athletes to wear at opening and closing ceremonies as well as a broader capsule wardrobe for their use during and after the Games. And for this summer’s Olympics, the brand is bringing

CNN By Alex Rees, CNN (CNN) — Since 2008, Ralph Lauren has outfitted Team USA at nine consecutive Olympics and Paralympics, designing uniforms for athletes to wear at opening and closing ceremonies as well as a broader capsule wardrobe for their use during and after the Games. And for this summer’s Olympics, the brand is

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — If a plane has to make an unscheduled landing, that often means there’s been some kind of medical emergency on board. But an Air New Zealand plane had a very different reason for making an unplanned stop yesterday – they were picking up the country’s prime minister after his

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Four decades after the artist Agnes Denes planted and harvested a two-acre wheat field in Lower Manhattan, using one of the last undeveloped plots of land in the economic capital to create an idyllic but ephemeral vista, the ecological artist — now aged 93 — has reimagined the project

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN (CNN) — An oil spill affecting Singapore has spread beyond a luxury beach resort to a marine reserve and other parts of the island nation as authorities intensify cleanup efforts. The oil spilled into the city-state’s waters after a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, Marine Honor, on Friday

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — Uprooting your life and moving to a completely different city for work isn’t always an easy decision. There are many factors to consider, with cost undoubtedly high on the list. But which international city is the most expensive in the world for expats to move to? Hong Kong has

By Christy Choi and Hassan Tayir, CNN (CNN) — What’s old is new again. This time it’s a centuries-old skirt design that’s proving popular in China. The “mamianqun” or “horse face skirt” is being worn in cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu as young people in China are giving the attire a modern twist, with

By Maggie Wong, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Interested in capping off your trip to Hong Kong with a long weekend in Beijing or Shanghai? A new high-speed sleeper train service is making that possibility easier than ever. Two new overnight routes connecting the city with Beijing and Shanghai entered into service on June 15.

By Tamara Hardingham-Gill, CNN (CNN) — On September 11, Ethiopians will celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. However, when the East African country rings in its New Year in a few months, it will technically be 2017, according to the Ethiopian calendar. So why is Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous

By Suyin Haynes, CNN (CNN) — In 2015 alone, 1,146 people died during or after interactions with law enforcement officials in the US. In 2016, the death toll was 1,093, per “The Counted,” a special report and database from The Guardian. (In both years, the vast majority of deaths were classified as due to gunshot

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — Think of Rio de Janeiro and the first image that comes to mind – no matter your own belief system – is probably a religious one. Perched on the Corcovado – a 2,300-foot-high granite outcrop looming above the city – the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue sweeps its

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In travel news this week, new hiking programs in Italy, America’s best restaurants and chefs and how to bear-proof your picnic. Hiking in Italy The Proclaimers were willing to walk 500 miles for their dream, but the under-35s only have to embark on a 500-kilometer (311-mile) walking route to

By Amarachi Orie, CNN (CNN) — The late Vivienne Westwood was known for her provocative clothing styles and the development of punk fashion, adorning runways with her iconic high-end designs. Now, fans of the British fashion designer will be able to get their hands on her personal wardrobe items when they go up for auction

By Catherine Nicholls, CNN (CNN) — Dozens of passengers who boarded a Qatar Airways plane in Athens, Greece on Monday expected to be on their way to their destination – Doha, Qatar – relatively quickly. Instead, they found themselves trapped inside a grounded plane for more than three hours, according to passenger Garth Collins, who

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — As AI-generated images have begun creeping into art and photography contests over the past two years, sometimes fooling jurors and provoking anxiety and anger among artists, the photographer Miles Astray decided it was time to turn the tides. In an AI category at the 1839 Awards’ Color Photography Contest,

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — In the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the year of the dragon. To the internet, it is the year of the rat. It began, seemingly, with a few innocuous social media posts comparing Mike Faist, co-star of the titillating tennis throuple film “Challengers,” to a dormouse. Soon, the complexity of

By Jack Guy, CNN London (CNN) — A twice-stolen painting by Italian Renaissance master Titian, which was once found in a plastic bag at a bus stop in London, is expected to fetch as much as $32 million at auction in July. “The Rest on the Flight into Egypt” is going under the hammer at

By Angus Watson, CNN (CNN) — A remote Australian community has taken revenge on a massive saltwater crocodile by eating the 3.6-meter (11.8-foot) beast blamed for devouring pets and chasing children. On Wednesday, police in the town of Bulla in Australia’s Northern Territory shot the crocodile after deeming it a “significant risk to the community.”

By Susan Griffin, CNN (CNN) — Not so long ago, seeing a dermatologist was only deemed necessary if you had skin problems or possessed a famous face to be pored over in magazines or on the big screen. Not anymore. Whether it’s due to the rise of social media or celebrity culture, the past decade

By Bolaji Akinwande, CNN Lagos (CNN) — Since its inception in 2011, Lagos Fashion Week has been a twice-yearly highlight of the African fashion calendar, a multi-day showcase attracting the continent’s top design houses, big name sponsors, as well as an international audience. In a deeply religious and conservative Nigeria, where LGBTQ people suffer extremely high levels of homophobia, intolerance, and even violence, Lagos Fashion

CNN By Jessie Yeung, Mike Valerio and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS is spending his day hugging 1,000 fans, after finishing his mandatory military service in South Korea on Wednesday. Jin made his first public appearance at Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex this afternoon, where

By Nathan Kay, CNN Budapest (CNN) — For most of the last century, the story of the Gresham Palace closely mirrored that of the city in which it was built. Built at the turn of the 20th century in prosperous Budapest, it quickly became the Hungarian capital’s hottest address. After enduring two world wars, it

By Jessie Yeung, Mike Valerio and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS is spending his day hugging 1,000 fans, after finishing his mandatory military service in South Korea on Wednesday. Jin made his first public appearance at Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex this afternoon, where he

By Jack Guy, CNN (CNN) — Flights at Palma de Mallorca airport in Mallorca, Spain, were suspended Tuesday after a sudden storm flooded runways. Video footage from inside the airport terminal show water gushing through the roof of the building, and photos show flood waters almost reaching the bottom of plane engines. Operations were “temporarily

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Over the weekend, Drake posted an outfit to Instagram that has since generated a lot of chatter online. Dressed in a pair of billowing stone-gray slacks, a cream T-shirt and a white sweater tossed and tied over his shoulders, the singer and rapper was pictured on the sidelines of

By Zoe Whitfield, CNN (CNN) — What is perhaps most striking about the 32 photographs that make up Jack Lueders-Booth’s new book, “Women Prisoner Polaroids,” is the intimacy that occupies each frame. Inmates wear their own clothes and pose in cells embellished with personal effects, much like any regular college dorm room; one woman clasps

By Maggie Wong, CNN (CNN) — Boasting 51,000 statues carved into 252 caves and niches some 1,500 years ago, China’s Yungang Buddhist Grottoes is irrefutably a spectacular attraction. But in recent days, the restrooms in this UNESCO-listed World Heritage site have been earning more attention than the views. A video recently shared on various Chinese

CNN By Niamh Kennedy, Louis Mian and Leah Dolan, CNN London (CNN) — Activists from an animal rights group have vandalized the first official portrait of King Charles, currently on display in a London gallery. Campaign group Animal Rising posted a video on its social media channels on Tuesday showing two activists using a paint

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Any air travel can be stressful, but facing down a long-haul flight can be especially intimidating. Should you prioritize sleeping or eating, or both? Should you attempt to exercise in the aisle? Is it ever acceptable to take off your shoes? Kris Major is a British flight attendant with

By Niamh Kennedy, Louis Mian and Leah Dolan, CNN London (CNN) — Activists from an animal rights group have vandalized the first official portrait of King Charles, currently on display in a London gallery. Campaign group Animal Rising posted a video on its social media channels on Tuesday showing two activists using a paint roller

By CNN Staff, CNN (CNN) — Sometimes it’s the smallest things that ruin your day. For the passengers of a flight between the eastern Chinese cities of Shanghai and Jinan, it was a miniature pet possum. The tiny sugar glider – a nocturnal animal resembling a flying squirrel –  broke loose on a China Eastern

By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — Black shades and a red towel were all Blackpink’s Jennie Kim needed to look chic ahead of the Jacquemus show in Capri, Italy. Channeling Brigitte Bardot in Jean Luc Godard’s 1963 French New Wave film “Le Mépris” (“Contempt”), the K-pop star was featured in a series of vignettes posted

By Sarah Royce-Greensill, CNN (CNN) — In 2016, jeweler Olivia Young of Ouroboros sold a red spinel ring for £6,000 ($7,700). Last year, the client’s insurance company paid out £30,000 ($38,400) to replace it. Experts say that this previously overlooked gemstone is rocketing in desirability and value, as collectors look beyond the so-called “Big Four’”

By Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — The Oscars of the food world — the James Beard Awards — were handed out Monday night to many chefs and restaurants reflecting cultures and regions that have long been overlooked when honoring culinary achievement in the United States. At Dakar NOLA, winner of Best New Restaurant, Chef Serigne

By Alex Sherr, CNN Papeete, French Polynesia (CNN) — It’s a cloudless morning and the sun is shining brightly off the coast of French Polynesia’s capital and largest city, Papeete, enhancing the water’s already vibrant shades of blue. Though just meters away from the territory’s largest commercial port, cruise ship terminal and airport, the water

CNN By Raja Razek, Susannah Cullinane and Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — The major highway near Grand Teton National Park that was closed after a “catastrophic” collapse Saturday could partially reopen in a matter of weeks, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. “Currently, WYDOT geologists and engineers are confident they can build a safe,

CNN By Natasha Chen, CNN (CNN) — A ride based on the story of Disney’s first Black princess opens to the public on June 28 in Orlando, Florida, replacing the decades-old Splash Mountain attraction that was beloved by many Disney fans yet also widely criticized. Walt Disney World’s new ride, inspired by the movie “The

By Natasha Chen, CNN (CNN) — A ride based on the story of Disney’s first Black princess opens to the public on June 28 in Orlando, Florida, replacing the decades-old Splash Mountain attraction that was beloved by many Disney fans yet also widely criticized. Walt Disney World’s new ride, inspired by the movie “The Princess

Story by Maureen O’Hare, video by Nina Avramova, CNN (CNN) — Before 2010, Holmes Chapel was but another quiet leafy village in northern England. There was the little train station with services to Manchester and Crewe, a handful of local shops and, a short walk out of town, the 180-year-old Twemlow Viaduct on the banks

By Stephanie Halasz, CNN (CNN) — An Austrian Airlines plane was badly damaged by hail when the airborne jet hit a “thunderstorm cell” Sunday, Austrian Airlines said. A storm cell is an air mass that contains up and down drafts, which can cause turbulence when a plane encounters one. The plane with 173 passengers and

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — After having sex, some women hoping to get pregnant will immediately raise their legs up high, for a few minutes or longer, in the hope that gravity will assist conception. Though the impact of such contortion is not actually grounded in science, it persists as a familiar trope in

By Scottie Andrew, CNN (CNN) — To many, the stereotypical image of a drag queen is one of a gay man dressed in exaggerated feminine getup, oversized wigs and heavy makeup. But drag’s image — and history — is far more complex. Drag is a grand dame in a glittering gown, commanding the stage with

By Jewel, for CNN (CNN) — Walking through “The Portal” — the immersive art experience that I have created at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas — is like stepping into a mandala. It embodies my true life’s work: how to heal a broken heart. Working with the team at Crystal Bridges

By Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — Temperatures are rising. Hotel prices are exploding. And travelers are already behaving badly. Welcome to another summer in Europe. From the headlines, things already look chaotic. Famous sites are raising their entry fees. Hotel rooms are like gold dust. And the dollar has slipped against both the pound and

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In this week’s roundup of travel news, we bring you the world’s best restaurants for 2024, Disneyland’s epic expansion plans and the little museum in rural England that’s become a YouTube hit. Military sites and museums A tiny museum in rural England has one of the finest collections of

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — “Bridgerton” fans haven’t been able to stop talking about that long-awaited carriage scene that closed out the first half of the hit Regency-era romance series’ third season on Netflix. And now, as stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, who play love interests Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton (Polin, to

By Xiaofei Xu, CNN Paris (CNN) — Lying on a sunny beach in France, occasionally sipping an ice-cold beverage, and then jumping into warm water. This must be the French Riviera, right? Or, actually, Paris. In an effort to transform how tourists experience summer in the French capital this July and August as it hosts

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Tristano always loves telling the tale of how he met his wife Alessandra – it’s an amazing, continent-spanning love story. For Tristano, this story will also forever be interlinked with another amazing, continent-spanning story – one of friendship. So whenever Tristano recounts his love story, he begins several years

By Issy Ronald, and Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Paris (CNN) — There are familiar sights synonymous with every Olympics and Paralympics — emotional athletes, jubilant crowds, stands filled with colorful flags. And at next month’s upcoming Games, Louis Vuitton are hoping they too will become a hallmark of the same grand occasion. The luxury house’s distinctive

Ana María Cañizares and Abel Alvarado, CNN (CNN) — Ecuador may have a 46-year-old woman representing the small Andean nation in the Miss Universe beauty pageant later this year. Yajaira Quizhpi – who represents the Sierra region – is vying for the national title of Miss Universe Ecuador. This Saturday, she and 24 other contestants will

By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN (CNN) — Tokyo DisneySea – the global brand’s only ocean-themed park – has just unveiled its long-awaited expansion to the public. The new themed land, called Fantasy Springs, combines the worlds of three popular Disney movie franchises – “Peter Pan,” “Frozen” and “Tangled.” Spanning 140,000 square meters and built at

By Kaila Nichols, CNN (CNN) — A trove of ancient Mexican artifacts brought to Seattle decades ago is finally going home. In January 2022, Homeland Security Investigations received a tip that a Seattle resident was in possession of 36 ancient artifacts originating from Chiapas, Mexico, a spokesperson for the agency’s Seattle office told CNN. The resident,

By Joseph Ataman and Rosa Rahimi, CNN (CNN) — Ben, the French artist best known for his irreverent approach to modern art, has died aged 88, taking his own life hours after the death of his wife, his family said in a statement Wednesday. Annie Vautier, Ben’s wife, died at 3 a.m. on Wednesday, having

By Silvia Marchetti, CNN (CNN) — Dwindling Italian towns have been pulling out all the stops to lure new residents in recent years, with several one-euro home schemes launching across the country. But while some towns have struggled to find buyers for their abandoned buildings, others have been basking in the glory of successful sales.

By Leah Dolan, CNN London (CNN) — Dressed in an ivory white leotard and tutu, a tall Black figure poses in retiré. Arms and legs angular, chest turned towards the light. It’s a traditional oil on linen — the frothy movement of the ballerina skirt almost like an Edgar Degas. The image, a self-portrait of

By Karla Cripps, CNN (CNN) — Any doubts that Spain remains the fine dining center of the world may just have evaporated with the revealing of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2024 list. Five eateries from the European nation made the list – three of them in the top five. The awards – considered the

By Stephy Chung, CNN (CNN) — Virginie Viard is exiting Chanel after five years serving as the French luxury house’s artistic director of fashion collections. The designer took on the position following Karl Lagerfeld’s death in 2019 after working alongside him at Chanel for decades. She held one of fashion’s most coveted and elite jobs

By Christy Choi, CNN (CNN) — On the cover of Lisa Birnbach’s “The Official Preppy Handbook,” a tongue-in-cheek 1980s guide to looking, acting and thinking like a US prep school elite, a pattern along the border depicts a fabric that has become synonymous with casual American luxury: madras. The colorful plaid cotton cloth has been